Montanoa speciosa
REPRESENTATIVE SPECIMENS: MEXICO. GUERRERO: W of Chilpancingo, 21 Oct 1944, Sharp 441418 (MEXU, NY); ca. 20 mi W of Chilpancingo, 17 Oct 1976, SO 4237* (OS); San Agustin, ca. 20 km N of Acapulco, 14 Nov 1977, FOe 2345 (OS); ca. 36 km N of Acapulco, near Triente y seis, 15 Nov 1977, FOe 2346 (OF); 21 mi NE of Acapulco, 10 Dec 1966, AL 4501 (MICH, OS); N of Acapulco, Cuarenta y dos, 15 Nov 1977, FOe 2347 (OS); 22 mi N of Acapulco, 4 Nov 1960, Crutchfield & Johnston 4980 (MICH, TEX); below Tierra Colorada, 9 Oct 1949, Moore 5272 (BM, CU, G, UC); 2 mi N of Tierra Colorada, 10 Dec 1966, AL 4504 (MICH, OS); Atoyac, 23 Nov 1937, Hinton 10962 (ENCB, GH, K, LL, MICH, TEX, W). MICHOACAN: San Jose Pura, 20 Oct 1956, Paray 2201 (ENCB); Rancho Viejo, Apatzingan, 14 Oct 1939, Hinton 15332 (F, GH, LL, MO, NY, US); Tuzantla, 28 Dec 1972, Medrano et al. 5074 (MEXU); Zitacuaro, 21 Oct 1938, Hinton 13390 (ARIZ, ENCB, GH, LL, MICH, US, W); ca. 32 km N of Playa Azul, 25-31 Oct 1961, King & Soderstrom 4934 (MEXU, MICH, NY, SMU, TEX, UC, US); 8 km N of Arteaga, 24 Oct 1961, King & Soderstrom 22 (US). MORELOS: 1 km S of Jonacatepec, 17 Oct 1965, Rzedowski 21454 (OS, DUKE, ENCB, MICH, TEX); Sierra de Tepoxtlan, 26 Nov 1902, Pringle 9939 (CM, CU, F, GH, MICH, MO, NY, US); Sierra de Tepoxtlan, 30 Oct 1900, Pringle 9131 (F, GH, MEXU). OAXACA: hwy 131, ca. 76 mi SW of Oaxaca (double-rayed), 28 Aug 1976, HF 4202* (OS); 15.5 mi SSE of Miahuatian, 7 Nov 1966, AL 4150 (MICH, OS); 12-14.5 mi S of Suchiztepec, 8 Nov 1966, AL 4178 (MICH, OS). PUEBLA: 5.6 mi SE of lzucar de Matamoros, 22 Nov 1978, F 2871 (OS); II mi SE ofIzucar de Matamoros, 18 Oct 1962, C 9698 (OH, MEXU, MICH, MO, MSC, NY, SMU, TEX, US); 10-11 mi SE of jct S of Izucar de Matamoros with rd to Chautla, 24 Nov 1966, AL 4303 (MICH, OS); 18 km SE of Izucar de Matamoros, 4 Nov 1976, Rzedowski 34525 (ENCB); ca. 38 km SE of Izucar de Matamoros, 18 Oct 1976, SO 4240* (OS); 20 mi SE of lzucar de Matamoros, 24 Nov 1966, AL 4300 (MICH, OS).
Shrubs 1-4 m tall. Stems quadrangular becoming terete, brown to gray, herbaceous parts puberulent. Leaves relatively consistent; petioles 2-12 crn long, winged, broader in middle and near base, moderately glandular and pubescent, hairs less than 1.0 mm long; blades pentagonal, 8-16 cm long, 5.5- 20.0 cm wide, apex long-acuminate, margin entire to serrate, very deeply lobed, adaxial surface densely to moderately pubescent, hairs pustular, abaxial surface densely glandular and pubescent, hairs less than 1.0 mm long, white, giving a light green color to surface. Peduncles 4-10 cm long, sparsely to moderately glandular and pubescent, hairs less than 1.0 mm long. Heads pendulous, 2 cm diam in flower, 3.5-3.8 cm diam in fruit, few to several in open cymose synflorescences in oppositely to alternately branched compound corymbs, the lateral branches usually exceeding subtending leaves. Phyllaries variable, 9-16(-22), bito triseriate, subequal, ovate-Ianceolate to lanceolate, 7-12 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, green on abaxial surface, dark on adaxial one, apex acute to acuminate, margin ciliate, entire, abaxial surface densely glandular and pubescent, hairs less than 1.0 mm long, adaxial surface sparsely glandular and pubescent on distal third of bract, hairs less than 0.5 mm long. Ray florets 10-13; corollas white, ligules elliptic to lanceolate, 20-29 mm long, 5-10 mm wide, apex acute to 2-notched, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface sparsely glandular and pubescent, particularly on veins, hairs less than 0.5 mm long, tube 1.0 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, essentially glabrous. Disc florets 140-160; corollas yellow, tube 1.5 mm long, 0.5-0.75 mm diam, essentially glabrous, throat cylindrical, 4.0-5.0 mm long, 1.0-1.5 mm diam, essentially glabrous, lobes 5, 1.0 mm long, 0.5 mm wide,apex acute with clusters of hairs less than 0.5 mm long; stamens with filaments 6.0-7.0 mm long, 0.2 mm wide, anthers fully exserted from corolla, thecae yellow, 2.0-2.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, apical appendages yellow, acute, 0.5-0.6 mm long, 0.4 mm wide, abaxial surface of apical appendages glandular; styles yellow, 9.0-10.5 mm long, enlarged at base, stigmatic surfaces yellow, 1.5 mm long, apical appendages yellow, acuminate, 0.5 mm long, 0.3 mm wide. Pales at anthesis obtrullate, 2.5-3.0 mm long, 2.0-2.25 mm wide, light yellow with dark bands near midvein and at base of apex, apex long-acuminate,indurate, margin entire, glandular and pubescent, hairs on distal half, less than 1.0 mm long, abaxial surface moderately glandular and pubescent on distal half, hairs less than 1.0 mm long, adaxial surface glabrous; pales at fruiting (not quite mature) deciduous, obtrullate, 16-17 mm long, 5-6 mm wide, papery with netted venation, stramineous, apex tapering to apiculate, indurate tip, margin ciliate, sparsely glandular, entire, abaxial surface moderately glandular and sparsely pubescent in center, adaxial surface glabrous. Achenes brown-black, 3.5 mm long, 2.0 mm wide, apex with few hairs. Chromosome number, n = 19.
The achenes are unique, having several small hairs on the veins near the apex. The open panicles contrast with the synflorescence of the most closely related species, M. grandifiora, which has a tightly clustered leafy synflorescence. The two species are further compared under M. grandifiora. Montanoa speciosa and M. grandiflora are both cultivated throughout southern Mexico (pers. obser.) and both have individuals that have an increased number of ray florets referred to as "double forms." These double form ray florets are most likely derived from the disc florets for many are light yellow rather than white and are somewhat irregularly lobed. There are usually at least a few regular disc florets in the center of the capitula of these plants. Since the ray florets are sterile, heads of this type have a reduced reproductive capacity. Most individuals of this type are cultivated with only a few collections reported from the wild (e.g.,HF 4121, HF 4202). When the double forms occur, distinguishing between the two species is difficult since most of the reliable characters are lost. Like the rest of the genus, these two species grow well from cuttings. Montanoa speciosa has an involucre that also doubles and at times has as many as 20-22 bracts. This occurs in a number of populations of non-cultivated plants and does not appear to affect the plant. It is 1110St often found SW of Oaxaca City.
Montanoa speciosa is an attractive shrub that is commonly cultivated in Mexico. The leaves of this species are attractive, being, in general, greatly dissected and densely pubescent giving the surface a soft appearance and a light green color. Further, this species has the largest number of disc florets (140-160) in the genus.
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Heliantheae
Genus: Montanoa
Sub- Genus: Acanthocarphae
Species: Montanoa speciosa
Sierra Madre del Sur in the states of Michoadm, Mexico, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla and Guerrero.
Mixed tropical deciduous forest, arid scrubby hillsides, and grassy roadsides; 140-1400 m, the lower elevations in Guerrero and Oaxaca.
FLOWERING (AND FRUITING) PERIOD: October-November (late November-January).