Paronychia chartacea ssp. minima (Caryophyllaceae): a new subspecies of a rare Florida endemic

7 Pages·1991·2.7 MB·Slovak

by  Loran Crittendon Anderson

PARONYCHIA CHARTACEA SSP. MINIMA
(CARYOPHYLLACEAE): A NEW SUBSPECIES
OF A RARE FLORIDA ENDEMIC
LORAN C. ANDERSON
DepartmentofBiologicalScienceB-142
FloridaState University
Tallahassee, FL32306-2043
ABSTRACT
Paronychiachartaceassp. minima(Caryophyllaceae)fromtheFloridapanhandleis
formallydescribed.Thenewsubspeciesispolygamodioeciousandexhibitssexualdimor-
phism,itisdistinguishedfromF.chartaceassp.chartaceaofpeninsularFlorida,andamapof
theirrangesisgiven.
Floridaisnotedforitsrelativelylargenumberofrareorendemicplants
(Ward 1979).MuUcretal.(1989)list235endemicand40nearlyendemic
taxaofvascular plants in Florida. Many ofthestate's endemicsarecon-
centratedinthreeareas: (1)theMiamiRidgepinerocklandsofDadeand
Monroecounties; (2) the Central Ridge ofpeninsularFlorida, especially
theLakeWalesRidgemFiighiandsandPolkcountieswithitssandpine
scrub, whichisnotedforanumberofendemicDicerandraspecies(Christ-
manandJudd 1990);and(3)thewetlandsoftheApalachicolaRiverbasm
ofFranklin, Liberty—, Gulf, andBaycounties, which housetwoendemic
monotypicgenera HarperocallisandStachydeoma.
One ofthe endemics oftheLake Wales Ridge is Paronychia chartacea
Fern, (thepaperynailwortorwhitlow-wort). Itisconsideredendangered
m Florida (Wood 1990) and is listed nationally as threatened (Federal
Register, 21Jan 1987).IthassmallerflowersthananyotherParonychiain
theworld. Small(1925)erectedthegenusNyachiaforit(asN.pulvinata),
and Fernald (1936) transferred the species to Paronychia as P.chartacea
because the name P. pulvinata was pre-empted. Recent authors have
followed Fernald's placement(Core 1941, Chaudhri 1968, Ward 1977).
Paronychia chartacea is occasional in open sand scrub on Lake Wales
Ridgebutcanbelocallyabundantondisturbedsitessuchasalongfirelanes
ortrails(VanderKloet 1986)orinresponsetofireinthescrub(Johnsonand
Abrahamson 1990).TheFloridaNaturalAreasInventoryhasrecorded 124
occurrences ofthis species, but Christman andJudd(1990) note that a
LakeCountyspecimenwasmisidentified.Itspresentrangeismuchsmaller
SioA 14(3):435-441. 1991.
436
rhanirshistoricalrangebecausemorerhan709^ofthesouthernLakeWales
Ridge xeric uplands has been lost to citrus cultivation and residential
development in the past40years (Myers 1990).
WhilesurveyingplantsofthekarstlakeregionofWashingtonandBay
counties (which contains the endemics Hyperiaim lissophlotm Adams and
Xyr/.t isotttjoiut Krai and near-endemics RhexiasaliciJoHa Krai & Bostick
andX)77,vlofii^isepalciKrai), 1foundaParonychiainflowerthatappearedto
beanewspecies. Atterobtainingfruitingmaterial,1wasconvinceditwas
conspecihcwitliP.churtaceabutsufficientlydistincttowarrantrecognition
as asubspecies.
Parc)in^c;hia c;hak'iac:f.a Fern. ssp. minima L. Anderson, ssp. nov.
rpaarmviPihlscaainruoiarcoarnieps,c,TcSlaioumHciillsiccspinbcuniscsi1psaumlbimspbeuicsniec1ir.a2sc-sh.iau^ritdamicnemeaevlealstti-srd,enhcuayibmoirutilubiussm,i1n.c5oaru-lciibaunmsnummaalciluatlisisus,btpsieuljrxiipoluri.reseiiisnn
matLintatcpkisminusvcpacentibiisdifk-runt.
Annual, wirybranchedoftenmattedherb;caudex(0.4)0.7-1.0(1.5)
mm thick; stems 2—15 (24) cm long, sparsely to much branched,
minutely purple spotted with vertically elongate epidermal inclusions,
sparsely todensely retrorsely pubescent mostly on one sideonly. Leaves
opposite; lealblades 1.5—5 mm long, 1—2.3 mm wide, oblongorob-
long-lanceolate to triangular-ovate, apex acute to broadly acute, margin
strongly revolute, base truncate to somewhat auriculate; petiole none;
stipules0.7—2.5 mmlong, lanceolate, membranous, marginsfimbriate,
("ymes much-branched, open, the flowers in small clusters 1.5—4 mm
wide; stipular bracts shorter than to slightly longer than flowers, leafy
bractsshortertolongerthanflowers.Flowers0.6—1mmlong,polygamo-
dioecious, sparsely pubescent below with straight to somewhat hooked
trichomes; sepals (3) 4-5, greenish or yellow-green to brownish,
sometimeswhitish-margined,oblong,0.5-0.7mmlong,apicallyhood-
ed, the[prominenthoodobtuse,typicallywithasubapicalacutetoobtuse
mucro0.15—0.25 mmlong, themucrooftenpalerrhanthesepal body;
petalsabsent;stamens4—5;styles2or3,distinct,0.07—0.26mmlong.
Utricle ovoid toellipsoid, 0.5-0.6 mm long, almost smooth, slightly
shorterthan thesepals, ± exposed at maturity.
Tvi^i: UNITI'DSTATES. FLORIDA. WasiiincionCo.: locallycommononopen,
Scoeacrste5,,wtliiinr,c.RsainuiWo,fu1pOpcerts1h9o9r0e,li/n.e.Co.lCAr>ynsletraslo>iLaIkxe^,OlII(haiorlomtiypSi.o:tNVeYr;noins,otLy'p/.h>so:fANUE'A/,,
LLAS, FSU,GA,GH, MO,SMU, UNC, US, USF, VDB).
Additionalspecimensexammed.FLORIDA:BayCo.:RiverLake,Ssiderte20,7.5air
amiirmNiNWN/NLofoVficVkicskbsubrugr,g,_^A3uAgug1919909,0,AmA/icicrkmis/oii!^1IMH82-i(F(SFUS,U,MOM,O,NYN)Y;);ShiWrhtiTtieilWLeasktee,rn7
. .
437
Liankget,on6Caoi.r:miCryNstWaloLfakVeic(ktsybpuergl,oca1liOtyc)r,619J9u0l,1A9n9d0e,rsoAnnck1r3s3o0n5!(3F(>SSU(,)(MFOS,U,NKY)N.K,WaMsOh,-
NY,UNC;),3Aug 1990,Anc/erson13HI(FLAS,FSU,GA,MO,SMU,TENN,USCH,
USFVDB),27Dec1990,Anderson13343(FSU);SandLake,2.5airmiSSEofGreenhead,
3Aug 1990,Anderson13160(FSU,MO,NY);GullyLake,2airmiLSEofGreenhead, 3
Aug 1990,Anderson13167(FSU,NCU,USF);smallpondatSWendofGullyLake,27
Dec1990,Anderson/334'<V(FSU);WhitewaterLakes,Nshoreofmainlake,6.5airmiESE
ofGreenhead,3Aug1990,Anderson13172(FSU);BoatLake,SunnyHills,4airmiNEof
Greenhead,3Aug1990,Anderson/3/«/(AUA,BRY,FLAS,FSU,GA,GH,KNK,KSC,
MO,SMU,TENN,UC,USCH,USEVDB), 1Oct 1990,Anderson13279(FSU,NCU);
27Dec 1990,Anderson 13352(FSU).
Sexualdimorphismoccurs(Fig. I).Predominantlymaleplantsaremore
openlybranched, usuallywithtwosuccessivedichotomiesthatresultina
spindly, cruciform prostrate plant, whereas plants with predominantly
bisexualorrarelypistillateflowersaremoredenselymattedandhavemore
numerous, shorter branches. The sexual dimorphism and the rare con-
ditions of 3 sepals or 3 styles in this species arcpossibly unique in the
genus.
Locally established in coarse whitesand along marginsofkarst lakes,
ofteninnearlypurestands,apparentlyfavoredsomewhatbymilddisturb-
ance. It is either in nearly pure strands or associated with some ofthe
following: Amphicarpn?n muhlmhergianum (Schult.) Hitchc, Bulbostylis
harhata (Rottb.) Clarke, B. aliattfolia (Ell.) Fern., Chrysopsis lanuginosa
Small, EnocaidonlineareSmall,HypericumItssophloeus,H. reductumAdams,
Lachianthei carolimanam (Lam.) Dandy, Lachnocaulon anceps (Walt.)
Morong, Paronychia patula Shinncrs, Polypremum procunihens L., Rhexia
salicifolia, Rhynchosporaglobularis(Chapm.)Small,Sagittariaisoetiformis]
G.Sm.,andX.yrislongisepala.FlowersJulytoOctober;nearlyallseedshed
by late December.
Paronychiachartaceassp. minima, with itspolygamodioccy and dimor-
phicmorphology(Fig. 1),couldbeanexampleofdisruptiveselection(or
thedimorphismcouldbeselectivelyneutral).Selectionpressureforbetter
pollen dispersal possibly produced cruciform branching with longer in-
ternodcs in the predominantly maleplants, whereas selection for better
pollen reception resulted incompactlymatted plants that arerepeatedly
branchedwithshortenedinternodcsinplantswithpredominantlybisexual
or pistillate flowers. On the other hand, the compact form may be
advantageous for successful protection, maturation, or dispersal of the
seed. Sexual dimorphism is present, but much less pronounced, in
ss\).chartacea
Quantitativedifferences between thesubspeciesare listed inTable L
ThetwosubspeciesoiP.chartaceaalsodifferinlongevity. Plantsofssp.
438
lllM I w im
ifn U II lli
tm S 6 8 9 1
dimIo'lrGp.hiIs.mO;ldcopmlpaanecstohtePramraoprhiyriohdiiatcihcarotracfeuancstsip.onmaillnyimfaem(aAlnedeprlsaonnt/i3sJo4n.?t)heshloefwti,nagndexltoroesmeleysbirnasnecxhueadl
functionallymaleplantisontheri^ht(withoneofitsdichotomousbranchesbrokenofO.
439
Tabli: I.Somequantitativedifferencesbetweensubspeciesoff!chartacea.
Feature ssp.minima ssp.chartacea
Caudex(stembase)width,mm (0.4)0.7-1.0(1.5) (1.0)1.5-3.5(4.2)
Leafwidth,mm 1.2-3.0 0.5-1.5
Flowercluster(cymule)width,mm 1.5—4,0 3.0—20.0
minimaarestrictlyannualandgenerallysmaller,havemoredelicate,frequ-
ently cruciform, branching and less reddish-brown pigmentation, but
havecoloredepidermalinclusionsonthestems. Paronychiachartaceafrom
Lake Wales Ridge (i.e., ssp. chartacea) has repeatedly been described as
annual(Small 1925,Core 1941, Chaudhn 1968, Ward 1977,Christman
andJudd 1990,JohnsonandAbrahamson 1990), butitisoftenashort-
lived perennial. Many specimens exhibit dead tops with green, new
branchesdeveloped toward thebaseoftheplant. Theyform largermats
(seldomwithcruciformpattern)andgenerallyhavedarkercolorationbut
lack the purpleepidermal mclusions.
Much of the distinction between the two subspecies is a matter of
degree. Plantsofssp.minimaseemsomewhatlesspubescentthanthoseof
ssp. chartacea. Thesepal mucroismoreprominentinmostplantsofssp.
minima; the mucro is usually shorter and blunter in ssp. chartacea. At
maturitythesepalsofssp.minimafrequentlyspreadopen,whereassepalsof
ssp.chartacearemaindirectedforward.Collectionsofssp.minimaaremain-
lyfromJulythroughOctober(plantscollected inDecemberwereoverly
mature and dry; the stems were more or less disarticulated), whereas
ss\:>.chartacea has been collected throughout the year (mainly August
through March).
Withthedescriptiono{Paronychiachartaceassp. minima, bothsubspe-
cies qualify as taxa ofspecial concern and should beofficially protected
becauseofthelimitedrangeforeachsubspecies. Thespeciescontinuesto
beaFloridaendemic(Fig. 2), butitnowhasaninterrupteddistribution
betweentwocentersofhighendemisminthestate(thekarstlakeareais
adjacenttotheApalachicolaRiversystemandcouldbeconsideredpartof
that regionofhighendemism).
Otherexampleslinkingthesetwoareasofhighendemismarerare. An
example in Conradina comes to mind (sec Shinners 1962). Conradina
canescens (T. & G.)Gray tends tooccur in sand near thegulfcoast from
Wakulla County, Florida, westward through the Apalachicola region to
coastal sites in Alabama and Mississippi. It has also been found inland
borderingakarstlakeinWashingtonCounty{Anderson15295,FSU),but
P.chartaceawasabsentatthatparticularlake.ThecloselyrelatedConradina
440
brevifoliaShinnersisascrubendemicoftheLakeWalesRidgeinPolkand
Highlandcounties. Wunderlin(1982)apparentlyconsidersthetwocon-
specificbecauseheliststheplantsfromPolkandHighlandscountiesasC.
canescens. Anadditionalendemic, C. glabraShinners, occurssolelyinthe
ApalachicolaRiverregion;whereasanotherendemic,C.grandifloraSmall,
occurs justeastoftheLakeWales Ridge.
Tworare, closelyrelated lupineshavesomewhatsimilardistributional
patterns.LupinnstvestianusSmallisendemictotheFloridapanhandle,and
L. aridornm McFarlin ex Beckner is restricted to the Central Ridge in
Orange and Polk counties. Another example is the rare lichen Cladonia
perforata Evans, which involves one ofthese centers ofendemism. This
CladoniaisknownfromOkaloosaCountyinthepanhandle(Wilhelmand
Burkhalter 1990) and from theLakeWales Ridge in Highlands County
(Buckley and Hendrickson 1988).
PARONYCHIACHARTACEA
ssp.MINIMA
PARONYCHIACHARTACEA
ssp.CHARTACEA
.-(?
FIG. 2. Ran^cofPctmnychta(bartdceain[-lorrda;e;ichsubspeciesisiocaretl inanareaofhigh
erulemism.Kxtanrandhistoricsiresareplorredforssp.cbartnav;Core(1941)listedafewcollections
fromDeSotoCounty,butcountylineswerelaterredrawn,andthosesitesarenowinHighlandsCounty.
441
ACKNOWLEDCiMIiNIS
FieldworkinBayandWashingtoncountieswassponsoredinpartbythe
Florida Natural Areas Inventory; theagency alsosupplieddistributional
dataforP.chartaceassp.chartacea. AnnJohnson(FloridaNaturalAreasIn-
ventory),SusanWallace(BokTowerGardens),andEricMengcs(Archbold
BiologicalStation)suppliedspecimensofP. chartaceassp. chartacea. Kent
Perkins(FLAS)suppliedinformationandloanedadditionalspecimensfor
thisstudy,JohnThieret(KNK)graciouslysharedhisnotesonParonychia,
andMarkGarlandprovidedtheLatindiagnosis. RichardRabelerandan
anonymousreviewerofferedconstructivecommentson themanuscript.
Ri:i"r.RE'Nc:i-.s
BUCKLEY,A.,andT.O.HENDRICKSON. 19H8.Thedistributiono{Cladoniaperforata
EvansonthesouthernLakeWalesRid^einHighlandsCounty,EJorida.TheBryologist
91:3^4-356.
CHALIDHRI,M.N. 1968.Arevisiont)ftheParonychiinae.Dtukkeri)H.Gianotten,N.
v.,Tilburg, Netherlands.
CHRISTMAN,S.R,andW.S.JUDD. 1990.NotesonplantsendemictoFloridascrub.
EloridaSci. ')3:52-73.
CORE, E. L. 1941.TheNorthAmericanspecieso\'Paronychia. Amer.Midi. Naturalist
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species in rosemary scrubs on the southern Lake Wales Ridge. Florida Sci.
53:138-143.
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CLAIRE. 1989.Summaryreportonthevascularplants,animalsandplantcommunities
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MYERS,R.L. 1990.Scrubandhighpine.InEcosystemsofFlorida,R.L.MyersandJ.J.
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