Xochiquetzallia (Asparagaceae, Brodiaeoideae), a new genus segregated from the paraphyletic Dandya
Author
Gutierrez, Jorge
Author
Terrazas, Teresa
text
PhytoKeys
2020
139
39
49
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.139.46890
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.139.46890
1314-2003-139-39
7CA77BB833D154DBB7FF65D18F5C1D8F
Xochiquetzallia J.Gut.
gen. nov.
Fig. 2
Diagnosis.
Perennial herbs, geophytic; terete or flattened leaves; subcampanulate or hypocrateriform flowers, tube 1.0-25.0 mm long, erect or reclined; gynophore without pith, stigma entire.
Description.
Perennial herbs, 20-60 cm tall, including corm and inflorescence. Fibrous roots, some fleshy. Corm subglobose compressed, fleshy, 1.0-2.5 cm in diameter; tunic formed by the wide bases of the leaves, brown or dark brown, covering up to 2.0 cm from the base of the scape. Leaves 5-9, 20-49 cm long, dark green, linear, flattened or terete, with glabrous or scabrous surface, hyaline prominences on the veins; base truncated, apex acute. Inflorescence in umbel; Scape of (16-) 20-50 cm long, usually shorter than leaves, terete, surface smooth or with acute prominences. Floral bracts 2-3, linear-lanceolate, triangular, 3.0-9.0 mm long; bracteoles, one per flower. Flowers 4-20, pedicels 0.8-3.5 cm long, subcampanulate or hypocrateriform, erect or decumbent-descending, articulate, floral tube 1-25 mm long; tepals white or blue, 6 in 2 series, external tepals elliptic, 8.0-16.0
x
(1.5-) 2.0-7.0 mm, 1-3 veins, apex acute and papillose, base cuneate, entire margin; internal tepals elliptical to broadly elliptical, (6.5-) 8.0-16.0
x
(2.0-) 3.0-11.0 mm, apex obtuse and papillose, base cuneate, entire margin. Stamens 6; filaments free, adnate to the throat of the tube, widened toward the base or columnar, 2.0-5.0 (-7.0) mm; anthers linear, lanceolate-deltoid, yellow, basifixed, 1.0-2.5 mm; gynophore 0.8-1.6 mm long, adnate to the floral perigone formed three cavities. Ovary cylindrical, 1.0-5.0 mm, fused at its base to the floral perigone; style filiform, 1.8-7.0 mm; stigma entire, papillose; capsule loculicidal, subglobose or subcylindric, glabrous, brown, 6.0-13.0 mm long; seed oblong-falciform, compressed, black, bright, seed coat papillose, 4.0
x
1.5 mm.
Figure 2.
Species of the genus
Xochiquetzallia
.
A
Xochiquetzallia mortoniana
B
X. hannibalii
C
X. balsensis
D
X. thadhowardii
.
A
and
B
taken from the "Global Plants JSTOR".
Type species.
Xochiquetzallia mortoniana
(H.E. Moore) J.Gut.
Etymology.
This genus is named in honor of the goddess of Aztec flowers, in Nahuatl "Xōchiquetzalli" (beautiful flower) "xṓchitl" (flower), "
quetzalli
" (beautiful). The Aztecs developed majestic architectural works, had extensive knowledge of astronomy and great respect for nature, particularly plants.