Nolina beldingii, Brandegee, Zoe

Hernández-Sandoval, Luis & Rebman, Jon P., 2018, The Genus Nolina (Asparagaceae) of the Baja California Peninsula, and the Recognition of a New Species Combination, Systematic Botany (Basel, Switzerland) 43 (3), pp. 717-733 : 718-721

NOLINA BELDINGII Brandegee, Zoe 1: 305. 1890. TYPE: MEXICO: Baja California Sur, La Chuparrosa, 17 Oct. 1893, T. S. Brandegee s. n. (lectotype UC! (accession number: 142652); isolectotypes: BM!, GH!, KEW!, and the fragment at MO labeled as October 17, 1893) .

Plants arborescent, 3 to 7 m high, trunk 50 cm diam, bark fissured forming rectangular blocks 10 to 25 cm long with ridges 5 cm deep, gray to maroon with age; branched with 1 to 26 apical leaf rosettes, 2 to 3 m diam, leaving persistent old leaves on at least half the size of the branches and trunk or even more. Leaves long linear, 0.75–1.15 m long, 1.4–2.0 cm wide at the middle, sometimes narrower or with a constriction above up the base, flat in cross section, smooth, dark green, sometimes reddish at the back; base long triangular, (4.5–) 7 to 9 cm long, (3.5–) 4 to 5 cm wide at the inferior part, 1.4 cm wide at the superior part; leaf apex entire; leaf margin denticulate, with very small teeth or denticles ca. 0.2 mm long, yellowish. Inflorescence paniculate, largely ovoid, 2 to 3(–3.5) m long, 20 to 70 cm diam, rachis undulate; scape 1 m, smooth, bracts linear, decreasing in size towards the apex from 60 to 40 cm; branches lax, curved to undulate, perpendicular to slightly ascending, 23 cm long, decreasing in size towards the apex to 15 cm, with two weak basal branchlets (ca. 1/5 the size of the branches), subtended by largely triangular papery bracts, 18 cm long, decreasing in size towards the apex to 3 cm, bract base blotched with red or purple; branchlets lax, 8 cm long, decreasing in size towards the apex to 2 cm long. Staminate flowers 2(–3) per node, campanulate, 4 to 6 mm diam on pedicels 2.5 to 3 mm long, articulated at or above the middle, surrounded by membranaceous bracteoles 2 to 3 mm long with laciniate margins; tepals ovate to lanceolate, 3–4 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, the external ones with apiculate apices, all reflexed from the middle part at maturity; filaments 2–2.5 mm long; anthers 1–1.5 mm long. Pistillate flowers 2 per node, campanulate, on pedicels 4 to 8 mm long articulated near the base, surrounded by two membranaceous bracteoles 2 to 4 mm long, margins laciniate; tepals lanceolate, 3 to 3.5 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, light yellow to cream with the midvein reddish to purple; ovary 3-lobed, 2–4 mm diam; style 0.2–0.4 mm long; stigmas 3-lobed. Fruits 1(22) per node, depressed, 0.9 cm long, 1.4 to 1.5 cm wide, with persistent tepals, reflexed at maturity; peduncles 9.5 to 11.5 mm, articulated near the base. Seed 1 per fruit, 4.5 mm long, 3 mm wide, ovoid, not exposed, and green to brown, grayish at maturity, hilum yellow. Figure 1 .

Ecology and Distribution —This species occurs on steep slopes and cliffs at the highest areas in the Sierra de La Laguna, in the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico, in oak forests ( Quercus species) with Quercus tuberculata Liebm. , Q. devia Goldman , Q. arizonica Sarg. , Arbutus peninsularis Rose & Goldman , Sideroxylon peninsulare (Brandegee) T. D. Pennington , Buddleja crotonoides A. Gray , Randia capitata DC., Muhlenbergia spp., Opuntia spp. , Croton sp. , from 1000 to 1800 m in elevation, on granite outcrops ( Fig. 2 ). This species flowers from May to June and fruits from June to August.

At the time of the original species description ( Brandegee 1890), Brandegee did not assign an actual type specimen, and did not mention any herbaria where specimens might be deposited. Even though he had his own herbarium, it seems that some vouchers were not deposited into others or at least at UC where the largest portion of Brandegee´s herbarium collection is currently housed. He dedicated the specific epithet to Mr. L. Belding, but apparently did not see his specimen collection (Belding 6 at GH, which represents a small individual), and just said that he “was the first to notice it in his ornithological expeditions to the Sierra la Laguna, several years ago, and gave me directions as to the route by which I was enable to find it.” The best specimen collection for N. beldingii is at UC is from La Chuparrosa (“Chuparosa” spelling variant), dated 17 October 1893, with duplicates at GH, BM, KEW, and MO. However, the voucher at MO is a mixed sheet with N. brandegeei from San Julio, 19–20 April 1889). There are also older specimens from the Sierra de San Francisquito, labeled as Brandegee 583 but with different dates, the one at GH is from March 29, 1890 and the one at UC is from March 29, 1892. In the paper on Brandegee´s itineraries, Moran (1952) considers the last date (1892) as the correct one, and it is the one accepted here. A voucher with a collection date after the original publication date cannot be considered an inferred type specimen, but since Brandegee did not mention any specimen in his original publication, and since Belding´s specimen and the collection from the Sierra de San Francisquito are not complete, and also labeled with different dates, it seems best to assign the specimen from La Chuparrosa at UC as the lectotype, and the vouchers at BM, GH, KEW, and the fragment at MO labeled as October 17, 1893 as isolectotypes.

Nolina beldingii is an endemic species to the southern part of the Baja California peninsula which occurs only in the Sierra de La Laguna. Taxonomically, this species is close to N. brandegeei . They can be readily distinguished because N. beldingii has longer leaves (ca. 1 m) usually narrowing or with a constriction above the base, entire leaf apices, and larger fruits and pedicels. Nolina beldingii is locally known as “sotol” or “palmilla” and its leaves have been used for thatching ( Fig. 1 ).

Representative Specimens Examined — Mexico. — BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR: Laguna. L. Belding 6, 3 Feb s/y ( GH) ; Sierra de San Francisquito , 29 Mar. 1892, T. S. Brandegee 583 ( GH as 29 Mar. 1890, UC) ; La Chuparosa, 17 Oct. 1893, T. S. Brandegee s/n ( GH) ; La Laguna, Sierra de la Laguna, 21 Jan. 1906. E. Nelson & E. Goldman 7465 ( US) ; La Laguna, Sierra La Laguna , 24 Mar. 1939, H. S. Gentry 4424 ( CAS, GH, KEW, MO) ; Valle de la Laguna , 23 Aug. 1944, M. Mart´ınez s/n ( MEXU) ; Along trail to La Laguna, Sierra de La Laguna , E of Todos Santos, 28 Dec. 1947, A. Carter 2439 ( US) ; Rancho Laguna and vicinity, Sierra Laguna, Cape District , 3 Oct. 1951, H. S. Gentry 11216 ( MEXU) ; From San Jorge to San Francisquito and La Chuparrosa, East of Sierra de la Victoria , 12 Apr. 1955, A. Carter 3331 ( GH, MEXU, MO, SD, US) ; Cape Region, Potrero de Almenta near head of S fork canyon San Pedro , 9 May 1959, R. Moran 7369, 7369 A ( GH, MEXU, SD) ; Cape Region about La Laguna, 16 May 1959, R. Moran 7428 & 7428 A ( GH, MEXU, SD) ; La Laguna, Sierra de la Laguna, Huerigo Canyon , 24 Aug. 1959, C. H. Lowe 3064 & R. L. Turner 59–159 ( MEXU, MO) ; At end trail La Burrera - La Laguna, Cape District , 21 Aug. 1972, A. J. Gilmartin 1840 ( MEXU) ; Sierra de La Laguna, trail to La Laguna, ridge above tributary of Canón ~ la Burrera, just west of la Laguna, about 30 km (air) northeast of Todos Santos , 19 Mar. 1998, M. Fishbein 3167 ( MEXU) ; Sierra de La Victoria , arriba de la zona del chalet de Cano, 7 Dec. 2007, J. L. de la Luz 7073 ( HCIB, SD) ; Sierra de La Victoria , arriba de la caba~ na de Cano, 17 Apr. 2008, J. L. de la Luz 8075 ( HCIB, MEXU, SD) ; Cerrito El Encino frente al cerro el Picacho, zona núcleo de la Reserva de la Biósfera la Sierra de La Laguna , 17 Jun. 2009, A. Garc´ ıa- Mendoza 9268 ( MEXU) .

Figures

FIG.1. Nolina beldingii. A. Habit showing leaf marcescence. B. Bark. C. Plant habit with staminate inflorescence. D. Staminate flowers. E. Infructescence. F. Fruit, infructescence branch. G. Immature fruit. Photos A–B Luis Hernández-Sandoval, C–G Jon Rebman.

FIG. 2. Distribution of Nolina interrata and N. beldingii on the Baja California Peninsula.