Agrimonia pubescens Wallr.

Authority

Kline, Genevieve J. & Sørensen, Paul D. 2008. A revision of (Rosaceae) in North and Central America.

Family

Rosaceae

Scientific Name

Agrimonia pubescens Wallr.

Description

Species Description - Herbaceous perennial 5-16 dm. Roots fibrous and with slender fusiform tubers. Stems pubescent to villous and hirsure, the stiff haris scattered, erect, 2-3mm long. Stipules more or less broadly half ovate, the entire outer margin shallowly incised, the apical lobe sometimes long acuminate; abaxial leaf surface pubescent to pilose and sparingly hirsute with the stiff hairs 1-2.0 mm long, all eglandular hairs usually disposed most densely along the major veins, rarley with sessile, glistening glandular hairs; terminal leaflets the largest, the largest of these 3.3 - 9.8 x 1.4 - 5.5 cm; minor leaflets 0-1 or 1-3 pairs. Inflorescence rachis pubescent to villous and hirsute, the stiff hairs usually scattered, usually erect and 1-2 mm long below to usually scending and about 1mm long above. Flowers numbering to 70 on each raceme, usually alternate along the rachis; sepals 1.2 -2.2 x 0.7-1.1 mm, apex acute; petals 1.7 -3.5 x 1-2 mm. Mature fruiting hypanthium turbinate to campanulate, sometimes broadly so, to somewhat obconic, deeply to shallowly sulcate two - thirds to the length of the hypanthium, with hooked bristles in three to four circumferential rows, the lower most row spreading at approximately 90 º (pressed upward on dried specimens); hypanthium surface with short stalked glandular hairs, grooves strigose, the ridges usually sparingly hirsute. Mature reflexed fruit with hypanthia 1.9-4.5 x 2-4.6 mm

Discussion

Type: United States. New York: Albany Co., Clarksville, in dry woods, 1 Sep 1931, H. D. House 18907 (neotype, designated by V. Skalickr, 1973: PRC, seen in digital photo DEK; isoneotypes: NYS, TEX).

Agrimonia eupatoria y mollis Torr. & A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1: 431. 1840. A. mollis (Torr. & A. Gray) Britton, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 19: 221-222. 1892. Eupatorium molle (Torr. & A. Gray) Nieuwland, Am. Midland. Nat. 4: 71. 1915. Type: United States. Oklahoma/Texas border: Red River, [1831-1834], Dr Z. Pitcher s.n. (holotype:

Agrimonia microcarpa Wallr., Beit. Bot. 1: 39-40. 1842. Emend. Skalicky', 1973. A. pubescens Wallr. var. microcarpa (Wallr.) Ahles. J. Elisha Mitchell Society 80: 172. 1964. Type: United States. Pennsylvania: Bethlehem, Jul 1832, C. J. Moser s.n. [lectotype, designated by Skalicki, 1973: W (two sheets); isolectotype: CAS].

Agrimonia mollis var. bicknellii Kearney, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 24: 565. 1897. Agrimonia bicknellii (Kearney) Rydb., N. Amer. Fl. 22(5): 394. 1913. Type: United States. Tennessee: Cocke Co., Wolf Cr., 2 Sep 1897, T H. Kearney, Jr 691 (holotype: OS; isotypes: MO, NY,

Agrimonia platycarpa Walklr., Beit. Bot. 1: 38-39. Type: United States: State unknown [probably Pennsylvania or South Carolina]: "near Hamburg," [1833-1834], E Beyrich s.n., (lectotype, here designated: two fruits in packet, PR 546B). United States. Maryland: Talbot Co., 0.25 mile WSW of Easton Point, 2 Aug 1942, E. C Earle 3702 (epitype, here designated: PH)

Phenology: Flowering from mid- July to August (-September)

Selected specimens examined. CANADA. ONTARIO: Essex Co., Colchester S Twp., S of Hwy. 18, Camp Cedarwyn Boy Scout Camp, 17 Aug 1982, Oldham 3104 (CAN).

Agrimonia pubescens is a polymorphic species with three recognizable morphs and their intermediates. All of these morphs occur across the species range, sometimes two or more occurring in the same population. The three morphs are distinguished as follows: (1) leaves with major leaflets broadly obovate to more or less elliptic, with five to seven major leaflets on mid-cauline leaves and zero to one minor pair; (2) leaves with major leaflets more or less narrowly obovate to elliptic, with seven major leaflets on mid-cauline leaves and zero to one or one to three minor pairs; and (3) leaves with major leaflets elliptic to lanceolate, with seven to nine major leaflets on mid-cauline leaves and zero to one or one to three minor pairs. Lateral leaflets are frequently falcate in morphs 2 and 3. Stipules with long-acuminate apical lobes prevail in morph 3 and are frequent in morph 2. Our observations in the garden of individual plants grown from seed or transplants reveal that plants two to three years old and some older plants under stress conform to morph 1. These same plants in subsequent years conform to either morph 2 or 3. We conclude that many, if not most, plants of morph 1 are either juvenile plants or those under stress. Until further studies clarify the relationships between these morphs, we believe designation of varietal taxa is unwarranted.

After careful reading of Wallroth's description (1842: 3 8-39) and examination of the only extant original material, two fruits at PR originally taken from a specimen at B that was most likely not the material examined by Wallroth, we believe Agrimonia platycarpa is synonymous with A. pubescens rather than A. microcarpa (SkalickV, 1973). We have designated the two fruits at PR as the lectotype for A. platycarpa. To further illustrate the vegetative characteristics enumerated in the description and missing from the lectotype and to clearly define the taxon A. platycarpa, we have designated an epitype for the taxon as well [International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (St. Louis Code), Electronic Version, Art. 9.7, 2003

The leaves of some plants of Agrimonia pubescens are similar in appearance to those of A. gryposepala, A. pringlie, or A. straiata, and some are similar to those of A. microcarpa and A.rostellata, based on the number and the shape of major leaflets and the number of minor leaflets. Nevertheless, A. pubescens does not usually have sessile, glistening glandular hairs on the leaflets surface, as do A.gryposepala, A. pringlei, A. rostellata, and A. gryposepala, A. pringlei, and A. rostellata have abaxial leaf surfaces that are merely hirsute in contrast to those of A. pubescens, which are both hirsute and pubescent to villous. The stipules of A. striata are nearly entire or merely proximally incised and most flowers are sub-opposite along the raceme rachis in contrast to A. pubescens, which has stipules incised along the entire margin and flowers alternate along the raceme

Distribution

Agrimonia pubescens occurs in wet thickets and open places in mesic deciduous and mixed deciduous woods from New Hamphire along the Great Lakes through the Great Plains and into the South-eastern mountains of the United States and northward into Ontario, Canada, to 1300 m elevation.

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