Zuloagocardamum (Brassicaceae: Thelypodieae) a New Genus from the Andes Highlands of Northern Argentina

Abstract

A new genus and species of Brassicaceae from Jujuy Province in Argentina, is described, illustrated, and its phylogenetic relationships to nearest relatives are demonstrated. It resembles some genera of the tribe Thelypodieae, such as Chilocardamum and Weberbauera, but differs mainly by having a well-developed woody caudex with reduced leafless stems, rosulate, awl-shaped or linear, sessile, parallel-veined basal leaves conspicuously ciliate with simple trichomes, racemes much shorter than the basal leaves, torulose fruits, and mucilaginous seeds. Phylogenetic analyses, based on DNA sequences of nuclear ITS and plastid ndhF and trnL-F regions, place Z. jujuyensis in the tribe Thelypodieae, where it is related to species of Weberbauera, Englerocharis, and Parodiodoxa. However, it is morphologically different from species of all four genera by the character combinations above.