Trichostema hobe K. S. McClell., 2023

Mcclelland, R. Kevan Schoonover, Weakley, Alan S. & Poindexter, Derick B., 2023, Seven new species of Trichostema (Lamiaceae: Ajugoideae) from the North American Coastal Plain biodiversity hotspot, Phytotaxa 603 (2), pp. 95-149 : 122-126

Trichostema hobe K. S. McClell. sp. nov. ( Figures 19 and 20 )

Diagnosis: —Virgate to bushy perennial to 60 cm tall, morphologically most similar to Trichostema suffrutescens . It differs from T. suffrutescens by its bushier (extensively and repeatedly branched) habit (vs. virgate), later flowering time of mid-October–mid-January (vs. August–early November), and a geographic restriction to the Jupiter Ridge (vs. a geographic restriction to the main central ridge systems).

Type: — U.S.A. Florida. Martin County. Openings in white sand scrub, Seabranch Preserve State Park, along road through center of park, 13 November 2017, R. Kevan Schoonover, II, and Steve Orzell 122a–t (holotype NCU!; isotypes B!, BM!, F!, FLAS!, K!, G!, GH!, MEXU!, MO!, NCU!, NY!, OS!, P!, PH!, RSA!, UC!, US!, USF!) . Note: Specimens R. Kevan Schoonover II 122a–t represent a single gathering in accordance with Article 8.2 of the ICN ( Turland et al. 2018).

Suffrutescent to bushy perennial to 60 cm tall; branching throughout the plant; stem hairs downwardly curved to two, rarely to three, cells long ( Figure 1i ), with sessile glands; node hairs downwardly curved, to two, rarely to three, cells long ( Figure 1i ); leaves widest towards the tip or near the middle, occasionally widest towards the base, (0.99–)1.29–1.55(–1.7) × (0.33–)0.45–0.6(–0.69), average of 1.42 × 0.53, cm, (2.03–)2.46–2.98(–3.33), average of 2.72, times long as wide, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire, apex rounded, rarely emarginate; inflorescence hairs spreading to downwardly curved, rarely upwardly curved, to two, rarely to three, cells long, with sessile and spreading glands to two cells long (including gland); bracts widest towards the tip, (2.5–)3.49–4.89(–5.5) × (0.7–)1.17–1.73(–2), average of 4.19 × 1.45, mm, (1.67–)2.34–3.61(–4.58), average of 2.97, times long as wide, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire, apex rounded, rarely acute to ±90°; fruiting calyx (4.8–)4.85–5.45(–5.9), average of 5.15, mm long; buds purple-black to dark blue-purple, corolla dark blue or blue-purple to blue or blue-purple; anthers dark blue or blue-purple to blue or blue-purple; style bifid, the longer arm 2.5–3.5, rarely as little as 2, times as long as the shorter; mature nutlets alveolate, (1.5–)1.53–1.68(–1.8), average of 1.6, mm long, hilum (0.5–)0.56–0.71(–0.8), average of 0.63, mm long, (0.29–)0.34–0.45(–0.47), average of 0.4, times the length of the nutlet alveoli small, ridges mid-sized to short ( Figure 2j ).

Phenology: —Flowers and fruits October to January. Some plants will have a small number of flowers in the spring.

Etymology: —The epithet hobe [pronounced hoe-BAY] is given to this species for the anglicized place names Hobe [pronounced like robe] Mountain, Hobe Sound, and the village Jobé of the Jeaga, and later the Jobé Indians that inhabited the area of Martin County, Florida ( Wheeler & Pepe 2002), where it is endemic. In fact, one can see nearly the entirety of the known range of this species from the summit of Hobe Mountain (personal observation). This epithet is a noun derived from the Latinization of the name for the indigenous peoples of the area and stands in apposition to the genus name, which is why it is not declined. The common name Jobé Bluecurls is given to this species for the same reasons.

Habitat and distribution: — Trichostema hobe occurs in scrub; 5–19 meters; USA: Florida: Martin County.

( Figure 21 ).

Conservation status: —This species has an extremely narrow range, only occurring in the strip of scrub along the part of the Indian River called Hobe Sound in Martin County, from Seabranch State Preserve in the north to Jonathan Dickinson State Park in the south. It potentially also occurs in Palm Beach County in the Jupiter area, specifically the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area, and the scrub preserves along the Jupiter Ridge to the south, but this has not been verified. The known populations are quite large for this genus, numbering in the many hundreds in some cases. Based on the data collected for this study, this species should be recognized at a G2 ranking (NatureServe 2020).

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — U.S.A. Florida, Martin County: Jonathan Dickinson State Park , 24 October 1950, Beck 1157 ( FLAS!) ; Seabranch. … off Gomez Trail. Ca. 0.3 miles east of SR A1 A, ca. 0.3 miles north of theoretical SE Farmington Pl., 27.129467 N, 80.16455 W, 18 December 1997, Bradley, Woodmansee, Miller & Duquesnel 838 ( FTG!) ; Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, 27.006181 N, 80.09771944 W, 12 November 2018, McClelland 206 ( NCU!) ; Jonathan Dickinson State Park , 27.018397 N, 80.112625 W, 4 August 2017, McClelland & Schoonover 90 ( NCU!) ; Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, 27.005951 N, 80.098044 W, 15 October 2021, McClelland & Schoonover 213 ( NCU!) ; Seabranch Preserve State Park , 27.131189 N, 80.16703889 W, 4 August 2017, McClelland & Schoonover 92 ( NCU!) ; 2 mi W. of Hobe Sound , along hiway U.S. # 1., 30 November 1974, Plettman & Turner F-48 ( FTG!) ; Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Martin Co. Fla . Growing in pine woods near Casaurina camp ground, 10 November 1974, Popenoe 290 ( FTG!) ; Jonathan Dickinson State Park , 9 March 1981, Smyth 5738 ( WILLI!) ; Located in Jonathan Dickinson State Park ( N. of Girl Scout Camp )., March 1988, Woodbury & Roberts s.n. ( USF!) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Detail of the stem and node trichomes of Trichostema section Trichostema. A) Trichostema dichotomum, B) T. setaceum, C) T. suffrutescens, D) T. nesophilum, E) T. floridanum, F) T. fruticosum, G) T. bridgesii-orzellii, H) T. gracile, I) T. hobe, J) T. microphyllum. Photos by R. Kevan Schoonover McClelland.

FIGURE 2. Detail of the nutlets of Trichostema section Trichostema. A) Trichostema dichotomum, B) T. setaceum, C) T. suffrutescens, D) T. nesophilum, E) T. floridanum, F) T. fruticosum, G) T. latens, H) T. bridgesii-orzellii, I) T. gracile, J) T. hobe, K) T. microphyllum. Trichostema dichotomum (A) shows large alveoli and tall ridges. T. latens (G) shows small alveoli and shorter ridges. Photos by Derick Poindexter.

FIGURE 19. Isotype specimen of Trichostema hobe in situ showing bushier habit than other species in the T. suffrutescens complex.Photo by R. Kevan Schoonover McClelland.

FIGURE 20. Holotype specimen of Trichostema hobe. Photo by R. Kevan Schoonover McClelland.

FIGURE 21. Approximate range of Trichostema hobe based on field data and herbarium records. This species is only known to occur in Martin County, Florida.