Menonvillea cuneata (Gillies & Hook.) Rollins (1955: 17), 1764

3. Menonvillea cuneata (Gillies & Hook.) Rollins (1955: 17) View in CoL . Hexaptera cuneata Gillies & Hook. in Hooker (1830: 352). Type:— ARGENTINA. [ Provincia de Mendoza]. Between Cortaderas and Río de las Vacas, A. Cruickshanks 95 ( holotype K!).

Hexaptera jussiaei Barnéoud in Gay (1846: 179). Type:— CHILE. [ Región de Coquimbo]. Coquimbo, without locality, C. Gay 336 ( holotype P!; isotypes F!, G!, GH!, K!, LE!, NY!, P!).

Hexaptera violacea Philippi (1872: 673) View in CoL . Hexaptera cuneata Gillies & Hook. var. violacea (Phil.) Reiche (1895: 88) View in CoL . Type:— CHILE. [ Región de Coquimbo]. Quebrada Escondida, 1860−1861, G. Volkmann s.n. [ lectotype designated by Al-Shehbaz et al. (2011: 284), SGO 63963!; isolectotype SGO 68265!].

Hexaptera tridens Philippi (1891: 6) View in CoL . Hexaptera jussiaei Barnéoud var. tridens (Phil.) Reiche (1895: 88) View in CoL . Type:— CHILE. [ Región de Atacama]. Cuesta Maricunga, January 1885, F. Philippi s.n. [ lectotype designated by Al-Shehbaz et al. (2011: 284), SGO 63957!; isolectotypes B!, K!, SGO 68269!].

Hexaptera kurtzii Hosseus (1921: 97) View in CoL . Type:— ARGENTINA. [ Provincia de San Juan]. Los Patillos, Cordillera del Espinazito , 10 February 1897, F. Kurtz 9661 ( holotype CORD!) .

Decaptera trifida Turczaninow (1846: 498) View in CoL . Type :— CHILE. [ Región de Valparaíso]. Prov. Aconcagua, without locality, T. Bridges s.n. ( holotype KW!; isotypes, GH!, LE!) .

Cespitose perennials with deep, woody, much-branched caudex. Stems (5−)10−20(−32) cm, herbaceous to woody, slender, several to numerous from base, erect to subdecumbent, branched or not above, pubescent to canescent with simple, terete, straight, retrorse or rarely spreading trichomes 0.4−1(–1.2) mm long. Leaves cauline, not rosulate, subsessile or less frequently shortly petiolate; blade oblanceolate to cuneate, rarely obovate, (6−)1020(−35) × 4−10 mm, canescent, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire, apex 3-dentate or sometimes 3-lobed, ocassionally entire and then acute to rounded. Racemes terminal, ebracteate or most commonly bracteate proximally, corymbose, densely flowered, elongated in fruit, 2−7(−10) cm long; rachis densely pubescent, straight; fruiting pedicels ascending, divaricate to reflexed, straight to recurved, (5−)7−12(−15) mm long, hirsute. Sepals oblong, (2.5−)4− 5.5(−6.5) × (1.2−)1.5−2(−2.3) mm, pubescent, erect, not saccate, caducous, margin scarious; petals white to creamy white, often drying purplish, spatulate, (4−)6−10(−12) × (1.5−) 2−2.5 mm, clawed, not papillate at base; stamens tetradynamous; filaments free, erect, white, slightly dilated and glabrous at base, (2−)4−5(−7) mm long; anthers narrowly oblong, (0.8−)1.1−1.6(−2) mm long, sagittate at base; nectar glands confluent, subtending bases of all filaments. Fruits subglobose to ellipsoid, glabrous or hirsute; valves 3- or 5(or 7)-winged, obscurely to conspicuously veined, (4−)5−8(−11) × (3−)5−8(−10) mm, emarginate apically; lateral and dorsal wings well developed, (0.5−)1.1−2.5(−3.5) mm wide; gynophore 0.5−1.8 mm long; style (1−)1.5−3.5(−4.5) mm long; stigma subdecurrent. Seeds oblong to ovate, (2−)2.5−4 × (1.2−) 1.8−3 mm, wingless, flattened; cotyledons accumbent.

Distribution and habitat:— Menonvillea cuneata is widely distributed in north-central Argentina ( Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, and Mendoza) and Chile ( Atacama, Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Región Metropolitana de Santiago and Libertador O’Higgins). It grows on gravel, partially serpentinized rock, stony ground, and among loose rocks at 1700−4600 m ( Fig. 12C View FIGURE 12 ).

Phenology:— Flowers mainly from December to March.

Taxonomic notes:— Menonvillea cuneata is highly variable in leaf shape (oblanceolate to cuneate or rarely obovate), leaf apex (3-dentate, sometimes 3-lobed, or rarely entire and then acute to rounded), indumentum (pubescent to canescent with retrorse or rarely spreading trichomes), fruit size [(4−)5−8(−11) mm long], wings number [3 or 5(or 7)], and flower size [petals (4−)6−10(−12) mm long]. Although several variants were segregated as separate species, they fall within the morphological range of M. cuneata . Menonvillea nordenskjoeldii , M. rigida , and M. virens are morphologically related to M. cuneata , with M. virens being closely related in the molecular phylogenies. However, they are morphologically distinct to merit independent recognition (see comments under these species).

Representative Specimens:— ARGENTINA. Catamarca: Depto. Tinogasta, Tres Quebradas , 31 March 1951, Vervoorst 3245 ( BAA, LIL) . La Rioja: Depto. Lamadrid, entre río Las Cuevas y Portillo del Alto , 25 January 1949, Krapovickas & Hunziker 5595 ( BAB) ; Depto. Vinchina, Laguna Mulas Muertas , 5 February 1947, Hunziker 2186 ( BAA, SI) . Mendoza: Depto. Las Heras, Puente del Inca, faldeo S Cerro Banderita N, 12 January 1963, Boelcke et al. 9804 ( BAA) ; Depto. Luján de Cuyo, La Jaula, Río Mendoza sup., 25 January 1886, Kurtz 3471 ( BAA, CORD, LP, SI) ; Depto. Malargüe, Alto valle del Atuel , 2º del arroyo Nield , 9 January 1954, Guimon Poci s.n. ( MERL 15728 About MERL ) ; Depto. San Carlos, Cerro Laguna , en inmediaciones de la Estación de Altura Perón, 15 January 1952, Ruíz Leal 14596 ( MERL) ; Depto. San Rafael, Agua amarilla, Volcán Overo , El Sosneado , 21 January 1973, Lagiglia & D'Antoni 1331 ( LP) ; Depto. Tunuyán, inmediaciones del Paso del Portillo mendocino, entre las Crucecitas y El Pozo , 25 january 1900, Ruíz Leal 1901 ( LIL, MERL) . San Juan: Depto. Calingasta, Oeste de Barreal: El Pachón : de casilla naranja a casilla amarilla, 9 February 1977, Kiesling & Sáenz 1398 ( SI) ; Depto. Iglesia, Quebrada Agua Negra, 11 km antes del límite con Chile , ruta internacional 150, 28 January 2008, Al-Shehbaz 806 ( MO, SI) . CHILE. III Atacama: Prov. Chañaral, Com. Diego de Almagro, Camino de Potrerillos al Salar de Maricunga , 53 km al interior del Tranque La Ola , 14 February 1966, Ricardi et al. 1638 ( BAB, CONC, LP) ; Prov. Copiapó, Com. Tierra Amarilla, Laguna del Negro Francisco , 2 February 1944, Muñoz 3977 ( SGO) ; Prov. Huasco, Com. Alto del Carmen, Quebrada Cantarito entre Quebrada Marancel y Portezuelo Cantarito , 12 February 1981, Arroyo 81630 ( CONC) . IV Coquimbo: Prov. Choapa, Com. Salamanca , al E de Cuncumén, ladera S, 9 January 1984, Zöllner 11879 ( BAA) , Prov. Elqui, Com.Vicuña, rodados Cerro Colorado y rodados Lagunitas en el Río Seco , 16 February 1940, Wagenknecht 5424 ( CONC, SI) ; Prov. Limarí, Com. Monte Patria, Cordillera de Ovalle , Quebrada Larga , 17 February 1958, Jiles 3423 ( CONC) . V Valparaíso: Prov. Los Andes, Com. San Estebán, Ascensión al Monte Aconcagua , 1 February1983, Gálvez s.n. ( SGO 109237 About SGO ) . Región Metropolitana de Santiago: Prov. Cordillera, Com. San José del Maipo, Camino entre Laguna del Yeso y Baños del Plomo, 1 December 1992, von Bohlen 1450 ( SGO) ; Prov. Santiago, Com. Lo Barnechea, Valle Nevado , última pista, trayecto desde Alto tres Puntas hasta piedra numerada, camino a cerro El Plomo , January1993, Solervicens s.n. ( SGO 130779 About SGO ) . VI Libertador O´Higgins: Prov. Cachapoal, Com. Mostazal, Cordillera del Peuco , no date, Philippi ( SGO 78136) .