Laurentia maximiliana E.Wimm., Repert., 2022

7. DIASTATEA MAXIMILIANA E.Wimm., Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien View in CoL 56: 332. 1948. Laurentia maximiliana E.Wimm., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 38: 78. 1935. NEOTYPE, here designated: MÉXICO. Guerrero: Chilapa de Alvarez, 11.5 mi E of Chilapa on MEX 93, road to Atlixtac, [17.59222, -99.09123], 9 Nov 2006, T. J. Ayers , R. Scott & A. Scott 1773 (neotype: MEXU!; isoneotypes: ASC!, IBUG!, NY!).

Stems 13–46 cm tall, simple or with few to many ascending branches, 0.5–2.7 mm wide at base, winged, glabrous except for the ciliate wings. Leaves sessile to subsessile below, sessile above, decurrent into narrow wings on stem; blades purple to green, base truncate to cuneate, apex subacute to narrowly acute; lowermost blades ovate to elliptic, 1.6–12 mm long, 1.7–7 mm wide, margins regularly serrate, mostly glabrous but with short hairs near base; upper blades narrowly elliptic to linear, 7.5–35 mm long, 0.9–4.5 mm wide, margins regularly or irregularly serrate, glabrous or ciliolate on margins and at base. Inflorescence strongly secund with few to 18 flowers per stem, bracts linear to elliptic, 6–25.5 mm long, 0.5–1.8 mm wide, ascending to appressed. Flowers with pedicels 3–15 mm long in flower, glabrous or minutely pubescent near attachment with hypanthium, ascending to arcuate in fruit; hypanthium a flattened disc in flower, 1–1.7 mm in diameter, 0.1–0.6 mm in length from calyx sinus to attachment point with pedicel, not much expanded in fruit, glabrous; calyx lobes equal, one-half to two-thirds the length of the fruit and rarely exceeding it, narrowly triangular to linear, 1.8–4.8 mm long in flower, green, purple, or green with purple apex, margins entire, rarely with 1 pair of teeth at base, glabrous or finely ciliate; corolla purplish-blue to purple, some with pale yellow streaking especially along veins, nectar guides white at ventral lobe sinuses leading to yellow and dark blue projections at throat, sometimes with yellow streaks in the tube; tube broadly cylindrical and sometimes minutely funnelform, 2.9–4.6 mm long from calyx sinus to lateral corolla sinus, 1.3–3.0 mm wide at middle; dorsal lobes oblanceolate, 2.5–4.0 mm long, 0.6–1.3 mm wide; ventral lobes obovate to oblong with a mucronate tip, 2.6–4.8 mm long, 1.5–3.1 mm wide; filaments 3.2–4.5 mm long; anthers (0.8–) 1.1–1.5 mm long, dark purple with downy white covering and a few short hairs on dorsal anthers, two large and many small white trichomes at apex of ventral anther pair, the margins between adjacent anthers white. Fruits ovoid, 4.1–5.6 mm long, 2.5–3.5 mm wide, light brown or purplish; seeds ellipsoid, 0.5–0.6 mm long, orange-brown. Figures 3E View FIG , 4G View FIG .

Chromosome Number —Unknown.

Distribution —Mexican state of Guerrero although several specimens with affinities to D. maximiliana have been collected in the states of Hidalgo and Oaxaca ( Fig. 5 View FIG ).

Notes —We have been unable to locate the specimens noted under Wimmer’ s (1935) description of Laurentia maximiliana , namely L. Schultze no. 163 and 113, which were held at the herbarium of the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem. It is likely that specimens seen by Wimmer were destroyed during WWII; therefore a neotype has been designated here.

McVaugh (1940b) placed this taxon in synonymy with D. micrantha . It has a broad corolla tube and fruit, both of which are minute in D. micrantha . Additionally, its cauline leaves are narrowly elliptic in contrast to the ovate to lanceolate leaves seen in D. micrantha . In our molecular phylogeny, D. maximiliana was more closely related to D. costaricensis and the newly designated D. ciliata , than to D. micrantha .

While preparing this treatment, two unusual specimens came to our attention: E. Halbinger s. n. (MEXU) and R. M. Fonseca 2246 (MEXU). These specimens fall within the geographic range of D. maximiliana , but they share morphological traits with both D. maximiliana and D. costaricensis . Both their pubescence and their large corolla lobes mimic that of D. maximiliana , but their calyx lobes are toothed, and the lobes are equal in length to the fruit, which are diagnostic traits of D. costaricensis . This odd mixture of morphology warrants further study in any future work on these species.

Additional Specimens Examined — Mexico. — GUERRERO: Mpio. Atlixtac, 24 km al E de Chilapa por la carretera a Tlapa, 29 Oct 1979, Koch et al. 79171 ( MEXU, NY) ; Mpio. Chilpancingo, 8.9 mi E of the western boundary of Chilapa , 5.6 mi E Rıo Atempa on highway 93, 26 Oct 1984, Saunders-Scherrer et al. 1479 ( LL) ; Mpio. Chilapa, Estacion de Microondas Pozo Largo, carretera Chilapa a Tlapa, 27 Dec 1993, Calzada 19012 ( MEXU) ; Chilapa de Alvarez , 11.5 mi E of Chilapa on MEX 93 About MEX , road to Atlixtac, 9 Nov 2006, Ayers et al. 1773 ( ASC, IBUG, MEXU, NY) ; Chilapa de Alvarez , 9.8 mi E of Chilapa on MEX 93 About MEX , road to Atlixtac, [17.60793, -99.08788], 9 Nov 2006, Ayers et al. 1774 ( ASC) GoogleMaps ; Mesones, a un lado de la Carr. Chilapa-Tlapa, 27 Oct 1995, Fonseca 2246 ( MEXU) ; Hueycantenango, 15 Nov 1975, Halbinger s. n. ( MEXU) . — HIDALGO: Mun. Ajacuba, aprox. 1 km al SE del “puerto del gachupın”, ladera W de “La mesa grande”, vertiente S de la sierra de Chicavasco, ejido San Nicolas Tecomatlan , al NE de Emiliano Zapata , [20.15, -99.01], 27 Oct 1989, Vilchis et al. 633 ( MEXU) . — OAXACA: Santiago Juxtlahuaca, San Martın Peras , km 16 de la desviacion a Ca nada ~ de Lobos sobre el nuevo camino a campos de fresas, [17.329, -98.121], 24 Oct 1994, Panero et al. 5283 ( TEX) GoogleMaps ; Mun. Zapoquila Rincon del Tecolote, al NW de Guadalupe Membrillos, Distrito Huajuapan, 17 Oct

1991, Tenorio L. et al. 17678 (MO); Mun. Zapoquila Piedras Paradas, Cerro Chicamole al N de Guadalupe Membrillos, Distrito Huajuapan, 22 Nov 1991, Tenorio L. 18142 ( MO) .