Phytologia (August2012) 94(2) 193 SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF THE KOANOPHYLLONPALMERI COMPLEX (ASTERACEAE: EUPATORIEAE) Billie L Turner Plant Resources Center The University ofTexas Austin, TX 78712 [email protected] ABSTRACT The Koanophyllon palmeri complex is treated as consisting of three taxa: K. palmeri (A. Gray) King & H. Rob. var. palmeri; K. palmeri var. tonsa (B.L. Rob.) B.L. Turner, comb, nov.; and Koanophyllon pochutlana B.L. Turner, sp. nov. A phototype of the latter is provided, along with distribution maps, and a key to the taxa concerned. Phytologia 94(2): 193-198 (August 1, 2012). KEY WORDS: Eupatorium, Koanophyllon, K.palmeri, Asteraceae, Eupatorieae, Mexico Routine identification ofMexican comps has occasionedthe presentpaper. In my seminal treatment ofthe tribe Eupatorieae for Mexico, I treated Koanophyllon within the broad fabric of Eupatorium (Turner 1997). I have subsequently come to accept the fragmentation of that genus, as espousedby King and Robinson (1987). Key to the Koanophyllon palmeri complex: 1. Heads with 10-11 florets; innerbracts broadly ovate, ca twice as long as wide; Oax K. pochutlana 1. Heads with 4-6(7) florets; innerbractsnarrowly ovate, ca 3 times as long as wide; Son to Gue K. palmeri (2) mm mm 2. Involucral bracts mostly 1-2 long; pappusbristles ca 1.5 long var. tonsa mm 2. Involucral bracts mostly 2.6-4.0 long; pappus bristles 2.5-3.5 mm long var. palmeri 194 Phytologia (August2012) 94(2) var. PALMERI (A. Gray) King & H. Rob., Phytologia22: 150. 1971. EupatoriumpalmehA. Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 21: 383. 1886. TYPE: MEXICO. CHIHUAHUA: Mpio. Batopilas, mountains above Batopilas, Aug-Nov 1885, Palmer 144, 260 (Lectotype: Palmer 144, GH!) Son, Chi, Sin, Dur, Jal, Col and closely adjacent USA, barrancas, in mostlypine-oak forests, 10-1700 m; Sep-Nov. Fig. 2 Slender arching shrub or shrublets 1-3 m high. Stems striate, puberulent. Leaves thin, opposite, 5-12 cm long, ca 2.5 cm wide; mm petioles 5-20 long; blades ovate-lanceolate, 3-nervate from or near the base, puberulent and glandular-punctate beneath, the margins crenulate to serrulate, the apices attenuate. Capitulescence, a terminal, mm congested corymbose-panicle, the ultimate peduncles mostly O-l mm long. Heads, 5-6 high; corollas, cream, whitish, yellowish or mm mm reddish-brown, ca 3.5 long. Receptacles ca 0.3 across, mm mm glabrous. Involucres mostly 3-4 high; inner bracts 3-4 long, mm ca 0.6 wide, mostly 3-nervate. Florets, 4-7 per head. Achenes mm mm 2.0-2.5 long, hispidulous; pappus of 40-50 bristles, 2.5-3.5 long. McVaugh (1984) placed this taxon in synonymy under his broad concept of Eupatorium solidaginifolium A. Gray [= & Koanophyllon solidaginifolium (A. Gray) King H. Rob.], a decidedly different species of more eastern distribution. He also neglected to accountforthe var. tonsa. var. TONSA (B.L. Rob.) B.L. Turner, comb. nov. BaseduponEupatoriumpalmeri var. tonsum B.L. Rob., Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 42: 43. 1906. TYPE: MEXICO. GUERRERO: "El Ocote," 300 m, 10Nov 1998, E. Langlasse 616(Lectotype GH!, selectedhere; photolectotype, TEX!) Pacific slopes, s Sin, Nay, Jal, Col, Mic, Gue, tropical deciduous forests, 10-800 m; Oct-Dec. Fig. 2 Phytologia (August2012) 94(2) 195 m Suffruticose herbs or shrublets 1-3 high. Stems sparsely pubescent with upwardly appressed, white, hairs. Leaves 5-7 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, opposite throughout; petioles 1-2 cm long, pubescent like the stems; blades narrowly to broadly ovate, pubescentbeneath, mainly along the ribs, the surfaces markedly glandular-punctate; margins weakly crenulate to entire. Capitulescence apyramidal, corymbose, panicle ca 10 cm long, 4-6 cm wide, the ultimate peduncles 1-2 mm long. Involucres composed of5-7 lanceolate bracts, mostly 3-nervate, mm mm 1.5-2.0 long, ca 0.4 wide in 2-3 series, theirapices sharply mm acute. Receptacles ca 0.2 across, glabrous. Florets 4-5 to a head; mm corollas glabrous, white, ca 1.5 long, the 5 lobes markedlybeset with amberglobules. Style branches clavate apically. Anthers mm included, ca 1 long, the appendages minute, ca as long as wide. mm Achenes hispid, 4-5 sided, ca 2 long; pappus of20-30 persistent mm bristles ca 1.5 long. This is a weakly differentiated taxon, largely distinguished from the typical variety by its smaller heads, smaller inner involucral bracts and shorter pappus. Most collections of var. tonsa have been gathered from relatively low elevations along the Pacific slopes; when occurring in close geographical proximity, the var. palmeri usually is found in more interior locations at higher sites. Intergradation appears to occurbetweenthe two taxa in regions ofnearcontact. KOANOPHYLLON POCHUTLANA B.L. Turner, sp. nov. Fig. 1 Resembling Koanophyllon palmeri (A. Gray) King & Rob. but the florets more numerous (10-11 per head vs 4-7), involucral bracts mm mm shorter (ca 2 long vs 3-4 mm), smaller achenes (ca 1.5 long vs 2.5-3.5 mm) andthe pappus shorter(ca 1.5 mm long vs 2.5-3.5 mm). TYPE: MEXICO. OAXACA: Mpio. San Miguel del Puerto, "1.63 km (LR) 154 [degrees] de rancho Dioon. Arroyo Arena," ca 790 m, 15 58 33.7 N, 96 6.53 W, 18 Nov 2003, Alfredo Saynes V. 4078 [con A. Nava et al.] (holotype: TEX). Known onlybythe type collection. Fig. 2 1 196 Phytologia (August2012) 94(2) m Scandent shrubs to 3 high. Stems densely to sparsely pubescent with short, mostly up-curved, hairs. Leaves opposite, 6-9 cm long, 3-4 cm wide; petioles 1.0-1.5 cm long; blades ovate, 3-nervate from or near the base or nearly so. Capitulescence a terminal cymose panicle ca 1 cm high, 8 cm wide, the ultimate peduncles ca 1 mm long. Heads ca 5 mm mm mm high, the innerbracts ovate, ca 2 long, 0.8 wide, the apices mostly broadly acute and mostly 1-nervate. Florets 10-11 per head; mm corollas white, ca 5 long, glabrous, the 5 lobes atomiferous- mm glandular. Achenes black, ca 1.5 long, moderately pubescent with mm short, appressed, hairs; pappus of30-40 tawny-white bristles ca 1.5 long. Named forthe Distrito Pochutla, where first collected. The novelty appears to stand somewhere between Koanophyllon palmeri var. tonsa and K. solidaginifolia, having the more numerous florets and apically broad inner bracts ofthe latter, but the smallerheads and achenes ofthe former. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Distribution maps are based upon specimens on file at LL- TEX, those cited by McVaugh (1987), and USDA records available on web sites. LITERATURE CITED King, R.M. and H. Robinson. 1987. The genera ofthe Eupatorieae (Asteraceae). Monographs Syst. Bot. 22: 1-581. McVaugh, R. 1987. Eupatorium, in Fl. Nova-Galiciana 12: 340-424. Turner, B.L. 1997. Koanophyllon group ofEupatorium, in Comps of Mexico, Eupatorieae. Phytologia Memoirs 11: 110-111. Fig. 1. Koanophyllonpochutlana (holotype). 198 Phytologia (August2012) 94(2)