Fleischmannia fiebrigii (Hieron.) H. Rob., 2015

Robinson, Harold, 2015, The genus Fleischmannia in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay (Eupatorieae, Asteraceae), PhytoKeys 57, pp. 61-92 : 73-74

Fleischmannia fiebrigii (Hieron.) H. Rob. comb. nov.

Eupatorium fiebrigii Hieron. in Urban, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 40: 371. 1908. Type: Bolivia, Tarija, Prov. Arce, in fields near Camacho, alt. 2700 m, in arvis, 15 Dec. 1903, Fiebrig 3528 (holotype B, destroyed. photo US).

Description.

Perennial herbs ca. 0.6 m tall; stems pale whitish-green, striated, densely viscid glandular, glabrate; internodes to 7 cm long; branches spreading at ca. 30° angles. Leaves opposite; petiole 0.5-1.0 cm long, densely viscid-glandular; leaf blades membranaceous, pale green, broadly ovate, to 3.5 cm long, 2.5 cm wide, widest ca. 5 mm above base, base rounded to subcordate, margins crenate-serrate, each with 4-20 teeth, teeth mucronulate, apex short-acute to obtuse, surfaces with veins glandular-puberulous; triplinervate from petiole. Inflorescence with long leafy branches bearing small clusters of heads in corymbiform cymes, peduncles viscid glandular; involucral bracts 19-21, gradate, outer bracts ovate, ca. 2.5 mm long, inner bracts linear-lanceolate, with tips often lavender, acutish, sparsely glanduliferous. Florets 20-25 in a head; corollas ca. 4 mm long, lilac, glabrous, lobes ca. 0.5 mm long, ovate-deltoid; style branches not or scarcely thickened distally. Achene ca. 1.75 mm long, angles yellowish-white, scabrous; pappus white, of ca. 20 slender bristles ca. 3 mm long, not contiguous.

The ascending branches, viscid glandular pubescence and lavender colored corollas should distinguish the species. No specimens have been seen matching this description. The strongly ascending branches indicate relationship to Fleischmannia prasiifolia , and some specimens of Fleischmannia prasiifolia placed in this study in the var. glandulifera also have glands. However, the specimens determined below as Fleischmannia prasiifolia var. glandulifera have very minute glands, much denser clusters of heads in the inflorescence, have petioles of the leaves much shorter and tips of the leaves narrowly acute. Further collecting in southern Bolivia should discover new material of this species, and a neotype can be established.