Talinella tsitondroinensis Appleq. 2005, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Applequist, Wendy L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2005
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Caryophyllales
Talinaceae
Talinella
Talinella tsitondroinensis

description: 11.Talinella tsitondroinensis Appleq., sp. nov. <i>Haec species</i> Talinellae pachypodae Eggli <i>affinis, sed ab ea habitu minore laxiore sine caudice, foliorum apicibus saepe asymmetricis rotundatis vel breviter acuminatis vel leviter emarginatis, squamis gemmae foliaris acuminatis apicibus fuscatis, inflorescentiis breviter paniculiformibus, bracteis 0.4-0.6(-1.2) mm longis vel sursum ad squamas reductis, floribus maturis lateralibus vel terminalibus, pedicellis 3-7 mm longis, sepalis late ovatis aequalibus, petalis (2 ad) 5 albidis (3.0-)3.6-4.0 mm longis, florum femineorum staminodiis usque ad 4 mm longis roseis interdum antheras gerentiis ac stigmatibus 2 vel 3 usque ad 3 mm longis interdum semel ramosis atque fructu globoso semen solitarium usque ad 3 mm longum continente distinguitur.</i> TYPUS. — <i>Perrier de la Bâthie 1385</i>, Prov. Mahajanga, rochers basaltiques [de la cime du] Mt Tsitondroina, 16°44’S, 046°24’E, fl., fr., Jan. 1900 (holo-, P!; iso-, P!). Shrub to 0.5 m with lax, possibly sarmentose branches. Twigs straight, reddish brown; lenticels on large twigs pale, large and elliptical to small and round; smallest twigs usually papillose with brown and white papillae. Leaves elliptical to oblong, ovate or obovate, (1.5-)2.5-5.0 cm long, (0.9-)1.2-1.8(-2.0) cm broad, sometimes somewhat asymmetrical; apex rounded to roundedacute, occasionally short-apiculate or shallowly emarginate; base tapering, usually somewhat concave; margins frequently slightly revolute, sometimes barely papillose; blade crassulescent, rather thin when dried; midrib conspicuous at least on lower surface, higher-order venation observable beneath. Inflorescences short-paniculiform, borne on short or long lateral twigs, &lt;3 cm long with few fertile flowers; peduncle and rachis slender, glabrous or white-papillate; bud scales below inflorescence (0.6-)0.8-1.0 mm long, dark, acuminate, the base of the lower ones sometimes mottled and papillose like the twig; bracts <i>c.</i> 0.4-0.6(-1.2) mm long or reduced to scales distally, narrowly triangular, usually with inconspicuous darker tip or streak down the midline. Pedicel 3-7 mm long. Sepals 2. 0-2.6 mm long, broadly ovate; apex rounded or obtuse. Petals (2-)5, (3.0-)3.6-4.0 mm long, white, oblong to narrowly obovate; fused petals sometimes suborbicular, convex. Staminodes of female flowers filiform, with lower portion ciliate, to 4 mm long, rose, with occasional anthers 0.4- 0.9 mm long. Stigma branches 2-3, sometimes once-branched, rose, to 3 mm long at maturity, sessile, flattened, ragged-edged. Immature fruit globose, up to 5.8 mm in diameter; perianth and staminode remains frequently persistent; seeds 1 per fruit, broadly elliptical to suborbicular, to 3 mm long, with a shallow ridge around edge. — Fig. 11. The single known collection of <i>Talinella tsitondroinensis</i> is from northwestern Madagascar, well outside the known range of any other member of the genus. It is a delicate shrub with few-flowered inflorescences and twigs bearing brown and white papillae, and thus belongs to the group of species including <i>T. dauphinensis</i> and <i>T. pachypoda</i>; the type was included within EGGLI’ s (1997) concept of <i>T. dauphinensis</i>, but is probably more closely related to <i>T. pachypoda</i>, to which it has the closest geographic proximity, or to <i>T. latifolia</i>, which it most closely resembles (see discussion under that species). It is distinguished from <i>T. dauphinensis</i> by its narrower leaves with visible secondary venation and frequently rounded apices; slightly larger (2. 0-2.6 mm vs 1. 0-2.3 mm) and equal sepals; stamens&gt; 2.5 mm long and probably <i>c.</i> 20 in number; and stigmas that are&gt; 2 mm long, pink and flattened (rather than whitish and terete). It is distinguished from <i>T. pachypoda</i> by its leaf shape (which, though variable, usually is not symmetrically apiculate as is common in <i>T. pachypoda</i>); larger, white petals; long pink stigmas; and globose, unbeaked fruits. The size and number of the seeds of <i>T. tsitondroinensis</i> (up to 3 mm long, and only 1 per fruit in the type specimen) may also prove diagnostic. Like <i>T. latifolia</i>, <i>T. tsitondroinensis</i> has occasional anthers in female flowers, but is likely to be functionally dioecious. DISTRIBUTION. — <i>Talinella tsitondroinensis</i> is known only from Mt Tsitondroina, in northwestern Madagascar (Fig. 6), on basalt. One of the duplicates indicates that the type collection was from the summit; one summit of Tsitondroina is <i>c.</i> 391 m. CONSERVATION STATUS. — Provisional IUCN Red List Category: Data Deficient (DD). As <i>T. tsitondroinensis</i> is known only from the type collection, and no efforts have been made to relocate it, it is considered to be Data Deficient. However, it may well prove to be endangered. The single known locality is not protected.
description: Published as part of <i>Applequist, Wendy L., 2005, A revision of the Malagasy endemic Talinella (Portulacaceae), pp. 47-80 in Adansonia (3) (3) 27 (1)</i> on pages 75-76, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5370864