Rhizomatophora aegopodioides (Boiss.) Pimenov, Umbelliferae Russia 284 (2012)

Pennesi, Riccardo, Cunto, Emilia & Ballelli, Sandro, 2023, First record of Rhizomatophora aegopodioides (Apiaceae) in Italy, Italian Botanist 15, pp. 65-76 : 65

Rhizomatophora aegopodioides (Boiss.) Pimenov, Umbelliferae Russia 284 (2012)

Physospermum aegopodioides ≡ Physospermum aegopodioides Boiss., Fl. Orient. [Boissier] 2: 923 (1872).

Peucedanum aegopodioides ≡ Peucedanum aegopodioides (Boiss.) Vandas, Sitzungsber. Königl. Böhm. Ges. Wiss., Math.-Naturwiss. Cl. 1888: 449 (1889).

Cervaria aegopodioides ≡ Cervaria aegopodioides (Boiss.) Pimenov, Vestn. Moskovsk. Gosud. Univ., ser. 16, Biol. 4: 37 (1982).

Ind. Loc.

"Hab. supra Brusnik in districtu Bitolia Macedoniae (Orph!)".

Type

(see Pimenov and Ostroumova 2012). "Supra Brusnik prope Bitolia Macedoniae. 25 July 1862. Th.G. Orphanides 376 " (holo: G-BOIS; iso: G, GB).

Species description from the Italian (Calabria) material

(Figs 2 , 3 ). Erect perennial plants (70-120 cm), with long horizontal rhizomes; solitary, fistulous, glabrous, striated stems; large leaves, 2-3 ternatisect, non-swollen sheaths, broadly triangular laminae, with oblong lobes, glabrous, petiolate, with a minutely rough margin, as well as in the main veins and apiculate teeth; petioles striated round in section, hollow; umbels with 20-35 unequal, slender, minutely scabrous rays mainly on one side; bracts none, 3 or 6, lesiniform; umbrellas with more than 10 rays and numerous lesiniform bracteoles, always present; petals white, largely ovate, erect apex slightly emarginated, lobes swollen; mericarps glabrous (5 × 6.5-7 mm), broadly elliptical or almost round, dorsally compressed, broadly winged (1.5-2 mm), bifid carpophores; flat-conical stylopods, with wavy margin; evident filiform dorsal ribs.

Distribution.

Rhizomatophora aegopodioides is distributed in the Balkan Peninsula (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia, and Serbia), Greece (central-eastern and central-northern; northern and southern Pindus), southern Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan), Turkey, southern Russia ( POWO 2023), and here reported for southern Italy (Fig. 4 ). In Calabria, the species is widespread along the banks of the Abatemarco and Argentino rivers and in the adjacent wetlands. Currently, its presence in the Italian peninsula is the westernmost stand of the distribution range. Furthermore, the Calabrian population shows the lowest altitude known for this species. This may be due to the strong thermal inversion in the valley bottoms of the Argentino River Reserve ( Maiorca and Spampinato 1999).

Habitat.

In Italy, it grows in hygrophilous forests, alder forests, riverbanks, and freshwater habitats at about 100-200 m a.s.l. The results of one relevé carried out in the Santa Maria Del Cedro locality are shown in Table 1 .

Phenology.

Flowering in August-September, fruiting in September-October.

Chromosome number.

2n = 22 ( Kuzmanov et al. 1977 as Peucedanum aegopodioides , material from Bulgaria, M. Ljulin; Strid and Franzėn 1983 as Peucedanum aegopodioides , material from Greece, M. Olympus)].

Taxonomic remarks.

The monotypic genus Rhizomatophora Pimenov is characterized by perennial plants, growing in hygrophilous forests, alder forests, riverbanks, wetlands, and freshwater habitats. This genus is morphologically close to Cervaria s.str. and Peucedanum s.str. In Italy, according to Bartolucci et al. (2018) and subsequent updates summarized in the Portal to the Flora of Italy (2023; see also Martellos et al. 2020) three taxa of Peucedanum and one species of Cervaria are reported: P. officinale L. subsp. officinale (native), P. paniculatum Loisel. (cryptogenic), P. coriaceum Rchb. (native, but not recently confirmed), and C. rivini Gaertn. (native). Stinca and Ricciardi (2018) indicate three Peucedanum and one Cervaria taxa in the second edition of "Flora d’Italia”: P. officinale subsp. officinale (native), P. paniculatum (probably casual alien species), P. coriaceum (not recently confirmed and probably locally extinct)], and C. rivini (native).

Pimenov and Ostroumova (2012) provided the following description for the genus Rhizomatophora : leaves 2-3 ternatisect; leaflets petiolulate, broad, ovate to oblong; margins dentate or incised. Bracts absent or 3-6, lanceolate to subulate; rays many, velvety; bracteoles many, subulate; pedicels many, minutely pubescent. Calyx lobes triangulate, membranous at margin; petals white or pinkish; stylopodium plane to conical, wavy at margin. Fruits compressed dorsally, glabrous; dorsal ribs filiform, marginal ribs broadly winged; commissure broad; vittae minute, vallecular 1, commissural 2; rib secretory ducts large, 2 in each rib. Seed face plane. The genus Rhizomatophora differs from Cervaria s.str. for the long horizontal rhizomes, the petioles and stems fistulous, the largely triangular teeth of the calyx, the obtuse margin of the albumen, the marginal crests of the broadly winged and translucent mericarps, unistrate mesocarps, smooth membranous cells (without an inner layer of tangentially elongated cells), and continuous, rather broad (not isolated, minute) secretory canals. Rhizomatophora is also easily recognizable from the related genus Peucedanum s.str. by the terminal lobes of the leaves, the long rhizomes, the petioles and stems fistulous, the widely winged mericarps with light striations and continuous secretory canals ( Pimenov and Ostroumova 2012). The morphological characters distinguishing Rhizomatophora (based on the samples collected in Calabria) from related genera (i.e., Peucedanum and Cervaria ) of the Italian vascular flora are shown in Table 2 .

Specimens examined.

Italy. Calabria, Orsomarso (Cosenza), initial section of the Argentino River Valley (39°47'42.6"N, 15°55'18.0"E), esp. west, alt. 130-150 m. a.s.l., banks and surrounding wetlands, calcareous substr., 26 September 2016; S. Ballelli, R. Pennesi, E. Cunto s.n. (CAME); Calabria, Santa Maria del Cedro (Cosenza), along the middle section of the Abatemarco River (39°44'25.6"N, 15°52'04.6"E), 120-140 m. a.s.l., banks and surrounding wetlands, calcareous substr., 25 September 2016, S. Ballelli, R. Pennesi, E. Cunto s.n. (CAME) ; Greece. Greece, prope Bitolia Macedoniae , 06 August 1862, T.G. Orphanides 1017 (JE barcodes JE00000057 [digital photo!], JE00000058 [digital photo!]); prope Vodena Macedoniae, s.d., T.G. Orphanides 1017 (W No. 1889-0024958 [digital photo!] ; Serbia. Jugozapadna: Priboj, Sjeverin ( Sutjeska reka-klisura, dornji deo), 43°35.266'N, 19°22.225'E, stene, krecnjak, 400-450 m, 13 August 2008, Niketic M., Tomovic G. s.n. (BEOU No. 27989!); Prvriek, dist. Vranja, ad rivulos, G. Ilić s n. (BEO No. 16105!); Serbia austr. prope Wranja. G. Ilić s.n. (W No. 1895-0000240 [digital photo!]) ; Bulgaria. Bei Lowtsche, 4 July 1898, Urumoff s.n. (W No. 1926-0027189 [digital photo!]) ; Bosnia and Herzegovina. In glareosis calcareis faucis Prača, 570 m.; alt. 570 m, 20 July 1920, K. Malý s.n. (W No. 1961-0005131 [digital photo!]) .

Figures

Figure 2. Rhizomatophora aegopodioides (Calabria, Santa Maria del Cedro, middle stretch of the Abatemarco River, photo R. Pennesi) A whole plant B basal leaves C flowers D fruits E habitat.

Figure 3. Herbarium specimen of Rhizomatophora aegopodioides kept in CAME.

Figure 4. Distribution of Rhizomatophora aegopodioides showing the Italian record from Calabria (red dot). Image from POWO (2023, modified).