Linaria pseudamethystea (Antirrhineae, Plantaginaceae), a new species mimetic of and apparently sympatric with L. amethystea

Abstract

Linaria pseudamethystea, from the south-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, is here newly described, illustrated, and compared with its morphologically closest relatives from L. sect. Supinae: L. amethystea, L. semialata, and L. diffusa. The species is characterized by being annual and glabrous and by having a loose inflorescence; calyx lobes unequal; corolla blue-violet, with conspicuous dark veins and yellow to orangish palate, abaxial lip with two prominent humps and ornamentation reticulate and often with two thick spots, and spur equalling the length of the rest of the corolla, curved, usually dark blue-violet; capsule globose and glabrous; seeds black with densely papillose and non-tuberculate disk, and non- thickened wing. L. pseudamethystea is an endemic species, whose general morphology and distribution area overlap with that of L. amethystea, causing confusion between the two species and misidentification of their populations. The new species grows in ephemeral therophyte pastures of siliceous mountains, from the east of the province of Seville (Spain) to the Algarve and Alentejo (Portugal).

Linaria sagrensis (Plantaginaceae), a new high mountain species from the SE Iberian Peninsula

“…Seed morphology is quite important in the taxonomy of the genus Linaria , in particular the presence or absence of a marginal wing (Dumortier 1827, Valdés 1970, Chater et al1972, Viano 1978a, 1978b, Sutton 1988). Howevwer, as we have previously commented (Blanca et al 2022, 2023), authorities diverge concerning the criteria related to the disc‐surface ornamentation. In fact, several authors (Sáez and Bernal 2009) have pointed out the variability of the seed‐disc surface ornamentation within the same species.…”

“…The genus Linaria is one of the most diversified in the Iberian Peninsula, as indicated by the 54 species considered by Sáez and Bernal (2009) in the most recent review conducted for 'Flora iberica'. Some of these species include numerous subspecies, and furthermore several new species or subspecies have been described in more recent years (Vigalondo et al 2015, Blanca et al 2017, Juan et al 2018, Casimiro-Soriguer and Cabezudo 2019, Luceño et al 2019, Jiménez et al 2020, Blanca et al 2022, 2023. Table 1 lists the main morphological differences between L. sagrensis and its most closely related species.…”

“…However, new species of Linaria have recently been described from the Iberian Peninsula for which seed ornamentation constitutes one of the main characteristics (Blanca et al 2018, Juan et al 2018, Luceño et al 2019, Jiménez et al 2020, Blanca et al 2022, 2023. In all these cases, the populations of these new species have been included in the variability of other more widely distributed species (Blanca et al 2022(Blanca et al , 2023, so that at least in some instances it could be a matter of cryptospecies not yet detected.…”

“…Within the framework of our studies on the vascular flora of Andalusia (Fuentes et al 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) and more particularly on the genus Linaria (Blanca et al 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, Juan et al 2018), we found in Sierra de la Sagra (municipality of Huéscar, N Granada province, Spain) some plants belonging to the aforementioned genus that at first appeared to belong to L. aeruginea (Gouan) Cav. s.l., or even more particularly to the subsp.…”

“…Sáez and Bernal (2009) assigned 26 species or 46 taxa (including subspecies) from the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands to this subsection. Many of these taxa are endemic to relatively small areas and often show specialized ecological behaviour, with narrow southern Iberian distributions (Valdés 1970, Sutton 1988, Sáez et al 2004, 2009, Sáez and Sainz 2011, Blanca et al 2023).…”