Amphiglossa foliosa, 2014

Manning, J. C. & Helme, N. A., 2014, Amphiglossa foliosa (Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae, Relhaniinae), a new species from southern Namaqualand, South Africa, South African Journal of Botany 92 (10), pp. 44-46 : 45-46

3.1. A. foliosa J.C.Manning & N.A. Helme , sp. nov.

3.1.1. Type

Western Cape, 3118 (Vanrhynsdorp): ± 12 km SE of Nuwerus, Oorkraal 114 , NW of Rooidraai, (− AB), ecotone between quartzite and granite, 15 Nov. 2008, N.A. Helme 5810 ( NBG, holo.; K, MO, PRE, S, iso.) .

Sprawling, multi-stemmed, divaricately branched shrublet to 250 mm tall with brittle branches to 800 mm long, puberulous when young, glabrescent, 1–2 mm diam., chestnut brown but covered with flaking cuticle and appearing dull greyish, young branches laxly leafy with internodes ± 10 mm long, older branches leafless; short-shoots sparse and present only on youngest and older stems. Leaves spreading or slightly deflexed, twisted ±270̊–360̊, primary leaves oblanceolate or lanceolate, 8–15 × (2–) 3–7 mm, narrowed to short petiole-like base ± 1 mm long, leaves on short-shoots linear-oblanceolate, apically recurved-mucronulate, margins involute, strongly discolorous, abaxial surface glabrous, greyish green, 1–5 veined from base, veins prominently raised abaxially, adaxial surface white-felted, probably persistent for one season only. Capitula developing in uppermost 2 to 8 leaf axils, solitary in spike-like synflorescences or more commonly up to 4 on lateral branchlets in pseudopaniculate synflorescences, sessile, discoid, homogamous, (9) 10 to 12-flowered; involucres cylindrical to narrowly cup-shaped, 6.5–7.0 × 2.0– 2.5 mm, bracts ±30, inner progressively longer, dry and firm-textured with narrow papery margins, apiculate, thinly woolly distally, outer 4 or 5 series pale straw-coloured with stereome flushed dark brown distally, ovate to lanceolate, 1.5–5.0 mm long, erect, inner 2 or 3 series oblong, 5–7 mm long, with dark wine-red ovate apical appendage 1.5–2.0 mm, apiculate, weakly spreading apically. Receptacle flat, 1 mm diam., honeycombed. Florets bisexual, corolla pale pink, cylindrical, ± 4.5 mm long, 5-lobed. Anthers feathery-tailed, ± 2 mm long. Ovary subterete, 5-ribbed with lateral ribs strongest, ± 1 mm long, annulus indistinct; style ± 4 mm long, branches ± 0.75 mm long, stigma marginal. Pappus bristles ±20, connate at base, ± 4.5 mm long, barbed in basal quarter to third otherwise strongly plumose, with seta to 1 mm long, tufted apically. Cypselas unknown. Flowering time: November ( Figs. 1 & 2 ).

3.1.2. Distribution and ecology

The species is endemic to the Knersvlakte and is known from five populations between Nuwerus and Klawer in southern Namaqualand, Western Cape, from 100 to 450 m alt. ( Fig. 3 ). Plants at the known localities (two of which are sight observations) are common but highly localized (<3 ha in extent). The type population occurs on the edaphic interface between quartzite and granite, in Central Knersvlakte Vygieveld ( Mucina et al., 2006). Other populations occur on quartz patches in Knersvlakte Quartz Vygieveld, on mixed shale and quartz substrates in Knersvlakte Shale Vygieveld, and occasionally on loamy soils in Vanrhynsdorp Gannabosveld ( Mucina et al., 2006).

3.1.3. Diagnosis

Amphiglossa celans is recognised by its sprawling, laxly leafy stems with relatively large, spreading or deflexed leaves, oblanceolate and 8–15 ×(2–) 3–7 mm, inner involucral bracts with dark, wine-red apical appendages, early flowering, and the relatively numerous florets, 9 to 12 per capitulum. A. celans from coastal Namaqualand between Garies and Kotzesrus, and Amphiglossa rudolphii Koekemoer from further inland, between Loeriesfontein and Worcester, are discoid species with similarly laxly leafy stems, and A. foliosa is most likely to be confused with A. celans , which shares the strongly bicoloured involucres with inner bracts tipped dark wine-red. A.celans has distinctive, wiry, strongly flexuose branches with divaricately spreading flowering branchlets bearing 3 or 4 capitula at the ends. The leaves on the flowering shoots are linear or narrowly elliptic and mostly 3–8 × 1.5 mm, and the involucres are densely tomentose, with the outer bracts joined together by matted hairs. The capitula contain just 5 florets each and the pappus bristles are only shortly plumose, with setae up to 0.2 mm long. The species occurs in deep sandy habitats and flowers in late summer and autumn, between February and April. The stems and branches in A. foliosa are thicker and not flexuose and the capitula are more numerous and arranged in panicle like synflorescences, with larger leaves on the flowering branches, oblanceolate and mostly 8–15 × 3–7. The involucres are only thinly tomentose with the outer bracts not cohering, the capitula each contains 9–12 florets, with strongly plumose pappus bristles, the seta ± 1 mm long, and flowering is in November.

Among the species of Amphiglossa with discoid capitula, only A. foliosa and A. tecta (F.Brusse) Koekemoer , from Postmasburg in Northern Cape, have more than 5 florets per capitulum.

3.1.4. Conservation status

We estimate the total known populations to number ±2500–5000 plants but suspect that various undiscovered subpopulations exist in the region. The total area of occupancy is estimated to be <2 km 2. One of the known localities (Gideonsoord near Klawer) is expected to lose about half of the subpopulation to a proposed dam and associated new cultivation, and there are thus definite, ongoing threats to the species. We recommend a provisional classification of VU D 2 in terms of the IUCN criteria ( IUCN, 2001).

3.2. Additional specimens seen

Western Cape —3118 (Vanrhynsdorp): ± 10 km S of Nuwerus , Oorkraal 114 , NW of Rooidraai , (− AB), 6 Sept. 2007, N.A. Helme 4907 ( NBG), 16 May 2008, N.A. Helme 5459 ( NBG) ; 10 km SE of Nuwerus, on Karee Berg 113 , near summit, (− AB), 29 July 2009, N.A. Helme 6400 ( NBG) ; 7 km W of Klawer, Gideonsoord 303 , (− DC), 21 Aug. 2013, N.A. Helme 7795 ( NBG) .

Figures

Fig. 1. Amphiglossa foliosa, Helme 5810 (NBG, holotype).

Fig. 2. Amphiglossa foliosa, Helme 5810. Detail of synflorescence.

Fig. 3. Distribution of Amphiglossa foliosa, ● (sight record, ○).