Senecio auricula Bourgeau ex Cosson (1852: 169)

Calvo, Joel, Álvarez, Inés & Aedo, Carlos, 2015, Systematics of Senecio section Crociseris (Compositae, Senecioneae), Phytotaxa 211 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

1. Senecio auricula Bourgeau ex Cosson (1852: 169) . Jacobaea auricula (Bourgeau ex Cosson) Pelser (2006: 5) . TYPE: Spain, Andalucía, Granada, près Baza, [37º26'N 2º44'W], 26 May 1851, E. Bourgeau 1259 (lectotype, designated here, P-2823165 image!; isolectotypes, C10007873 image!, CAS-27367 image!, COI-37567 image!, E-314741! (right hand specimen), GOET-2011 image!, K-844203 image!, LE!, P-2822143 image!, P-2823166 image!, P-4311431 image! (right hand specimen), P-4311432 image!, P-4311428 image!, P-4112978 image!).

Senecio auricula var. major Willkomm (1865: 117) . Senecio auricula subsp. major (Willkomm) Rivas Martínez & Costa (1976: 83) . TYPE: Spain, Alicante, Cabo de Santa Pola près Alicante, [38º12'N 0º32'W], 7 May 1852, E. Bourgeau 1601 (lectotype, designated here, P-4311429 image!; isolectotypes, COI-37564!, E-314741! (left hand specimen), LE!, P-4112977 image!, P-4112976 image!, P-4311431 image! (left hand specimen), P-2822142 image!, P-2823164 image!, P-2823167 image!).

Senecio auricula var. sicoricus Bolòs & Vigo (1987: 91) . Senecio auricula subsp. sicoricus (Bolòs & Vigo) Ascaso & Pedrol (1991: 138) . TYPE: Spain, Catalonia, Lleida, inter la Codina et Biosca, [41º50'N 1º18'E], 11 June 1932, P. Font-Quer s.n. (holotype, BC-75893 image!).

Senecio auricula subsp. castellanus Ascaso & Pedrol (1991: 138) . TYPE: Spain, Madrid, Aranjuez , [40º01'N 3º33'W], June 1914, C. Vicioso s.n. (holotype, MA-129949!, left hand specimen).

Perennial herb. Rhizome 1.4–9 cm long, 0.4–1.5 cm in diam., ± horizontal, with swelled fastigiate roots. Stem 12–53 cm, subscapose, scarcely leaved, sulcate, solid, not ramificated, arachnoid, finally glabrous, and base with tufts of hairs (up to 5 mm) and without remnants of old leaves. Basal leaves 1.7–10.5 cm long, 0.5–2.3 cm wide, persistent, in a dense rosette that lies on the ground, succulent, oblanceolate to oblong (ratio basal leaf width / basal leaf length = 0.12–0.38), toothed to rounded, sometimes emarginate, sessile, entire, usually weakly arachnoid on the margin when young (trichomes 0.7–1.7 mm long), concolorous. Cauline leaves 2–6; middle cauline leaves 0.8–6.4 cm long, 0.2–1.1 cm wide, alternate, sometimes the lower ones subopposite, oblanceolate to oblong (ratio middle leaf width / middle leaf length = 0.13–0.32), acute, sometimes obtuse, rarely toothed, semi-amplexicaul, entire, rarely with some teeth in the lower part (teeth 1–2.8 mm deep), weakly arachnoid on the margin and axis (trichomes 0.6–2 mm long, usually caducous), tertiary venation inconspicuous; upper cauline leaves 0.3–2.6 cm long, 0.1–0.7 cm wide, oblong (ratio upper leaf width / upper leaf length = 0.22–0.54), acute, semi-amplexicaul, entire, rarely with some tooth in the lower part (0.7–0.9 mm deep), weakly arachnoid on the margin and axis (usually caducous). Synflorescence 2.3–19 cm long, corymbose, with triangular-oblong short bracts. Capitula (1–)4–6(–11), 18.6–34.1 mm in diam.; involucre 7–13 mm long, 11.7–23.4 mm in diam., cupuliform; involucral bracts (16–)20–22(–35), 3.7–8.4 mm long, 1–2.7 mm wide, with scarious margin 0.3–0.8 mm wide, subulate to lanceolate, attenuate, smooth, apex sometimes with a black-violet spot, weakly arachnoid, finally glabrous (trichomes 0.8–1.8 mm long); supplementary bracts (4–)5–7(–9), 1.9–6.8 mm long, 0.4–1.3 mm wide, subulate, without scarious margin, a third to a half as long as involucral bracts, arachnoid to weakly arachnoid on the margin, not imbricated. Ligulate florets 9–22, 8.2–17.1 mm long, yellow; tubular florets 5.1–9.4 mm long, 0.7–1.6 mm in diam., yellow. Achenes 2.3–4.2 mm long, 0.6–1.2 mm wide, subcylindrical (ratio achene width / achene length = 0.20–0.40), shorter than pappus (ratio achene length / pappus length = 0.39–0.60), with 6–9 ribs, with trichomes 0.1–0.3 mm long covering ± the whole surface; pappus 4.9–8.8 mm long, whitish. Chromosome number: 2 n =40 ( Fernández Casas & Fernández Piqueras 1978: 205). Figure 1 .

SYSTEMATICS OF SENECIO SECTION CROCISERIS

Phytotaxa 211 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press • 11 12 • Phytotaxa 211 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press

CALVO ET AL.

Distribution and habitat: —E Spain and one isolated locality in Algeria (Djelfa); open shrublands on saline and gypsiferous soils, usually accompanied by Elymus curvifolius (Lange) Melderis in Heywood (1978: 377), Lepidium cardamines Linnaeus (1755: 17) , Lygeum spartum Linnaeus (1754: 522) , Schoenus nigricans Linnaeus (1753: 43) , and Sonchus crassifolius Willdenow (1803: 1509) ; elevations of 0–900 m ( Figure 2 ).

Phenology: —Flowering from March to June.

Etymology: —The epithet auricula probably refers to the similarity of the basal leaves with the ears.

Discussion: — Senecio auricula is easily distinguishable from the other Crociseris species by its succulent basal leaves in a dense rosette that lies on the ground, and its subscapose habit.

Some authors recognized infraspecific taxa. Willkomm (1865) named the populations growing nearby the coast of Alicante (E Spain) as S. auricula var. major because of their larger size. Bolòs & Vigo (1987) described the populations distributed through the NE Spain as S. auricula var. sicoricus on the basis of the small plant size and the tridentate apex of the basal leaves. On the other hand, Ascaso & Pedrol (1991) include the populations from C Spain within S. auricula subsp. castellanus , considering that they differ from the other subspecies in its pinnatifid cauline leaves. Nonetheless, we have found that the mentioned characters are not consistent either within the populations or among them, and therefore, we do not recognize any subspecific entity within S. auricula .

Selected specimens examined. ALGERIA. Djelfa: environs de Djelfa, Djebel Senalba , 34º38’N, 3º8’E, May 1857, G. L . Durando s.n. ( S); prope Djelfa , 34º38’N, 3º8’E, 27 May 1858, V. C . Reboud s.n. ( C, NY, S) . SPAIN. Albacete: Albacete inter et Balazote , 38º53’N, 2º7’W, 17 June 1891, P . Porta & G . Rigo 197 ( E, K, WU) . Alicante: Alicante , in collibus aridis maritimis, 38º21’N, 0º27’W, 10 May 1891, P . Porta & G . Rigo 198 ( WU) . Almería: prope Huércal-Overa , loco dicto "La Yesera", 37º23’N, 1º55’W, 27 Mar 1986, G . López 9747 ( B, C) . Ciudad Real: entre Alcázar de San Juan y Villafranca de los Caballeros, borde de laguna de las Yeguas , 39º24’N, 3º16’W, 7 May 1978, S . Castroviejo , S . Cirujano & J . Herrero 1187 ( NY) . Cuenca: Villar de Domingo García, pr. Pueblo , 40º14’N, 2º17’W, 17 Apr 2003, O . García Cardo , B . Abad Garrido & J. M . Martínez Labarga 209 ( MA) . Granada: Baza , 37º26’N, 2º44’W, Funk s.n. ( WU) . Lleida: La Noguera, Cubells, entre Cubells i Camarasa , 41º51’N, 0º56’E, 25 May 2009, J . Calvo & J . Pedrol 3627 ( MA) . Madrid: Colmenar de Oreja, laguna de las Esteras , 40º5’N, 3º32’W, 18 Apr 2009, J . Calvo & S . Hantson 3512 ( MA) . Navarra: au sud de Mélida, dans les Bardenas Reales, 42º17’N ,

SYSTEMATICS OF SENECIO SECTION CROCISERIS

Phytotaxa 211 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press • 13 1º30’W, 13 May 1988, J . J . Lazare 14671 ( FI, H). Soria: Monteagudo de las Vicarías, 41º22’N, 2º9’W, 8 June 1969, A . Segura Zubizarreta 9836 ( C, H). Tarragona: Albarca, Pla de la Devesa, 41º17’N, 0º54’E, 21 July 2007, J . Calvo 1179 ( MA). Teruel: Cella, 40º27’N, 1º17’W, 21 Aug 1909, (frère) Sennen s.n. ( MA). Toledo: Borox, arroyo de la Fuente de Seseña, 40º4’N, 3º42’W, 19 Apr 2009, J . Calvo & S . Hantson 3525 ( MA). Zaragoza: Sádaba, Tres Mugas, 42º17’N, 1º23’W, 14 May 1993, P . Urrutia 15217 ( B, H) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Senecio auricula Bourgeau ex Cosson—a. Habit (drawn from Calvo 3526, MA).—b. Rosette of basal leaves (drawn from Rigo s.n. 17 June 1891, L).—c. Tufts of hairs (drawn from Rigo s.n. 17 June 1891, L).—d. Basal leaf (drawn from Ascaso & Pedrol 1728, MA).—e. Basal leaf (drawn from Calvo 3526, MA).—f. Basal leaf (drawn from Rivas Goday s.n. 1 May 1958, MA).—g. Basal leaf (drawn from Rivas Goday s.n. 1 May 1958, MA).—h. Cauline leaf (drawn from Rivas Goday s.n. 1 May 1958, MA).—i. Capitulum (drawn from Castroviejo 1187 et al., NY).—j. Involucral bract (drawn from Castroviejo 1187 et al., NY).—k. Supplementary bract (drawn from Castroviejo 1187 et al., NY).—l. Ligulate floret (drawn from Castroviejo 1187 et al., NY).—m. Tubular floret (drawn from Castroviejo 1187 et al., NY).—n. Achene (drawn from Calvo 3627 & Pedrol, MA).—o. Indumentum of achene (drawn from Calvo 3627 & Pedrol, MA).

FIGURE 2. Distribution map for Senecio auricula Bourgeau ex Cosson (●).