Schizanthus litoralis var. litoralis

Morales-Fierro, Vanezza, Munoz-Schick, Melica & Moreira-Munoz, Andres, 2020, Synopsis of Schizanthus Ruiz & Pav. (Solanaceae), a genus endemic to the southern Andes, PhytoKeys 154, pp. 57-102 : 57

11a. Schizanthus litoralis var. litoralis Fig. 5A-D

Type.

Chile. Valparaíso: Médanos Concon, 10 Dec 1884, F. Philippi s.n. (lectotype designated by Grau and Gronbach 1984, pg. 136 [as type]: SGO! [SGO000004531 acc. #055374]).

Taxonomic notes.

For years, the name of this species was wrongly associated with the new species S. carlomunozii as growing from Coquimbo to Valparaíso (see notes under S. carlomunozii ). The Fig. 5A-D depicts the true S. litoralis described by R.A. Philippi. In this case, the types of S. litoralis var. litoralis were especially important, as some flowers still show a darker colour on the lower lip, a character not mentioned by R.A. Philippi but that is distinctive of the species.

Most of the data on the lectotype matches other two specimens at SGO [SGO000004529 acc. #055325, SGO000004530 acc. #055326], except for the day and month of the collection (12th October). However, none of them can be discarded as type material, because the original description only mentions the year of collection (1884). The similarities between day and month (10 = October and 12 = December), make us think that the date could be erroneously swapped on the labels. Unfortunately, we cannot tell with certainty which was the true date of collection or if these specimens correspond to the same collection. Therefore, we decided to treat these two specimens as syntypes, conserving the lectotype chosen by Grau and Gronbach (1984).

Key characters.

Delicate plant with flowers with noticeable dark purple to burgundy colour on the lower lip and faint or no spotting on any lobe, except on the yellow area of the upper middle lobe.

Distribution.

Endemic to Chile, in the coast of the Region of Valparaíso (between the Provinces of Petorca and Valparaíso, 32°30'-33°10' lat. S). Photos in Fig. 5B-D correspond to cultivated specimens, which were grown from seeds collected in Dunas de Concón, growing upon the paleodune. The original population at Dunas de Concón, apparently no longer exists due to urban development. 10-100 m a.s.l.

Habitat.

Schizanthus litoralis var. litoralis has been seen growing on sandy soil and between the fissures of the coastal rocks. Forms part of the coastal scrubland.

Conservation.

Chile. Valparaíso: Dunas de Concón Natural Sanctuary (apparently locally extinct).

Selected specimens examined.

Chile. Valparaíso: [ Valparaíso Province] Dunas de Con Con, sobre las dunas a 100 m de la placa de Santuario mirando al mar, 32°56'36"S, 71°32'40"W, 30 m a.s.l., 7 Oct 2002, A. Moreira 688 (SGO); Road along the coast, S. of Cachagua, N of Quintero, 32°36'35"S, 71°25'57"W, 100 m a.s.l., 10 Nov 2006, E.J. Tepe, A. Marticorena & P.B. Pelser 1947 (CONC); N von Valparaíso, Oct 1967, O. Zoellner 1856 (L).

Figures

Figure 5. A distribution of Schizanthus litoralis var. litoralis B-D examples of S. litoralis var. litoralis in Colegio Sagrada Familia (Renaca) E distribution of Schizanthus litoralis var. humilis F illustration of S. litoralis var. humilis published with the description of the species (Lindley 1833) G example of S. litoralis var. humilis in Pichicuy H distribution of Schizanthus splendens I examples of S. splendens in Hacienda El Tangue (south of Tongoy) J road Ovalle-Socos. Photos by S. Elortegui (B-D), V. Morales (G), A de Trenqualye (I), M. Aldunate (J).