A fruitful year for Spanish botany: fifty species new to science in 2021
2021 has been an important year for the botanical community in Spain, demonstrating that the study of plants is more vibrant than ever in our country. The recently established Spanish Botanical Society (SEBOT) held the First Spanish Congress of Botany in Toledo last September, attended by nearly 300 professionals, enthusiasts and students. Furthermore, after more than forty years of collective work, the monumental work Iberian Flora, a compendium of the more than 6,000 plant species found on the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. Other major highlights this year have included the first Spanish Flora Biomathon, a citizen science event with over 2,000 participants spread across the whole country, and the formation of the ‘Young People for Spanish Botany’ (JxBE) group, a youth community bringing together more than 250 people passionate about plants. As if that were not enough, a few months ago it was announced that Madrid would host the next International Congress of Botany (2024), the world’s largest event dedicated to this science.
A further indication of the particular interest that botany arouses in our country is the active discovery of plant biodiversity. According to the annual compilation carried out once again by SEBOT, our experts have described at least 52 species new to science over the past twelve months, a figure that once again exceeds that recorded in the previous year. All the territories of Spain (the mainland, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands) form part of a “hotspot” of plant species diversity. In fact, Spain is home to more plant species than most countries in the world, and a significant number of these are endemic, that is to say, they are found exclusively within our territory. Far from having exhausted our knowledge of our plant heritage, there is still research to be done to discover the not inconsiderable number of species that are yet to be recognised, as demonstrated by the 23 species on the list found within our territory. However, the work of our botanists is not limited to Spanish plants. Special ties with Latin America have meant that a further 22 of the new species come from countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. The list also includes species from Oman, South Africa and our neighbouring country, Portugal. All of this is an indication of the global reach of Spanish botany.
When assessing the identity of new species, it is evident that much of the work carried out by Spanish botanists has focused on four groups of plants. On the one hand, mosses; and on the other, three hyperdiverse families of flowering plants: the Asteraceae (daisy family), the Cyperaceae (sedge family) and the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family). Among the names chosen are some as striking as Grenovia Millennium (given that no species of this genus had been described since the 19th century, in the last millennium), Croton curculiospermus (because the seeds resemble a weevil’s snout) and Carex leviosa (from the levitation spell “Wingardium Leviosa” from the Harry Potter universe, in reference to the fact that the hanging spikes appear to be floating).
Once again this year, we at the Spanish Botanical Society wish to highlight the value of plant biodiversity and the importance of researching, raising awareness of and conserving it. We are confident that the new year, 2022, will be at least as fruitful in this regard as the year that is drawing to a close.
Ten examples of species new to science discovered in 2021 by Spanish botanists: from left to right and from top to bottom, the moss Fissidens eremicus (from mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and Morocco) and flowering plants Spergularia namaquensis (from South Africa), Pentacalia viburnifolia (from Bolivia), Triandra pellabergensis (from South Africa), Carex leviosa (from the Azores), Carex sequeirae (from Madeira), Senecio fernandinus (from Peru), Werneria praetermissa (from Argentina and Bolivia), Croton pluriglandulosus (from Brazil) and Euphorbia sobolifera (from Brazil). Photographs provided by J. Guerra, M. Martínez-Azorín, J. Calvo, H. Schaefer, M. Sequeira and R. Riina.
This is the list of new species described in 2021 by Spanish botanists or those working at Spanish institutions:
| SPECIES | FAMILY | DISTRIBUTION | LINK TO THE PUBLICATION |
| Fissidens eremicus J. Guerra & J.A. Jiménez | Fissidentaceae | The Iberian Peninsula, North Africa and the Canary Islands | https://doi.org/10.1080/03736687.2021.1910435 |
| Schistidium memnonium J. Guerra | Grimmiaceae | Spain, Greece, Germany | https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2020.1762789 |
| Syntrichia splendida M.T. Gallego & M.J. Cano | Pottiaceae | Chile | https://doi.org/10.1080/03736687.2021.1927655 |
| Narcissus ramirezii P. Gómez-Murillo, I. Arellano-Martín & A. Sánchez García | Amaryllidaceae | Camarolos Mountains (Málaga) | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_116-119_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium balnearicum Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | Panticosa (Huesca) | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium candanchuanum Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | Huesca | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium flocciprenanthoides Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | León | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium floccisaliencianum Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | Cantabrian Mountains | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium glorioanum Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | Cantabria | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium mansanetianum Matthew | Asteraceae | Tarragona | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/080/Flora_Montib_080_136-138_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium megalaniferum Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | Huesca | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium megandurense Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | Huesca | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium neobenascanum Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | Huesca | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium paleoscense Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | Huesca | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium petri-soriae Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | Huesca | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium riolagoanum Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | León | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium rivas-martinezii Matthew | Asteraceae | Teruel and Castellón | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/080/Flora_Montib_080_136-138_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium santhilaricum Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | Girona | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium valdeonense Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | León | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Hieracium villanuense Mateo, Egido & Gómiz | Asteraceae | Huesca | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/079/Flora_Montib_079_097-112_2021.pdf |
| Pentacalia viburnifolia J. Calvo & A. Fuentes | Asteraceae | Bolivia | https://doi.org/10.3417/2021649 |
| Pericallis tirmensis Marrero Rodr. & C. Santiago | Asteraceae | Artenara (Gran Canaria) | https://descargas.grancanaria.com/jardincanario/documentosweb/botanica-macaronesica/31/11Bot-Macar31,%20Pericallis%20tirmensis%20nov,%20%c1.%20Marrero,%20pag%20191-211.pdf |
| Pilosella aguilellae Matthew | Asteraceae | Sierra Nevada (Granada) | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/080/Flora_Montib_080_132-135_2021.pdf |
| Pilosella gorbeana Matthew | Asteraceae | Gorbea Mountains (Álava) | http://www.floramontiberica.org/FM/080/Flora_Montib_080_132-135_2021.pdf |
| Senecio fernandinus H. Beltrán & J. Calvo | Asteraceae | Peru | https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.479.2.6 |
| Senecio phlomidifolius H. Beltrán | Asteraceae | Peru | https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.479.2.6 |
| Werneria praetermissa J. Calvo | Asteraceae | North-western Argentina and southern Bolivia | https://doi.org/10.1111/njb.03340 |
| Spergularia namaquensis Schltr. formerly M.Á. Alonso, M.B. Crespo, Mart.-Azorín & Mucina | Caryophyllaceae | Namaqualand (North-West, South Africa) | https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-021-01743-6 |
| Spergularia quartzicola M.Á. Alonso, M.B. Crespo, Mart.-Azorín & Mucina | Caryophyllaceae | Namaqualand (North-West, South Africa) | https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2021.1887955 |
| Varronia teguorum Fern. Alonso & J.I.M. Melo | Cordiaceae | Boyacá and Cundinamarca (Colombia) | https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.507.1.8 |
| Greenovia Millennium Arango | Crassulaceae | Teno Massif (Tenerife) | https://descargas.grancanaria.com/jardincanario/documentosweb/botanica-macaronesica/31/2Bot-Macar31_Greenovia,_Octavio%20Arango.pdf |
| Carex gordon-grayae Luceño, Márq.-Corro & Sánchez-Villegas | Cyperaceae | South Africa | https://peerj.com/articles/11336 |
| Carex leviosa Míguez, Jim; Mejías, H.; Schaef; & Martín-Bravo | Cyperaceae | Azores (Portugal) | https://doi.org/10.1600/036364421X16231782047442 |
| Carex pedicularis Jim Mejías & Naczi | Cyperaceae | SE of South America | https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boaa100 |
| Carex phylloscirpoides Saldivia, S. Gebauer, Martín-Bravo & Jim Mejías | Cyperaceae | Atacama (Chile) | https://doi.org/10.1600/036364421X16128061189567 |
| Carex sequeirae Míguez, Jim.-Mejías, Benítez-Benítez & Martín-Bravo | Cyperaceae | Madeira (Portugal) | https://doi.org/10.1600/036364421X16231782047442 |
| Croton almadinensis Caruzo & Riina | Euphorbiaceae | Southern Bahia (Brazil) | https://doi.org/10.3417/2021669 |
| Croton amaraliae Riina & P.E. Berry | Euphorbiaceae | C and S Amazon (Brazil) | https://doi.org/10.3417/2021669 |
| Croton cuadrosii P.E. Berry | Euphorbiaceae | Bolívar (Colombia) | https://doi.org/10.3417/2021669 |
| Croton curculiospermus Riina | Euphorbiaceae | Cochabamba (Bolivia) | https://doi.org/10.3417/2021669 |
| Croton huamaliensis Riina | Euphorbiaceae | Huánuco (Peru) | https://doi.org/10.3417/2021669 |
| Croton kallunkiae Riina & Caruzo | Euphorbiaceae | Espírito Santo and Bahia (Brazil) | https://doi.org/10.3417/2021669 |
| Croton pluriglandulosus Carn.-Torres & Riina | Euphorbiaceae | W Brazil | https://doi.org/10.3417/2021669 |
| Euphorbia blepharadena O.L.M. Silva & Cordeiro | Euphorbiaceae | Minas Gerais (Brazil) | https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.733.1223 |
| Euphorbia longipedunculata O.L.M. Silva & Riina | Euphorbiaceae | Goiás (Brazil) | https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.733.1223 |
| Euphorbia sobolifera O.L.M. Silva & P.J. Braun | Euphorbiaceae | Bahia (Brazil) | https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.733.1223 |
| Triandra pellabergensis Mart.-Azorín, M.B. Crespo, M.Á. Alonso, N.R. Crouch & M. Pinter | Hyacinthaceae | Pellaberg (South Africa) | https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.487.1.5 |
| Vera-duthiea capillifolia A. Patzelt, M. Pinter & Mart.-Azorín | Hyacinthaceae | Oman | https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.524.1.5 |
| Quararibea cornejoi Fern.Alonso | Malvaceae | Manabí, Los Ríos and Pichincha (Ecuador) | https://doi.org/10.3989/ajbm.2584 |
| Quararibea latilimbata Fern.Alonso | Malvaceae | Antioquia (Colombia) | https://doi.org/10.3989/ajbm.2584 |
| Quararibea villanuevae Fern.Alonso | Malvaceae | Colombia | https://doi.org/10.3989/ajbm.2584 |
| Plantago chihuahuensis Shipunov | Plantaginaceae | Chihuahua (Mexico) | https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112299 |