Survey of the vascular plants of Sierra Chica, the untouched area of the Paititi Natural Reserve (southeastern Tandilia mountain range, Buenos Aires province, Argentina)
Author
Echeverría, María L.
Author
Alonso, Sara I.
Author
Comparatore, Viviana M.
text
Check List
2017
2017-12-15
13
6
1003
1036
http://dx.doi.org/10.15560/13.6.1003
journal article
10.15560/13.6.1003
1809-127X
Lathyrus hookeri
Don
Figure 20
Lathyrus hookeri
Don (1832)
: 332
—
Cabrera (1967)
: 616
;
Flora
Argentina
(2017)
.
Lathyrus hookeri
Don f.
albiflora
(O. Kuntze) Burkart
,
ex
:
Cabrera (1963)
: 616
.
Lathyrus sessilifolius
Hooker & Arnott (1831)
: 20.
Figure 20.
Lathyrus hookeri
.
A.
Plant.
B.
Detail of leaves that have turn black after being dried.
C.
Specimen with white keel and violet standard and wings.
D.
Specimen with white petals.
Cryptophytes; native with distribution in the Southern Cone Region of South America.
Characteristics.
Perennial twining herb that turns black when it dries. Rhizomes and decumbent tetragone stems with 2 wings in upper stems. Leaves sessile or subsessile, pinnately compound, with 2 oval, slightly glaucous, mucronate leaflets with notable veins, 1–7 ter- minal tendrils, and wide sagittate stipules. Inflorescence: a raceme with 5–10 flowers of lilac to violet petals. Fruit: a linear and erect legume, which turns black at maturity.
Comments.
This is a frequent species in the study area. It grows in intermediate to full sunlight, on slopes with moderately deep, damp soils. Many species of the genus
Lathyrus
thrive in the mountain ranges of this region.
Lathyrus hookeri
can be recognized by the presence of very short petioles (or even sessile leaves) and by its fruit that turns black when dried. In the Paititi Reserve, specimens with violet petals were found, which is typical, and specimens with white petals were also found that, according to
Cabrera (1967)
, would correspond to
L. hookeri
Don f.
albiflora
(O. Kuntze) Burkart. Nowadays
,
L. hookeri
f.
albiflora
is synonym of
L. hookeri
Don
(
Flora
Argentina
2017
). Besides the white flower specimens, plants with white keel and violet standard and wings were also found. This would be the first record of this variant of
L. hookeri
.