Abies species

Vázquez-García, J. Antonio, Shalisko, Viacheslav, Cuevas-Guzmán, Ramón, Muñiz-Castro, Miguel A. & Mantilla-Blandón, Mauricio R., 2014, Abies jaliscana (Pinaceae): A new combination in section Grandis and a key to the species of Abies in western Mexico, Phytotaxa 183 (1), pp. 27-36 : 30-31

Key to Abies species in western Mexico:

1. Leaves generally 25–45 mm long; leaf apex obtuse or acute; female cone length/width proportion less than 2.5 ....................... 2

1. Leaves generally 35–70 mm long, sometimes up to 90 mm; leaf apex obtuse or emarginate; female cone length/width proportion close to 2.5 or more than that ......................................................................................................................................................... 4

2. Female cones 5–9 × 3–4 cm, abruptly blunt at apex; bracts usually less than 15 mm long, about 1/3–1/2 of ovuliferous scale size, included; leaf-bases strongly twisted ......................................................................................... A. durangensis

2. Female cones 10–16 × 4–8 cm, gently blunt at apex; bracts usually at least 25 mm long, longer than scale, exserted; leaf-base curved or partially twisted ................................................................................................................................................................ 3

3. Female cones barrel shaped, 11–16 × 5.4–8 cm, green when young, yellowy green, pale green or dark blue-violet when mature, drying to light brown, ripening in November; bracts exserted and reflexed, concealing up to 65% of cone surface, broad, oblong-obovate, with rounded-obtuse and short bract-tips ............................................................................................... A. religiosa subsp. colimensis

3. Female cones oblongoid or cylindrical, 10–12 × 4–6 cm, violet when immature, obscure violet when ripped, cones ripening in September-October; bracts exserted and reflexed, 8–10 mm longer than scale, usually covering no more than a third of cone surface, spatulate, with triangular long-pointed bract-tips ........................................................................ A. religiosa subsp. religiosa

4. Cones oblong-conical, blunt to pointed apically, olive-green, 12–16 × 4–4.5 cm ( Fig. 3 , center); cone length/width ratio 2.9–3.4; ovuliferous scales with flabellate, erose margins 2.5–2.7 × 3–4 cm and exserted and spreading bract scales, in anthesis February–March; receptive female strobili 7 × 2.4 cm (Fig. 2, center), ripening in November; male cones 3–4 × 0.7 cm; leaves 2–9 cm long, 1.5–2 mm wide ........................................................................................................................... A. flinckii

4. Cones subcylindrical, ellipsoid, blunt apically, green or purplish, 5–12 × 2.5–4 cm ( Fig. 3 , left); cone lenght/width ratio (2.4–) 2.5–2.8; ovuliferous scales reniform, concave in the beginning and reflexed outward 1.8–2 × 2–2.5 cm and exserted or included bract scales, in anthesis November–January; receptive female strobili 3.5 × 1.5 cm (Fig. 2, right; Fig. 4 ), ripening in late April–May; male cones 0.9–1.7 × 4.4–6.1 cm; leaves 2–8 cm long, 0.8–1.5 mm wide ........................................................................................ A. jaliscana FIGURE 2. Comparative size and aspect of seed cones of three western Jaliscan Abies species at anthesis. Left: A. religiosa cone in May, with long decussate bracts. Center: A. flinckii cone in February, with intermediate and clearly exserted and decussate bracts. Right: A.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Mature seed cones of Abies jaliscana, A. flinckii and A. religiosa subsp. colimensis (right to left), at the same scale. Drawing by David Jimeno-Sevilla.

FIGURE 4. Abies jaliscana immature seed cone (female receptive strobilus at anthesis). Photograph by Mauricio Mantilla Blandón.