Blephilia woffordii Floden, 2020

Floden, Aaron & Schilling, Edward E., 2020, A new stenoendemic species of Blephilia (Lamiaceae: Lamioideae; Menthinae) from the Interior Low Plateau of Tennessee, Phytotaxa 442 (2), pp. 101-110 : 107-109

Blephilia woffordii Floden sp. nov. ( Figs. 4–5 )

Blephilia woffordii differs from B. subnuda in its densely pubescent stems, B. hirsuta by its earlier flowering period, erect sterile stems, and in its bracts and calyces that are more similar to B. ciliata , from which it differs in its long pubescent stems, erect sterile stems, glabrous or glabrate leaf lamina, and larger bract margin cilia.

Type: — UNITED STATES. Tennessee: Dekalb County, Growing on bluff ledges, lower slopes, and shoulder of TN Hwy 141 north of Center Hill Dam on the west bank in shaded situations in moist to mesic rich soils ; locally abundant and forming large 1m tall clumps with numerous erect sterile basal shoots; corolla lavender to near white with darker spots, slight minty odor, 24 May 2018, A. Floden, w/ E. Schilling, and J. Lampley 3555 (holotype, TENN, isotypes A, APSC, K, MO, UCHT, US, others to be determined) .

Rhizomatous perennials, rhizomes green and white to 6 mm diameter, stolons absent. Flowering stems to 90 cm tall, frequently 3 or more branched near and above the middle, producing numerous erect sterile stems concurrent with flowering stems, stem faces and angles long, shaggy pubescent with trichomes to 3.6 mm long. Leaves opposite, petiolate, petioles 2.5–11 mm long, lamina ovate to ovate elliptic, base truncate to rounded cuneate, apex acute, 30–90 × 11–35 mm, 8–14 serrations per margin on mature stem flowering stem leaves, teeth acute, scattered pubescent abaxially, glabrous or glabrate adaxially and semi-lustrous. Inflorescences at terminal nodes, congested, many flowered. Bracts of the inflorescence 10–17 mm long, ovate, apex acuminate, margins with cilia 1.1–2.1 mm long, abaxially scabrous on veins, adaxially glabrous. Calyx zygomorphic, tube 3.5–4.5 mm long, upper two lobes 2.2–2.9 mm long, lower lobes 2.1–2.9 mm long, lobes narrow-lanceolate acuminate, sparsely pubescent near mouth and with long trichomes on calyx lobe apices. Corolla nearly white to pale lavender, occasionally darker, 7–10 mm long, lower lip with dark reddish spots. Seeds ovoid, 0.7–0.9 mm long, dark brown, surface minutely reticulate rugose at 20× magnification.

Etymology:—This Blephilia from Tennessee is named in honor of B.E. Wofford who recently retired from his position as curator of the TENN herbarium. There he wrote the Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Blue Ridge, focused on woody plants of Tennessee and the greater Southeast describing new species in genera as diverse as Lindera , Arenaria [ Mononeuria ], Stenanthium , and writing two additional books on woody plants, oversaw Field Botany courses, helped to curate one of the largest herbarium collections in the Southeastern United States, and familiarized students in the field of botany. Naming this Blephilia for him is to honor his free-spirited approach in letting students who worked in the herbarium at TENN as collectors and researchers to choose their own interests and pursue them with patient guidance which, I believe, has greatly benefitted a better understanding of the flora of Tennessee and the greater Southeastern US.

Vernacular:—Wofford’s Eye-lash mint, Wofford’s Pagoda Plant or Wofford’s horsemint, or Caney Fork woodmint.

Other specimens examined:— UNITED STATES. Tennessee: Dekalb County, Abandoned limestone quarry, 0.4 mi. west on TN 141 from jct. TN 96 at Center Hill Dam. Mesic limestone forest above quarry highwall in open border; infrequent, 14 May 1989, RL Thompson and P. Thompson 89-107 (BEREA digital image); Edgar Evins State Park, Eastern Highland Rim Physiographic Region, UTM 16S 0608696mN, 3991299mW, 36 03 36.7, -85 47 35.2, Center Hill Dam 7.5 minute quad. Growing on south-facing wooded bluff over Center Hill Lake (former originally Caney Fork River channel). Forest of Quercus muhlenbergii , Fraxinus quadrangulata , Ostrya virginiana , Juniperus virginiana , Cercis canadensis and with Hypericum frondosum . 1 July 2002, L.R. Phillippe 34323 (TENN!); Growing along the shoulder of Tn. 141 adjacent to a vertical rock slope north of Center Hill Dam on the west bank. Shaded; moist to mesic; rich soil, well-drained. Locally abundant. Corolla light purple. Center Hill Dam Quad., L962 ed., 36 6 30 N, 85 51 W, 23 May 1979, P. J. Calie 103-79 (TENN!); South facing slope of penn., 23 June 1976, Carter & Barnett 211 (HTTU!);

Key to the species of Blephilia . Based on Smith (1994) and Weakley (2015) with measurements from specimens used in this study.

1 Erect stems with numerous branches; typically each stem terminated by an inflorescence; bracteoles long-acuminate; leaves acuminate and acute; lower calyx lobes deltoid, not reaching sinuses of upper calyx lip; plants flowering late-June–August (Sept.) .................................................................................................................................................................................. B. hirsuta

- Erect stems typically unbranched or with 1–2 branches; typically a single inflorescence on the central axis; bracteoles acute; leaves acute to obtuse; lower calyx lobes linear, +/- sinuses of upper calyx lip; plants flowering in April–early–June.

2 Plants densely canescent, pubescence of stem typically short and retrorse or short and spreading; leaf apices obtuse; sterile stems prostrate and stolon-like forming clonal patches; live plants typically without minty odor (tending towards oregano-like) ............. ............................................................................................................................................................................................... B. ciliata

- Plants variously pubescent, but not canescent (typically sparse), pubescence of stem spreading or nearly absent; leaf apices acute to acuminate, typically glabrate to sparsely hirsute; sterile stems erect and numerous; live plants typically with minty odor or odor absent.

3 Stem densely pilose-pubescent, longer and spreading on angles; leaves sparsely pubescent with spreading trichomes across adaxial surface and on veins abaxially; outermost glomerule bracts 10–17 mm long, cilia 1.5–2.1 mm long; upper calyx lobes 2.2–2.9 mm long; corolla base color lavender...................................................................................................................................... B. woffordii

- Stem glabrate below middle, sparsely distributed short retrorse trichomes on angles above midstem; leaves abaxially glabrous or with a few trichomes on midvein; outermost glomerule bracts 8.9–9.5 mm long, cilia 0.9–1.5 mm long; upper calyx lobes 1.7–2.5 mm long; corolla base color near white ............................................................................................................................ B. subnuda

Figures

FIGURE 4. Top, Blephilia woffordii from holotype (Genbank # MK585133), from top left, clockwise: adaxial proximal part of leaf and whole petiole; abaxial; calyx and corolla; calyx lobes and trichomes; glomerule bract showing the long marginal cilia; and the long spreading pubescence of the stem; bottom, Blephilia ciliata Genbank # MK585129) from a population proximal to B. woffordii, from top left, clockwise: adaxial proximal part of leaf and whole petiole; abaxial; calyx and corolla; calyx lobes and pubescence; glomerule bract and marginal cilia; and typical short retrorse pubescence of the stem. Scale bars 1 mm.

FIGURE 5. Blephilia woffordii in habitat showing the density of plants on steep limestone bluffs (left), the inflorescence and numerous sterile stems visible behind the inflorescence (middle), and the sterile shoots produced concurrently with the flowering stems (right), 24 May 2018, photos by AF.