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Anulocaulis leiosolenus var. gypsogenus
(Pecos gyp ringstem)
[taxon report][distribution map][photos][line drawing]
Family: Nyctaginaceae
Scientific Name: Anulocaulis leiosolenus (Torrey) Standley var. gypsogenus (Waterfall) Spellenberg & T. Wootten
Synonyms: Anulocaulis gypsogenus Waterfall
Vernacular Name: Pecos gyp ringstem
R-E-D Code: 1-1-2
Description: Robust perennial herb to 1.5 m tall, forming large clumps; leaves mostly in 1-3 pairs in the basal 1/4 of the plant, petioles 5-10 cm long, blades broadly ovate to more or less circular, thick, leathery-succulent, glaucous pale bluish-green, smooth; inflorescence widely paniculate, forming the distal 3/4 of the plant, the internodes with sticky glutinous bands; flowers borne singly or in few-flowered clusters; perianth funnelform, 5-lobed, slightly zygomorphic, white to very pale pink, about 3 cm long; stamens 3, about twice the length of the perianth, lavender-pink; style exserted slightly beyond the anthers, lavender-pink; fruit biturbinate, 5-8 mm long, 3-4.5 mm wide, with 10 irregular longitudinal ridges and with an equatorial wing 0.8-1.2 mm wide. Flowers June to October.
Similar Species: Anulocaulis leiosolenus var. howardii, from the west slope of the Guadalupe Mountains, differs in its somewhat glaucous bluish-green leaves with scattered darkened tubercules, its deep rose-pink flowers, and the fruit with a wing 0.2-0.9 mm wide. Anulocaulis leiosolenus var. leiosolenus, mostly from along the Rio Grande, has green leaves that are notably tuberculate, pale pink flowers, and a wing on the fruit 0.2-0.6 mm wide.
Distribution: New Mexico, Chaves and Eddy counties, along the drainage of the Pecos River; adjacent Texas, Culberson, Loving, and Reeves counties.
Habitat: Open gypsum outcrops at about 1,000-1,400 m (3,300-4,600 ft).
Remarks: This plant does not occur off gypsum, but is locally abundant within its restricted habitat.
Conservation Considerations: Pecos gyp ringstem is common within its habitat. Plants are occasionally browsed by domestic livestock as they pass through populations.
Important Literature (*Illustration):
*Spellenberg, R. 1993. Taxonomy of Anulocaulis (Nyctaginaceae). Sida 15:373-389.
Spellenberg, R. and T. Wootten. 1999. Vascular plants on a gypsum outcrop in southern New Mexico: A listing, a new variety and taxonomic realignments in the Anulocaulis leiosolenus complex (Nyctaginaceae), and a new variety of Mentzelia humilus (Loasaceae). Sida 18(4):987-999.
Information Compiled By: Richard Spellenberg, 1999
Agency Status:
