Schizanthus alpestris Poepp., Not. Natur- Heilk. 23: 291. 1829

Morales-Fierro, Vanezza, Munoz-Schick, Melica & Moreira-Munoz, Andres, 2020, Synopsis of Schizanthus Ruiz & Pav. (Solanaceae), a genus endemic to the southern Andes, PhytoKeys 154, pp. 57-102 : 57

5. Schizanthus alpestris Poepp., Not. Natur- Heilk. 23: 291. 1829 Fig. 3A-D

Schizanthus alpestris Poepp. ex Benth., Prodr. [A.P. de Candolle] 10: 202. 1846. nom. illeg. superfl.

Schizanthus alpestris var. glanduliferus Phil., Linnaea 33(2): 214. 1864, as " glandulifera ".

Schizanthus angustifolius Phil., Anal. Univ. Chile 91: 119. 1895.

Schizanthus glanduliferus Phil., Anal. Univ. Chile 91: 120. 1895.

Schizanthus laciniosus Phil., Anal. Univ. Chile 91: 125. 1895.

Type.

Chile. Valparaíso: Rarius in glareosis ad confluentes Rio Colorado et Rio Chille, Dec, E. Poeppig 2 [12, Diar. 562] (lectotype designated here: HAL! [135744]; isolectotypes: B [destroyed, F! neg. 3057], P! [P00477033]).

Taxonomic notes.

Grau and Gronbach (1984: 147) erroneously accepted as the first valid publication of this species that of Bentham (1846). Consequently, they chose as a type a specimen from G-DC, linking it to the original publication. Regarding this matter, it is important to say that we have not seen this specimen, as it is not available at Global Plants JSTOR (https://plants.jstor.org/) or at the herbarium catalogue of the institution (http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/chg/). Schizanthus alpestris was described and validly published almost 20 years earlier by Poeppig (1829). Hence, the type cited by Grau and Gronbach (1984) is not that of Poeppig’s name.

Poeppig (1829) does not mention a type specimen or a specific area of collection, but the title of his work refers to collections made at Río Colorado in the Andes of Chile and being gathered by him on 24th of December of 1827. We have found two specimens that can be related to this trip, but none of them are part of the Poeppig herbaria at W or at B and LE, where his samples were distributed by G. Kunze ( Stafleu and Cowan 1983). However, the sheets at HAL [135744] and P [P00477033] have a printed label, where the original publication is mentioned (Not. XXIII); these were distributed after Poeppig described the species. Hence, we think these samples are part of the material used in the description, and thus original material. As no holotype is mentioned in the description and we found two specimens referring to the same collection, a lectotypification is made here. Our selection of the lectotype was based on the best-preserved specimen that shows the morphological characters of the species and the full locality data. According to the printed label on the specimens, the material was collected at the confluence of the rivers Colorado and Chille. The latter corresponds to an old name for the Aconcagua River ( Risopatrón 1924), area which agrees with the currently known distribution of the species.

A further two specimens collected by Poeppig were not considered as type material because of the following reasons: the locality cited on the specimen at P [P00477034] is insufficient to be linked to the protologue (" Chile boreal. Andes. "). On the other hand, the specimen at F [875198] has two labels: one of them contains the locality and date of collection (" Andes de Sa. Rosa. Chile. 1828 "), data which do not agree the protologue. A second label refers to two different numbers given to the species on Poeppig’s diary (" N° 12. Schizanthus alpestris Pg. Diar. 562. A. "). Those numbers are not to be associated to numbers of collection, which is different.

Key characters.

Delicate small flowers (14-18 mm long, 14-16 mm wide), external portion of the corolla lavender or lilac, upper middle corolla lobe narrowly oblong, with a bilobed apex, sometimes these lobes a little divided.

Distribution.

Endemic to Chile, between the Regions of Atacama (Province of Huasco, 28°50' lat. S) and Valparaíso (Province of Los Andes, 32°50' lat. S). 180-2800 m a.s.l.

Habitat.

Schizanthus alpestris is abundant on stony hillsides, along railroads, roadsides, and watercourses; among rocks over loose soil. It has also been found in rocky areas, where it seems to be scarce. In these rocky areas, it grows with Puya sp. ( Bromeliaceae ), Flourensia thurifera DC. ( Asteraceae ), Echinopsis chiloensis (Colla) H.Friedrich and G.D.Rowley ( Cactaceae ) and Proustia cuneifolia D.Don ( Asteraceae ).

Conservation.

Chile. Coquimbo: Las Chinchillas National Reserve.

Selected specimens examined.

Chile. Atacama: [Huasco Province] Incahuasi, 25 kms al sur, 10 Oct 1958, M. Ricardi & C. Marticorena 4902/1287 (CONC); Norte entrada de Los Cristales, cuesta ruta 5 entre Vallenar y llanos La Higuera, en ladera rocosa del cerro, 29°9'18.5"S, 70°59'57.9"W, 1010 m a.s.l., 8 Oct 2008, M. Muñoz 5049 (SGO); Coquimbo: [Elqui Province] Camino Paihuano - Rivadavia, 840 m a.s.l., 28 Sep 1948, F. Behn s.n. (CONC); Camino de Marquesa a Condoriaco, 3 kms antes de Talcuna, 500 m a.s.l., 18 Oct 1971, C. Marticorena, R. Rodríguez & E. Weldt 1514 (F); Cuesta de Andacollo, en mitad de la cuesta, 16 Sep 1957, C. Muñoz 4281 (SGO); [ Limarí Province] Camino al Embalse de La Laguna, a 16 km del Embalse, 2500 m a.s.l., 5 Feb 1963, M. Ricardi, C. Marticorena & O. Matthei 730 (CONC); Pulpica, 30°53'S, 70°46'W, 9 Mar 2008, Fundación Philippi 366 (SGO); Combarbalá, 1000 m a.s.l., Sep 1936, C. Grandjot s.n. (SI); [Choapa Province] Cerro Gonzalo, cara N y W, 32°1'S, 71°6'W, 1740 m a.s.l., 5 Dec 2006, M. Rosas & M. Acosta 4294 (CONC); Cuesta El Espino, 31°21'39.2"S, 71°5'51.7"W, 1260 m a.s.l., 9 Oct 2004, M. Muñoz 4473 (SGO); Valparaíso: [Petorca Province] Petorca - Quebrada El Durazno, 32°12'7.58"S, 71°0'44.71"W, 1490 m a.s.l., 7 Nov 2017, J. Macaya, S. Teillier, P. Novoa & O. Fernández 370 (CONC); In Chincolco, 1500 m a.s.l., 28 Dec 1972, O. Zoellner 6741 (L); Las Tasas, Cajón del Pedernal, 23 Aug 1894, P. Germain s.n. (SGO); [Quillota Province] Cerro Caquis, ca. 15 km east of Melon, 1800 m a.s.l., 14 Dec 1938, J.L. Morrison 16879 (SI); Cordillera El Melón, subida al cerro Mosco Verde, cerca cumbre, 32°39'6"S, 71°2'50"W, 2049 m a.s.l., 18 Jan 2011, A. Moreira 1423 (SGO); [San Felipe Province] En el cerro Orolongo bei San Felipe, 2000 m a.s.l., 19 Nov 1972, O. Zoellner 6210 (L); [Los Andes Province] Aconcagua, Los Maitenes ( Río Colorado), 2000 m a.s.l., 18 Nov 1970, O. Zoellner 4434 (CONC); In Maitenes bei Río Colorado, 2200 m a.s.l., 18 Nov 1970, O. Zoellner 4462 (L).

Figures

Figure 3. A distribution of Schizanthus alpestris B examples of S. alpestris in Cuesta Pajonales C Cordillera El Melon D Las Chinchillas National Reserve E distribution of Schizanthus laetus F examples of S. laetus in Quebrada Los Yales G Quebrada Peralito H Taltal I distribution of Schizanthus pinnatus J illustration of S. pinnatus published with the description of the species (Ruiz and Pavon 1798) K examples of S. pinnatus on road from Los Angeles to Antuco L Cerro Poqui. Photos by A Moreira-Munoz (B-D), M. T. Eyzaguirre (F, G, L), M. Aldunate (H), S. Moreira (K).