Salvia martineziana Fragoso & Martinez-Ambr. 2024, sp. nov.

Salvia martineziana Fragoso & Martínez-Ambr. sp. nov. Diagnosis. Similar to Salvia brachyphylla, but differing from it by the pubescence of the plant (strigose with retrorse trichomes vs. hispid with erect trichomes); having smaller leaves (1–1.5 × 0.5–1 cm vs. 1.5–3 × 1–2.5) with a tomentulose lower leaf side (vs. hispid); flowers axillary (vs. forming racemes), calyx campanulate (vs. tubular-campanulate) and lower lobe of the corolla reflexed (vs. reclinate). Type. Dominican Republic. Independencia, Duvergé • Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco, 6.8 km al S de Puerto Escondido por el camino a la Caseta 1; 18°17'10.4994"N, 71°34'6.3978"W; 965 m; 24 Nov 2016; I. Fragoso-Martínez, G. A. Salazar & T. Clase 497 (holotype: JBSD 129573; isotypes: MEXU 1512142, XAL 0154234). Description. Suffruticose herbs, 0.3–0.5 m tall; stems strigose with retrorsely appressed trichomes, internodes 0.8–2.4 cm long. Leaves obovate to flabellate, 1–1.5 × 0.5–1 cm, base cuneate, decurrent, apex acute to obtuse, margin crenate-serrate, ciliate; upper leaf surface bullate, densely hirsute; lower leaf surface whitish, tomentulose simple trichomes minute, curved, white, with yellow spherical glands; petioles 4–8 mm long. Flowers axillary, 2 per node; pedicels 1.5–4.5 mm long, hirsute. Calyx green, campanulate, 5–6.8 mm long, densely hirsute, with simple and glandular trichomes; tube 3–5 × 3 mm; lobes ovate-deltate, apex apiculate, upper lobe 2.5–4 mm long, curved backwards, 3 - veined, margin ciliate, lower lobes 1.6–2.5 mm long, straight. Corolla violet with white nectar guides in the lower lobe, 1.2–1.4 cm long, tube 7–9 × 2.9 mm, ventricose, invaginate, internally epapillate, lobes unequal in length, upper lobe galeate, 4.5–6.5 mm long, densely pubescent, lower lobe 7–7.5 × 8.4 mm, tetralobate, reflexed. Stamens included in the upper corolla lobe, fused close to the corolla opening; filaments 1.5–2 mm long; connective 7.5–8.5 mm long, sparsely pilose, with an entire tooth close to the insertion with the filament, retrorse; upper arm of the connective slightly longer than the lower arm, 4–4.5 mm long, thecae 1–1.5 mm long; lower arm 3.5–4 mm long. Style 13–15 mm long, densely pubescent near the branches, with simple and capitate glandular trichomes, upper branch longer than the lower one, lower branch spathulate. Nectary disc surface with spherical glands near the base of the mericarps, nectary horn ca. 1 mm long, oblong, laterally compressed. Mericarps ovoid, 1.5–2 × 0.4–0.6 mm, smooth. Phenology. Flowers were documented from November to May. Fruits have been observed after this period. Etymology. The epithet “ martineziana ” honors the Mexican botanist Martha Martínez Gordillo, specialist of the Euphorbiaceae and Lamiaceae families. Dr. Martínez works at the FCME herbarium at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. She has conducted fieldwork mainly in the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, Mexico and Oaxaca. Her study of the Mexican flora, particularly that of Guerrero, has led to the description of more than 30 species of angiosperms, many of them from the genus Salvia. Dr. Martínez has taught botany to numerous generations of Mexican biologists, and her exemplary professional and academic ethics, determination, kindness and generosity are an inspiration to her students. Distribution, habitat and conservation status. Endemic to the dry forests with limestone soils from Sierra de Bahoruco in Independencia, Dominical Republic (Fig. 3). Salvia martineziana is represented by two collections, each seemingly belonging to different populations, both from the southern region of Puerto Escondido in the Sierra de Barohuco. In the GeoCat (Bachman et al. 2011) analysis, the species’ extent of occurrence (EEO) is 0.09 km 2 with an area of occupancy (AOO) of 8 km 2. Considering these results, combined with the high level of endemism of the region, and taking into account the IUCN criteria (IUCN 2022), we suggest that S. martineziana should be placed in the category of Critically Endangered (CR). Comments. This species is sister to a clade formed by two other Dominican species of Salvia section Urbania (Fig. 4). It differs from S. praeterita by lacking flowers in racemes and from S. claseana by the size of the leaves (smaller in S. martineziana: 1–1.5 × 0.5–1 cm vs. 1.3–3.6 × 1–3 cm) and the pubescence of the lower side of the blades (tomentulose vs. densely pubescent). Morphologically, S. martineziana resembles S. brachyphylla the most, a Haitian species. However, it differs mainly by the lack of racemes, having the flowers distributed in the axils of the upper portion of the branches. Additional specimens examined. Dominican Republic. Independencia, Duvergé • 5.2 km al S de Puerto Escondido en camino a Acetillar, Sierra de Bahoruco; 170 m; 9 May 1985; T. Zanoni et al. 34648 (JBSD).