A taxonomic revision of Trachymene sect. Dimetopia (Apiaceae)

27 Pages·1999·7.9 MB·

by  G J Keighery

Nuylsia 13(1):33-59(1999) 33
A taxonomicrevisionofTrachymene sect.Dimetopia (Apiaceae)
G.J. KeigheryandB.L. Rye
Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Conservation and Land Management,
Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, Western Australia 6983
Abstract
Keighery, G.J. and Rye, B.L. A taxonomic revisionofTrachymene sect. Dimetopia (Apiaceae).
Nuytsia 13 (1): 33-59 (1999). The monotypic genus Uldinia J. Black (Apiaceae) is reduced to a
synonymofTrachymeneRudge,resultinginthenewcombinationTrachymeneceratocarpa(W.Fitzg.)
Keighery&Rye. Afurthernewcombination, Trachymenesect.Dimetopia(DC.)Keighery&Rye,is
madeforthespeciesgrouptowhichT.ceratocarpabelongs,andthissectionisrevised. Sect.Dimetopia
is endemic to mainland Australia and comprises five small ephemeral species with few-flowered
umbels, few pollen grainsperanther, fruitsconsistently with bothmonocarps developed, areduced
carpophoreandprobablyareducedchromosomenumber. TrachymenemooreiHiroeisreducedto a
synonym of T. cyanopetala (F. Muell.) Benth. The single species previously placed in Uldinia
producesnaturalhybridswithitsclosestrelative Trachymenecyanopetala,butthehybridsaresterile.
Although severalotherpairsofspecies from sect. Dimetopia are known tocoexist, no otherhybrids
have been observed.
Introduction
South-western Australian members ofthe genus Trachymene Rudge (Apiaceae) belong to two
speciesgroups,onegroupwithfew-floweredumbelsandtheotherwithmany-floweredumbels. These
groups have been recognized as separate sections under two synonymous generic names, the few-
flowered species in Dimetopia sect. Dimetopia (also known by the later name of Didiscus sect.
Oliganthon)andthemany-floweredspeciesinDidiscusDC.ex Hook.sect.Didiscus(alsoknownby
the illegitimate name ofDidiscus sect. Polyanthon (Domin) C.A. Gardner). Neithersouth-western
groupmatchesTrachymenes.str.,whichisagroupofperennialspeciesoccurringineasternAustralia.
Anaccompanyingpaper(Rye 1999)revisesWesternAustralianmembersofsect.Didiscusaswellas
membersofanotherspeciesgroupoccurringinthenorthoftheState. Sect.Dimetopia,asmallgroup
ofspecies endemic to southern mainland Australia, is treated here, with the recombination made to
recognize itformally as a sectionofTrachymene.
AsinmostotherApiaceae,Trachymenespecieshaveaninferiortwo-carpellatefruit,withtheaxis
betweenthetwofruitletsknownasthecarpophore. Thefruitletsaremonocarps,thatiswholecarpels.
34 Nuytsia Vol. 13, No. 1 (1999)
Morecommonly,theyhavebeenreferredtoasmericarps,atermthatshouldberestrictedinuse(Spjut
1994: 17) fortruehalf-carpels such as thosecommonly found among the Lamiales.
Fruitcharacters havebeenusedtodifferentiate Trachymeneanditscloserelative, the monotypic
genusUldinia,whichshowsgreatestsimilaritytosect.Dimetopia. OriginallyUldiniawasdistinguished
from Trachymeneby its lackofa “freepersistentcarpophore” (Black 1922: 569). A more obvious
distinguishingfeatureofUldinia, usedinkeyssuchasBlackall&Grieve(1980: 262),Eichler(1986:
980) and Powell (1992: 88), is its rather bizarre fruit ornamentation. The Uldinia fruit has a very
distinctiveappearance,each monocarpbearingrowsofretrorselyhookedspine-likebristles andtwo
large terminal projections or wings. In Trachymene species the carpophore is usually much more
substantial than in Uldinia and fruit ornamentation is very varied butneverexactly as in Uldinia.
This paper presents morphological and genetic evidence supporting the inclusion of Uldinia in
the genus Trachymene and the separation of sect. Dimetopia from the remainder of Trachymene.
Trachymenesect.DimetopiaisfullyrevisedforWesternAustralia,whereallfiveofitsspeciesoccur,
and any additional variation found in those species extending to otherparts ofAustralia is noted.
Materialsandmethods
A population in which natural hybrids had been produced between Uldinia ceratocarpa and
TrachymenecyanopetalawassamplednearYunain 1974. Freshmaterialofbothparentspecieswas
obtained forpollination trials and adried specimen (G.J. Keighery940) ofthe hybrid was lodged at
PERTH. Artificial cross-pollination was conducted on potted plants isolated with fine wire mesh
coversinaninsect-proofglasshouse. PollencollectedfromtheanthersofUldiniaplantswastransferred
tothestigmasofemasculatedTrachymenecyanopetalaflowers. Usingtheartificallyderivedhybrid
seedsfromthiscross,FI hybridplantsweregrowntomaturityforcomparisonwiththenaturalhybrids.
Germination trials using freshly harvested monocarps were conducted to compare the germination
percentagesoftheparental species with FI hybridseedsas wellas F2hybrid seeds derivedfromthe
artificial hybrid plants.
Morphological measurements were taken from dried herbarium specimens located at PERTH.
Distributionmapsweredrawnupwitheachsymbolrepresentingtheoccurrenceofthetaxonina0.25
degree latitude by 0.25 degree longitude area.
ComparisonofUldiniaandthesectionsofTrachymene
Morphological evidence
Trachymenebelongs to subtribe Hydrocotylinae togetherwith threeotherlargegenera, Centella
L.,HydrocotyleL.andPlatysaceBunge,andthefollowingfiveverysmall,mostlymonotypic,genera:
Dickinsia Franch., Homalosciadium Dornin, Micropleura Lag., Neosciadium Domin and Uldinia
(Pimenov &Leonov 1993). Pimenov&Leonovalso included ChlaenosciadiumC. Normanbutthis
genusappearstobelonginsubtribeXanlhosiinae. OfthegeneraintheHydrocotylinae, Uldinaisquite
clearly the closest to Trachymene. Uldinia shares with Trachymene all the main morphological
G.J. Keighery and B.L. Rye, A taxonomic revision of Trachymene sect. Dimetopia 35
charactersthatcollectivelyseparatethelatterfromothergeneraofApiaceae,particularlythefollowing
characters: stipules absent; leaves long-petiolate, with a shallowly lobed to deeply divided lamina;
umbelssimple; involucral bractsslightlyunitedatthebaseintoasinglewhorl; sepalsreduced;styles
free,slender,withacapitatestigma;stylopodiumprominent, tuberculate,becomingconcaveinfruit;
fruitwithoutvittae,nearlyalwayshighlybilaterallycompressed. Blueisaquitecommonflowercolour
in UldiniaandTrachymene,butisuncommoninthefamilyasawhole. Indeedtheblueflowercolour
ofTrachymenecoeruleaGrahamcameasasurprisewhenthefirstspecimenswereseenbyEuropean
botanists,whohadnotencounteredthiscolourbeforeinthefamilyapartfrominthethistle-likegenus
EryngiumL. (seeHooker 1828).
Within Trachymene manyinfragenericgroupsofunspecified level(underthesynonymousname
,
Didiscus)werepublishedby Domin(1908)mainlyon thebasisoflifeforms, numbersofinvolucral
bracts and flowers per umbel, and sepal characters. Sepal characters are not ofany importance in
distinguishingbetween the two south-westernAustralian speciesgroups buttheothercharacters are
significant and are discussed in a later section on breeding systems. In sect. Dimetopia, the few
involucralbractsarenarrowlyovatetoobovate. Inotherspeciesgroupstheinvolucralbractsareusually
fairly numerous and subulate, butoccasionally are fewerand narrowly ovate.
Pollengrainnumbersperantheraresimilarinsect.DimetopiaandUldinia,butsignificantlylower
than in other Trachymene groups that have been examined (Keighery unpublished data).
Althoughtheschizocarpsof Trachymenespeciesdonothavewingsin theformoflongterminal
protrusionsasin Uldinia wingsofotherkindsarefairlycommonamongthemany-floweredspecies.
,
ForexampleTrachymenebialata(Domin)B.L.Burtthastwonarrowwingsencirclingthebodyofeach
monocarpandT. villosa(F.Muell.)Benth.hasasinglebroadwingalongtheoutermargin. Theorigins
oftheUldinia typeofwingcanpossiblybeseeninfruitvariantsofT.cyanopetalathathavefewbristles,
thebristlesmostly occurring alongtheoutermarginand medial lines. Some monocarpshaveoneor
more ofthe bristles much moreenlarged at the base than the otherbristles, especially in R. Orndujf
9309-56, and occasionally an extra-large bristle is located in about the same position as a wing in
Uldinia. IntheUldinia-Trachymenehybridthereducedwingtakestheformofanevenmoreenlarged
bristle, intermediate between the T. cyanopetala bristle and the Uldinia wing.
ManyTrachymenespecieshavebristlesofvariouskindsontheirfruits. Again,theclosestapproach
totheusuallyveryprominentspine-likebristlesofUldiniaisprobablytobeseeninthesparselybristly
variants of Trachymene cyanopetala. Some specimens, such as K.R. Newbey 8931, have rows of
retrorselycurvedoruncinatebristlesoccurringinthesamelocationsasinUldiniabutgenerallyshorter,
more slenderand flexible.
Each species in sect. Dimetopia can be identified by its distinctive fruit and some ofthe many-
floweredTrachymenespeciesalsohaveauniquefruit. Somespeciesshowgreatinfraspecificvariation
inmonocarpornamentation,forexamplehavingrugoseortuberculatemonocarpsinsomeindividuals
orpopulations and bristly monocarps in others. Trachymenepilosa is a prime example ofthis kind
ofvariation. In addition, plantsofthis speciescommonly have heteromorphic fruits, with the outer
(abaxial) monocarp differing markedly in ornamentation from its sister monocarp in the adaxial
position,asillustratedinWheeler(1987:Figure206A). Heteromorphicfruitshavealsobeenrecorded
inseveralAfricangeneraincludingHeteromorpha Cham.&Schlechtd.(Tilney&vanWyk1995),and
occasionally occur in a few Australian taxa of other genera. A notable example is an unnamed
HydrocotylespeciesfromWesternAustraliathatusuallyhasoneofthemonocarpsprominentlywinged
and the other wingless.
36 Nuytsia Vol. 13, No. 1 (1999)
While Uldinia certainly lacks a full-sized persistent carpophore, opinion differs as to whether
Uldinia hasnocarpophoreatall (e.g. Domin 1922), afullydeciduouscarpophore (e.g. Black 1922)
or a partially persistent carpophore (e.g. Fitzgerald 1904). Theobald (1967: 171) states that the
carpophore is absent in Uldinia and that the persistent remains after the monocarps are shed are
“lignifiedextensions from the pedicel into the base ofthe fruit”.
The termcarpophore isretainedhere inreferenceto Uldinia as thereis no otherobvious termto
useforthetissue separating the monocarps. Certainly astructure ofsome kind, probably areduced
carpophore,doespersistafterthemonocarpsareshedinUldinia. Thispersistentstructure(Figure 1A)
is similartothecarpophoreinothermembersofsect.Dimetopia (Figure IB) except thatitis always
shorter, neverreaching thefulllengthofthecommissure ofthefruit.
In Uldinia and Trachymene sect. Dimetopia the carpophore (Figure 1A,B) is usually highly
dorsiventrallycompressedandthereforemuchnarrowerthanthepedicelfromlateralview,triangular
at the base in dorsal and ventral views and becoming very slender above. In sect. Didiscus the
carpophore(Figure 1C) ismoreorlessterete,thickerthroughoutitslength andlessflexible. Several
oftheperennialTrachymenespeciesofeasternAustraliahaveacarpophorethatsplitstothebasebefore
themonocarpsarereleased,thetwohalvesbendingoutwards. Considerablevariationincarpophore
charactersmayoccurwithinothergeneraaswell. TherelatedgenusHydrocotyle,whichshowsasimilar
degreeofvariationinmonocarpornamentationtoTrachymene hasthecarpophorepersistentinsome
,
species and deciduous in others.
Theobald(1967: 172) summarizedtheanatomicaldifferencesbetween Uldinia and Trachymene
as“differencesinfloralvenationatthecommissureandintheupperportionofthemericarp”and“the
orientation of fibres in the endocarp”. Taking these differences together with the absence of a
carpophore,thenatureofthewingsandthe“retrorsebarbsandpapillae”onthefruit,heconcludedthat
there was a “basis for the distinctiveness ofthe genus”. His studies provided support for the close
relationship between Uldinia and Trachymene, but he considered the differences between them
Figure 1. Adaxial and lateral views ofcarpophore, with magnifications varied to give all species the same commissure
length, which is indicated by a bar line. A - Uldinia, B - Trachymene cyanopetala, C - Trachymene coerulea.
G.J. Keighery and B.L. Rye, A taxonomic revision of Trachymene sect. Dimetopia 37
sufficienttomaintainthemasdistinctgenera. However,someofthese‘differences’mustbedisputed;
certainlypapillaearecommononthematurefruitsofseveralmembersofTrachymenesect.Dimetopia
and‘retrorsebarbs’ althoughnotaswelldevelopedasinUldinia,canalsobepresentinsect.Dimetopia.
,
Itshould alsobe noted that Uldinia shows much variation in these twocharacters, with the papillae
often absent and die barbs sometimes rather poorly developed. As already discussed, carpophore
charactersarevariablewithinTrachymeneandmightbeusefulfordistinguishingsomeofthespecies
groupswithinthegenus,butdonotseemtobesufficientlydifferentin Uldiniatojustifyitsrecognition
as adistinct genus.
AlloftheanatomicalandgrossmorphologicaldifferencesproposedabovetoseparateUldiniafrom
Trachymenerelate tothefruit. Ifbizarre fruitscanbe used as asole basisfordistinguishinggenera,
cases could be made for the recognition of further monotypic genera. For example, the Western
Australian endemic species Trachymene cromniana F. Muell. has a fruit, illustrated in Rye (1999:
Figure6G,H),thatisperhapsashighlymodifiedandatypicalofthegenusasthatofUldinia. Onlyone
monocarp develops and it is slightly to distinctly dorsiventrally compressed at maturity rather than
being bilaterally compressed as is normal for the genus. The highly sculptured lateral extensions,
including pits and narrowly winged ribs, are reminiscent ofthe fruit ornamentation found in some
Hydrocotyle species. Two notable fruit developments within Trachymene sect. Dimetopia are the
smooth swollen monocarps in T. elachocarpa and the woolly indumentum on the monocarps of
T. ornata.
Withsuchahighdegreeofvariationincarpophoreandfruitmorphology within Trachymene,the
fruitingcharactersobservedinUldiniadonotseemverysignificantandareregardedhereasinsufficient
reasontotreatitasaseparatemonotypicgenus. In Trachymenesect. Dimetopiatwotrendsshownin
fruitmorphologyare: (1)reductionofthecarpophoreto ahighlycompressed, fragilestructure; (2) a
tendencyforthecommissuretoextendalongagreaterproportionofthelengthofeachmonocarpand
to exceed the monocarp’s width. Uldinia is regarded here as carrying these trends to theirextreme,
having the narrowest monocarps in relation to the commissure length and also the most reduced
carpophores in the genus.
Hybridization
Theoccurrenceofhybridizationbetweenspeciesisevidencethattheyarecloselyrelated. Agreat
majorityofnaturalhybridsareproducedbetweenspeciesbelongingtothesamespeciesgroupwithin
agenus; hybridization between members ofdifferentspecies groups withinthe same genus is much
less common, and intergeneric hybidization is rare even under artificial conditions (e.g. Griffin,
Burgess&Wolf 1988, Knobloch 1972).
Uldinia ceratocarpa hybridizes with the Trachymene species with which it shows the greatest
morphologicalsimilarity, T. cyanopetala. Natural hybridshavebeenobserved inmixedpopulations
of U. ceratocarpa andT. cyanopetala nearYunaand nearYork, but notat anumberofothermixed
populationsofthesetwospecies. Artificiallyproducedhybridsbredfromparentplantsderivedfrom
theYunapopulation matched thenatural hybrids,confirming theirorigin. Germinationpercentages
fortheFI seedsandnon-hybridseedsweresimilar. AlthoughtheFI hybridswereasvigorousasthe
parentplantsandproducedafullcropofnormal-sizedmonocarps,theyshowedreducedpollenfertility
andthemonocarps mostlylackedafullyformedseed. TheF2hybridmonocarps failedtogerminate
although monocarps frombothparent species showed a greaterthan 90% germination rate.
38 Nuytsia Vol. 13, No. 1 (1999)
Figure 2 illustrates a natural hybrid from the Yuna population and its parent species Uldinia
ceratocarpa and Trachymene cyanopetala. Unfortunately there was no herbarium specimen of
T. cyanopetalafromthe Yunapopulation, so the illustrationofthatparentwasbasedon aspecimen
fromtheclosestavailablepopulationlocatedclosertoMurgooandmaythereforediffersomewhatfrom
theappearanceofthe speciesatYuna. Thehybridis intermediate betweenthetwoparentspeciesin
itsfruitmorphology. Itsmonocarpisc. 3.4x 1.9mm,withtwoveryreducedterminalwingsc.0.8mm
long(notincludingtheapicalhairorpoint) andwithbristlespresentbutreducedbothinnumberand
size. Thebristlesaremostly0.5—0.7mmlongandareeitherwidelydistributedorconcentratedalong
the outermargin and medial lines. Thecarpophore is full-sizedas in T. cyanopetala.
Apart from the limited hybidization described above, no species of sect. Dimetopia have been
observedtohybridizeeitherwithoneanotherorwithmembersofothersectionsofthegenus. Thisdoes
notresult purely from spatial separation ofthe taxa as there are many mixed populations involving
each ofthe possible combinations ofthree members of the section, T. cyanopetala, T. ornata and
T.pilosa. Itisimprobable,althoughnotimpossible,thatanymemberofsect.Dimetopiawouldbeable
toproducenaturalhybridswithaspeciesofanothergenus,i.e. Uldinia,whenallspeciesinthesection
fail to hybridize even with closely related members of their own genus. An estimate obtained by
Knoblock(1972)ofthefrequencyofintergenerichybridizationin theApiaceaewas2.5%,withonly
oneoutofthe40reportedcasesofnaturalandartificial hybridization beingbetween genera. Where
intergenerichybridshavebeenreportedintheApiaceaeandotherfamilies,theyalwaysinvolveclosely
related genera and often occur in taxonomically difficult groups in which generic boundaries are
uncertain. Inclusion of Uldinia within Trachymene sect. Dimetopia is therefore favoured by this
genetic evidence.
Chromosome numbers
ThebasechromosomenumberforTrachymeneisx=l1,whichisafairlycommonbasenumberin
thefamilyasawhole(Fedorov 1974;chromosomenumberindicesuptoGoldblatt&Johnson 1996).
Amongrelatedgenera,basechromosomenumbersareknownforseveralspeciesofCentellawithx=9,
onespeciesofMicropleurawithx=10,onespeciesofPlatysacewithx=8(Keighety 1982a),andmany
speciesofHydrocotylewithx=12, alsosome withx=l1 andtwowith x=9.
Mostofthemany-floweredspeciesofTrachymeneinsouth-westernAustraliaarediploidonn=l1,
oneistetraploidonn=22andanothershowsinfraspecificvariationwithbothn=11 andn=22recorded
fromdifferentpopulations. AmongtheeasternAustralianandNewGuineaspecies,manyofwhichare
perennial, polyploidy is common, with tetraploid, hexaploid and octaploid levels recorded; see
summaryofpreviouscountsin Keighery(1982a). Insect.Dimetopia,thereisevidenceofdysploidy
toabaseofx=l0,astheonlyknownnumberforthegroupisn=20inT.pilosa(Keighery 1982a). Since
this tetraploidchromosome numberis unique in thegenus asfaras is known,perhaps itcontributes
tothereproductiveisolationofT.pilosa,whichfailstohybridizedespiteitsfairlyfrequentco-existence
withseveralcloselyrelatedspecies. Chromosomenumberdifferencesmight,however,bemore1ikely
toresultinhybridinfertility,suchasoccursbetweenUldiniaceratocarpaandTrachymenecyanopetala,
than in the prevention ofhybridization.
Breeding systems
Trachymenesect. Dimetopia and Uldinia species areall small to medium-sized annuals, usually
ephemeral,commonlyeithererectand0.01-0.15 mhighordecumbentto almostprostrate and with
stemsupto0.3mlong. Rarely,especiallyinTrachymenepilosa,theyareerectand0.15-0.35mhigh.
G.J. Keighery and B.L. Rye, A taxonomic revision of Trachymene sect. Dimetopia 39
Figure 2. A-C. Trachymene ceratocarpa. A - leaf(x2.5), B - young fruit (x8), C - mature fruiting inflorescence with
some fruits partially or fully shed, a carpophore arrowed (x6); D,E. T. cyanopetala. D - leaf (x2.5), E - fruit (x9);
F-I. Natural hybrid between T. ceratocarpa and T. cyanopetala. F - fruiting branch (xl), G - leaf (x2.5), H - fruit
with one ofthe reduced wings arrowed (x8), 1 - mature fruiting inflorescence with one fruit shed, acarpophore arrowed
(x6). Drawn from G.J. Keighery 943 (A-C), R.A. Saffrey 1180 (D.E) and G.J. Keighery 940 (F-H).
40 Nuytsia Vol. 13, No. 1 (1999)
Mosthaveasfewas3-7flowersandthesamenumberofinvolucralbractsperumbel;howeverthemost
floriferousspecies,T.pilosa,producesusually5-21 flowersand5-10bractsperumbel,butonevariant
hasuptoc.50flowers. Incontrast,theTrachymenespeciesinothersectionsofthegenusaremedium-
sizedtolargeannualsorperennialsappearingannuallyfromwoodyundergroundparts. Annualspecies
inthesegroupsare0.1-2.5 mhigh,with largeumbelsofusually30-200flowers(butoccasionallyas
few asc. 20 flowers indepauperate specimens), theflowernumbergreatlyexceeding thenumberof
involucralbracts. Afewoftheperennialspeciesregularlyproducefairlylowflowernumbersperumbel,
particularly the eastern Australian species T. ochracea L.A.S. Johnson with 20—45 flowers and
T.procumbens(F. Muell.) Benth. with 12-30flowers (Powell 1992).
Flowersofmembersofsect.Dimetopiaand Uldiniaaresmallandgroupedintousuallyverysmall
inconspicuousumbels. Theoutermostflowersarenotdifferentiatedfromtheinneronesexceptinthe
leafycoastalvariantofT.pilosa. Plantsoccurinlargenumbersbutdonotnormallymassflowerafter
fires, although some populations ofthe leafy coastal variant of T. pilosa do so. Inflorescences are
produced within the small plantoronly shortly above the vegetativeparts andgenerally attract few
insectpollinators. A few smallbees, wasps and flieshavebeenrecordedvisiting theflowers, which
appeartobeprimarilyself-pollinated. Theflowers are usuallyhomogamous butsometimes slightly
protandrous, produce negligible amounts ofnectar, are fully self-compatible and selfautomatically
on flowerclosure. Seed set in isolatedplants approaches 100% (Keighery 1982b).
MembersoftheotherannualTrachymenegroupofsouthernAustralia(sect.Didiscus)havelarger
flowersgroupedintolargeshowyumbelswiththeouterpetalsoftheoutermostflowersoftendistinctly
elongated,producinganeffectsimilartotherayfloretsofdaisy inflorescences. Normallytheplants
mass flower after fires, prominantly displaying the inflorescences above the vegetative parts ofthe
plantsandattractingalargerangeofsmalltomedium-sizedinsectpollinators,includingbees,beetles,
wasps,flies,butterfliesandmoths. Flowersareprotandrousandproducenoticeableamountsofnectar.
Plants are almostfully self-compatible and seed set is usually high in isolated plants.
Perennialspeciesofeastern Australiabelongingtosect. Trachymeneoften producemaleflowers
as well asbisexual flowers, increasingtheinflorescencesize, foodresourcesandpollen availability.
Forfurtherdetails ofbreeding systems in Trachymene and acomparison with othermembers ofthe
family see Keighery (1982b).
Among the Trachymene sect. Dimetopia and Uldinia species, the small schizocarps regularly
producetwomaturemonocarps. Inmostofthemany-floweredTrachymenespecies,‘asymmetric’fruits
withonemonocarpinfertile and reducedaremorecommonthan thosewith bilateral symmetry (two
full-sized mature monocarps). Some species, such as Trachymene bialata, invariably produce
asymmetricfruits,theabaxialmonocarpreducedtoapersistentfleshystripattachedtothecarpophore.
Seeddispersal
Developent of hooked bristles on the Uldinia fruit, and to a lesser extent in some variants of
Trachymenecyanopetala appearstobeaneffectiveadaptationforanimaldispersal. Thehairybristles
,
common in some Trachymenespecies, suchas T.pilosa, alsoappeartobe ideallysuitedtotransport
on animal fur. Strong evidence oftheepizoochorous nature ofthe fruits is thattwo species in sect.
Dimetopiahave been recorded as wool aliens in the United Kingdom (Ryves 1975).
Uldinia hasthe added adaptation ofwings, which mightimprove winddispersal butperhaps are
moreuseful inextendingthehooksbeyondthefruitbody andso furtherincreasing thelikelihoodof
G.J. Keighery and B.L. Rye, A taxonomic revision of Trachymene sect. Dimetopia 41
animal dispersal. Few Trachymene species appear to have large enough wings for efficient wind
dispersal, but even slight wings might significantly aid tumble-blowing.
Taxonomictreatment
Trachymenesect.Dimetopia(DC.) Keighery &Rye,comb. nov.
Dimetopia DC. (de Candolle 1830: 177) and sect. Dimetopia (automatically created by publication
ofDimetopiasect. Eriosciadiumin 1855). Type:Dimetopiapusilla DC. [=TrachymenepilosaSm.].
CesatiaEndl. (Endlicher 1838: 11-12 [repaginated 1839: 200-201]). Type: CesatiaornataEndl. [=
Trachymeneornata(Endl.)Druce],
Dimetopia sect. Eriosciadium F. Muell. (Mueller 1855: 127). Type: Dimetopiaeriocarpa F. Muell.
[=Trachymeneornata(Endl.)Druce],
DidiscusA.OliganthonDomm(Domin 1908:27).-Didiscussect.Oliganthon(Domin)C.A.Gardner
(Gardner 1931: 100). Type:DidiscuscyanopetalusF.Muell. [=Trachymenecyanopetala(F. Muell.)
Benth.], lectotype herechosen.
MaideniaDominnow. illeg. (Domin 1922:41-42)nonRendle(Rendle 1916:316,t.545).-Dominia
Fedde (Fedde 1929: 272). Type: Maidenia acroptera Domin [as M. macroptera = Trachymene
ceratocarpa (W.Fitzg.) Keighery&Rye],
Uldinia J. Black (Black 1922: 569-570, t. 37). Type: Uldinia mercurialis J. Black [= Trachymene
ceratocarpa(W. Fitzg.) Keighery&Rye].
Annualherbs small,ephemeral, lnvolucralbracts3-10; freeportion narrowly ovate toobovate.
Umbels3-21(c.50)-flowered.Antherswithfewpollengrains. Gynophoredorsiventrallycompressed,
very narrowly triangular(orlinearwith an expanded base), flexible throughout orfirm at base and
flexible at apex, undivided. Commissure extending for most of the length of the monocarp and
exceeding the width ofthe monocarp (exceptin T. elachocarpa).
Etymology. From the Greek di - two and metopon - brow or forehead, meaning two-browed.
Presumably this refers to the different appearanceofthe two monocarps in the heteromorphic fruit
variantofTrachymenepilosa,theonlytaxonincludedwhenthegenuswasoriginallynamed. Thename
seems appropriate forthe section as a whole because the schizocarps regularly produce two mature
monocarpsand theworddiimpliesonlythatthereare twoand notthatthey arenecessarilydifferent
fromoneanother.
Notes.Asectionoffivespecies,occurringinsouthernmainlandAustralia,withthegreatestrepresentation
in the south-westofWestern Australia. Thesespecies arekeyed outundercouplets 7-10 in the key
toallWestern Australian membersofthegenus Trachymenein Rye (1999).
Domin (1908)did notindicatewhichtaxonomiclevel heintendedforhis new infrageneric name
Oliganthon. Presumablythisiswhy Gardner(1931)did notcite Dominasauthorwhenhespecified
42 Nuytsia Vol. 13, No. 1 (1999)
sectional rankforthename. However, he included the same species as Domin, even listing them in
the same order, and referred to Domin’s work as the author of the combination Didiscusjunceus
(S. Moore)Domin. ItthereforeappearsthatthetwonamesareequivalentandthatGardner’s section
shouldberegarded as arecombination ofDomin’s name.
BothDomin(1908)andGardner(1931)misplacedTrachymeneelachocarpainthemany-flowered
species group Polyanthon [= Didiscus]. While T. elachocarpa differs from othermembers ofsect.
Oliganthon [= Dimetopia] in having a shortercommissure on the fruit, it otherwise has the typical
characters ofthe section.
Sect. Dimetopiacangenerallybedistinguishedfromothergroupsinthegenus Trachymenebyits
expanded lamina(not subulate) on the bractsand morecompressed carpophore, from theperennial
speciesalsobyits annuallifeform,andfromsect. Didiscusalsobyitssmalleraveragehabitandless
exposedinflorescenceswithusuallyfewerflowers. Itmayalsobetheonlygroupinthegenustohave
thecommissurelengthusuallyexceedingthewidthofthemonocarps. InTrachymeneasawhole,sect.
Dimetopia shows the greatestreduction in lifecycle, bract and flowernumber, pollen grain number
andalsochromosome number, with allorsome ofthesecharacters presumably being interrelated.
Trachymeneceratocarpa(W. Fitzg.) Keighery&Rye,comb. tiov.
Hydrocotyle ceratocarpa W. Fitzg. (Fitzgerald 1904: 22-23). - Maidenia ceratocarpa (W. Fitzg.)
Domin(Domin 1922:42).-Uldiniaceratocarpa(W.Fitzg.)N.T.Burb.(Burbidge 1954:452). Type:
Wurarga,WesternAustralia,September 1903, W.V. Fitzgerald(n.v.).
MaideniaacropteraDomin(Domin1922:41-42).-Dominiaacroptera(Domin)Fedde(Fedde 1929:
272). Type:Arrara-LakeEliza,NewSouthWales,October1912,J.L. Boorman(NSW,n.v.).
Uldinia mercurialis J. Black (Black 1922: 569-570, t. 37). Type: Ooldea, South Australia,
12September 1920,E.H. Ising(iso:MEL).
Illustrations. Black (1926: Plate 40, p. 439); Eichler (1986: Figure 501A); Powell (1992: 96);
Theobald (1967: Figures 1-15).
Annualherbcommonly20-100mmhigh,thelargerplantsdecumbenttoprostrateandwithstems
mm
up to 300 long. Stems glabrous or rarely with scattered hairs; hairs retrorse, apparently non-
mm mm
glandular, mostly 0.4-1.0 long. Cotyledons very narrowly obovate to linear, 11-16 long,
entire,glabrous. Petioles5^10mmlong,long-ciliateonexpandedbase,glabrousorwithveryfewhairs
mm mm
on narrow portion; expandedbase 1.5-4 long;hairsmostly 1-2.5 long. Leafbladesdeeply
3-lobed,theprimarylobessimpleorfurtherdividedinto2or3secondarylobes,whichmaybeslightly
furtherlobed,7-21 mmlong,glabrousorwithafewscatteredhairs. Involucralbracts3-5;freeportion
mm
usually ovate, rarely obovate, 2-2.5 long, often toothed towards apex, with a few cilia mostly
0.3-0.6 mm long. Inflorescence 3-5-flowered. Petalswhiteorblue. Fruitingpeduncles5-22 mm
mm
long; pedicels mostly0.3-2 long, glabrous. Fruithomomorphic;carpophore abouthalfaslong
as the commissure and ?usually exceeding the width of the monocarp, highly compressed, very
mm
flexible; styles 0.3-0.6 long. Monocarps very compressed, with a minute reticulate pattern or
minutelypapillate,2-winged,withstoutbristlesintworowsalongoutermarginand1-5rowsofsmaller
bristlesoneachface, includingarowalongeachmedialline;body3.2-4.3 x 1.2-1.8mm,withouter
margin either extending horizontally for a short distance beyond outer edge of stylopodium or