Hieracium babiogorense Szeląg, 2024

Szeląg, Zbigniew, 2024, Two new species in Hieracium sect. Alpestria (Asteraceae) from Mt. Babia Góra, Western Carpathians, Poland, Phytotaxa 645 (3), pp. 278-285 : 279-281

Hieracium babiogorense Szeląg , sp. nov. ( Figs. 2–4 )

Type: ― POLAND. Western Carpathians, Mt. Babia Góra massif, NE slope of the Kościółek Wschodni ridge, tall-herb vegetation Mulgedio-Aconitetea , 1520 m a.s.l., 23 July 2023, Z. Szeląg (holotype KRAM) .

Paratypes: ― POLAND. Western Carpathians, Mt. Babia Góra massif, Borsucza Polana glade, along a tourist path, 1400 m a.s.l., 20 July 2021, Z. Szeląg (Herb. Hierac. Z. Szeląg) ; near the Akademicka Perć tourist path , on Picea abies forest margin, 1390 m a.s.l., 21 July 2022, Z. Szeląg (Herb. Hierac. Z. Szeląg) ; southern slope of Mt. Diablak , W of the Głodna Woda stream, 1610 m a.s.l., 1 August 2023, Z. Szeląg (Herb. Hierac. Z. Szeląg) ; SLOVAKIA. Western Carpathians , Mt. Babia Góra massif, SW of Mt. Diablak, along a yellow tourist path (the locality indicated by J. Chrtek jr.), 1530 m a.s.l., 1 August 2023, Z. Szeląg (Herb. Hierac. Z. Szeląg) .

Description: ―Phyllopodous. Stem 35–60 cm high, purple-green, in lower half with moderately numerous, pale, 4–5 mm long simple hairs, and with a few stellate hairs; in upper half with sparse, pale, dark-based, 1–1.5 mm long simple hairs, sparse stellate hairs, and with scattered pale microglands. Rosette leaves 4–6 (withering at anthesis in plants growing in tall-grass), coriaceous, somewhat glaucescent with less or more intensive brown-purple spots, outer leaves smaller and more rounded at apex; inner leaves up to 15 cm long and up to 3 cm wide, cuneate at base, gradually tapered to a long, winged petiole covered by dense, up to 5 mm long simple hairs mixed pale microglands; lamina lanceolate, acute at apex, sharply dentate, on the upper surface glabrous, on the lower surface with sparse to moderately numerous, up to 2 mm long, simple, pale hairs, on margins and along midrib with numerous, pale, simple hairs and sparse microglands. Cauline leaves 3–6, gradually reduced in size upwards, coriaceous, on the upper surface somewhat glaucescent, with less or more intensive brown-purple spots. Lowest cauline leaf in shape, size and indumentum similar to rosette leaves; other cauline leaves semi-amplexicaul, lanceolate and long sharpened at apex, sharply dentate, on the upper surface glabrous or with very few stellate hairs, on the lower surface and on margins with scattered, simple, pale hairs up to 1.5 mm long, and very sparse stellate hairs, on midrib with numerous simple, pale, dark-based hairs up to 3 mm long and very sparse stellate hairs (upper cauline leaf on margins and along midrib also with scattered microglands and few stellate hairs). Synflorescence with 5–15 capitula. Synflorescence branches 3–4, up to 8 cm long in axils of middle and upper cauline leaves, often also with thin branches, up to 20 cm long, in axils on low cauline leaves at the base of stem. Acladium 2–3 cm long. Peduncles thin, erect, with dense stellate hairs, numerous dark-based simple hairs up to 1.7 mm long, and scattered blackish glandular hairs 0.3–0.5 mm long. Bracteoles 1–2, grey green with numerous dark-based, simple hairs, and sparse stellate hairs. Involucres 8–10 mm long, subglobose at base, with moderately dense indumentum. Involucral bracts in three rows, lanceolate, obtuse at apex, up to 1.2 mm wide at base, blackishgreen, inner bracts with pale green margins, with subdense, dark-based, up to 2 mm long simple hairs, sparse, blackish glandular hairs 0.2–0.4 mm long, mixed with few yellow microglands, and numerous stellate hairs along margins. Ligules warm-yellow, with cilia at apex. Styles dirty-yellow with dense back microtrichomes.Achenes brown, 3.7–3.8 mm long. Pappus pale-grey. Pollen in anthers very few, irregular. Flowering: end of July and August.

Affinity: ― Hieracium babiogorense is tetraploid and reproduces apomictically (Grabowska-Joachimiak & Szeląg, unpubl.), combining the morphological features of H. prenathoides s.lat. and H. bifidum s.lat., and is most probably a hybrid between these taxa. It belongs to the H. juraniforme agg. based on H. juraniforme (Zahn) Zahn (1906: 646) and is the only representative of this group outside the Alps ( Zahn 1938).

Distribution and habitat: —Endemic to the Babia Góra massif in the Western Carpathians, both on the Polish and Slovak sides ( Fig. 1 ). In 2023, the population of H. babiogorense comprised at least two hundred plants. In the locus classicus they were growing in the subalpine tall-herb vegetation Mulgedio-Aconitetea, at 1480–1530 m a.s.l.; the other localities are situated in rocky grasslands along a tourist paths amongst Pinus mugo , and on the Picea abies forest margins, at 1380–1610 m a.s.l.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of Hieracium babiogorense (yellow dots) and H. besseri (red dots) on Mt. Babia Góra.

FIGURE 2. Hieracium babiogorense (left) and H. besseri (right) in the type localities.

FIGURE 3. Holotype of Hieracium babiogorense (KRAM).

FIGURE 4. Involucres of: A. Hieracium babiogorense; B. H. besseri (from holotypes).