Quetzalcoatlia santanamichelii A. Vázquez, Cuevas & B. Gut., 2025

Vázquez-García, J. Antonio, Basáñez, Miguel Cházaro, Acevedo-Rosas, Raúl, Rosales-Martínez, C. Santiago, Padilla-Lepe, Jesús, Martínez-González, Rosa E., García-Ruiz, Ignacio, Gutierrez, Byron Gutiérrez, Nieves-Hernández, Gregorio, Guzman, Ramón Cuevas, Shalisko, Viacheslav, Machuca-Núñez, J. Antonio, Hernández-López, Leticia & Muñiz-Castro, Miguel Á., 2025, Quetzalcoatlia (Crassulaceae), high small-scale diversification in western Mexico: a synopsis with four new species, Phytotaxa 695 (2), pp. 207-254 : 239-242

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.695.2.3
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16720590
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0383FD6B-CE79-E624-E1C1-F8775EA2FE2C
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Quetzalcoatlia santanamichelii A. Vázquez, Cuevas & B. Gut.
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Quetzalcoatlia santanamichelii A. Vázquez, Cuevas & B. Gut. View in CoL sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 & 21 View FIGURE 21 ).

Type:— MEXICO. Jalisco: municipality of Casimiro Castillo (La Resolana), La Calera, Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Manantlán, 11–12 km SSW de Autlán, bosque tropical subcaducifolio con Brosimum , Hura , Lonchocarpus , 23 May 2023 (fl & fr), J. Antonio Vázquez-García 10264 w/ Byron Gutiérrez, J. Padilla Lepe y Adrián Jiménez (holotype IBUG!, isotype ZEA!).

Diagnosis:— Quetzalcoatlia santanamichelii is similar to Q. superba in having a ramose habit, plant size, and oblanceolate leaves, but it differs from the latter in having narrower stems, 0.6–0.9 (vs. 1.0– 1.2 cm); stem surface smooth vs squamose; leaves pinkish–grayish green vs. gray-bluish to pink-violet); sshorter inflorescences 12.0–21.1 (vs. 30.0–40.0 cm); less numerous branches per full-size inflorescence 4–8 (vs. 12–15); less numerous flowers per branch 1–5 (vs. 8–15); less numerous flowers per basal branch 1–3 (vs. 8–12); less numerous flowers per full-size inflorescence (10–) 15–27 (vs. 57–121); smaller flower diameter 8.5–11.0 (vs. 15.0–16.0 mm); smaller corolla lobes 3.9–4.0 × 1.9–2.0 (vs. 5.5–6.0 × 2.0– 2.7 cm); abaxial carpels yellowish, reddish only toward the apex (vs. entirely red); shorter fruits 4.75–5.25 (5.3–5.9 mm) and larger seeds 0.52–0.64 × 0.23–0.29 (vs. 0.35–0.42 × 0.15–0.19 mm).

Description:— Plants suffrutex, perennial, 10.0–88.0 cm tall without inflorescence, ramose, entirely glabrous, branching basally; roots fibrous; stems first erect, later decumbent to pendulous, 7.0–85.0 × 0.6–0.9 cm, 0.7–1.3 cm thick below the rosette, surface smooth, brownish green in the base, pinkish and slightly pruinose between the leaves, to with oval pale-green leaf scars, raised somewhat 1.0 mm long, 2.0–3.0 mm wide; rosettes almost flat, 2.8–3.0(–6.5) × 4.8–6.5(–12.5) cm, 17–26 leaves. Leaves 2.1–3.8(–6.5) × 1.2–1.9 cm, 3.0–5.0 mm thick, oblanceolate-spatulate, base cuneate, adaxially almost flat to slightly convex, abaxially slightly convex, sometimes diffusely keeled, entire margin, apex obtuse-rounded, rarely acute, mucronate, mucro 2.0–3.0 mm long, 2.0–3.0 mm wide, the apical ones slightly ascending, the older ones slightly reflex, pinkish-grayish green, epidermis lemon green beneath a light layer of wax. Inflorescences 1–3 per rosette, lateral, paniculate, 12.0– 21.1 cm long, 2.0–4.0 mm wide in the base, 8.0– 10.7 cm of the peduncle from the base to the first primary branch, (10–)15–27 flowers per full-sized inflorescence, whitish green; bracts 7.0–9.0 × 9.0–13.0 mm long, 4.0–6.0 mm wide, elliptic-lanceolate, primary branches 4–8, with 1–5 flowers, the basal branch with 1–3 flowers; pedicels 0.4–1.0 cm long, same color as the peduncle. Flowers pentamerous, 8.5–11.0 mm in diameter; sepals subequal, 1.9–2.0 mm long, lanceolate, same color as the leaves; petals subequal 5.8–6.0 mm, forming a 3.0–4.0 mm long tube, the lobes 3.9–4.0 × 1.9–2.0 mm at the widest part near to the center, elliptic, apex subacute, whitish-pale yellow with red spots forming diffuse horizontal stripes but present more densely at the apex, orange-yellow near to the base; nectaries reniform, 1.0 mm wide, orange-yellow; stamens 5, antesepalous, 3.0–4.0 mm, erect at first, later curving outside, pale yellow in the basal third, the rest reddish, base adnate to corolla tube; anthers rounded, reddish; gynoecium protruding from the corolla, 4.0 × 3.0 mm, orange-yellow, obovate; styles 1.0 mm long, erect, reddened; abaxial carpels rounded, yellowish, reddish toward the apex and the pistil. Fruits polyfollicular, 4.75–5.25 × 1.5–1.52 mm, with dorsal dehiscence, ascendant, pale brown; seeds inconspicuous, 0.52–0.64 × 0.23–0.29 mm, brown.

Distribution, habitat, and phenology:—It is only known from La Calera, Casimiro Castillo, in Jalisco, western Mexico. It grows on nearly vertical and loose rocky slopes, in tropical subdeciduous forests with Brosimum alicastrum Sw. (“capomo”), Trophis mexicana (Liebm.) Bureau , Trichilia americana (Sessé & Moc.) T.D. Penn. , Sideroxylon capiri (A. DC.) Pittier , Apoplanesia paniculata C. Presl , Lysiloma acapulcense (Kunth) Benth. , Ipomoea bracteata Cav. , Nopalea karwinskiana (Salm-Dyck) K. Schum. , Peperomia sp. , Philodendron sp. and Anthurium halmoorei Croat (“muchacha”). It flowers from March to May, and fruits from May to June.

Preliminary conservation assessment:—This species is so far endemic to the western portion of the Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve (SMBR), Jalisco, Mexico, known only from one location, the type locality, where it has been registered from a single population, the species spatial dispersion tends to be gregarious in groups from 10 to 30 individuals, and some solitary plants, the total population size is estimated to be ca. 250 individuals. It must be a target for conservation and research efforts. This location is inside SMBR, in the lowlands of the buffer zone. Even though the area is legally protected, being right on the vertical walls of Highway 80 (Autlán-Barra de Navidad), it is suffering to severe disturbance from landslides and is vulnerable to plant hunters. According to the IUCN Red List criterion B2 (AOO <10 km 2), and conditions ab(iii) ( IUCN 2022), the species could be considered Critically Endangered (CR). Additionally, due to its rarity and narrow distribution (condition a), this species experiences a continuing decline observed and projected in the quality of habitat (condition b(iii)), because of the increase in deforestation due to landslides and plant hunting. The authors made an unsuccessful germination trial in June 2022. The first successful step in the recovery of this species started on June 20, 2023, through the second germination trial of about 25 seeds, the plants are growing fine at the University of Guadalajara´s greenhouse at Zapopan, Jalisco.

Etymology: — The species name honors its discoverer, botanist Francisco Javier Santana Michel (1958–2015), whom collected for the first time this plant in 1995 at La Calera, La Resolana. Santana Michel was an agrostologist, outstanding plant explorer, and collector. He described new species of Aristolochia and grasses, and several of his collections resulted in scientific novelties.

Notes: — A couple of visits to La Calera (including cliff escalating by Dante Figueroa) in late Spring of 2022, failed to secure flowers. A year after we came back to the same spot and the cliff escalator Byron Gutiérrez, found minimal flowering to none but one flower, however sufficient to complete our description as a new species. The pendulous habit of its compact blueish-green rosettes makes it a valuable ornamental plant for gardening.

Additional specimens examined: — MEXICO. Jalisco: municipality Casimiro Castillo (La Resolana), La Calera, Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Manantlán, 11–12 km SSW de Autlán, 800 m, 10 March1995 (fl), F. J. Santana et al. 7120 ( ZEA!). Same locality, 786 m, 24 May 2022, G. Nieves-Hernández et al., recorded as J. A n tonio Vázquez-García 10192 (IBUG!, ZEA!). Same locality, 795 m, 31 May 2022, V. Shalisko et al., recorded as J. Antonio Vázquez-García 10193 (IBUG!, ZEA!).