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| Hunzikeria gypsophila Ortiz-Brunel & Díaz-Martínez, in Ortiz-Brunel, Díaz-Martínez, Ruíz-Sánchez et Rodríguez, 2023. |
Abstract
Hunzikeria is a petunioid genus of Solanaceae that includes three species. The genus presents a disjunct distribution between South and North America. Hunzikeria coulteri and H. texana occur in North America, while H. steyermarkiana is reported from Venezuela. During botanical explorations in western Mexico, we found a population of Hunzikeria that differed from the three known species. Believing that we had found an undescribed species, we collected samples and prepared herbarium vouchers. We compared our material with morphological descriptions and herbarium specimens of the other species in the genus. Our results indicate that we discovered a new species, named here as Hunzikeria gypsophila. This new species is a microendemic gypsophyte that inhabits two gypsum ravines in southern Jalisco, Mexico. Hunzikeria gypsophila differs from the other three species in being a subshrub of taller stature and having petiolate leaves, wider leaf blades, longer corolla tubes, and broader corolla limbs. The most morphologically similar species is H. steyermarkiana, which differs in having anthers of equal size, while all the North American species have didynamous anthers. Hunzikeria shows a clear affinity for sedimentary soils and H. gypsophila is the first species recorded on gypsum. The gypsum outcrops of western Mexico have a unique flora, which likely became isolated due to volcanic activity. With this new find, Hunzikeria comprises four species. We provide a key for their identification and a distribution map for Mexico.
Keywords: disjunct distribution, gypsophyte, tropical dry forest
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| Hunzikeria gypsophila. A. Adult plant. B. Flower. C. Flower and stigma detail. D. Anthers and stigma. E. Capsule. F. Seed. Illustration by Fátima Bracamontes based on the type material (J. P. Ortiz-Brunel & P. Díaz 1677). |
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| Mexican Hunzikeria species. A. Hunzikeria coulteri. B. Hunzikeria texana. C–F. Hunzikeria gypsophila. Photographs by Alejandra Martínez-Blancas (A), Miguel González-Botello (B), and Juan Pablo Ortiz-Brunel (C–F). |
Hunzikeria gypsophila Ortiz-Brunel & Díaz-Martínez, sp. nov.
Hunzikeria gypsophila is a subshrub taller than H. coulteri, H. steyermarkiana, and H. texana (40–60 vs. 15–20 cm), has longer petioles (12–23 vs. 5–12 mm) and wider leaf blades (16–27 vs. 1.5–13 mm), develops longer corolla tubes (35–48 vs. 10–25 mm), and has broader corolla limb diameter (38–52 vs. 15–23 mm).
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Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to the preference of the plants for growing only on gypsum soil.
Juan Pablo Ortiz-Brunel, Paulina Díaz-Martínez, Eduardo Ruíz-Sánchez and Aarón Rodríguez. 2023. A New microendemic Species of Hunzikeria (Petunieae, Solanaceae) from the Gypsum Outcrops of southern Jalisco, Mexico. Phytotaxa. 600(1); 7-15. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.600.1.2
