Tigridia amatlanensis (Tigridieae: Iridaceae), a new

species from Oaxaca, Mexico

A A R O N R O D R I G U E Z AND A B I S A I G A R C I A - M E N D O Z A

Rodrfguez, A. (Departamento de Bot~inica y Zoolog/a, Universidad de Guadalajara, Apartado Postal 139, 45101 Zapopan, Jalisco, M6xico; e-mail:
rca08742@cucba.udg.mx) & A. Garcfa-Mendoza (Jardfn Bot~inico, Instituto de
Biologfa, Universidad Nacional Aut6noma de M6xico, Apartado Postal 70-614,
04510 M6xico, D.E, M6xico; e-mail: abisai@ibunam.ibiologia.unam.mx). Tigridia amatlanensis (Tigridieae: Iridaceae), a new species from Oaxaca, Mexico.
Brittonia 56:128-131. 2 0 0 4 . - - T i g r i d i a a m a t l a n e n s i s is described and illustrated
as a new species from Mexico. It is recognized by its nodding flowers and its
inner and outer tepals cirrhous and markedly dimorphic in length. It is most
closely related to T. hallbergii subsp, hallbergii and T. meleagris. Other morphologically similar species are T. catarinensis and T. molseediana.
Key words:

Iridaceae, Mexico, Oaxaca, Tigridia.

Rodrfguez, A. (Departamento de Bot~inica y Zoolog/a, Universidad de Guadalajara, Apartado Postal 139, 45101 Zapopan, Jalisco, M6xico; e-mail:
rca08742@cucba.udg.mx) & A. Garcfa-Mendoza (Jard/n Bot~inico, Instituto de
Biologfa, Universidad Nacional Aut6noma de M6xico, Apartado Postal 70-614,
04510 M6xico, D.F., M6xico; e-mail: abisai@ibunam.ibiologia.unam.mx). Tigridia amatlanensis (Tigridieae: Iridaceae), a new species from Oaxaca, Mexico.
Brittonia 56: 128-131. 2004.--Se describe e ilustra a Tigridia amatlanensis
como especie nueva que crece en M6xico. Se reconoce por sus flores p6ndulas y
sus t6palos cirrosos, los interiores mucho m~is pequefios que los exteriores. E1
tax6n propuesto est~i relacionado con T. hallbergii subsp, hallbergii, T. meleagris.
Morfol6gicamente, tambi6n es similar a T. catarinensis y T. molseediana.

Introduction
Tigridia Juss. (Tigridieae: Iridaceae) is a
N e w W o r l d g e n u s o f a b o u t 45 species,
g r o w i n g i n Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, a n d M e x i c o (Henrich & Goldblatt,
1994; G o l d b l a t t et al., 1998). I n M e x i c o the
g e n u s is represented by about 36 species and
six subspecies, o f w h i c h 29 species a n d six
subspecies are endemic. Currently, 11 species are k n o w n from the s o u t h e r n state of
Oaxaca. I n the course o f systematic studies
of Tigridia, we collected plants there that do
not fit a n y o f the descriptions o f those species. We describe them here as new.

Tigridia a m a t l a n e n s i s A a r o n Rodr. & A.

G a r c f a - M e n d o z a , sp. nov. (Fig. 1)

TYPE: M E X I C O . Oaxaca: 8.4 k m N o f

S a n t i a g o Amatl~in a l o n g a dirt road to S a n
M i g u e l C h i c a h u a , oak forest, 2 4 0 0 m, 7 Jul
2002, A. R o d r f g u e z & L. O r t i z - C a t e d r a l
2 9 7 2 (HOLOTYPE" I B U G ; ISOTYPES: E N C B ,
M E X U , NY).
Herba perennis, erecta, bulbosa; caules 55-80 cm
ark bulbus ovoideus 4-7 cm longus et 2-2.5 cm latus;
spathae bractearum subaequales, 5.5-6.5 cm longae et
0.7 cm latae; pedicellus gracillimus deflexus, 5.5-6 cm
longa; flores plures, nutantes, campanulati aut poculiformis, 1.3-2.5 cm diametro; tepala externa ovata, cirrata, 1.5-1.6 cm longa et 0.8~).9 cm lata, lineis et
maculis purpureis; tepala interna unguiculata, concava,
ovata, cirrata, lineis et maculis purpureis, 0.9 cm longa
et 0.6-0.7 cm lata; glande alba, in forma littera V inversa, partem apicem positae, 4 mm lata.
Erect, b u l b o u s , p e r e n n i a l herb, 5 5 - 8 0 c m
high, g l a b r o u s ; b u l b ovoid, 4 . 5 - 7 x 2 - 2 . 5

Brittonia, 56(2), 2004, pp. 128-131.

9 2004, by The New York Botanical Garden Press, Bronx, NY 10458-5126 U.S.A.

ISSUED: 7 April 2004

2004]

RODRIGUEZ & GARCIA-MENDOZA: TIGRIDIEAE

129

Y
re,

FIG. 1. Tigridia amatlanensis. A. Bulb. B. Habit. C. Flower (lateral view). D. Flower (front view). E. Fruits.
(A-D, Rodrlguez & Ortiz-Catedral 2972, IBUG, ENCB, MEXU, NY; E, Garcfa-Mendoza & Solano 7326,
IBUG, MEXU, NY.)

130

BRITTONIA

cm, the outer tunics thin, pale brown; flowering stem unbranched or bearing 1 or 2
branches; basal leaves 1, linear, plicate, 3 1 94 cm 7 - 9 ram, shorter or longer than
the flowering stem; cauline leaves 2, the upper one m u c h reduced, linear plicate, 1 9 35 c m 3 - 1 2 ram; inflorescence a rhipidium with subequal spathe valves, 5.5-6.5
0.7 cm; pedicels linear-filiform, 5 . 5 - 6 c m
long; flowers 6 - 8 per rhipidium, nodding,
campanulate, 1.3-2.5 cm wide; outer tepals
ovate, cirrhous, with purple lines and spots,
1.5-1.6 0.8-0.9 cm; inner tepals broadly
unguiculate, concave, ovate, cirrhous, 0.9
0.6-0.7 cm; nectary an inverted V-shaped
band, 4 m m broad, covering almost the entire tepal, white, the non-nectariferous portion of the tepal with purple lines and spots;
filaments connate, 3 - 5 m m long; anthers
spreading, yellowish, 5 m m long; pollen
grains bisulcate, exine reticulate; o v a r y clav a t e - l a n c e o l a t e , 3 - 5 X 1.5 ram; style
branches 5 m m long, deeply bifid into 2
arms, red to purple, a mucro present in style
arm sinuses, 1-1.5 m m long; mature capsule oblong-clavate, truncate, 1.1-2.2 c m
long, 0.7-0.9 c m diam.; seeds ovoid, 2.5
1.5 m m .
Additional specimens examined. MEXICO. Oaxaca. Distr. of NochixtPin, Mun. of San Miguel Chicahua, 8.5 km NW of Amatl~in along dirt rd. to Apoala,
17~
97~
oak forest with Arbutus and
Rhus, 2438 m, 10 Nov 2001, Garc[a-Mendoza & Solano 7326 (IBUG, MEXU); 8.4 km N of Santiago
Amatlgn along dirt rd. to San Miguel Chicahua, oak
forest, 2400 m, 9 Jul 2001, Rodrfguez & Ortiz-Catedral 2954 (IBUG, MEXU).

Tigridia amatlanensis is m o s t closely related to T. meleagris (Lindl.) G. Nicholson

and T. hallbergii Molseed subsp, hallbergii
(Table I). They share nodding flowers, exposed nectaries, and a mucro between the
style arms. In addition, the campanulate
flower and the cirrhous tepals are c o m m o n
to T. arnatlanensis and T. meleagris, but
they differ in the relative size o f the inner
and outer tepals, the nectary position, and
the nectary color. In T. meleagris, the inner
and outer tepals are subequal in contrast to
T. amatlanensis, in which the two series of
tepals are markedly dimorphic in length.
Furthermore, in T, meleagris the nectary is
situated at the base o f the inner tepals and

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RODRIGUEZ & GARCIA-MENDOZA: TIGRIDIEAE

the tissue behind it is yellow, whereas in 7".

amatlanensis the nectary is located at the
top o f the inner tepals and the nectary surface is white.
Tigridia amatlanensis differs from T.
hallbergii subsp, hallbergii in having cirrhous tepals; tepals in the latter are obtuse.
Additionally, the tepals of T. hallbergii
subsp, hallbergii are dark wine-purple, in
contrast to the tepals with light purple spots
on a yellowish background of T. amatla-

nensis.
Other species morphologically similar to

Tigridia amatlanensis are T. catarinensis

Cruden and T. molseediana Ravenna (Table
I). Still, T. amatlanensis is recognizable by
its nodding flowers and cirrhous tepals. All
species compared here have superficial and
exposed nectaries on the inner tepals. On
the basis of that character, T. amatlanensis
belongs to subgen. Hydrotaenia (Molseed,
1970). However, a molecular and morphological phylogenetic analysis did not support the division o f Tigridia into the subgenera Tigridia and Hydrotaenia (Rodr/guez, 1999). Further studies are needed to
resolve the phylogenetic relationship of T.

amatlanensis.
Distribution.--Tigridia amatlanensis is
known only from the region o f the type locality. It grows along the edges of oak for-

131

est. Other conspicuous elements o f the forest are Arbutus and Rhus. The soil is predominantly silty and black with abundant
organic matter.
Etymology.--The epithet refers to the
town o f Amatlzln, where this species is
known.
Acknowledgments

We thank Elvia Esparza for the illustration, Luis Ortiz Catedral for his help in the
field, and Roberto Gonz~ilez Tamayo for his
comments on the original manuscript.
Literature Cited
Goldblatt, P., J. C. Manning & P. Rudall. 1998.
Iridaceae. Pages 295-333. In: K. Kubitzki, editor.
The families and genera of vascular plants III:
flowering plants, monocotyledons,Lilianae (except
Orchidaceae). Springer-Verlag, New York.
Henrich, J. E. & P. Goldblatt. 1994. Iridaceae. Pages
71-80. In: D. Gerrit, M. Sousa & A. Q. Charter,
editors. Flora Mesoamericana. Vol. 6. Univ. Nacional Aut6noma de M6xico, Missouri Botanical
Garden, The Natural History Museum (London),
M6xico, D.E
Molseed, E. 1970. The genus Tigridia (Iridaceae) of
Mexico and Central America. Univ. California
Publ. Bot. 54: 1-113.
Rodrlguez, A. 1999. Molecular and morphological
systematics of the "tiger-flower" group (Tribe Tigridieae: Iridaceae), biogeographyand evidence for
the adaptive radiation of the subtribe Tigridiinae.
Ph.D. thesis. University of Wisconsin--Madison.