Monday, April 30, 2018

[Botany • 2018] Pachyphytum rogeliocardenasii • A New Species of Succulent Plants (Crassulaceae) from northwestern Querétaro, Mexico


Pachyphytum rogeliocardenasii Add  E. Pérez-Calix & R.Torres

in Pérez-Calix & Torres-Colín, 2018. 

Abstract

Pachyphytum (Crassulaceae) is a genus of perennial plants with ca. 20 species endemic to central Mexico. Pachyphytum rogeliocardenasii is described here as a new species. It is compared to P. garciae, which is morphologically similar. The new species is endemic to the northwestern region of the state of Querétaro where it was found on limestone walls. It is assigned the category of endangered (EN).

Keywords: Arroyo Seco, sect. Diostostemon, sect. Ixiocaulon, Eudicots


FIGURE 2. Pachyphytum rogeliocardenasii:
A) habit; B) petal color; C) calyx lobes; D) inflorescence peduncle and floral bracts. 

FIGURE 2. Pachyphytum rogeliocardenasii: A) habit; B) petal color; C) calyx lobes; D) inflorescence peduncle and floral bracts. P. garciae: E) habit; F) petal color; G) calyx lobes; H) inflorescence peduncle and flowers bracts.

Pachyphytum rogeliocardenasii E. Pérez-Calix & R.Torres, sp. nov.,

 Type:— MEXICO. Querétaro: municipio Arroyo Seco, cerca de 2.9 km al sur de Santa María de Cocos, 800 m elevation, 21°18’24.64” N, 99°38’26.54” O, 3 November 2015, E. Pérez 6616 (holotype IEB!, isotypes MEXU!, QMEX!).

Pachyphytum rogeliocardenasii is morphologically similar to P. garciae, which differs in that its leaves are up to 1.3 cm longer and 0.5 cm wider; the bracts of the peduncle are 6‒7.5 mm longer and 2‒3.5 wider; calyx lobes are also larger and corolla lobes are white with an abaxial red spot in the middle.

....

Distribution and habitat:— Pachyphytum rogeliocardenasii is endemic to the northwest region of Queretaro, near the border with Guanajuato where one population that lives on vertical walls of limestone sedimentary rock has been recorded in the canyon of the Atarjea river. The climate of the region is subhumid, semi-warm (sensu García 1973). The vegetation corresponds to the deciduous tropical forest (sensu Zamudio et al. 1992). Some of its elements are Celtis iguanaea and various representatives of Leguminosae. The walls where the plant grows are also habitat by populations of Agave sp., Hechtia sp., Echeveria sp. and Sedum corynephyllum.


Etymology:— The specific epithet is dedicated to the memory of Rogelio Mariano Cárdenas-Soriano (Cuautla, Morelos, 1961 - Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, 2010). Rogelio worked as a scientific illustrator in the Bajío Regional Center of the Institute of Ecology, A.C., from 1995 until his death, and elaborated a series of illustrations, published in the fascicles of Flora del Bajío and of adjacent regions; he also drew new taxa for science, which were published in various specialized journals in botany.


Emmanuel Pérez Calix and Rafael Torres Colín. 2018. Pachyphytum rogeliocardenasii (Crassulaceae), A New Species from northwestern Querétaro, Mexico. Phytotaxa. 348(1); 56–62. DOI:  10.11646/phytotaxa.348.1.7