A new hybrid in the genus Anthyllis ( Loteae-Leguminosae ) from the eastern Iberian Peninsula

Ferrer-Gallego, P.P., Roselló, R. & Guara, M. 2016. A new hybrid in the genus Anthyllis (Loteae-Leguminosae) from the eastern Iberian Peninsula. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 73(2): e040. We describe a new nothotaxon for the genus Anthyllis (LoteaeLeguminosae), A. × currasii P.P. Ferrer, Roselló & Guara, as result of natural interbreeding between A. cytisoides (Lag.) Pau and A. lagascana Benedí. It has been located at Monte de La Cañada, in Paterna (Valencia, Spain). This new hybrid is compared morphologically with its parents and the rest of nothotaxa described hitherto for the genus in the Iberian Peninsula, analysing the main diagnostic characters. The existence of the nothotaxa A. × fortuita Guara & P.P. Ferrer and A. × currasii implies the creation of the new nothosubgenus Ternijovis P.P. Ferrer, Roselló & Guara. A map of the known and documented distribution is presented. Iconography of the three nothotaxa is provided, and an identification as well.

Both A. cytisoides and A. lagascana coexist in a small area within the municipality of Paterna (Valencia, Spain), where A. cytisoides has a relatively low number of specimens, in comparison with A. lagascana,much more common and widely distributed in this area.Despite the low abundance of A. cytisoides, we have detected several plants with clearly intermediate characters between these two species.In addition, A. terniflora and their hybrids also live in the same area, A. × media Pau, Mem.Mus.Ci.Nat.Barcelona, Sèr.Bot.1(3): 16 (1925) (A.cytisoides × A. terniflora) and A. × fortuita Guara & P.P. Ferrer, Act. Bot. Malac. 31: 171 (2006) (A. lagascana × A. terniflora).
The aim of this paper is thus to describe a new nothotaxon between A. cytisoides and A. lagascana, based on morphology as primary criterion of hybridization.
The criteria used to identify the species of Anthyllis include observations of qualitative and quantitative characters (cf.Cullen, 1968;Benedí, 1995Benedí, , 1998Benedí, , 2000;;Tikhomirov & Sokoloff, 1996b;Sokoloff, 1997Sokoloff, , 2003bSokoloff, , 2006)).A total of 35 characters have been analyzed; 13 of them were scored as qualitative characters (simple presence vs. absence) or multistate characters related to the basal leaves (disposition, number of leaflets, and termination), the terminal leaflet shape, the indumentum of leaves, the petiolar covering and hairiness at leave bases, the calyx (general morphology, teeth form, and type and density of indumentum), the colour of petals, the shape of the style, and the morphology and ornamentation of the legumes and seeds (Table 1).
The rest of characters (22) were quantitative (21 continous and 1 meristic -count-) related to the length and width of terminal leaflets and lateral ones, the calyx and its teeth, the banner and wings, the legumes and seeds; the length of inflorescences, flowers, claw of the banner, keels and stipules, and the number of flowers in the inflorescence.We have considered only three to five measurements per sheet.Shrub up to 50-80 cm, woody, unarmed, ash-gray; young branches herbaceous, erect, grayish-white or gray, with dense indumentum of applied-sericeous hairs with other crispate both the bottom and top of the stem.Branchlets densely leafy, covered at the base by the scarious petioles of dry leaves arranged distichously and densely imbricated, somewhat amplexicaul and persistent; branches of previous years intricate-flexuous, with gray and fissured bark; leaves usually trifoliate, at the apex mucronate and somewhat canaliculate, with indumentum appressed sericeous to silky-pilose, glaucous, subpulvinate; with terminal leaflet (5)13-18(19) × 3-7 mm, occasionally single, much larger than the lateral ones, lanceolate to ovate or elliptical, sometimes somewhat orbiculate, with peduncle 0.5-2 mm; lateral leaflets 3-6(7) × 1-3 mm, lanceolate to elliptical; petiole amplexicaul at base, persistent; stipules up to 0.5 mm, very sharp, setaceous, and dark brown.Inflorescences in terminal and lax spikes of 1-4(5) flowered clusters, axillary, almost sessile or with peduncle up to c. 2 mm, some with malformed or aborted flowers, the last ones of the inflorescence next each other; bracts palmate, or simply lanceolate, with the same size as flowers, or slightly shorter.Flowers 9-11 mm.Calyx 6-6.5 × c. 2 mm, campanulate, very pilose, with erect-patent hairs up to c. 1 mm, with oblique mouth tube; teeth c. 2 mm, triangular, narrowly acuminated.Corolla pale yellow to cream with pink hues, darkening on drying; banner blade 5.5-6 × 3-3.5 mm from oblong-ovate to ovate-oblong, the base slightly cordate or abruptly attenuated with a claw 4 mm; wings blade c. 4 × 1-1.2 mm, lanceolate, and claw c. 4.5 mm, exceeding c. 1 mm the keel; keel blade c. 3 mm, bent somewhat straight; vexillary stamen free only near the base.Ovary with 7-11 seed rudiments; style c. 4 mm, slightly arched, flattened at the base.Fruit 4 × 2 mm, ellipsoid, slightly arched, somewhat stipitate, even finely reticulated.Seeds c. 2.1 × 1.2 mm, slightly reniform, smooth, brownish grey (Fig. 1; Table 1).

Anthyllis
Plant morphological characters were intermediate between A. cytisoides and A. lagascana.This newly described hybrid differs from A. lagascana by the presence of foliar stipules (Fig. 8), somewhat amplexicaul and not invaginating leaf sheaths; axillary almost sessile inflorescences with 1-4(5) flowers, clustered in terminal and lax spikes, never in pedunculated glomeruli; presence of some simple bracts, sometimes bifoliate or trifoliate; minor calyx with long and   narrowly acuminated teeth (never triangular flattened); and yellow and smaller corollas (Figs. 1 and 7).Anthyllis × currasii also differs from A. cytisoides by the presence of subpulvinate unifoliolate leaves, the lower ones densely imbricated and distichous; persistent and somewhat amplexicaul dried petioles; presence of palmately divided bracts; campanulate calyx (not tubular), with a cream or greenish hue (not canary yellow); corolla, banner, wings and keel clearly smaller; and ellipsoidal fruit (not ovoid) (Figs. 6 and 7; Table 1).It is noteworthy the presence of subpulvinate petiole and foliar stipules, entire and palmately divided bracts, and mediumsized floral pieces (Figs. 7 and 8; Table 1).
Anthyllis × currasii can be easily differentiated from A. × fortuita by the smaller number of flowers of the spike, the markedly more ash-grey colour, erect-patent calyx indumentum, larger calyxes, and oblong banner blade (Figs. 5  and 7).The remaining most significant morphological differences with the rest of the group are summarized in Table 1.The authors would like to note some variability among the specimens of A. × fortuita.Such variation mainly affects the flower (colour of the corolla) and leaves (polymorphism in the size and number of leaflets of the leaves).Additionally, some specimens show a phenology more typical in A. lagascana: loss of leaves mainly during the summer period, and early flowering period; other specimens have shown characteristics resembling A. terniflora: the flowering is later and the abscission often occurs with greater profusion during the Autumn-Winter period.Furthermore, the wildfire resilience of this hybrid should be remarked, a characteristic feature of A. lagascana but absent in A. terniflora and A. cytisoides.
Some variability among the studied specimens of A. × currasii was observed.This variation mainly affects floral and foliar characteristics such as the colour of the corollas and size polymorphism, dimensions and number of leaflets.Moreover, some specimens have the typical phenotypical behaviour of A. lagascana, with a loss of leaves mainly during the Summer period and an early flowering period; other specimens have flowers later and the abscission usually occurs more widespread during the Autumn-Winter period, which is more similar to A. cytisoides.

Habitat and ecology
Anthyllis × currasii was found very close to the city of Valencia in "El Plantío-La Canyada" (Paterna), where one of the parents, A. sericea Lag.(Esteve, 1969), was observed coexisting with its two congeners A. cytisoides and A. terniflora for the first time in the Valencian Community (Moroder, 1927).For some of these taxa this location is at the edge of the northernmost limits of their respective areas of distribution (Fig. 4).They co-occur together with species such as Hippocrepis fruticescens Sennen, Erica multiflora L., Thymus   pluviseasonal-oceanic with an upper Thermomediterranean thermotype and a dry lower ombrotype (Rivas-Martínez, 2007).Phytogeographically, the territory is assigned to the southern portion of Valencian-Tarraconense sector and northern portion of Setabensian sector, both from the Valencian-Catalonian-Provenzal-Balearic province (De la Torre & al., 1996;Rivas-Martínez & al., 2002;Rivas-Martínez, 2007).

Conservation status
Population censuses carried out to date have resulted in a total of 19 individuals for A. × fortuita, distributed over an area of approximately 2 km.In contrast, A. × media and A. × currasii have only been found in an area that is not greater than 100 m 2 with 39 and 10 specimens, respectively.Generally, the conservation of these species is covered passively through current general and autonomic legislation, thanks in part to the inclusion of A. lagascana as protected species throughout the Valencian Community (signed in Annex II of the  (Anonymous, 2009(Anonymous, , 2013)).Moreover, the Germoplasm Bank of the CIEF (Center for Forestry Research and Experimentation of Valencia Community) and the Botanical Garden of University of Valencia have preserved seeds of the parents, and the living plants are multiplied here from cuttings of the three hybrids hitherto described for the genus Anthyllis.

Nomenclatural comments
The nature of the nothotaxon presented here and previously described by Guara & Ferrer (2006) represents intersubgeneric hybrids, which allows for the creation of a fruit.This group includes the nothotaxon, which has been described here, and the hybrid A. × fortuita (Fig. 5).

Identification key
Based on Flora iberica (Benedí, 2000) here is presented a key that includes the three Iberian hybrids known until now in Anthyllis and their parents.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to the curators of the different consulted herbaria for their help.Thanks to Amanda Brothers (Indiana University) for their help.
Order of the 20th Dec, 1985, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries), and more specifically thanks to the recent declaration of the Turia Natural Park (Valencia), which includes the largest populations of this species within the Valencian territory.Additionally, A. lagascana is recorded in Annex II of the declaration of Decree 70/2009 and Order 6/2013 on the establishment and regulation of the Valencian Catalog of Threatened Flora

Fig. 4 .
Fig. 4. Geographic distribution of Anthyllis hybrids and their parents in the Southeastern Iberian Peninsula.

Table 1 .
Differential characters for Anthyllis hybrids and their parents.