Phytoneuron

Gutierrez, R., Jr. 2014. Proboscidea fragrans (Martyniaceae) in El Paso County, Texas. Phytoneuron 2014-55: 1-3. Published
16 June 2014. ISSN 2153 733X

PROBOSCIDEA FRAGRANS (MARTYNIACEAE) IN EL PASO COUNTY, TEXAS

RAUL GUTIERREZ, JR.
Botanical Research Institute of Texas
1700 University Drive
Fort Worth, Texas 76107

U.S. EPA Region VI
1445 Ross Ave, Suite 1200
Dallas, Texas 75202
gutierrez.raul@epa.gov

ABSTRACT
Arecent collection extends the known range of Proboscidea fragrans westward in Texas to
El Paso County, the northwesternmost station for the species. A distribution map for the species and a
key to distinguish it from the other two species of El Paso County are provided.

Proboscidea fragrans is native to Mexico and the southwestern United States (New Mexico
and Texas), and has naturalized in Australia, where it is considered a noxious weed (Hevly 1970;
Gutierrez 2011). In New Mexico, it is known from one collection from Eddy County (Pinkava 3146,
ASU). In Texas, it is known from Brewster, Culberson, Jeff Davis, Hudspeth, and Presidio counties.
Acollection documented here extends the range westward in Texas to El Paso County.

Proboscidea fragrans (Lindl.) Decne. (Martyniaceae), purple devil’s claw, toritos, cuernitos.

Voucher specimen. TEXAS. El Paso Co.: South corner of intersection between Interstate
Highway 10 and Farm-to-Market Road 1110 (Clint exit 42), 31°35’ 57.31” N, 106° 11’ 46.25” W, four
individuals along FM 1110 at interface between right-of-way and Chihuahuan desert scrub in deep
sand deposits (bluepoint association, rolling), growing with Psorothamnus scoparius, Larrea
tridentata, Boerhavia intermedia, Monroa squarrosa, one incarnata, Portulaca pilosa, Pectis
papposa var. grandis, Chamaesyce parryi, and Probosci ithaeifolia, 26 Sep 2013, R. Gutierrez,
Jr, 3000 with R. Gutierrez, Sr. (BRIT, UTEP).

Turner et al. (2003) mapped this species as occurring in El Paso County, but the author has
not seen any specimens to validate this. All specimens at TEX-LL and SRSC used in creating the
maps for Proboscidea formosa (assumed to mean P. fragrans) have been identified by the author as P.
parviflora (Woot.) Woot. & Standl. or P. althaeifolia (Benth.) Decne. Richard Worthington, curator
of the UTEP herbarium, also has not seen any specimens of P. fragrans from the county (pers.
comm.), nor does he include the species in his checklist of the flora of El Paso County (Worthington
1989, 1997). The specimens that are the basis of this paper represent the first vouchered collection of
the species in El Paso County. Their presence in El Paso County most likely represent a dispersal
event via vehicular transport, given that the plants were found growing immediately next to the right-
of-way along FM 1110 and the presence of a series of restaurants, hotels, and gas stations at this exit
off of Interstate Highway 10. The closest vouchered collection seen by the author was collected in
1938 from northern Hudspeth County, 15 miles east of the Hueco Mountains (Hitchcock et al. 4337,
CAS). The next closest collection of P. fragrans comes from the far southeastern edge of Hudspeth
County, near the Indio Mountains (Lieb & Anderson 1015, UTEP)

Proboscidea fragrans has been accepted as a species (Lawrence 1957; Hevly 1970) and as a
subspecies of P. louisianica (Mill.) Thell. (Bretting 1983). Molecular work using phylogenetic
analyses of nuclear and chloroplast sequences fails to place P. fragrans as sister to P. louisianica
(Gutierrez 2002, 2011). Thus, they are recognized here as distinct species.

Gutierrez: Proboscidea fragrans in El Paso Co., Texas 72

105°0'0"W 100°0'0"W
j j

30°0'0"N

25°0'0"N

20°0'0"N

105°00"W 100° 0"W
Figure 1. Distribution of Proboscidea fragrans (Lindl). Decne. The star represent a new county record for El
Paso County, Texas.

Two other species of Proboscidea have been documented in El Paso County (Worthington
1989, 1997; Gutierrez 2011). Proboscidea parivflora has shorter inflorescences and smaller flowers
that are lighter in color. Proboscidea althaeifolia is a yellow-flowered perennial with tuberous roots.
A key 1s to the species of Proboscidea in El Paso County is provided here.

Gutierrez: Proboscidea fragrans in El Paso Co., Texas 3,

KEY TO THE SPECIES OF PROBOSCIDEA IN EL PASO COUNTY

1. Corollas yellow; plants perennial, arising from an underground tuber; stems trailing or prostrate
Proboscidea althaeifolia
1. Corollas pink, lavender, purple, or magenta; plants annual, taprooted; stems ascending to erect.

2. Inflorescences exceeded by or barely exceeding the foliage; flowers fewer than 10 per

inflorescence, corollas to 2 cm long, petals pink or lavender ................ Proboscidea parviflora
2. Inflorescences exceeding the foliage; flowers more than 15 per inflorescence, corollas to 4 cm
long, petals purple or magenta Proboscidea fragrans
LITERATURE CITED

} L )

Bretting, PK. 1983. The taxonomic relationship between P. and P
fragrans (Martyniaceae). Southw. Naturalist 28: 445-449,

Gutierrez, Jr, R. 2002. Amolecular phylogeny of the family Martyniaceae (order Lamiales) based
on nrDNA Internal Transcribed Spacer sequences. Master’s thesis, Univ. of Texas at El Paso,
El Paso.

Gutierrez, Jr, R. 2011. Aphylogenetic study of the plant family Martyniaceae (order Lamiales).
Ph.D. dissertation, Arizona State Univ., Tempe.

Hevly, R.H. 1970. Martyniaceae. Pp. 1445-1449, in D.S. Correll and M.C. Johnston. Manual of the
Vascular Plants of Texas. Texas Research Foundation, Renner, Texas.

Lawrence, GH.M. 1957. Proboscidea and other unicorn plants (Martyniaceae). Baileya 5: 127-132.

Turner, B.L., H. Nichols, G. Denny, and O. Doron. 2003. Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Texas. Sida,
Bot. Misc. 24: 1-888.

Worthington, R.D. 1989. An annotated checklist of the native and naturalized flora of El Paso
County, Texas. El Paso Southw. Bot. Misc. 1: 1-56.

Worthington, R.D. 1997. Nomenclatural changes, additions, and corrections to an annotated
checklist of the native and naturalized flora of El Paso County, Texas. El Paso Southw. Bot.
Mise. 2: 1-27.