AG A NG i0 2 COMPOSITAE & * NEWSLETTER Published and distributed by The Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Phanerogamic Botany, P.O. Box 50007, S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden. (Director: Prof. Bertil Nordenstam) ISSN 0284-8422 CONTENTS Miscellaneous 1 B. Nordenstam: A synopsis of the genus Syncarpha (Compositae-Gnaphalieae) 2 G. Wagenitz: The genus Volutaria Cass. in Europe 7 LIBRARY JAN 16 1990 NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN The Compositae Newsletter is distributed free of charge to anyone interested. New readers are very welcome, just send us your name and address and we will be happy to place you on our mailing-list. You will find our address on the front cover. Back copies of issues number 14-15 are still available, but unfortunately we do not have any copies of numbers 1- 13. Next issue of the Compositae Newsletter will appear in May/June 1990. Comp. Newsl. 17. 1989 1 REQUESTS FOR MATERIAL Dr. Wayne Vos, Botany Dept., University of Natal, P.O. Box 375, Pietermaritzburg 3200, South Africa is working on the biosystematics and microevolution of the Triffid weed (Chromolaena odorata), an alien, invasive plant that is threatening Natal's indigenous vegetation. His aim is to identify the parental stock of the plants found in South Africa, in order to find "natural biocontrol agents". Chromolaena odorata originally occurs in North and South America, Caribbean Islands, West Indies and Trinidad. Dr. Vos wishes to come into contact with other researchers working on Chromolaena. He would also like to obtain herbarium specimens of Chromolaena odorata, especially from South and Central America. N. Kilian, doctorate student of Dr. H. W. Lack at the Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem, K6nigin-Luise-Str. 6-8, D-1000 Berlin 33, is working on the genus Launaea Cass. (Lactuceae). He would appreciate receiving viable fruits or living material from throughout the range of the genus. ADVERTISEMENT Cassini on Compositae, a three-volume collation of Henri Cassini's contributions to Cuvier's rare Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles, was published in 1975 by R. M. King and H. W. Dawson. The back stock of this book was saved from destruction a number of years ago and is still offered for sale at 2/3 off the original prize. It is available from D. B. Lellinger, 326 West St., Vienna, VA 22180, U.S.A. The prize is US $ 40.00 postpaid for orders in the United States and US $ 43.00 postpaid for other countries. 2 Comp. Newsl. 17. 1989 A synopsis of the genus Syncarpha (Compositae-Gnaphalieae) Bertil Nordenstam Swedish Museum of Natural History S-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden The genus Helipterum DC. in its traditional circumscription (De Candolle, Bentham a. 0.) is an unnatural assemblage of South African and Australian elements. The defining technical character of the plumose pappus is artificial, grouping together unrelated elements and excluding clearly related taxa hitherto placed in Helichrysum. As indicated repeatedly in recent literature (Hilliard & Burtt 1981 a, 1981 b, Hilliard 1983), a revision of the South African "Helipterums" is in preparation by the present author. Since the final publication will still take some time and there is a demand for scientific names of the taxa involved, a synopsis of the taxa presently recognized is presented here. Several new combinations are necessary, but the description of a few new taxa will be deferred to the final revision. Helipterum was erected by De Candolle (1838) to include South African as well as Australian species. The genus has not been typified, but it would seem appropriate to choose the type among the South African taxa, which come first in De Candolle's treatment. In any case Helipterum is hopelessly illegitimate and antedated by at least four earlier generic names, viz. Syncarpha DC., Astelma R. Br. ex Ker-Gawl., Leucostemma D. Don and Damironia Cass. As pointed out to me by Dr. Paul G. Wilson (pers. comm.) the matter is even more complicated. It can be argued that the generic name Helipterum was first published by Lindley (1836) in a way that made it an illegitimate superfluous name for Argyrocome Gaertn. In that case Helipterum DC. (1838) is a later homonym. There seems to be little point in proposing to conserve Helipterum with a South African type. The most well known species are all Australian, including several of the commercially most important everlastings. The Australian complex is under revision (by P. G. Wilson and co-workers), and drastic changes in generic circumscription can be expected. Whether or not Helipterum can be retained for an Australian element remains to be seen. Comp. Newsl. 17. 1989 3 For the South African taxa the oldest name Syncarpha is here reinstated. 25 species and some infraspecific taxa are currently recognized, most of which are transfers from Helipterum, some however from Helichrysum. The most closely related genus: (sister group) is probably Edmondia Cass., a genus of three species restricted to the southwestern Cape Province. De Candolle's concept of Helipterum included Edmondia as a section, but the genus was later transferred to Helichrysum (Harvey 1865), and then resurrected by Hilliard & Burtt (1981 a). Syncarpha DC. De Candolle, Ann. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 16: 205 (1810). — Type: S. gnaphaloides (L.) DC. Syn.: Astelma R. Br. ex Ker-Gawl., Bot. Reg.: 532 (1821). — Type: A. eximium (L.) R. Br. ex Ker-Gawl. Leucostemma D. Don, Mem. Wern. Nat. Hist. Soc. 5: 540 (1826). — Type: Not designated. Damironia Cass., Dict. Sci. Nat. 56: 224 (1828). — Type: D. cernua Cass. nom. illeg. (Xeranthemum variegatum L.) Helipterum DC. p.p., Prodr. 6: 211 (1838). — Type: Not designated. Species 25, confined to Cape Province, South Africa. 1. __§. gnaphaloides (L.) DC., 1. c. (1810). Syn.: Staehelina gnaphaloides L., Sp. Pl. 1: 1176 (1753); Helipterum gnaphaloides (L.) DC., Prodr. 6: 213 (1838). 2. §. dregeana (DC.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helipterum dregeanum DC., Prodr. 6: 214 (1838). 3. SS. milleflora (L. fil.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Gnaphalium milleflorum L. fil., Suppl. Pl.: 362 (1781); Helipterum milleflorum (L. fil.) Druce, Rep. Bot. Exch. Cl. Brit. Isles 1916: 627 (1917). — Gnaphalium phlomoides Lam., Encycl. 2: 740 (1788); Helipterum phlomoides (Lam.) DC. Prodr. 6: 213 (1838). 10. Comp. Newsl. 17. 1989 S. eximia (L.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Gnaphalium eximium L., Mant. Pl. Alt.: 573 (1773); Helipterum eximium (L.) DC., Prodr. 6: 213 (1838). S. canescens (L.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Xeranthemum canescens L., P|. Rar. Afr.: 20 (1760); Helipterum canescens (L.) DC., Prodr. 6: 212 (1838). — subsp. canescens — subsp. tricolor (DC.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helipterum canescens (L.) DC. [var.] 8 tricolor DC., Prodr. 6: 213 (1838). — subsp. leucolepis (DC.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helipterum canescens (L.) DC. [var.] y leucolepis DC., Prodr. 6: 213 (1838). S. virgata (Berg.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Xeranthemum vir gatum Berg., Descr. Pl. Cap.: 275 (1767); Helipterum virgatum (Berg.) DC., Prodr. 6: 212 (1838). — Xeranthemum staehelina L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12: 546 (1767). — var. virgata — var. pallida B. Nord. MS. S. affinis (B. Nord.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helipterum affine B. Nord., Aquilo ser. Bot. 6: 220 (1967); H. citrinum Harv. & Sond., Fl. Cap. 3: 259 (1865), nom. illeg., non Steetz in Lehm., Pl. Preiss. 1: 474 (1845). — var. affinis — var. rubens B. Nord. MS. S. flava (Compt.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helipterum flavum Compt., Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Afr. 19: 316 (1931). S. scariosa B. Nord. MS. S. ferruginea (Lam.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Xeranthemum ferrugineum Lam., Encycl. 3: 237 (1789); Helipterum ferrugineum (Lam.) DC., Prodr. 6: 212 (1838). Comp. Newsl. 17. 1989 5 11. 12. iS: 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. m9: 20. S. variegata (Berg.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Xeranthemum variegatum Berg., Descr. Pl. Cap.: 271 (1767); Helipterum variegatum (Berg.) DC., Prodr. 6: 212 (1838). S. montana (B. Nord.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helipterum montanum B. Nord., Bot. Notiser 119: 368 (1966). S. loganiana (Compt.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helipterum loganianum Compt., Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Afr. 19: 317 (1931). S. marlothii (Schlechter) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helipterum marlothii Schlechter, Journ. Bot. 1897: 437 (1897). S. speciosissima (L.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Xeranthemum speciosissimum L., Sp. Pl. 1: 858 (1753); Helipterum speciosissimum (L.) DC., Prodr. 6: 211 (1838). — subsp. speciosissima — subsp. angustifolia (DC.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helipterum speciosissimum (L.) DC. [var.] B angustifolium DC., Prodr. 6: 212 (1838). S. zeyheri (Sond.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helipterum zeyheri Sond., Linnaea 23: 66 (1850). — Helipterum brachypterum Levyns, Journ. S. Afr. Bot. 7: 84 (1941). S. argyropsis (DC.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helipterum argyropsis DC., Prodr. 6: 211 (1838). S. vestita (L.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Xeranthemum vestitum L., Sp. Pl. 1: 858 (1753); Helichrysum vestitum (L.) Willd., Sp. Pl. 3: 1903 (1803). S. lepidopodium (H. Bol.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helichrysum lepidopodium H. Bol., Trans. S. Afr. Phil. Soc. 18: 392 (1907). S. dykei (H. Bol.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helichrysum dykei H. Bol., Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Afr. 1: 156 (1909). 6 Comp. Newsl. 17. 1989 21. S. paniculata (L.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Xeranthemum paniculatum L., Sp. Pl. 1: 859 (1753); Helichrysum paniculatum (L.) Willd., Sp. Pl. 3: 1911 (1803). pas S. recurvata (L. fil.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Xeranthemum recurvatum L. fil., Suppl. Pl.: 366 (1781); Helichrysum recurvatum (L. fil.) Thunb., Pl. Cap.: 662 (1823). 23 S. argentea (Thunb.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Xeranthemum argenteum Thunb., Prodr. Pl. Cap. 2: 152 (1800); Helichrysum argenteum (Thunb.) Thunb., Fl. Cap.: 662 (1823). 24. S. sordescens (DC.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Helichrysum sordescens DC., Prodr. 6: 178 (1838). p08 S. striata (Thunb.) B. Nord., comb. nov. Syn.: Xeranthemum striatum Thunb., Prodr. Pl. Cap. 2: 152 (1800); Helichrysum striatum (Thunb.) Thunb., Fl. Cap.: 661 (1823). References De Candolle, A. P. 1838: Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis 6. Paris. Harvey, W. H. 1865: Compositae, in Harvey, W. H. & Sonder, O. W., Flora Capensis 3. Dublin. Hilliard, O. M. 1983: Asteraceae-Inuleae-Gnaphaliinae (First part), in Leistner, O. A. (ed.), Flora of Southern Africa 33, 7(2). Pretoria. Hilliard, O. M. & Burtt, B. L. 1981 a: Some generic concepts in Compositae- Gnaphaliinae. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. London 82: 181-232. Hilliard, O. M. & Burtt, B. L. 1981 b: Names in Gnaphalium, Xeranthemum and Helichrysum published between 1753 and 1800. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. London 82: 233-265. Lindley, J. 1836: A natural system of botany, ed. 2. London. Comp. Newsl. 17. 1989 A The genus Volutaria Cass. in Europe Gerhard Wagenitz Lehrstuhl fiir Pflanzensystematik Untere Karspiile 2 D-3400 Gottingen, West Germany According to Dostal (1975) in "Flora Europaea" Volutaria lippii (L.) Maire is the only species of this genus of good standing in Europe, V. maroccana (Barr. et Murb.) Maire is reported as probably naturalized in SE Spain. This note will show that V. Jippii s. str. does not occur in Europe and that another species, V. muricata (L.) Maire, placed in Cyanopsis Cass. by Dostal, should be assigned to Volutaria. Species of the genus Volutaria have earlier been described as members of the genus Centaurea, later they have been put into Amberboa (De Candolle 1838). One obvious difference between Volutaria and Centaurea is the nature of the pappus, which is made up of scales in Volutaria (and in Amberboa, too) and consists of bristles in Centaurea. Further, Volutaria has never the well dif- ferentiated appendage at the phyllaries which is so characteristic for Centaurea. There are other differences in pollen morphology and the structure of the ach- enes. Amberboa and Volutaria are certainly rather closely allied but the differ- ences in the structure of the involucre and the anatomy of the achenes are clear- cut. Moreover the two genera have quite different centers of distribution. Amberboa is a genus of Western and Central Asia. Volutaria has its main dis- tribution in the southern parts of the Mediterranean area, extending into Ethiopia, East tropical Africa and Arabia. In the south-eastern part of the area perennial species of Volutaria occur, while Amberboa is strictly annual or at least monocarpic. Cyanopsis is one of the many genera created by Cassini, who must be praised for his thorough investigation of the details, but who was an extensive splitter. The only species of Cyanopsis, C. muricata, differs from Volutaria by one single character: the phyllaries are not acute but end in an arista several millimeters long. On the other hand, the similarity in the structure of the in- volucre, the flowers, and especially the achenes between Cyanopsis and Volu- taria, is very striking and it seems quite unnecessary to separate this species in a monotypic genus. It should thus be named Volutaria muricata (L.) Maire. In 1897 Murbeck described a new species close to Amberboa (now Volutaria) lippii as Amberboa_tubuliflora. The distribution is rather similar to that of V. lippii and both may coexist in the same area, but in some regions 8 Comp. Newsl. 17. 1989 only one of the two exists. To distinguish between the two species is usually easy (see the table at the end), but critical specimens intermediate in several re- spects occur in western Morocco. They seem to represent a taxon of its own. In view of the widely sympatric occurrence of both species, we prefer to treat V. tubuliflora as a species and not as a subspecies, as was later done by Murbeck (1923). Murbeck noted that the few collections from Spain available to him belong to V. tubuliflora. We have seen a considerable number of additional collec- tions (all from the province of Almeria) and can confirm this. The correct name is to be found also in the booklet by Kunkel (1987) on the desertic flora of Almeria. In Italy "Volutaria lippii" is known from the small island of Linosa (Lojacono-Pojero 1903, Fiori 1927, Pignatti 1982). From here the plant has been collected first in 1884 and later especially by H. Ross (Herb. Siculum no. 467 in several herbaria). This, too is V. tubuliflora. Neither the Italian floras cited above nor Flora Europaea mention V. tubuliflora. A note may be added concerning the Canary Islands. Here V. tubuliflora has been seen by us from Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Typical V. lippii seems to be lacking. The plants collected under this name and mentioned in the literature belong to a nearly allied species, apparently not yet named. We have not seen any specimens of V. marrocana from Europe in the herbaria and are not aware of any published reports. Any information concern- ing this point would be welcome. Likewise, the author would be thankful for achenes of any species of the genus in order to cultivate them in connection with the planned revision of the genus. V. lippii (L.) Maire V. tubuliflora (Murb.) Sennen Involucre (9) 10-12 (13) mm (12) 13-16 mm long Marginal neutral flowers brownish purple blue-violet Central hermaphrodite brownish purple bluish flowers scarcely widened distinctly widened above sparsely hairy with dense strict hairs Pappus 1.5-2— (2.5) mm 2.5—3 (3.5) mm Comp. Newsl. 17. 1989 9 Very probably there is one additional important difference viz. the chromosome numbers as first noted by Nordenstam (1972). V. lippii has 2n = 32 according to Reese (1957), while 2n = 62 has been counted for V. tubuliflora by Norden- stam (1972) and Brullo & al. (1978). In fact, in the last mentioned publication the material was determined as "V._ lippii", but only V. _tubuliflora is known from the island of Linosa, where the plants have been collected. References Brullo, S., Pavone, P. & Zissa, A. 1978. Numeri cromosomici per la flora Italiana: 505-516. Informat. Bot. Ital. 10: 397-405. Candolle, A. P. de. 1838 ("1837"). Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis, Vol. 6. Paris. Dittrich, M. 1968. Karpologische Untersuchungen zur Systematik von Centaurea und verwandten Gattungen. - Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 88: 70-162. Dostal, J. 1975. Centaurea L. In: T. G. Tutin et al. (eds), Flora Europaea, 4: 254-301. Fiori, A. 1925-29. Nouva Flora analitica d'Italia. Vol. 2. Firenze. Kunkel, G. 1987. Florula del desierto Almeriense. Almeria. Lojacono-Pojero, M. 1903. Flora Sicula. Vol. 2, 1. Palermo. Murbeck, S. 1897. Contributions a la connaissance des Renonculacées - Cucurbitacées de la flore du Nord-Ouest de l'Afrique. - Lunds Univ. Arsskr. 12: 1-126. — 1923. Contributions 4 la connaisance de la Flore du Maroc, II. - Lunds Univ. Arsskr. 19(1): 1-68. Nordenstam, B. 1972. Chromosome numbers in some Compositae from Egypt. Bot. Notiser 125: 393-396. Pignatti, S. 1982 Flora d'Italia. Vol. 3. Bologna. Reese, G. 1957. Uber die Polyploidiespektren in der nordsaharischen Wiisten- flora. Flora 144: 538-634. Spangbergs Tryckeri AB, Stockholm 1989