Verbascum ifranensis Khamar, Civeyrel, Pelissier, Badr, El Oualidi & Touhami-Ouazzani, 2017

Khamar, Hamid, Civeyrel, Laure, Pelissier, Celine, Badr, Diana, Oualidi, Jalal El & Touhami-Ouazzani, Amina, 2017, Verbascum ifranensis (Scrophulariaceae), a new endemic species from Morocco, Phytotaxa 295 (2), pp. 132-140 : 133-135

Verbascum ifranensis Khamar, Civeyrel, Pelissier, Badr, El Oualidi & Touhami-Ouazzani , sp. nov. ( Fig.1 )

Type: — Morocco: Middle Atlas between El Hajeb and Ifrane. RN 707 ; Iquaddar, calcareous soils, 33°34’23”N, 5°14’01”W, 1600 m, 19 July, 2011, H. Khamar 42 & L. Civeyrel 1972b (Holotype: RAB94842 !, Isotypes: RAB94843 !, RAB94844 !) .

Diagnosis:— Verbascum ifranensis has morphological affinity to V. dentifolium and V. lychnitis Linnaeus (1753:177) . The new species differs from these presumably related species by the following characters: stems erect, robust, cylindrical, thinly angular; basal leaves obovate or oblanceolate, crenulate, obtuse, short and winged petiole 2–3 cm long or poorly differentiated, midrib prominent on abaxial leaf surfaces; inflorescence pyramidal-ovate panicle, with clusters of 4–7 flowers, becoming ± dense in fruiting; bracts cordate-ovate, ± acuminate; calyx 4–6 mm long, 1.5 times as short as capsule, deeply lobed; corolla marked with purplish red spots inside the throat, pellucid-punctate glands absent; filament hairs whitish mixed with a few violet ones; capsule ovoid, shortly rostrate ( Table 1).

Morphological description:—Biennial herb, 100–260 (–300) cm tall, densely and persistently tomentose with whorled branches, eglandular and whitish or pale yellowish hairs; stem erect, robust, cylindrical, thinly angular, branched in its upper part; densely leafy. Basal leaves 30–50 × 9–16 cm, densely and persistently tomentose on both surfaces, obovate or oblanceolate, base gradually attenuate into a short and winged petiole 2–3 cm long or poorly differentiated, midrib prominent on abaxial leaf surface, margin crenulate, apex obtuse, base cuneate. Cauline leaves tomentose on both surfaces and smaller; lower and median leaves subsessile, not decurrent, oblong-ovate, margin crenulate, base cordate forming atria, apex acute; upper or rameal leaves sessile, broadly cordate, apex cuspidate, margin subentire. Inflorescence well-branched, forming a pyramidal-ovate panicle, more or less dense in fruiting. Flowers fasciculate, in axillary clusters of 4 – 7 at the axils of the main bract. Median primary bract cordate-ovate, acuminate, subequal to the older fruiting pedicel. Fruiting pedicel unequal in length, 5–8 mm, bracteoles equaling or imperceptibly exceeding the calyx. Calyx densely tomentose, 4–6 mm long, deeply lobed almost to the base, lobes ovate-lanceolate, acute, entire. Corolla yellow, 25–30 mm in diameter; pellucid-punctate glands absent; densely tomentose with whitish and whorled-branched hairs outside; marked with five small, slightly coloured spots inside the throat. Stamens 5, all filaments villous with dense whitish hairs mixed with a few violet ones; two lower filaments densely hairy on their inner surface up to the anthers. Median stamen smaller than the others. All anthers similarly shaped, reniform and transversely medifixed. Style 6–10 mm long, ± straight, densely tomentose at base, ± thickened near the apex. Stigma hemispherical. Capsules ovoid, 5–7 × 3–5 mm, densely tomentose, 1.5 times as long as calyx, apex shortly rostrate. Seeds numerous, 0.9–1 × 0.6 mm, prismatic, alveolar-reticulate, with longitudinal rows of 5–6 alveoli.

Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting: June to November

Etymology:—This new species was first collected in the region of Ifrane in Morocco and was given the name of that region.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— Morocco: The central plateau, Aguelmous on the NNE bank of Assif Ras Beriakh, 33°34’31”N, 05°14’ 15”W, 1600 m, 21 July 2011, L. Civeyrel 1972a ( RAB94845 !) ; Middle Eastern Atlas : Road between Missour and Immouzar Marmoucha, 32°14’19’’ N, 4°55’44”W, 1520 m, 21 July 2011, L. Civeyrel 1989 & H. Khamar 52 ( RAB101538 !) ; Ijoukak , 31°01’00’’N, 08°08’38’’ W, 1162 m, 17 Jun 2013, L. Civeyrel 2085 & H. Khamar 204 ( RAB101539 !) ; Middle Atlas between Azrou and Ifrane, 33°23’46”N, 5°12’40”W, 1770 m, L. Civeyrel 1976 & H. Khamar 42b ( RAB101540 !) ; Oulmès , 33°23’20”N, 05°59’09”W, 1134 m, L. Civeyrel 2111& H. Khamar 242 ( RAB101541 !) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. V. ifranensis sp. nov.: A, basal leaves; B, Habit and habitat; C, upper or rameal leaves; D1 and D2, Bracts and calyx; E, two flower buds; F, Corolla, abaxial view; G, Corolla, adaxial view with filament wool and style; H, Fruit capsules.