Teucrium moleromesae Sánchez Gómez, T. Navarro, J.F. Jiménez, J.B. Vera, Mota & Del Río, 2013

Sánchez-Gómez, Pedro, Navarro, Teresa, Jiménez, Juan F., Vera, Juan B., Mota, Juan F. & Río, Jesús Del, 2013, Teucrium moleromesae (Lamiaceae): a new species of genus Teucrium sect. Montanum from the arid mountains of south-eastern Spain, Phytotaxa 151 (1), pp. 58-62 : 59-61

Teucrium moleromesae Sánchez Gómez, T. Navarro, J.F. Jiménez, J.B. Vera, Mota & Del Río , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Species very similar to Teucrium pumilum and Teucrium terciae . It differs from both species by its larger obtusetriangular calyx teeth [(1.2 –)1.6–2.6(–3) mm] and white to cream corolla (never yellow or pink coloured), with yellowish basal lobes that show reddish venation. It differs from T. pumilum since it has shorter (3–7 × 1 mm) subpetiolate leaves, and from T. terciae by its entire leaves.

Type: ⎯ SPAIN. Granada : Puebla de Don Fadrique, Loma Larga, 1090 m, 30SWG5889, 14 Junio 2011, matorral en litosuelos sobre sustrato calizo y margoso, P . Sánchez-Gómez , JF Jiménez , JB Vera & J Río 112935 (holotype MUB!, isotypes MGC!, MA!) .

Subshrub, up to 8 × 40 cm diameter, cespitous. Thin stems, with adventitious roots, internal stems ascending, external ones decumbent. Indumentum consisting of white-to grey, curved and antrorse or sinuous hairs. Leaves 3–7 × 1 mm subpetiolate, opposite, oblong to linear, margins revolute, entire with rounded apex. Upper surface green-greyish to reddish, lower surface whitish with dense indumentum. Inflorescence 0.7–1.7 × 1–2.5(–3) cm forming a flower head with (3–)6–16(–20) flowers, subspherical to spiciform, rarely branched. Bracts leaf-like up to 8.5 mm. Bracteole up to 7 mm ovate-lanceolate. Flowers subpedicellate, erect. Calyx tubular-campanulate (5–)5.5–7.5(–8) mm, green-greyish, green-yellowish or reddish, with simple, adpressed hairs. Calyx lobes (1.2–)1.6–2.6(–3) mm triangular-obtuse, with apex acuminate to mucronate. Corolla 7–11 mm, unilabiate, white or cream coloured. Basal lobes with glandular hairs, yellowish, with reddish venation, with ciliate posterior margin and glandular hairs in the anterior margin. Nutlets subglobose (1.4–)1.6–2.1 × 0.7–1.1 mm, reticulate, brownish to black.

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the botanist Joaquín Molero Mesa, Professor of Granada University and specialist in Betic Mountain Flore and Lamiaceae family.

Distribution and Habitat: —According to the available data, Teucrium moleromesae can be considered a species endemic to the south-east of Spain, being present in the provinces of Almeria and Granada. There are only three known locations: one of them is located between the municipalities of Dehesas de Guadix and Alicún de Ortega, another in La Puebla de Don Fadrique (Granada) and another in María (Almeria). T. moleromesae shows an extent of occurrence of 60.55 km 2, although it appears in a small area of occupancy, covering approximately 1.21 km 2 ( Fig. 2 ).

Teucrium moleromesae grows on rocky, calcareous, marls and, occasionally, on gypsiferous, soils forming part of the open shrublands, in the mesomediterranean bioclimatic belt at elevations between 950–1150 m.a.s.l. and in semiarid and dry ombrotype climates (Sánchez Gómez & Guerra 2011).

Phenology: — Teucrium moleromesae flowers from May to June, and produce fruits from June to August.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): ⎯ SPAIN. Almería: María, Morra de las Lastras, 37.855ºN, 2.284ºW, 1120 m, 28 Mayo 2012, matorral en litosuelos sobre sustrato calizo y margoso, P . Sánchez-Gómez, JB Vera & JL Cánovas, 112947, 112948, 112949, 112950, 112951, 112952, 112953 ( MUB!); María , Morra de las Lastras, 37.855ºN, 2.284ºW, 1120 m, 18 Junio 2012, matorral en litosuelos sobre sustrato calizo y margoso, P . Sánchez-Gómez, JB Vera & JL Cánovas, 112954, 112955 ( MUB!); Granada : Alicún de Ortega, Cerro del Ciervo, 37.587ºN, 3.159ºW, 1010 m, 8 Julio 2011, matorral sobre sustrato margo-yesífero, P . Sánchez-Gómez & JB Vera, 112941, 112942, 11943 ( MUB!); Dehesa de Guadix , Cerro del Ciervo, 37.587ºN, 3.159ºW, 1010 m, 8 Julio 2011, matorral sobre sustrato margo-yesífero, P . Sánchez-Gómez & JB Vera, 112944, 112945 ( MUB!); Puebla de Don Fadrique , Loma Larga, 37.846ºN, 2.340ºW, 1090 m, 14 Junio 2011, matorral en litosuelos sobre sustrato calizo y margoso, P . Sánchez-Gómez, JF Jiménez, JB Vera & J Río, 112936, 112937, 112938, 112939, 112940 ( MUB!); Puebla de Don Fadrique , Cortijos Nuevos, 37.846ºN, 2.340ºW, 1070 m, 18 Junio 2012, matorral en litosuelos sobre sustrato calizo y margoso, P . Sánchez-Gómez, JB Vera & JL Cánovas, 112946 ( MUB!); Puebla de Don Fadrique , Cortijos Nuevos, 37.837ºN, 2.340ºW, 1090 m, 20 Junio 2011, matorral en litosuelos sobre sustrato calizo y margoso, P . Sánchez-Gómez & JB Vera, 112956, 112957, 112958, 112959, 112960, 112961, 112962, 112963, 112964, 112965, 11966, 112967 ( MUB!) .

Comparison: — Teucrium moleromesae is placed in section Montanum Lazaro Ibiza because of the following combination of features: adventitious shoots, supetiollate, entire, oblong-linear leaves; simple terminal inflorescence; tubular-campanulate calyx with mucronate tooth and corolle with glandular hairs. The new species is also assigned to this section because of its indumentum of simple hairs, pedicellate flowers, campanulate calyx and 1-lipped corolla with a long tube and well developed lobes.

Teucrium moleromesae has a similar ecology to T. pumilum Linnaeus (1753: 566) ( Lázaro Ibiza 1896, Rivas Martinez 1974), an Iberian endemic species. Due to the similar habit, linear and greenish leaves T. moleromesae resembles T. pumilum . However, T. pumilum can be distinguished from T. moleromesae by dense its indumentum of shoots and leaves, linear sessile leaves (5–)7–10(–12) × (0.2–)0.9–1(–1.2) mm and dense, spiciform conic inflorescence. Teucrium terciae (Sánchez Gómez, M.A. Carrión & A. Hern. in Sánchez Gómez et al. 2002: 213) Sánchez Gómez, M.A. Carrión & A. Hern. in Sánchez Gómez et al. (2003: 112) an endemic rocky species from the west of Murcia province, is another species similar to T. moleromesae but T. terciae exhibits crenated leaves in their upper third (4–)4.5–5(–6) × 1 mm, acute calyx teeth (1–1.2 mm) and flowers clearly yellow.

Conservation status: —The conservation of this species is not guaranteed because all three populations are located in places of high livestock and agricultural pressure, which are frequently ploughed. According to the data available and applying IUCN (2001) criteria, T. moleromesae should be considered as an endangered species within the category EN B1ab(ii,iii,v)+2ab(ii,iii,v). In accordance with the above, we recommend the inclusion of T. moleromesae in the Red List and Andalusian, Spanish and European catalogues for legal protection. Urgent in situ conservation measures are needed to prevent gradual habitat destruction, as well as ex situ measures through the collection of germplasm.

Figures

FIGURE 1. a-f Teucrium moleromesae (from the holotype). a. Habit. b. Leaves. c. Bractlets. d. Flower. e. Corolla. f. Nutlets.

FIGURE 2. Populations of Teucrium moleromesae in southeast Spain.