Schizanthus litoralis var. humilis (Lindl.) V.Morales & Munoz-Schick, 2020

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

11b. Schizanthus litoralis var. humilis (Lindl.) V.Morales & Munoz-Schick comb. nov. Fig. 5E-G

Schizanthus pinnatus var. humilis Lindl., Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 18: T. 1562. 1833.

Schizanthus tricolor Grau & E.Gronbach. Mitt. Bot. Staatssamml. München 20: 143. 1984.

Type.

Chile. Valparaíso: H. Cuming 712 (lectotype designated by Grau and Gronbach 1984, pg. 143 [as type]: BM! [BM000994719]; isolectotypes: E! [E00089563, E00089564], MEL! [MEL-2449923 pro parte A]).

Taxonomic notes.

This taxon was first described by Lindley (1833). He recognised that the specimens available exhibited two well-defined characters; the flowers grouped in congested racemes and the total height of the plants lower than those mentioned for S. pinnatus . The second character was used by Lindley to describe this taxon as a dwarf variety of S. pinnatus .

Regarding the type material, it appears that Lindley (1833) had access to cultivated material as well as material from the wild. First, he cites living material that flowered in June of 1832 at the private garden of the Comte de Vandes, at Bayswater (London). In the same paragraph, the author establishes that the plants were the product of seeds collected by Hugh Cuming. What is not clear is if Lindley had access to fresh or dried samples from the cultivated plants. In the following paragraph, he mentions some dried specimens collected in Chile by Cuming under the number 712. Therefore, the group of samples seen by Lindley should be treated as syntypes, thus requiring necessary lectotypification. We have not found herbarium sheets that agree with the data from cultivated material. Instead, we have found four specimens numbered as 712 by Cuming that match the characters of the species. One of them has been selected as lectotype of Lindley’s name by Grau and Gronbach (1984: 143). This is a very poor sample of the species, that only shows the basal leaves of a single plant with a label saying " Schizanthus , Cum 712, 3898 ". Of the specimens at E, one is the best-preserved sample [E00089563] and the other shows a more detailed locality (Valparaiso) [E00089564]. Here we recognise all the specimens collected by Cuming 712 as a single collection and as isolectotypes.

Key characters.

It has a dark purple colour on the lower lip, but it differs from S. litoralis var. litoralis because of the distinct purple venation at the base of each corolla lobe.

Distribution.

Endemic to Chile, along the coast of the Region of Valparaíso (Province of Petorca, 32°20'-32°35' lat. S). This variety has been reported from the Dunes in Pichicuy and also in Cachagua ( Villagrán et al. 2007). However, only the population in Pichicuy has been observed during the last decade

Habitat.

It grows within a narrow zone on the foredunes, associated with Ambrosia chamissonis Greene ( Asteraceae ), Solanum coquimbense J.R.Benn. ( Solanaceae ) and Senecio bahioides Hook. & Arn. ( Asteraceae ).

Conservation.

Chile. Valparaíso: Humedal de Pichicuy Protected Area.

Selected specimens examined.

Chile. Valparaíso: [Petorca Province] Final sur Playa Pichicuy, 32°20'24.1"S, 71°26'50.3"W, 10 m a.s.l., 12 Aug 2008, M. Muñoz 5000 (SGO); Pichicuy, dunes behind beach, 32°20'35"S, 71°27'05"W, 2 m a.s.l., 9 Nov 2006, E.J. Tepe, A. Marticorena & P.B. Pelser 1886 (CONC); Zapallar ( médanos de Cachagua), 25 Sep 1909, F. Johow s.n. (CONC).

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).