Senecio transylvanicus Boissier (1856: 34)

Calvo, Joel, Álvarez, Inés & Aedo, Carlos, 2015, Systematics of Senecio section Crociseris (Compositae, Senecioneae), Phytotaxa 211 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

8. Senecio transylvanicus Boissier (1856: 34) . Senecio doronicum subsp. transylvanicus (Boissier) Nyman (1879: 354) [ “transsilvanicus ”]. TYPE: Romania, Braşov County, Făgăraş, in alpinis prope Arpasch, [45º36'N 24º37'E], 28 Aug 1850, T. Kotschy 157 (lectotype, designated here, G-226109 image!; isolectotypes G-226110 image!, P-3683284 image!; excluded duplicate B-10-0293994).

Senecio doronicum var. glaberrimus Rochel (1828: 74) . Senecio glaberrimus (Rochel) Schur (1851: 171) , nom. illeg. ( McNeill et al. 2012, ICN Art. 53.1), non Candolle (1838a: 403). Senecio pseudodoronicum Schur (1866: 351) [ “pseudodoronicum ”]. Senecio rochelianus Fuss (1866: 353) , see comments below. Senecio doronicum var. rochelianus (Fuss) Nyman (1889: 163) . Senecio doronicum subsp. glaberrimus (Rochel) Kožuharov & Andreev in Kožuharov (1992: 786). TYPE: Romania, Hunedoara County, Godjan, Muraru, [45º20'N 22º51'E], A. Rochel s.n. (lectotype, designated here, WU!; isolectotype LE!).

Senecio glaberrimus var. schurii Nyárády (1964: 583 , 969). TYPE: Romania, Cluj, montibus Rodna , [47º29'N 24º47'E], P.J.F. Schur s.n. (holotype, LW not seen).

Perennial herb. Rhizome 0.7–1.2 cm long, 0.3–0.9 cm in diam., ± horizontal, with swelled fastigiate roots. Stem 13–44 cm, erect, densely leaved, corrugated, solid, sometimes ramificated, glabrescent to covered with scattered

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trichomes, base without remnants of old leaves or tufts of hairs. Basal leaves ca. 7.2 cm long, ca. 2.1 cm wide, withering early, lanceolate to oblanceolate (ratio basal leaf width / basal leaf length = ca. 0.29), acute to obtuse, attenuate to cuneate, with a petiole up to 10.3 cm long, dentate (teeth ca. 1.3 mm deep), rarely subentire, glabrescent to covered with scattered trichomes (trichomes 0.1–0.2 mm long), concolorous. Cauline leaves 2–14; middle cauline leaves 3.9–10.8 cm long, 1.2–5 cm wide, alternate, lanceolate (ratio middle leaf width / middle leaf length = 0.22–0.71), acute to obtuse, attenuated into a petiole up to 7 cm long, dentate (teeth 0.3–2.5 mm deep), rarely subentire, glabrescent to covered with scattered trichomes (trichomes 0.1–0.3 mm long), tertiary venation inconspicuous; upper cauline leaves 1.3–5.7 cm long, 0.1–0.9 cm wide, lanceolate to oblong (ratio upper leaf width / upper leaf length = 0.05–0.27), acute, attenuated into a petiole up to 1 cm long, rarely sessile, dentate (teeth 0.4–2 mm deep) to subentire, glabrescent to covered with scattered trichomes. Synflorescence reduced to a solitary capitulum, rarely pseudocorymbose, ca. 11 cm long, with scarce linear-oblong bracts. Capitula 1(–3), 29.7–50.8 mm in diam.; involucre 13.3–22 mm in diam., 7–11 mm long, cupuliform; involucral bracts 20–22(–30), 5.8–10.1 mm long, 1.1–2.4 mm wide, with scarious margin 0.3–0.8 mm wide, ensiform, acute, 0–2-keeled, apex with a black spot, covered with scattered trichomes to glabrescent, rarely ± arachnoid on margins (trichomes 0.2–0.5 mm long); supplementary bracts (4–)5–6(–14), 6.3–13.8 mm long, 0.5–1.4 mm wide, subulate-oblong, without scarious margin, three quarters as long as involucral bracts to longer, with scattered trichomes on the margin (trichomes 0.1–0.7 mm long) to glabrescent, not imbricated. Ligulate florets 14–21, 13.4–22.6 mm long, yellow; tubular florets 5.8–8.8 mm long, 0.8–1.6 mm in diam., yellow. Achenes ca. 4.9 mm long, shorter than pappus, with 10–11 ribs, glabrous or with some trichomes near the top ca. 0.1 mm long; pappus 6.8–8.6 mm long, whitish. Chromosome number: unknown.

Iconography: — Rochel (1828, fig. 72, sub S. doronicum var. glaberrimus ); Nyárády (1964: 561, pl. 108, fig. 3, sub S. glaberrimus ); Lafranchis & Sfikas (2009: 216, sub S. doronicum , as photo).

Distribution and habitat: — Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania; rocky places (granite, slate, schist, serpentine), alpine grasslands, on siliceous soils; 2000–2700 m elevation ( Figure 12 ).

Phenology: — Flowering from July to August.

Etymology: — The epithet transylvanicus refers to the historical region called Transylvania, in the central part of Romania, where this species grows.

SYSTEMATICS OF SENECIO SECTION CROCISERIS

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Discussion: — Senecio transylvanicus is distinguishable by its dentate, glabrescent leaves, and the synflorescence usually reduced to a solitary capitulum with supplementary bracts three quarters as long as involucral bracts or longer. It has the basal and cauline leaves similar in size, the basal and the lower cauline ones withering early, giving a characteristic habit shared with S. pyrenaicus , S. doriiformis , and S. paludosus . Among these species, only S. transylvanicus and S. pyrenaicus might be mistaken (see comments under the latter).

The nomenclature of this species is confusing and requires some clarifications. The name S. glaberrimus (Rochel) Schur (1851: 171) is illegitimate because this epithet is not available (Candolle used it in 1838 to describe a plant from southern Africa). Schur realised this and proposed the nomen novum S. pseudodoronicum , between April and June of 1866 ( Stafleu & Cowan 1985). In the same year, Fuss proposed another nomen novum , S. rochelianus , published in his “Flora Transsilvaniae Excursoria”. He signed the preface as “In Villa S. Gerardi (Giresau) Pridie Calendas Januarias ” that seems to indicate that Fuss's work may have been published in the beginning of January. In spite of this date, Stafleu & Cowan (1976) do not specify the month of publication of the mentioned Flora, and therefore, we cannot be certain in priority between S. pseudodoronicum and S. rochelianus . Considering that these names have no nomenclatural significance in regard to S. transylvanicus (the earliest legitimate name), we would rather not decide on illegitimacy of either of the two.

In 1859, Schur described another species that probably corresponds to S. sarracenicus Linnaeus (1753: 871) , under the illegitimate name S. transilvanicus . It is a later homonym ( McNeill et al. 2012, ICN Art. 53.1) of the Boissier’s name.

The duplicate of the type material kept at B is excluded because the specimen is not S. transylvanicus .

Selected specimens examined. BULGARIA. Blagoevgrad: mt. Pirin , between lake Ribno and Muratovo lake, 41º44’N, 23º24’E, 27 July 1993, W . Greuter & B . Pirker 23891 ( B) . Kyustendil: Rila planina, in monte Lopusniča, 42º11’N, 23º11’E, 25 Aug 1907, C . K . Schneider & Bergmann 1420 ( G, K) . Sofia: Rila planina, montis Musallah , 42º10’N, 23º35’E, 21 Aug 1907, C . K . Schneider & Bergmann 828 ( G, K) . GREECE. Epirus: Pindos-Gebirge, Gipfelfluren des Smolikas-Ostgipfels , 40º5’N, 20º55’E, 15 July 1982, D. Podlech 37863 ( M); montes Smolika, in summo monte Smolika, 40º5’N, 20º55’E, 9 July 1958, K . H . Rechinger 20968 ( K) . MACEDONIA. In reg. alpina m. Peristeri, 41º0’N, 21º11’E, 31 July 1871, T . G . Orphanides 1065 ( G, WU); in cacumine montis Pelister (Lyncos), 41º0’N, 21º11’E, 19 July 1862, T . G . Orphanides 85 ( G, LE) . MONTENEGRO. M . Kom Kučki , 42º41’N, 19º38’E, 8 Aug 1891, A . Baldacci 51 ( G, WU) . ROMANIA. Argeș: Negoi , 45º35’N, 24º34’E, Aug 1870, A . Falck s.n. ( K) . Bistrița-Năsăud: Rodnei Mountains, on Gargalău peak, 47º33’N, 24º48’E, 30 July 1950, M . Răvărut s.n. ( MA) . Caraș-Severin: in alpibus editioribus Banatas , Transylvania, 45º16’N, 22º31’E, Aug 1853, J . Heuffel s.n. ( G) . Gorj: Transsilvania, distr . Hunedoara, montis Borescu , adversus montes Rătezat, 45º21’N, 23º33’E, 12 July 1924, E . I . Nyárády & E . Pop 829 ( K, S) . Hunedoara: Retezat Mountains, on Peleaga peak, 45º21’N, 22º53’E, 21 Aug 2002, C . Sîrbu s.n. ( MA) .

Figures

FIGURE 12. Distribution map for Senecio transylvanicus Boissier (▲).