Salvia cualensis var. perezii J.G. González, 2012

González-Gallegos, Jesús Guadalupe & Castro-Castro, Arturo, 2012, Salvia cualensis and Salvia cualensis var. perezii (Lamiaceae), two new taxa from the Sierra de El Cuale, Jalisco, Mexico, Phytotaxa 74 (1), pp. 47-58 : 53

Salvia cualensis var. perezii J.G. González , var. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 3–4 )

A Salvia cualensi var. cualensi foliis linearibus; inflorescentiarum bracteis, pedicellis, calycibus et stylis brevioribus differt.

Type:— MEXICO. Jalisco: Cabo Corrientes, 12–13 km por la brecha de El Tuito a Las Minas de Zimapán , a partir de 4 km al N de El Tuito, carretera a Puerto Vallarta , 1026 m, 20°21’22.4”N 105°14’57.9”W, 13 August 2011 (fl, fr), J . G . González-G. 1085, A. Castro-Castro , R . Guerrero-H. & E. De Castro-Arce (holotype IBUG!; isotypes ENCB!, IEB!, MEXU!, XAL!, ZEA!) .

Petioles 0–1.4 mm long; leaf blades linear, 4.7–10.5 × 0.3–0.5(–0.7) cm, short cuneate at the base. Inflorescences 4–25 cm long, with 2- to 8-flowered verticillasters. Floral bracts lanceolate, (2–)7.5–11.2 × (1–) 2.3–3 mm. Pedicels 2–3 mm long. Calyx 6–6.6 × 3–4.5 mm, veins covered with long straight hairs. Corolla tube 6–7.6 × 3.5–3.9 mm; upper lip 3.3–6 mm long, lower lip (7–) 8–12.2 mm long. Connective 4.5–5.6 mm long; thecae 1.6–2 mm long. Styles 9.5–11 mm long.

Distribution, habitat and phenology:— Salvia cualensis var. perezii dwells in the western slopes of the Sierra de El Cuale, along the dirt road from El Tuito to Minas de Zimapán (figure 1). It grows in ecotones between pine-oak and montane cloud forests at 940 to 1130 m. It shares the habitat with Calophyllum brasiliense Cambess. , Dioon edule Lindl. , Magnolia pacifica A. Vázquez , Oreopanax xalapensis (Kunth) Decne. & Planch. , Pinus oocarpa Schiede ex Schltdl. , Podocarpus reichei J. Buchholz & N. E. Gray , Saurauia serrata DC. , Conostegia sp. and Salvia cualensis var. cualensis . It flowers and fruits from July to September.

Additional specimens (paratypes) examined:— MEXICO. Jalisco: Cabo Corrientes, km 7 camino a las Minas de Zimapán , 850 m, 13 August 1980 (fl), J. A . Pérez de la Rosa 1579 & L. M . González-Villarreal ( IBUG!); El Tuito , km 11, delante de Provincia, por el camino a El Cuale, 1200 m, 20°23’00”N 105°09’20”W, 25 February 1993 (fl), G . Castillo-C. 10359 ( XAL!); 6.5 km por la brecha de El Tuito a Las Minas de Zimapán , a partir de 4 km al N de El Tuito, carretera a Puerto Vallarta, 941 m, 20°21’42.95”N 105°17’0.95”W, 12 August 2011 (fl, fr), J. G . González-G. 1076, A. Castro-Castro, R . Guerrero-H. & E. De Castro-Arce ( IBUG!, IEB!, MEXU!) .

Etymology:—The infraspecific name of Salvia cualensis var. perezii honors the earliest collector of this taxon, Jorge Alberto Pérez de la Rosa, an enthusiastic botanist from Universidad de Guadalajara ( Mexico).

The morphological characters exhibited by Salvia cualensis correspond to those which defined section Farinaceae : perennial herbs, up to 3 m tall; oblong to linear or elliptic leaf blades, covered with appressed or straight, eglandular or glandular-capitate hairs; 6- to 12-flowered verticillasters; lanceolate, deciduous or persistent floral bracts; 3- to 7-veined upper calyx lips; blue corollas, internally naked or ornate with two papillae, upper lip evidently shorter than the lower one; stamens included in the upper corolla lip, connectives ornate at midportion with a retrorse tooth; and pilose styles. The Section Farinaceae includes 13 species according to Epling (1939, 1940, 1957, 1960), and 15 according to Peterson (1978); Turner (2008) recognized 14 species in Mexico, and transferred Salvia amissa Epling (1939: 187) , S. platycheila Gray (1870: 292) and S. similis Brandegee (1901: 108) to section ' Tomentosae'. However, none of the Salvia sections is named ' Tomentosae '; hence, it is likely that Turner (2008) misspelled the name and actually meant Tomentellae ( Epling 1935: 55) Epling (1939: 18).

Salvia cualensis differs from S. jaimehintoniana in the shape of the leaves, usually shorter inflorescences, the floral bracts evidently larger, the calyx slightly longer and wider, always 5-veined, corolla tube and lower lip larger, and longer style (table 1). Salvia cualensis var. perezii is similar to Salvia heterotricha Fernald (1900: 500) in the shape and size of the leaves and racemes; however, S. heterotricha bears glandular-capitate hairs on the floral axis, pedicel and calyx, smaller floral bracts, and longer styles. Furthermore, S. heterotricha differs in ecological preferences and distribution (table 1, figure 1).

The two varieties of Salvia cualensis differ in leaf width, leaf shape at the base, floral bract shape and size, and proximal connective shape (see key below, table 1, and figures 2–3). As shown by the specimens examined, those characters are consistent and do not intergrade. Moreover, S. cualensis var. perezii has been exclusively found in the western slopes of Sierra de El Cuale, while S. cualensis var. cualensis shows a wider distribution from eastern to western slopes (figure 1). The consistency between geographic distribution and morphological variation supports the recognition of two varieties in S. cualensis . However, it should be noted that increasing botanical exploration in a biological rich and poorly known region as Sierra de El Cuale could provide new evidence that corroborate or contradict our hypothesis.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of Salvia cualensis and related taxa. Salvia cualensis var. cualensis (dots), S. cualensis var. perezii (triangles), S. heterotricha (squares), and S. jaimehintoniana (crosses).

FIGURE 3. Salvia cualensis var. perezii. A) General aspect; B) Floral bract, outer surface; C) Flower; D) Corolla; E) Stamens; F) Apex of the style; G) Nutlets, dorsal and ventral view (based on J.G. González-G. 1085 et al.; drawn by A. Paizani-Guillén).

FIGURE 4. Salvia cualensis var. perezii. A) Habit; C) Detail of flower. Salvia cualensis var. cualensis. B) Habit; D) Detail of flower. A–D by J.G. González-G.