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Type: Article
Published: 2015-05-11
Page range: 253–264
Abstract views: 15
PDF downloaded: 1

Helianthemum (sect. Helianthemum) raskebdanae (Cistaceae), a new species from northeastern Morocco

Dpto. Ciencias Ambientales y Recursos Naturales (dCARN) & CIBIO (Instituto de la Biodiversidad), Universidad de Alicante, P. O. Box 99, E-03080 Alicante, Spain
Dpto. Ciencias Ambientales y Recursos Naturales (dCARN) & CIBIO (Instituto de la Biodiversidad), Universidad de Alicante, P. O. Box 99, E-03080 Alicante, Spain
Dpto. Ciencias Ambientales y Recursos Naturales (dCARN) & CIBIO (Instituto de la Biodiversidad), Universidad de Alicante, P. O. Box 99, E-03080 Alicante, Spain
Departament de Biologia Animal, Vegetal i Ecologia, Unitat Botànica, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-0893 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
Mediterranean endemics taxonomy typification Eudicots Morocco

Abstract

A new species, Helianthemum raskebdanae (H. sect. Helianthemum), is described from the maritime cliffs of north-eastern Morocco. It is easy to identify because of its glabrous and fleshy leaves with swollen reddish pulvinules at the petiole base, glabrous sepals with only minute stellate hairs on one margin, and large pinkish to purple petals. The new species is only known from three small, isolated sites, and it is here considered as Endangered (EN). Although it superficially resembles the Algerian H. maritimum, its combination of character-states is not found in the latter nor in any other related species of the section, i.e. H. apenninum, H. dianicum, H. scopulicola and H. virgatum, which warrants its recognition at the species rank. Micromorphological data support the proposed taxonomic treatment. Furthermore, nomenclatural types are designated for H. maritimum and H. maritimum f. albiflorum, two close Algerian relatives.