Succisella carvalhoana ( Mariz 1890: 147 ) Baksay (1955: 174)

Fura, Inês, Covelo, Filipe, Sales, Fátima & Farminhão, João, 2025, Disentangling the taxonomy of Succisella (Caprifoliaceae, Dipsacoideae) in the Iberian Peninsula: an updated synopsis and conservation priorities, Phytotaxa 690 (2), pp. 189-211 : 199-203

Succisella carvalhoana ( Mariz 1890: 147) Baksay (1955: 174) ( Figs. 6–8 )

Succisa carvalhoana Mariz (original spelling Succisa carvalheana )

Lectotype (designated here):— PORTUGAL. Beira Litoral: Coimbra, prope Covões, [1864], Carvalho s.n. ( COI00078421 ).

Phenology:— Flowers from (April) August to October (November).

Habitat:— Fringe and clearings of swamp forest dominated by Salix atrocinerea Brot. Most frequently co-occurring taxa include Juncus inflexus L. subsp. inflexus , Lycopus europaeus L., Lythrum salicaria L., Mentha aquatica L., Pulicaria dysenterica (L.) Bernh. subsp. dysenterica , and Rosa sempervirens L.

Distribution:— Central and northern Portugal ( Fig. 5 ): coastal plain within the Lower Vouga River-Ribeiras Costeiras, and Mondego River basins, historically from Lavadores (Vila Nova de Gaia) to Covões (Coimbra). The elevation range is 0–50 m a.s.l. The chorology is PORTUGAL: Beira Litoral (BL), Douro Litoral (DL).

Conservation status:— Succisella carvalhoana is documented by 28 herbarium collections and 41 observations, the most recent one made in 2024. Taken together, these records represent 13 occurrences, including 3 existing and 10 extirpated. Only 3 of the occurrences were made in official protected areas (Barrinha de Esmoriz and Ria de Aveiro Natura 2000 sites), where it only possibly persists at Pateira de Fermentelos. The 3 existing occurrences represent a total of 3 subpopulations (Ribeira da Horta, Pateira de Fermentelos, Covões-Cantanhede), severely fragmented due to urban and agroforestry encroachment into swamp forests, and 3 locations with respect to the most serious plausible threat, habitat degradation due to the combined effects of forestry (eucalyptus and poplar plantations) and invasive species [e.g. Acacia longifolia (Andrews) Willd. , Arundo donax L., Cortaderia selloana (Schult. & Schult.f.) Asch. & Graebn. ]. The largest subpopulation, in Covões, remains unprotected. Its extent of occurrence (EOO) is calculated as 23 km 2 (falling within the limits for Critically Endangered status under criterion B1), corresponding to less than 2% of its historical EOO (1453 km 2), whereas its area of occupancy (AOO) is estimated at 16 km 2 (within the limits for Endangered status under criterion B2). The projected loss of the Pateira de Fermentelos subpopulation, and contraction of the area of occupancy in the Covões subpopulation, is associated with a continuing decline in EOO, AOO, habitat extent and quality, and mature individuals. Succisella carvalhoana is thus assigned a preliminary risk of extinction status of Critically Endangered [CR B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)].

Additional specimens examined:— PORTUGAL. Douro Litoral: Gaya [Vila Nova de Gaia], Lavadores , August 1895, Sampaio s.n. ( PO, W) ; ibid. loc., August 1898, Sampaio s.n. ( COI, PO) ; ibid. loc., 9 October 1979, Matos et al. s.n. ( COI) ; Espinho , arredores de Paramos, próximo da linha férrea, 24 August 1981, Marques 2608 ( AVE) . Beira Litoral: Santa Luzia, entre Estarreja e Murtosa , 22 July 1961, Paiva et al. 7939 ( AVE, COI, COLO, MBM) ; ibid. loc., 12 July 1989, Matos s.n. ( COI) ; Aveiro, Eirol , 25 August 1977, Matos & Alves 14313 ( COI) ; [ Eirol ], s.d., s.coll. 34 ( AVE) ; Eirol , ribeira da Calada, 5 August 1966, Costa s.n. ( COI) ; ibid. loc., s.d. [1966], Coelho Carvalho 3 ( AVE) ; ibid. loc., 7 August 1967, Ormonde 27 ( COI) ; ibid. loc., 21 April 1977, Matos & Cardoso s.n. ( COI) ; Eirol, caminho do Vale da Fonte , terrenos húmidos, 12 August 1969, Rocha & Felizes 101 ( AVE, COI) ; entre Feira do Eixo e Eirol , numa linha de água, 24 September 2020, Costa & Neto s.n. ( LISI) ; Oliveira do Bairro , May 1880, Ferreira s.n. ( COI) ; Vagos, Covão do Lobo , 45 m, 13 September 2023, Fura & Covelo 9 ( COI) ; Cantanhede, Covões, nascente do rio Boco , 48 m, 30 August 2023, Fura et al. 6 ( COI) ; ibid. loc., 45 m, 30 August 2023, Fura et al. 7 ( COI, seed collection) ; ibid. loc., 45 m, 6 October 2023, Fura 12 ( COI, seed collection) ; entre Tocha e Mira , lagoas da Canna, July 1893, Ferreira s.n. ( COI) ; arred[ores] da Figueira da Foz, Fôja , July 1894, Ferreira s.n. ( COI) ; Matas de Foja , 20 August 1941, Sousa s.n. ( LISE) ; ibid. loc., 18 July 1949, Matos s.n. (H, K, LISE, LISI, LISU, PO) ; ibid. loc., 7 August 1950, Matos & Matos s.n. ( COI) ; arredores de Coimbra, Vil de Mattos [Matos], S. Fagundo [São Facundo], July–August 1890, Moller & Ferreira s.n. (syntypes: COI00014205 , CLF229218, LISE14827, MPU023510, MPU023511, O2017272, P04376704) ; arredores de Coimbra, Vil de Mattos [Matos], August 1890, Moller s.n. ( BM, COI, LISE, LISI, LISU, PO) .

Notes:— The lectotype designated by Amich et al. (2004) cannot be accepted under Art. 8.2 of the Code ( Turland et al. 2018). This specimen ( COI 00014205) is a duplicate of no. 884 of the Flora lusitanica exsiccata distribution series, a mixed collection of two gatherings. Although it includes a single individual, the information on the label, exactly reproduced in the protologue, refers to two collectors, Adolpho Moller and Manuel Ferreira, to two distinct localities, Vil de Matos and São Facundo, near Coimbra, and to two collecting dates, July and August 1890. Therefore, a new lectotypification is necessary based on the single other specimen referred to in the protologue, the overlooked Carvalho s.n. ( COI 00078421, Fig. 8 ).

In the protologue, Mariz (1890) makes a footnote reference to plants collected near Coimbra (Covões) by António de Carvalho, after the memory of whom he names the species. António de Carvalho Coutinho de Vasconcelos (1827– 1872), born in Cantanhede, was a botanist, professor at the University of Coimbra, who assembled a significant herbarium of Portuguese plants ( Gomes Machado 1868; Simões de Carvalho 1872) that was already at COI at the time of the species description ( Henriques 1876). We were able to locate Carvalho’s gathering ( Fig. 8 ), which was kept separately from the remaining S. carvalhoana material as part of the Herbario da Flora de Portugal de A. de Carvalho. This explains why this specimen was not seen by previous revisors. Carvalho did not use a numbering system in the field. Numbers on the labels in Carvalho’s herbarium, such as ‘394’ of the Succisella specimen, correspond to a unique taxonomic sequence and not to a field collecting number.

Moller s.n., distributed under no. 1295 of the Flora lusitanica (Soc. Brot. 11.º anno) series ( Mariz 1891) is wrongly annotated as type material at LISE, probably because this gathering’s metadata (Vil de Matos, August 1890, Moller ) overlap with those of no. 884. Although Mariz prepared for dispatch this gathering in the year of the species description, and therefore must have seen it, this material cannot be regarded as syntype under Art. 9.6 ( Turland et al. 2018), because it is not unambiguously cited in the protologue.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Geographic range of Succisella in the Iberian Peninsula.

FIGURE 6. Overview of habit and leaf morphology of Succisella carvalhoana (A–E from Covões, Cantanhede, Beira Litoral). (A) Flowering stem. (B) Overwintering semi-rosette and long ascending stolons. (C) Basal leaves, crenate-serrate, in hanging semi-rosettes along the long ascending stolons. (D) Cauline leaves. (E) Basal leaves, pinnatifid. Photographers: (A, D) Filipe Covelo; (B) Inês Fura; (C) João Farminhão; (E) José Santos.

FIGURE 7. Overview of floral and fruit morphology of Succisella carvalhoana (A–G from Covões, Cantanhede, Beira Litoral). (A) Inflorescence. (B) Capitulum, male phase, basal view, showing involucral bracts. (C) Capitulum, in bud, starting male phase. (D) Capitulum, male phase, top view. (E) Fruiting capitulum, side view. (F) Capitulum, female phase, top view, and fruiting capitulum. (G) Diaspore (Fura 12). Photographers: (A) João Farminhão; (B, G) Inês Fura; (C–F) Filipe Covelo.

FIGURE 8. Newly designated lectotype of Succisella carvalhoana, collected in 1864, in Covões, Coimbra, by the eponymous botanist, António de Carvalho (Carvalho s.n., COI00078421).