Linaria subbaetica Blanca, Cueto & J. Fuentes 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Blanca, Gabriel
name: Cueto, Miguel
name: Fuentes, Julián
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Lamiales
Plantaginaceae
Linaria
Linaria subbaetica

description: Linaria subbaetica Blanca, Cueto & J. Fuentes, sp. nov. (Fig. 1–3)
Type:— SPAIN. Córdoba province: Zuheros, Parque Natural de las Sierras Subbéticas, hacia la fuente de la Zarza, pastizales terofíticos en sustrato calizo, 30SUG8554, 1000 m elevation, 13 April 2017, J. Fuentes & G. Blanca (holo-: GDA-Fanero 62650!).
Diagnosis:—This species differs from L. badalii Loscos, L. caesia (Pers.) F. Dietr. and L. supina (L.) Chaz. in having racemes 2–3 cm long, invariably corymbiform at anthesis, with 2–7 flowers [vs. up to 25(–30) cm long, generally racemiform at anthesis, with up to 25–30(–50) flowers]. It also differs from L. badalii by usually having revolute leaves, a pilose-glandulose inflorescence axis, a spur 8–12 mm long, and tuberculate and papillose disc surface of the seed (vs. flat leaves, inflorescence axis glabrous, spur 5-9 mm long, and papillose disc surface of the seed). It also differs from L. caesia by being annual, with the corolla 15–23 mm long white to pale yellow, and a seed with tuberculate and papillose disc surface and a thickened wing (vs. perennial to rarely annual, corolla 20–30 mm long yellow to whitish-yellow, and seed with smooth disc surface and without a thickened wing). Finally, the new species is distinct from L. supina by being annual, with the capsule usually glabrous, and seed with a thickened wing (vs. perennial to rarely annual, capsule glabrous to pilose-glandulose in the upper half and seed without a thickened wing).
Description:—Herbaceous annual plant, glaucous, with spread glandular hairs 0.2-0.5 mm long along the inflorescence axis and calyx; fertile stems 1–10, of 5–21 cm long, decumbent to erect, simple; 2–15 sterile stems, 1–10 cm long, decumbent to erect. Leaves of fertile stems (4–)6–19 × 0.7–2 mm, linear-oblong to narrowly oblanceolate, usually revolute, in whorls of 4, the upper alternate; leaves of sterile stems 2–7 × 0.2–1 mm, similar to the leaves of fertile stems, in whorls of 4. Inflorescence up to 2–3 cm long at anthesis, simple, dense, corymbiform, with 2–7 flowers, only somewhat lax in fruit; axis pilose-glandulose. Bracts 2.5–4 × 0.2–1 mm, linear-oblong to narrowly oblanceolate, glabrous to pilose-glandulose. Pedicels 0.7–1.5 mm long in flower, 1–2.5 mm long in fruit, erect. Calyx lobes unequal, oblong, acute to subobtuse, pilose-glandulose; adaxial lobe 4–6.5 × 0.3–0.7 mm in flower and 4–6.5 × 0.4–0.8 mm in fruit; abaxial lobes 2.5–3.5 × 0.6–1 mm in flower and 3.9–4.2 × 1.2–1.7 mm in fruit. Corolla 15–23 mm long, white to pale yellow, with yellow to orangish palate and conspicuous dark veins; tube 3.5–4.2 mm broad in dorsiventral section, erect; adaxial lip sinus 1.5–3 mm; spur 8–12 × 2–2.5 mm (the width measured in the base), straight or slightly curved, equal to or slightly longer than the rest of the corolla, more or less tinged with purple towards the base. Capsule 3.8–4.5 × 4–5 mm, globose, glabrous or rarely with very short scattered hairs at the apex. Seeds 1.2–1.6 × (1.4–)1.5–1.8(–1.9) mm, suborbicular-reniform, discoid, slightly concave-convex to flat; disc reniform, black, prominently tuberculate, the large tubercles alternating with papillae, especially near the wing (Fig. 3, E–F); wing 0.3–0.5 mm wide, subentire, thickened, black or dark grey, with papillose inner margin (Fig. 3, E–F).
Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to the Subbaetic area, a region located in the south-eastern part of Córdoba province, in the geographic centre of Andalusia (southern Spain). Within this region, it lies the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park, an area protected by the government of Andalusia.
Distribution and ecology:— Linaria subbaetica should be considered an endemic species from the southern Iberian Peninsula (Fig. 4), growing in ephemeral therophyte pastures of calcareous mountains, in the southern part of Córdoba province (Andalusia, Spain). Here it grows on poorly developed and stony soils, between 500–1300 m elevation, under a xeric oceanic Mediterranean Ombroclime with a Mesomediterranean Thermotype and dry Ombrotype (Mota Poveda et al. 2011).
Phenology:—The flowering period spans March to April, and fruiting time mid-April to early May.
Conservation status:—The distribution area of Linaria subbaetica is encompassed entirely within the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park, which was established in 1988, so it has the protection that the Andalusian government established for natural parks.
According to the IUCN categories (2012) and recommendations provided by IUCN (2017), we suggest labelling Linaria subbaetica as Endangered (EN), according to the following criteria: B1ac(i,ii,iv)+B2ac(i,ii,iv). Further monitoring of the known populations is recommended for a more accurate evaluation of the conservation status of this newly described species. Linaria subbaetica may require conservation measures and a management plan, and therefore it should be included in the Andalusian and Spanish Red Lists of vascular plants (i.e. Cabezudo et al. 2005, Bañares et al. 2008).
description: Published as part of Blanca, Gabriel, Cueto, Miguel & Fuentes, Julián, 2022, Linaria subbaetica (Plantaginaceae), a new species from the south of the Iberian Peninsula, pp. 163-176 in Phytotaxa 530 (2) on pages 164-168, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.530.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/5832685