Calendula maroccana (Ball) Ball (1878: 517)

Gonçalves, Ana Carla, Ouhammoud, Ahmed, Amirouche, Rachid, Santos, Conceição, Figueiredo, Estrela & Silveira, Paulo, 2023, A taxonomic revision of Calendula (Asteraceae) in Morocco, including some taxa from Algeria and Tunisia, Phytotaxa 605 (1), pp. 1-83 : 29

5. Calendula maroccana (Ball) Ball (1878: 517) ; Ohle (1975a: 10); Valdés et al. (2002: 672); Fennane & Ibn Tattou (2005: 28); Dobignard & Chatelain (2011: 187); Gonçalves et al. (2014: 273). Calendula suffruticosa subsp. maroccana Ball (1873: 367) . Calendula suffruticosa var. maroccana (Ball) Maire in Jahandiez & Maire (1934: 788). Type:— MOROCCO. South Marocco, N of the City, May 1871, Hooker s.n. (lectotype K! [K000307203], designated by Ohle (1975a: 10)).

Description:––Perennial herbs. Stems (7.5) 21–38 (58) cm, erect to ascending, with glandular or, sometimes, white-arachnoid, hairs. Basal leaves (4.2) 5.3–10 (13.1) × (0.4) 0.6–1.1 (2.8) cm, with 0.3–0.4 (0.6) mm thick, oblanceolate to spatulate, apex acute, margin slightly sinuate-dentate, glandular pubescent in the lamina, and glandular or white-arachnoid pubescent in the margin. Capitula solitary, (1.6) 3.2–4 (4.7) cm diameter, concolorous, yellow. Achenes heteromorphic: outer achenes rostrate (8.3) 9.5–13.7 (14.3) × (1) 1.2–1.7 mm, ± straight or slightly curved, without dorsal spines or muricate; middle achenes usually trialate, (5) 5.8–8.7 (10.2) × (4.2) 4.6–7.5 (8.7) mm, with lateral wings entire to, more rarely, sinuate-dentate; cymbiform (5.8) 6.1–6.7 × 3.5–4.1 (4.2) mm, with basal and apical teeth; inner achenes vermiculate-exalate (2.7) 2.8–5.5 (5.8) × 1.2–1.6 (1.7) mm, circular to hemicyclic; with a small ventral wing and/or with apical and/or basal teeth. Figure 16 .

Habitat and distribution:—Various substrates from rocky to sandy ground especially in limestone cliffs, at elevations between 980(?)– 3000 m. It is found in sub-humid Mediterranean bio-climate. Endemic to High Atlas Mountains (e.g. Amizmiz, Asni, Igherm, Tachokcht, Taroudant, Tizi-n-Test, Tizi-n-Tichka. Figure 13 .

Conservation status:—Least Concern (LC). This species is under numerous threats, especially due to agricultural intensification, grazing, climate change, development (tourism in the Atlas area, leisure activities), and human interference. The species is known from 13 subpopulations in the High Atlas Mountains. The number of mature individuals is estimated to be>10 000, based on field observations. The EOO is 17 871.722 km 2 and the AOO is 52 km 2. Considering the number of populations and the occurrence of the species at different elevations, we propose a conservation status as LC.

Chromosome number:— 2n = 18.

Genome size:—1.59 ± 0.14 pg.

Notes:— In the protologue of C. suffruticosa subsp. maroccana, Ball cited five collections obtained by Hooker and himself during an expedition to Morocco in 1871. Three herbarium sheets exist at K that correspond to these collections: 1) a sheet with a specimen collected by Ball ( K000307204 ), 2) a sheet with two specimens collected by Hooker ( K000307205 & K000307206 ) and 3) a sheet with three specimens, one collected by Fritzsch ( K000307202 ; not from the 1871 expedition) and two by Hooker ( K000307203 from ‘ N of the city ’ and K000307201 from ‘ Seksoua ’ [Seksaoua]). The latter sheet has a label by Ohle indicating it is the lectotype. Ohle (1975a: 10) designated as lectotype the specimen: ‘Marokko, Marrakesh, leg. Hooker 1871 ( K) ’ which corresponds to the one labelled ‘ N of the city’ .

Additional collections:— MOROCCO. Marrakech-Safi: leaving Igherm to Taliouine , 1569m [30°41’16” N, 7°16’18” W], 27 March 2013, P . Silveira , A. C. R. S . Gonçalves & A . Ouhammou 3298 ( AVE!); on the N9 almost at Tizi-n-Tichka, coming from Tachokchte , 1351m [31°24’53” N, 7°23’43” W], 27 March 2013, P . Silveira , A. C. R. S . Gonçalves & A . Ouhammou 3300 ( AVE!) ; Souss-Massa: Taroudant between Tiout and Igherm, 1365m [30°12’34” N, 8°28’51” W], 26 March 2013, P . Silveira , A. C. R. S . Gonçalves & A . Ouhammou 3294 ( AVE!); Taroudant between Tiout and Igherm , at 3 km from Irherm, 1656m [30°06’41” N, 8°27’50” W], 26 March 2013, P . Silveira , A. C. R. S . Gonçalves & A . Ouhammou 3295 ( AVE!); Taroudant Tachokcht, 1909m [30°47’48” N, 7°31’38” W], 27 March 2013, P . Silveira , A. C. R. S . Gonçalves & A . Ouhammou 3299 ( AVE!) .

Figures

FIGURE 13. Geographic distribution of the species included in the Calendula maroccana group.

FIGURE 16. Variability of achene morphology of Calendula. A. C. meuselii (Silveira 3063, AVE); B. C. eckerleinii (Silveira 3064,AVE); C. C. oualidii (Silveira & Gonçalves 3339,AVE); D. C. davisii (Silveira & Gonçalves 3263,AVE); E. C. maroccana (Silveira 3144,AVE); F. C. maroccana (Silveira, Gonçalves, & Ouhammou 3295, AVE); G. C. murbeckii (Silveira, Gonçalves, & Ouhammou 3280, AVE); H. C. lanzae (Silveira, Gonçalves, & Ouhammou 3293, AVE); I. C. pinnatiloba (Silveira 3137, AVE); J. C. stellata (Silveira 3137, AVE); K. C. stellata (Silveira 3062, AVE); L. C. tripterocarpa (Silveira 3068, AVE). Rostrate achenes: A1, 2; B1, 2; C1, 2; D1, 2; E1-3; F1, 2; G1-4; H1-2; I1, 2; J1, 2; K1. Bialate achenes:A3, 4; B3, 4; E4, H4-6; K2. Cymbiform achenes: E7, 8; G7; H7, 8; I6; J3, 4; K4, 5; L2, 3. Trialate achenes: B5, 6; C3, 4; D4, 5; E5, 6; F3, 4; G5, 6; I3, 4; L1. Vermiculate-alate achenes: H9; J5; K6; L4. Vermiculate-exalate achenes:A5; B7; B8; C5, 6; D6, 7; E9, 10; F5, 6; G8; H10, I7, J6, K7; L5. All achenes in side view, except:A3, B4, B5, C3, D3, D5, E4, E5, F3, G5, H4, H5, H7, I3, I5, I6, J3, K2, K4, L1 and L2 in ventral face view, and A4, B3, B6, C4, D4, E6, F4, G6, H6, H8, I4, J4, K3, K5 and L3 in ± dorsal face view. Scale bars = 1 cm.