Corresponding author: Michael O. Dillon (
Academic editor: A. Sennikov
A synopsis of
Se presenta una sinopsis del género
Dillon MO, Luebert F (2014) Synopsis of
Phylogenetic studies have shown that the genus
The distribution of these genera involves the Atacama Desert, the high Andes of central and northern Chile, southern Peru, northwestern Argentina and western Bolivia, the Chaco and Monte Regions, as well as the inter-Andean valleys of central and northern Peru (
Distribution map of the currently recognized species of
Shrubs 1–2 m tall, the branches erect to ascending; stems lacking spines. Leaves simple, sessile, in whorls at branch tips; blades lanceolate to oblanceolate, glabrous to glandular, usually appressed, the margins entire. Capitulescences of solitary, terminal heads, sessile. Capitula heterogamous, radiate or more rarely homogamous, discoid; involucres cylindrical to campanulate; receptacles plane, glabrous; phyllaries 5–7-seriate, lanceolate; ray florets 5–25, the corollas ligulate-bilabiate, the outer lip 4-nerved, tridentate, the inner lip bifid; styles cylindric, glabrous, bifid, the branches short, inconspicuous; disc florets 7–40, the corollas tubular, actinomorphic, glabrous, the limb deeply 5-lobed, the lobes greater than 1/3 the length of the corolla, coiled; anthers linear, the terminal appendages lanceolate, fused into a column, truncate, the bases caudate; styles claviform, the branches short, rounded. Achenes glabrous or glandular-pubescent; pappus of scabrid bristles, isomorphic, yellowish. Chromosome number: unknown.
All species are confined to the Andean Cordillera and associated inter-Andean valleys (
The genus
1 | Leaves oblong or oblong-spathulate, 8–18 mm long, 2–3.5 mm wide; capitula with 5–8(–10) ray florets, (7–)10–11(–12) disc florets; involucres cylindrical (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru) | |
– | Leaves elliptic to oblanceolate or oblong, 22–42 mm long, 3–6 mm wide; capitula lacking obvious ray florets or more commonly with 15–25 ray florets, (9–)20–25(–40) disc florets; involucres campanulate 2 | |
2 | Leaves oblong, 28–30 mm long, 7.5–8 mm; corollas more or less isomorphic, obvious ligules lacking (Central Chile) | |
– | Leaves oblanceolate, 10–25 mm long, 1–3 mm wide; corollas dimorphic, outer florets with ligules obvious (Peru) | 3 |
3 | Involucre 25–30 mm in diameter; ray florets 15–20, disc florets c. 40 | |
– | Involucre 12–16 mm in diameter; ray florets18–20, disc florets 10–20 |
CHILE, Región IV, Coquimbo,
Shrubs to 1.5 m tall; stems very resinous. Leaves oblong, 28–30 mm long, 7.5–8 mm wide, sessile, apically acute, 3–5-nerved, entire, thickened, glabrous. Capitulescences of solitary terminal heads. Capitula solitary, sessile; involucres campanulate, 25–30 mm long, c. 25 mm wide; phyllaries 3–4-seriate; inner lanceolate, 25–28 mm long, c. 3 mm wide; florets numerous, isomorphic, the outer with corollas subligulate. c. 10, lobes strongly coilled, inner florets 20–25; all corollas lobes c. 7 mm long, c. 4 mm wide, the tube c. 13 mm long; pappus to 16 mm long. Achenes 6–7-ribbed, glabrous, linear oblong, c. 7.5 mm long, c. 1.2 mm wide.
While it was once considered extinct, this species was recently rediscovered in the Precordillera of Ovalle (
CHILE. Region IV. Prov. Limarí. Bocatoma Central Los Molles, Río Molles, 2590 m, 18 Jan 2007,
PERU. Junín: Acobamba [near Tarma],
Shrubs, branched, branches glabrous. Leaves oblanceolate, 22–42 mm long, 5–6 mm wide, glabrous, sessile, acute-mucronate, margin entire. Capitula with involucres 18–22 mm high, 12–16 mm wide; phyllaries 6–7-seriate, glabrous, lanceolate, the inner 22–25 mm long, 3–3.5 mm wide, acute, the outer gradually smaller; ray florets 18–20, the corollas 26–28 mm long, the tube 10–11 mm long, glabrous, the outer lip 14–15 mm long, 5–6 mm wide, 4-nerved, tridentate, the inner lip bipartite; disc florets 40–42, the corollas 15–18 mm long, the tube glabrous, the lobes 9–10 mm long, 1–1.2 mm wide, coiled; anthers 6–7 mm long. Achenes [ray] 4–5 mm long, 1.5–1.6 mm wide, glabrous; pappus c. 12 mm long; [disc] 4.5–5 mm long, 1–1.2 mm wide; pappus c. 14 mm long.
Endemic to an inter-Andean valley in central Peru from near Tarma; c. 3000 m. Given that this species appears confined to a single locality and of a few individuals, it would be considered “critically endangered” (
There is an error in the citation of the generic description in Florae Peruvianae Chilensis Prodromus (1794), where page “104” is cited in Systema Vegetabilium Florae Peruvianae et Chilensis (1798) incorrectly, and the generic description is actually on page 92.
Shrubs to 2 m, resinous. Leaves sessile; blades oblanceolate to lanceolate, 10–18(–20) mm long, (2–)3–4 mm wide, apically acute, basally cuneate, glandular-pubescent, the margins ciliate. Capitula with cylindrical involucres (15–)18–20 mm high, 7–8(–14) mm wide; phyllaries 3–6-seriate, lanceolate, the inner 20–21 mm long, 2.4–3 mm wide, the outer smaller; ray florets (5–)7–8(–10), the corollas 20–21 mm long, the tube 11–11.5 mm long, the outer lip 9–9.5 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, tridentate, the inner lip bipartite, 6–7 mm long; disc florets (7–)10–11(–12), the corollas white, 13–14 mm long, the tube 10–11 mm long, the lobes 7–8 mm long; anthers 5–6 mm long. Achenes [ray] 4.5–5 mm long, 1.2–1.4 mm wide, glandular; pappus c. 13 mm long; [disc] 5–5.5 mm long, 1 mm wide, glandular; pappus c. 12.5 mm long.
In
This species is distinctive with the narrowest capitula with the fewest ray and disc florets within the genus.
Robinson’s (1980) new genus and species,
ARGENTINA. Jujuy: Dept. Humahusca, Mina Aguilar, Espinosa del Diablo, 3800 m, 12 Jan 1968,
BOLIVIA. Cochabamba: Sivingani, 11,000 ft, 24 Mar 1950,
CHILE. Region XV. Prov. Parinacota. Putre, 3500 m, 29 Dec 1995,
PERU. Ayacucho, 83 km W of Puquio, 76 km E of Nazca, 3430 m, 22 Jun 1978, A.
PERU. La Libertad: Prov. Huamachuco, Pallar – Huaguil, carretera a Tayabamba, 3000 m, 23 Jun 1974,
Plaziae confertae affinis, a qua foliis minoribus, capitulis majoribus et radiis 15–20 differt.
Shrubs to 1 m, the branches erect; stems lacking spines. Leaves simple, sessile, in whorls at branch tips; blades oblanceolate, 10–25 mm long, 1–3 mm wide, uninerved, adaxial and abaxial surfaces glabrous; margins entire. Capitulescences of solitary, terminal heads, sessile. Capitula heterogamous, radiate; involucres broadly campanulate, c. 25 mm wide, 30 mm in diameter; receptacles plane, glabrous; phyllaries 4–5-seriate, the outer ovate, 8–12 mm long, 4–6 mm wide, apically acuminate, the inner oblong 20–25 mm long, 4–5 mm wide, apically acute, ciliolate; ray florets 15–20, the corollas ligulate-bilabiate, whitish, the tube 4–5 mm long, the outer lip 4-nerved, 8–12 mm long, tridentate, the inner lip bifid; styles cylindric, glabrous, bifid, the branches short, inconspicuous; disc florets whitish, c. 40, the corollas tubular, actinomorphic, glabrous, the limb deeply 5-lobed, the lobes 5–8 mm long, c. 1/2 the length of the corolla, coiled; anthers linear, the terminal appendages lanceolate, fused into a column, truncate, the bases caudate; styles claviform, the branches short, rounded. Achenes [ray and disc] glabrous, 5-ribbed, 4–5 mm long; pappus of scabrid bristles, c. 15 mm long, isomorphic, pale yellow.
Known only from the type locality in an inter-Andean valley at around 3000 m (
The duplicates of the type collection of this new species were originally distributed under the generic name
The type locality is approximately 450 km north of its nearest congener,
This species honors Dr Harold Robinson, Senior Research Curator at the National Herbarium, Smithsonian Institution. He suggested with his annotation of the US sheet, designated as an isotype, that this taxon was perhaps a new species of
On 26 May 2012, Dr. Abundio Sagástegui Alva succumbed to injuries sustained when a car in Trujillo struck him. Many years ago, Abundio and the first author (MOD) began work on this taxon, convinced that it was distinct from all other members of the genus known to us; a belief shared by Dr Harold Robinson as he annotated the US sheet as a new species before sending it on loan to F.
We acknowledge the efforts of A. Marcial Escudero and Pedro Jimenez Mejias in attempting to locate the Ruiz and Pavón herbarium material of