Revision of Muhlenbergia (Poaceae, Chloridoideae, Cynodonteae, Muhlenbergiinae) in Peru: classification, phylogeny, and a new species, M. romaschenkoi
Author
Peterson, Paul M.
Author
Vega, Isidoro Sanchez
Author
Romaschenko, Konstantin
Author
Giraldo-Canas, Diego
Author
Rodriguez, Nancy F. Refulio
text
PhytoKeys
2018
114
123
206
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.114.28799
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.114.28799
1314-2003-114-123
CB70FFE82A46DE6DFFEBFFF8F43A6230
2533527
10.
Muhlenbergia flexuosa Hitchc., Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 24(8): 388. 1927.
Fig. 9A-E
Type
.
Peru, Huacachi Estacion near Muna, summit of rocky crest, 2000 m, 20 May-1 Jun 1923,
J.F. Macbride 3874
(holotype: F-534937!; isotypes: BAA-1622!, BM-000938657 [image!], G-00099373 [image!], K!, LE!, US-1256339!).
Description.
Caespitose
perennials
.
Culms
15-40 cm tall, slender, 0.3-0.4 mm diameter just below the panicle with 6-8 nodes per culm;
internodes
1-6 cm long near base, glabrous, shiny.
Leaf sheaths
about as long as the internodes below, glabrous;
ligules
0.3-0.5 mm long, membranous, apex truncate, lacerate;
blades
2-5 cm long, 1-2.2 mm wide, flat, scaberulous, apex acuminate.
Panicles
3.5-6.5 (-7) cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm wide, narrow, spiciform, sometimes interrupted below;
primary branches
0.5-2.5 cm long, tightly apressed to loosely ascending or spreading, not more than 45° from the culm axis.
Spikelets
2.8-4.2 mm long, yellowish to light brown, erect or drooping;
glumes
2.8-4 mm long, including mucos or awns, subequal, hyaline to membranous, glabrous, 1-veined, scabrous along the midvein, apex acute, unawned, mucronate or awned, the awns up to 1.3 mm long, straight or loosely flexuous;
lemmas
2.8-4.2 mm long, hyaline to membranous, 3-veined, scaberulous, lower 1/3 sparsely hairy, apically awned, the awns 14-30 mm long, flexuous, callus hairy, the hairs up to 0.4 mm long;
paleas
about as long as the lemmas, 2-veined, glabrous, apex acuminate, often mucronate;
anthers
1.3-1.6 mm long, purple.
Caryopses
1.4-1.6 mm long fusiform, light brown.
Figure 9.
A-E
Muhlenbergia flexuosa
Hitchc.
A
habit
B
ligule
C
glumes
D
floret
E
stamens and pistil. Drawn from
H. Teppner 79-293
(US).
Distribution.
Muhlenbergia flexuosa
endemic to Peru and is known from only a few collections from
Huanuco
, Pasco and San
Martin
departments (
Hitchcock 1927
;
Tovar 1993
).
Ecology.
Steep talus slopes, rocky trail cuts and rock outcropts with
Andropogon
,
Acacia
,
Chusquea
,
Baccharis
,
Puya
,
Salvia
,
Rubus
,
Muhlenbergia ciliata
,
M. beyrichiana
,
Acanthaceae
and
Melastomataceae
; 1200-2530 m.
Comments.
Hitchcock (1927)
suggested
Muhlenbergia flexuosa
was allied with
M. flaviseta
Scribn. and
M. watsoniana
Hitchc. (≡
M. scabra
S. Watson), since all have
short
flat blades, spike-like
panicles
and slender flexuous awns. However,
Muhlenbergia flaviseta
and
M. watsoniana
are members of the
M. subg. Clomena
clade while
M. flexuosa
is sister to
M. plumiseta
Columbus-
M. pereilema
P.M. Peterson-
M. beyrichiana
clade, all of which are included in
M. subg. Muhlenbergi
a (Fig.
1
;
Peterson et al. 2010b
). Within
Muhlenbergia
, the derivation of a slender flexuous awn found in
M. flexuosa
has occurred in four of the five subgenera currently recognised within the genus and is only lacking in
M. subg. Pseudosporobolus
(Fig.
1B
;
Peterson et al. 2010b
).
Specimens examined.
Peru.
Huanuco
: Rio Huallaga
Canon
, below Rio Santo Domingo, 1316 m, 3 Jun 1923, J.F. Macbride 4205 (US); Pachitea, Canyon of the Rio Grande, 44 air km E of
Huanuco
, 2 air km ESE of
Estacion
Huacachay (Huacachi),
9°51'34.7"S
,
75°50'48.1"W
, 1867 m, 7 Mar 2007, P.M. Peterson, R.J. Soreng & K. Romaschenko 20358 (MO, US, USM); 1.5 air km SE of
Estacion
Huacachay (Huacachi),
9°51'42.8"S
,
75°50'23.4"W
, 2383 m, 8 Mar 2007, P.M. Peterson, R.J. Soreng & K. Romaschenko 20365 (MO, US, USM); along trail 1/3 air km NW of
Estacion
Huacachay (Huacachi),
9°51'1.4"S
,
75°49'53.4"W
, 2519 m, 8 Mar 2007, P.M. Peterson, R.J. Soreng & K. Romaschenko 20373 (US, USM).
Junin
: Cerro Taldes, Rio Huancabamba, 31 km S of Pozuzo and 3 km N of Llullitunqui, 1370 m, 1 Jun 1979, H. Teppner 79-293 (US). Pasco: Oxapampa, Pozuzo, 21 Jul 1978, Ellemberg 8934 (USM).
San
Martin
: Mariscal Caceres, 2350 m, 13 Aug 1986, K. Young 4234 (MO).