580,5

FB

V, 20:5-7

V, 22:6-10

1942

cop, 2

A NEW GENUS OF COMPOSITAE FROM

NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA

BY

EARL EDWARD SHERFF

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE. SYSTEMATIC BOTANY

BOTANICAL SERIES

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

VOLUME 22, NUMBER 6

DECEMBER 24, 1940

PUBLICATION 483

A NEW GENUS OF COMPOSITAE FROM

NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA

BY

EARL EDWARD SHERFF

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, SYSTEMATIC BOTANY

V

NATURAL

HISTORY

BOTANICAL SERIES

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

VOLUME 22, NUMBER 6

DECEMBER 24, 1940

PUBLICATION 483

• - «-^-i,Tu. , Cl.

APR 1 G #43

UNIVFR5ilTV nc n • in^,,

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS

v,

EARL EDWARD SHBRFF

Recently, through the kindness of Dr. Roland M. Harper, I have

been permitted to study specimens collected by him in Franklin

County, northwestern Alabama. Among these plants, all of them

Compositae, were two specimens which he had suspected of repre-

senting a new genus. My own study confirms Dr. Harper's suspi-

5- cion. Moreover, Dr. S. F. Blake, Senior Botanist of the United

States Bureau of Plant Industry, has made an independent and

carefully detailed examination of the two specimens in question

and concludes likewise that they represent a new genus. Dr. Blake

t$ joins me in naming this new genus and in publishing it herewith as:

V)

. Jamesianthus Blake & Sherff, gen. nov.1

Capitula heterogama radiata multiflora, floribus omnibus fertili-

bus vel aliquot disci sterilibus. Involucri campanulati ca. 3-seriati

valde gradati phyllaria pauca (ca. 15) oblonga obtusa plurinervia

exteriora herbacea interiora submembranacea, ea achaenia radii

subtendentia basi paulum concava non complicata. Receptaculum

^ planum nudum foveolatum. Radii ca. 6 feminei fertiles, tubo

glandulari-piloso, lamina patente anguste oblongo-ovali obscure

3-denticulata ca. 10-nervia; corollae disci tubulosae, tubo glandulari-

piloso, fauce longiore anguste obconica, dentibus 5 ovato-triangula-

^ ribus acutis. Achaenia radii anguste obovoidea paulum obcompressa

obscure ca. 15-striata tuberculato-hispidula, basi carpopodio brevi

albido apice collari annulari brevissimo albido pappifero donata

achaenia disci similia subteretia vel paulum compressa. Pappus

radii et disci e setis deciduis capillaribus 1-seriatis inaequalibus

hispidulis paucis (ca. 6-8) e collari apicali persistente achaenii ori-

entibus achaenii corpus saltern subaequantibus sistens. Styli basi

conico-fusiformi rami lineares recurvati dorso papillosi vix hispiduli,

appendice deltoidea obtusa papillosa basi lateraliter dorsaliterque

x breviter hispida. Antherae basi vix cordatae, appendice apicali

ovata munitae. — Herba perennis erecta infra inflorescentiam simplex

1 Named, at Dr. Harper's suggestion, in honor of Mr. Robert Leslie James, who

first called the type species to Dr. Harper's attention in September, 1937, and

through whose cooperation Dr. Harper was enabled to make collections and obser-

vations of it at several spots, all of them within a few miles of the type locality.

399

400 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. 22

prope apicem glandulari-pilosa, oppositifolia foliis lanceolatis sessili-

bus vel brevissime petiolatis penniveniis remote calloso-denticulatis

basi breviter hastatis, capitulis paucis terminalibus pedunculatis

radiatis aureis mediocribus.

Type species: Jamesianthusalabamensis Blake & Sherff (vide infra}.

Capitula heterogamous, radiate, many-flowered, flowers all fertile

or some of the disc-flowers sterile. Phyllaries of the campanulate

and about 3-seriate, strongly graduate involucre few (about 15),

oblong, obtuse, many-nerved, outer ones herbaceous, inner ones

submembranaceous, those subtending the achenes of the ray-florets

somewhat concave at the base but not folded together. Receptacle

flat, naked, minutely pitted. Ray-florets about 6, pistillate, fertile;

the tube glandular-pilose; the ligule spreading, narrowly oblong-oval,

obscurely 3-denticulate, about 10-nerved; disc-corollas tubular, the

type glandular-pilose, the throat longer and narrowly obconic; the

5 teeth ovate-triangular and acute. Achenes of the ray-florets nar-

rowly obovoid, slightly obcompressed, obscurely about 15-striate,

tuberculate-hispidulous, with a short whitish gynobase at bottom,

at apex capped with a very short annular collar, this whitish and

bearing the pappus; achenes of the disc-florets similar, sub terete or

slightly compressed. Pappus of both ray- and disc-florets composed

of bristles, these deciduous, capillary, 1-seriate, unequal, hispidulous,

few (about 6-8), arising from the achene's persistent apical collar

and at least subequal to the achene's body. Styles conic-fusiform

at base; their branches linear, recurved, dorsally papillose but

scarcely hispidulous; appendage deltoid, obtuse, papillose, at base

laterally and dorsally short-hispid. Anthers scarcely cordate at

base, with an ovate appendage at apex. — An erect, perennial herb,

unbranched below inflorescence, glandular-pilose near apex, opposite-

leaved; leaves sessile or very shortly petiolate, penninerved, remotely

calloso-denticulate, at base shortly hastate; capitula few, terminal,

pedunculate, radiate, yellow-flowered, medium-sized.

The radiate heads, naked receptacle, ecaudate anthers, and

pappus of capillary bristles exclude this plant from all the tribes of

Compositae except Astereae, Helenieae, and Senecioneae. The dis-

tinctions between these tribes are not always very apparent, and the

placing of a genus sometimes depends more on its relationship to

some already classified genus than on the presence of any particularly

distinctive characters. The present plant is referred to the Helenieae-

Jaumeinae because of its very close resemblance not only in habit

but also in technical characters to the genus Arnicastrum Greenm.

A NEW GENUS OF COMPOSITAE 401

Arnicastrum, a genus of a single species (A. glandulosum Greenm.)

with a scarcely distinguishable variety (var. vestitum Greenm.), is

known only from three collections from the Mexican states of

Chihuahua and Durango. Arnicastrum and Jamesianthus are similar

in habit, both being simple or little branched perennial herbs, with

opposite, more or less lanceolate leaves and medium-sized yellow

heads. In Arnicastrum the stem bears erect branches mostly from

the lower axils and arises from a rhizome bearing scale-like leaves,

and the heads are solitary or ternate at tip of stem and borne on

long, naked peduncles; the leaves are strictly sessile, subamplexicaul,

much firmer than in Jamesianthus, and strongly about 5-nerved

from the base. The involucres of the two genera are similar, of about

3 series of oblong phyllaries, the outer thicker and more definitely

herbaceous, the inner thinner and submembranous, but in Arnicast-

rum the phyllaries are of about the same length, not strongly

graduate as in Jamesianthus. The rays and disc-corollas are

strikingly similar in the two genera, and in both are pilose on

the tube with gland-tipped hairs. The most mature achenes of

Arnicastrum examined are-linear-clavate, many-nerved, and slightly

hispidulous. Unfortunately none of the achenes of Arnicastrum

seem to be completely mature. Greenman described the disc-achenes

as slightly compressed and 4-angled; Rydberg says that the achenes

are flattened dorsoventrally. The ray-achenes, in the young state

at least, are certainly obcompressed; those of the disc appear to be

compressed rather than obcompressed. The stamens and style-

branches offer no significant differences; the style-branches of Arni-

castrum are pubescent with somewhat longer hairs on the back, but

the terminal appendages are identical in the two genera. In Arnicas-

trum the base of the style is set in a short, cylindric nectary; in

Jamesianthus there is no evident nectary, and the base of the style

is conic-fusiform. The principal distinction between the two genera

resides in the pappus. In Arnicastrum the ray-achenes are epappose

(a feature mentioned by Greenman, but overlooked by Rydberg in

the North American Flora), and the pappus of the disc-achenes con-

sists of about 20-35 somewhat unequal, hispidulous, persistent,

capillary bristles. In Jamesianthus the achenes of both ray-flowers

and disc-flowers bear a pappus of few (about 6 to 8) decidedly unequal,

capillary bristles arising from a very short whitish collar (not evident

in Arnicastrum), and so deciduous that it has been difficult to count

them exactly. The similarity of these two genera, both apparently

rare and coming from regions with no particular phytogeographic

connections, is quite striking.

402 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. 22

Jamesianthus alabamensis Blake & Sherff, sp. nov.

Herba simplex vel subsimplex gracilis plerumque 6-9 dm. alta

e paucis (±6) elongatis subfibrosis radicibus orta; caule subarcuato

viridi subtetragono striato glabro vel sub nodis minute pubescenti,

internodiis saepius 4-6 (raro -8) cm. longis et plerumque sub 3 mm.

crassis. Folia opposita sessilia vel mediana brevissime (ca. 2 mm.)

petiolata; lamina (saltern sicca) tenuissima subrhomboide lanceolata

vel oblanceolata apice sensim vel subabrupte acuminata sub medio

cuneato-angustata basi ipsa (hac 4-8 mm. lata) auriculata lobulis

antrorsum flexis ±2 mm. longis saepe acriter apiculatis, graciliter

penninervi, supra viridi glabraque infra pallidiori glabraque vel

nervis obscure hispidula margine minutissime spinuloso-ciliata et

remotissime subdenticulata, 5-9 cm. longa et 1-2.5 cm. lata. Inflo-

rescentia usque ad ±3 dm. alta corymbosa aperta pauci- (±13-)

capitulata, ramis elongatis gracillimisque (internodiis saepe 6-9 cm.

longis et ±0.5 mm. crassis). Capitula gracillime pedunculata pedun-

culis subsparsim patenterque glandulari-pubescentibus saepius 4-8

cm. longis pansa ad anthesin 3-4 cm. lata et 10-12 mm. alta. Invo-

lucri phyllaria extima oblonga vel lineari-oblonga et ±2.5 mm. longa

intima anguste ovato-oblonga et usque ad 9 mm. longa omnia extus

irregulariter sparsimque pubescentia pilis glandulari-capitatis. Radii

flavi, lamina 1-1.5 cm. longa, tubo ca. 4-5 mm. longo. Achaenia

griseo-brunnea vel saepius atro-purpurascentia atro-rubrave, corpore

3.2-4 mm. longa.

Specimens examined: Roland M. Harper 3816, on shaded, grav-

elly, semicalcareous banks, about 4 miles north of Russellville, Frank-

lin County, Alabama, October 7, 1940 (type, Herb. Field Mus.:

cotype, Herb. U. S. Nat. Mus.).

A simple or but slightly branched herb, slender, commonly 6-9

dm. tall, arising from a few (±6) elongate, subfibrous roots; stem

slightly curved, green, subquadrangular, striate, glabrous or under

the nodes minutely pubescent, internodes more often 4-6 (rarely -8)

cm. long and commonly under 3 mm. thick. Leaves opposite, sessile

or the median ones very shortly (about 2 mm.) petiolate; blade (at

least in dry state) very thin, subrhomboidally lanceolate or oblance-

olate, at apex gradually or subabruptly acuminate, below the middle

cuneately narrowed, at the very base (this 4-8 mm. wide) auricu-

late (the tiny lobes antrorsely flexed, ±2 mm. long, often sharply

apiculate), delicately penninerved, above green and glabrous, below

paler and glabrous or along the nerves obscurely hispidulous, at

margin very minutely spinulose-ciliate and most remotely subden-

A NEW GENUS OF COMPOSITAE 403

ticulate, 5-9 cm. long and 1-2.5 cm. wide. Inflorescence up to ±3

dm. tall, corymbose, open; branches elongate and very slender

(internodes often 6-9 cm. long and ±0.5 mm. thick). Capitula ±13,

very slenderly peduncled, at anthesis 3-4 cm. wide and 10-12 mm.

tall; peduncles subsparsely and divaricately glandular-pubescent,

more often 4-8 cm. long. Involucral phyllaries irregularly and

sparsely pubescent on outer surface with glandular-capitate hairs;

outer phyllaries oblong or linear-oblong and ±2.5 mm. long; inner

ones narrowly ovate-oblong and up to 9 mm. long. Rays yellow,

ligule 1-1.5 cm. long, tube about 4-5 mm. long. Achenes grayish-

brown or more often becoming dark-purple or dark-red, the body

3.2-4 mm. long.

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA

30112041653723