Salvia sphacelifolia Epling (1939: 177–178)

González-Gallegos, Jesús Guadalupe & López-Enríquez, Irma Lorena, 2016, Salvia wixarika (Lamiaceae), a new species from Jalisco, Mexico, and novelties on Mexican Salvia with white corollas, Phytotaxa 260 (2), pp. 176-184 : 181-182

Salvia sphacelifolia Epling (1939: 177–178)

Type:— MEXICO. Sinaloa, San Ignacio, Balboa, January 1923, J. González-Ortega 5076 (holotype US barcode 00121656!, isotype K barcode K 000248026 [digital image!], image of the holotype is available at http://n 2t.net/ark:/65665/37d859b4c-e615-4911-b98ac91c2f444581).

Perennial herb, erect, stem short pilose and covered with tiny glandular-capitate hairs (<0.1 mm long). Leaves with petioles (2–)4.5–5.6(–6.9) mm long, short pilose and with tiny glandular-capitae hairs; blade oblong to oblong-lanceolate, (5.5–) 8–10.5 cm × 2.4–4 cm, apex acute, base short cuneate to rounded, margin crenate, bullate above and short pilose with the hairs spread, densely short pilose beneath and with tiny glandular-capitate hairs on the veins. Inflorescence in racemes (9–) 15–40 cm long, verticillasters (5–)11–31, each 6–12-flowered, the lowermost 1–1.5 cm apart from each other; floral axis short pilose and with tiny glandular-capitate hairs. Floral bract ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 5.3–6.8 × (2.3–) 3.6–4.5 mm, deciduous, apex acuminate to short caudate, base truncate, margin entire and ciliated, outer surface short pilose, glandular punctate and with tiny glandular-capitate hairs. Flower with pedicel 2.5–3.7 mm long, short pilose and with tiny glandular-capitate hairs. Calyx 6.9–8.1 × 3.6–4.3 mm, short pilose, with glandular-capitate hairs longer than in the rest of the plant, glandular punctate, covered with short conical hairs inside in the upper half portion, lips acute, 1.3–1.6 mm long, the upper 7-veined and entire at the apex. Corolla white (or more likely blue); tube 8.5–10.2 × 3.5–4.5 mm, slightly ventricose, straight at the base, epapillate inside towards the base, short pilose at the apex; upper lip 5.3–6.2 mm long, sparsely short pilose; lower lip 6.2–8.5(–10) × (6.3–) 7.4–9.2 mm, short pilose beneath. Stamens included; filament 1.9–2.1 mm long; connective 5.8–6 mm long, geniculate at ventral midpoint; theca 2–2.2 mm long; a pair of staminodes behind and above filament insertion, filiform. Gynobasic nectary not seen; style 11.2–11.5 mm long, short pilose at the apex, upper stigmatic branch longer and arquate, the lower one acute and straight. Mericarps not seen.

Etymology:— The specific epithet makes reference to the similarity of the leaves to those of the genus Sphacele Bentham in Lindley (1829: sub pl. 1289), currently accepted as Lepechinia Willdenow (1804 : sub pl. 21).

Distribution, habitat and phenology:— Salvia sphacelifolia is known only from the type collection, which was gathered in Balboa, municipality of San Ignacio, Sinaloa, Mexico. However, there is no reference to any locality named Balboa in that region. Hence, it seems that this species is a very narrow endemism and that the precise locality where it grows is uncertain ( Fig. 2 ). Epling (1947) mentioned two additional populations from Sierra de Surotato, Sinaloa (Gentry 7209 and 7295), but we were not able to trace the specimens in order to confirm the identifications. However, it is very probable that these belong to the unusual morphological pattern of S. aequidistans (described below), since the specimens were gathered in nearby localities. According to the vegetation and elevation gradient of the area, it is more likely that S. sphacelifolia grows in oak or pine-oak forests composed by species with tropical affinity ( Pinus maximinoi , P. praetermissa , Quercus aristata , Q. elliptica and Q. scytophylla ), or in ecotones between oak and tropical deciduous forests, at 1500–2000 m elevation. The label of the specimens does not provide any insights about the habitat where the taxon was found. It is probable that the species flowers and fruits throughout the winter.

Discussion:— Salvia sphacelifolia is morphologically most similar to S. aequidistans Fernald (1900: 512) . However, it can be recognized from this in having shorter glandular-capitate hairs (<0.1 vs. 0.4–0.7 mm long), oblong to oblong-lanceolate leaves (vs. ovate to ovate-lanceolate), larger blades [(5.5–)18–10.5 × 2.4–4 vs. 1.5–3.5(–5) × 1.2– 2(–3) cm] and floral bracts [5.3–6.8 × (2.3–)3.6–4.5 vs. 3–4(–5) × 1.5–2.5 mm], longer calyces (6.9–8.1 vs. 5–6 mm long), larger corolla tubes [8.5–10.2 × 3.5–4.5 vs. 6–7 × 2–3 mm long), longer upper lip [5.3–6.2 vs. (2.4–)3–4(–4.5) mm long], longer connective [5.8–6 vs. (3.5–) 4–5 mm long], longer thecae (2–2.2 vs. 1–1.5 mm long), and longer style [11.2–11.5 vs. 7–7.5 mm long). The characters above referred to S. aequidistans (in parentheses) were taken from González-Gallegos et al. (in press), which correspond to the usual morphological pattern in this species. However, there are some populations from Durango and Sinaloa that deviate from the former and that were previously identified as S. sphacelifolia : Martínez-S. 4174 et al. (MEXU), Ortiz-C. 349 et al. (MEXU), Tenorio-L. 6265 & Romero de T. (MEXU, TEX), Tenorio-L. et al. 9853 (MEXU), and Torres-C. et al. 3523 (MEXU). These specimens are characterized by slightly longer leaf blades (3.3–6.6 × 1.1–1.7 mm long), corolla tube up to 3.3 mm wide, longer connective (5.5– 5.8 mm long) and style (8.3–9.4 mm long); in every other character, they coincide with what was described in S. aequidistans . Nonetheless, this extreme of variation is also easily distinguishable from S. sphacelifolia , and surely represents part of the phenetic variation of S. aequidistans .

In a recent phylogenetic analyses ( Jenks et al. 2013) S. sphacelifolia was regarded as sister species of S. tepicensis Fernald (1910: 420) . The latter taxon is to be regarded as synonym of S. aequidistans (González-Gallegos et al. in press). Nevertheless, the specimen they sequenced and analyzed (Lubinsky & Lubinsky 264, UCR) actually represents a typical sample of S. aequidistans . Even though, it would not be surprising that the real S. sphacelifolia was closely related to S. aequidistans , as suggested by the morphological similarity.

It is noteworthy that even when the corollas of S. sphacelifolia have been described as white (Epling 1939, González-Gallegos et al. 2012), it is more likely they are blue or sky blue. Epling (1939) added in his description a question mark in parentheses just after corolla color, as indicating he was hesitant about it. In the type specimens it seems there are some patches of blue pigment, but it is ambiguous, and color has been lost in most of corolla tissue.

Additional specimens examined ( Salvia aequidistans ): MEXICO. Durango. San Dimas: El Cedral, 68 km al SW de San Miguel de Cruces, brecha a Tayoltita , 1700 m, 24º14’, 105º53’, 6 July de 1984, P. Tenorio-L. & C. Romero de T. 6265 ( MEXU!, TEX!) ; Tepehuanes: 16 km al W de Las Cruces, camino Tepehuanes-Tabahueto , 28 August 1983, R. Torres-C. et al. 3523 ( MEXU!) ; Topia: Topia, 1450–1800 m, 19 September 1985, P. Tenorio-L. et al. 9853 ( MEXU!). Sinaloa. Badiraguato: Los Laureles, 75 km al NE de Mocorito, camino a Surutato , 1430 m, 2 August 1983, E. Martínez-S. et al. 4174 ( MEXU!) ; Sierra Madre Occidental, site 5, off the road from the village of Surutato to Badiraguato , ridge above Arroyo de La Huerta , 4 km (air) S of Surutato airstrip, 25º45’44.4”N, 107º33’3.6”W, 1700 m, 24 December 2001, P. Lubinsky & L. Lubinsky 264 ( UCR!) ; Mocorito : 8 km al NE de San José de Los Hornos, 1850 m, 2 August 1983, G. Ortiz-C. et al. 349 ( MEXU!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Distribution map of Salvia aequidistans (black dots, typical morphological pattern, and circles, populations with larger leaves), S. collinsii (black triangles), S. sphacelifolia (question mark, which also denotes the ambiguity on precise location of this species), and S. wixarika (square).