A recircumscription of Jacobsenia (Aizoaceae): Re-instating Drosanthemopsis, with two new quartz-endemics from Namaqualand, South Africa and sinking Knersia *
Author
Klak, C.
Author
Hanáček, P.
Author
Bruyns, P. V.
text
South African Journal of Botany
2018
2018-05-31
116
10
67
81
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2018.02.402
journal article
10.1016/j.sajb.2018.02.402
1727-9321
14036691
5.1.
Jacobsenia
L
.
Bolus
&
Schwantes
,
Kakteen
und andere
Sukkulenten
5: 69 (1954)
.
Type
:
Jacobsenia kolbei
(L.Bolus) L.Bolus & Schwantes.
Succulent perennial shrubs to
50 cm
high or caespitose shrublets to
15 cm
high, stems to
10 mm
diam., young plants caespitose, adult plants either with erect long shoots and lateral short shoots, or plants compact without clear distinction between long and short shoots.
Leaves
succulent, opposite, fresh green, erect or spreading, terete or ±digitiform with upper surface flattened, lower surface slightly keeled, to
70 mm
long and
10 mm
diam., at least the last leaf-pair of the season persisting on the stem until the next season; leaf-pairs of a season isophyllous or slightly anisophyllous, basally connate for c.
1
/
5
of their length; epidermis with large bladder cells with thickened outer walls, elliptic to polygonal, smooth or with a hair-like central protrusion.
Flowers
terminal, solitary, emerging from the connate portion of the 2nd leaf-pair of the season,
60–80 mm
diam., pedicels
10–70 mm
long, sepals (4)5 or 6, petaloid staminodes in 4 or 5 rows, white, light yellow or rarely cerise, inner petals shorter, filamentous staminodes very few or absent, filaments white or yellow, papillate at bases; holonectary;
Fruit
a hygrochastic capsule, borderline between expanding keels and expanding sheets very indistinct; covering membranes covering more than ½ to ¾ of the locule, closing bodies absent, numerous sterile funicle in the upper part of the placenta; locules 5 or 6 (to 8),
8–17 mm
diam.
Seed
s ochre to brown, testa minutely papillate, c. 0.7 ×
0.5 mm
.
Ecology and distribution
:
South Africa
, south-western Namaqualand, between Vanrhynsdorp, Vredendal and Bitterfontein (
Fig. 7
). In shallow rocky soils, also in reefs of schist, or on loamy strongly saline sand, with a cover of large quartz gravel.
Flowering occurs from July to September. The two species were found sympatrically in flower on the farm Kerskloof. The difference in flower colour suggests that they may have different pollinators but possible hybrids were noted there.
Diagnostic characters
:
Jacobsenia
is characterized by the bladder cells in the epidermis of the leaves. These are much enlarged, usually protruding cells scattered among “normal” epidermal cells in a more or less regular pattern. They are apically thickened, elliptical to polygonal in outline and either smooth or with a central hair-like protrusion. Leaves in
Jacobsenia
(and equally in
Drosanthemopsis
) are not deciduous and at least the last leaf-pair of the season persists until the first new leaf-pair of the next season begins to form. This is different to leaves in
Dicrocaulon
,
Diplosoma
Meyerophytum
,
Mitrophyllum
,
Monilaria
and
Oophytum
, which dry out and form a persistent sheath over the apical bud.
Jacobsenia
most closely resembles members of
Drosanthemopsis
, but differs by its fruits and by the sculpturing of the epidermis (
Table 1
).
5.1.1. Key to
Jacobsenia
1. Adult plants with erect long shoots bearing lateral short shoots, to
50 cm
high, sepals 5, locules 5 ………………………………………
J. kolbei
.
1.’ Adult plants compact without distinct long shoots, to
15 cm
high, sepals 6, locules 6, rarely 5, 7 or 8……………………………………
J. hallii
.