Two hybrids of genus Erica L. are recorded from northwest Spain. Erica x stuartii (MacFarl.) Mast. (E. tetralix L. x E. mackaiana Bab.) is recorded from Aranga (A Coruña, NW Spain). Hitherto this hybrid was only known from Ireland and Asturias (N Spain). Erica x veitchii Bean (E. arborea L. x E. lusitanica Rudolphi) is recorded from Asturias for first time in the wild. E. lusitanica corresponds to the recently described subspecies cantabrica Fagúndez & Izco, therefore a new name for the nothosubspecies is proposed: E. x veitchii nothosubsp. Asturica nothosubsp. nov.Se citan dos nuevos híbridos del género Erica L. del noroeste de España. Erica x stuartii (MacFarl.) Mast. (E. tetralix L. x E. mackaiana Bab.) se recolectó en Aranga (A Coruña, NO España). Hasta ahora este híbrido sólo se conocía de Irlanda y Asturias (N España). Erica x veitchii Bean (E. arborea L. x E. lusitanica Rudolphi) se cita de Asturias por primera vez en el medio natural. E. lusitanica corresponde a la subspecie cantabrica Fagúndez & Izco, por lo que se propone un nombre para la nueva nothosubespecie: E. x veitchii nothosubsp. Asturica nothosubsp. nov

Fagúndez, Jaime

Portal de Revistas Científicas Complutenses

INTRODUCTION
Erica x stuartii (MacFarl.) Mast. is the hybrid of
E. tetralix L. and E. mackaiana Bab. These two spe-
cies, together with E. andevalensis Cabezudo & Rive-
ra, form a closely related taxonomic group (McClin-
tock 1989, Bayer 1993, Fagúndez & Izco 2004). E.
tetralix has a wide distribution from central Spain to
Norway while E. mackaiana occurs only in northern
Spain and in western Ireland. The two species live
together in Ireland and in certain places in Spain (Nel-
son & Fraga 1983, McClintock 1989). In Ireland the
hybrid, plants with different levels of intermediate
characters, is easily found (Nelson 1989, McClintock
1989) while in Spain the hybrid has been reported
from different places in Asturias (Díaz & García 1992:
133, Díaz et al. 1994: 543). In Figure 1 the approxi-
mate distribution limit of E. mackaiana in Galicia is
presented, and several localities where both species
grow in close proximity.
Erica x veitchii Bean is the hybrid of E. arborea L.
and E. lusitanica Rudolphi. Both species are the only
European species of sect. Arsace in Europe (Bayer
1993). E. lusitanica occurs in the Iberian Peninsula with
two subspecies, subsp. lusitanica from Portugal and
western Spain and subsp. cantabrica from northern
Spain and southwest France (Fagúndez & Izco 2006). E.
arborea has a wider distribution from Turkey to the Ibe-
rian Peninsula and it is also reported in central and east
Africa, Madeira and the Canary Islands (de Benito 1948,
Hansen 1950). In the Iberian Peninsula both species
grow together in many localities.
Botanica Complutensis 30: 131-135. 2006 ISSN: 0214-4565
131
Two wild hybrids of Erica L. (Ericaceae) from northwest Spain
Jaime Fagúndez
Abstract: Fagúndez, J. 2006. Two wild hybrids of Erica L. (Ericaceae) from northwest Spain. Bot. Complut. 30: 131-135.
Two hybrids of genus Erica L. are recorded from northwest Spain. Erica x stuartii (MacFarl.) Mast. (E. tetralix L. x E. mackaiana Bab.)
is recorded from Aranga (A Coruña, NW Spain). Hitherto this hybrid was only known from Ireland and Asturias (N Spain). Erica x veitchii
Bean (E. arborea L. x E. lusitanica Rudolphi) is recorded from Asturias for first time in the wild. E. lusitanica corresponds to the recently des-
cribed subspecies cantabrica Fagúndez & Izco, therefore a new name for the nothosubspecies is proposed: E. x veitchii nothosubsp. asturica
nothosubsp. nov.
Key words: Erica x stuartii, Erica x veitchii, Erica x veitchii nothosubsp. asturica, Erica tetralix, Erica mackaiana, Erica arborea, Erica lusi-
tanica subsp. cantabrica, hybridisation, Spain.
Resumen: Fagúndez, J. 2006. Dos híbridos de Erica L. (Ericaceae) del noroeste de España. Bot. Complut. 30: 131-135.
Se citan dos nuevos híbridos del género Erica L. del noroeste de España. Erica x stuartii (MacFarl.) Mast. (E. tetralix L. x E. mackaia-
na Bab.) se recolectó en Aranga (A Coruña, NO España). Hasta ahora este híbrido sólo se conocía de Irlanda y Asturias (N España). Erica x
veitchii Bean (E. arborea L. x E. lusitanica Rudolphi) se cita de Asturias por primera vez en el medio natural. E. lusitanica corresponde a la
subspecie cantabrica Fagúndez & Izco, por lo que se propone un nombre para la nueva nothosubespecie: E. x veitchii nothosubsp. asturica
nothosubsp. nov.
Palabras clave: Erica x stuartii, Erica x veitchii, Erica x veitchii nothosubsp. asturica, Erica tetralix, Erica mackaiana, Erica arborea, Erica
lusitanica subsp. cantabrica, hibridación, España.
Departamento de Biología Vegetal, Escuela Superior y Técnica de Ingeniería Agraria, Campus de Ponferrada, Universidad de León, Avda.
de Astorga s/n, E-24400 Ponferrada, León, Spain. jaimefagundez@unileon.es
Recibido: 13 enero 2006. Aceptado: 17 febrero 2006
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Erica x stuartii (MacFarl.) Mast.
This hybrid was collected on the 2 August 2005 at
Aranga, Cambás, at 660 m altitude in Serra da Loba (A
Coruña) UTM 29TNH8792. Voucher specimens have
been deposited at the herbarium of Santiago de Com-
postela (SANT). Only one plant was found. It formed a
very low shrub, about 15 cm in height, spreading over
one square metre. Flowering started in mid July, some-
time after E. tetralix but at the same time as E. mac-
kaiana. 15 capsules were examined, but no mature seed
was found. The locality were E. x stuartii was discove-
red is a peat bog in the Serra da Loba that separate A
Coruña and Lugo Province in the north of Galicia (Fig.
1). It was growing with E. tetralix, E. mackaiana, E.
ciliaris, Calluna vulgaris, Genista berberidea, Ulex
gallii subsp. breogani and other herbaceous species. The
vegetation community is Genisto berberideae-Ericetum
tetralicis (Calluno-Ulicetea).
The main differences between E. x stuartii and its
parents are shown in Table 1; the descriptions were com-
piled from specimens collected at Aranga. Close to the
place where the hybrid grows other heathers were noted
such as E. ciliaris and other species of drier soils that are
E. umbellata, E. cinerea, E. arborea and E. australis
subsp. aragonensis. However, there is no doubt of the
parents as no characters relate the plant with any of the
other species.
The plant was intermediate in almost every cha-
racter, especially in ovary hairiness (Fig. 2). The lea-
ves resemble those of E. mackaiana although they
have some woolly hairs on the petioles as in E. tetra-
lix, and some hairs on the side of the midrib on the
lower surface.
E. stuartii was discovered in 1890 in Connemara
(Ireland) and found again in the same locality in July
2000 (Nelson 2001). It was first published by MacFar-
lane (1893) as a subspecies of E. tetralix, but this plant
is now known to be a teratological clone of the hybrid of
E. tetralix and E. mackaiana and is still in cultivation
under the name E. x stuartii ‘Stuartii’ (McClintock
1979, 1980). Later, Linton (1902) considered it to be a
hybrid between E. mackaiana and E. mediterranea (=E.
erigena). Ostenfeld (1912) described E. x praegeri as
the hybrid of E. mackayi (=E. mackaiana) and E. tetra-
lix, and this binomial was used until the late 1970’s for
Jaime Fagúndez Two wild hybrids of Erica L. (Ericaceae) from nortwest Spain
132 Botanica Complutensis: 30: 131-135. 2006
Fig. 1— Western and southern distribution limit of E. mackaiana in northwest Spain (dotted line). White circles are localities where E. tetra-
lix and E. mackaiana occur together (from Fraga 1982, Nelson & Fraga 1983, Soñora 1995 and personal observations). Black circle is
the hybrid locality.
E. mackaiana x E. tetralix, but McClintock (1979) poin-
ted out that the correct name for the hybrid should be E.
x stuartii. Nelson (1995) discussed the authority for the
name for this hybrid and established that it should be E.
x stuartii (MacFarl.) Mast. originally published by Mas-
ters (1901). In Ireland this hybrid is very abundant, it
always accompanies E. mackaiana and it has now been
reported from four widely separate localities (Nelson
2005). In western and central Asturias, the hybrid is rare
and occurs in humid heathlands and peat bogs (Díaz &
García 1992: 133).
Erica x veitchii Bean
In the course of a wider study in E. lusitanica
(Fagúndez & Izco 2006) material was studied from dif-
ferent herbaria. Two herbarium sheets (SANT 47856,
LISI no number) that were sent as part of an exiccata
from the Iberian and Macaronesian Herbaria Associa-
tion (AHIM) in 2002 from Candamo (Asturias) labelled
E. arborea, collected by J. J. Lastra in April 2002, were
found to be the hybrid between E. arborea and E. lusi-
tanica.
Jaime Fagúndez Two wild hybrids of Erica L. (Ericaceae) from nortwest Spain
133 Botanica Complutensis: 30: 131-135. 2006
Tabla 1
Differences between E. x stuartii and its parents; the descriptions are derived from plants collected by the author at the hybrid locality
(E. tetralix: J. Fagúndez SANT 53650, E. mackaiana: J. Fagúndez, SANT 53652).
E. tetralix E. x stuartii E. mackaiana
Habit Low, about 50 cm. Branches few Very low, about 15 cm. Up to 80 cm. Branches numerous
Branches few
Stem Woolly, with long, thin Slightly woolly Hirsute, with short erect hairs
eglandular hairs of 1mm of 0.1mm and long eglandular
hairs of 1mm
Leaves arrangement in Erect. Internodes increase in length Erect-patent. Internodes increase Patent. Internodes all equal
flowering stems gradually below inflorescence slightly in length below
inflorescence
Leaves Revolute, woolly with some long Similar to the E. mackaiana type Very slightly revolute. Glabrous 
glandular or eglandular but with some woolly hairs on with about 12 long glandular or
multicellular hairs the pedicel and short hairs eglandular multicellular hairs
on the sides of the midrib
Inflorescence Pendant and erect in fruit Less pendant Less pendant
Corolla About 7 mm. Hairy at the top and About 7 mm. Hairy at the top and About 6 mm. Glabrous or with
with some sparse hairs in upper half with some sparse hairs in upper half some hairs at the top
Anthers Light brown. Anther appendages Dark brown, with appendages Dark brown, with appendages
with slightly toothed margin broader with toothed or laciniate with toothed or laciniate margin
margin
Ovary and fruit Very hairy with long, thin hairs Some shorter hairs on the apex Glabrous
Tabla 2
Main differences of E. x veitchii and its parents. Parents descriptions from Fagúndez & Izco (2006).
E. arborea E. x veitchii E. lusitanica subsp. cantabrica
Echinate hairs Present Absent Absent
Staminal filaments Glabrous Glabrous Hairy at base
Bract and bracteoles Variable; at base, middle Basal Half way of the pedicel,
or top of the pedicel rarely basal
Stigma Broadly capitate, disk-like Obconic to capitate Obconic to capitate
Corolla length (mm) 2-3 3-3.5 3.5-5
Corolla lobes (mm) 0.4-0.8 (1.5) 1-1.5 0.8-1
Anther size (mm) 0.7-1.1 0.8-1 0.6-0.9
Anther appendages (mm) 0.3-0.7 Toothed 0.2-0.4 Spinulose 0.5-0.7 Coarsely spinulose
The difference between E. x veitchii and its parents
are shown in Table 2. The main difference with E. arbo-
rea is the lack of divided hairs, the larger corolla with
distinct lobes and the stigma not broadly capitate, while
it may be distinguished from E. lusitanica by the absen-
ce of hairs at the base of the staminal filaments and the
size and shape of the corolla. The parents are clear as no
characters that could resemble other Erica species are
found. Pollen grains appeared to be normal under the
light microscope, not irregular as reported by Bean
Jaime Fagúndez Two wild hybrids of Erica L. (Ericaceae) from nortwest Spain
134 Botanica Complutensis: 30: 131-135. 2006
A B
C D
E F
Fig. 2— Fruit valves (A, C, E) and lower surface of the leaf (B, D, F) of E. tetralix (A, B), E. x stuartii (C, D) and E. mackaiana (E, F). From
plants collected at the hybrid locality. For SEM pictures, fruits and leaves were dried with silica-gel and mounted on metal stubs using
double-stick tape and gold-coated.
(1905). Erica x veitchii was described by William Jack-
son Bean in 1905 based on a plant discovered in Messrs
Robert Veitch & Sons` nursery, Exeter, Devon (UK). The
parent species do grow together within the natural geo-
graphic range of E. lusitanica, yet the only published refe-
rence to an intermediate occurring in the wild is a note by
Laguna (1883: 73) about plants found in San Sebastián
(Basque country, north Spain). Laguna did not provide a
description nor did he propose a name for the hybrid.
E. lusitanica subsp. cantabrica Fagúndez & Izco
has been recently described by us for the populations of
E. lusitanica from north Spain and south west France
(Fagúndez & Izco 2006). We do not know which subs-
pecies of E. lusitanica was the parent of the hybrid ori-
ginally described by Bean (1905), but corolla shape and
style exertion shown in the illustrations correspond to
the type of E. lusitanica subsp. lusitanica. Therefore, a
new name should be given to the new nothosubspecies:
Erica x veitchii Bean nothosubsp. asturica Fagúndez
nothosubsp. nova
(E. arborea L. x E. lusitanica Rudolphi subsp. cantabri-
ca Fagúndez & Izco).
Type: HS: Oviedo, Candamo, Laracha, 29TQJ4010, 105 m, J.
J. Lastra, 8-4-2002, SANT 47856. (Labelled as Erica arborea L.).
Isotype: Same data. LISI (no number).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am greatful to Dr. Charles Nelson for the review of this paper,
and to the referee of this journal for his useful comments. Dr. J. Izco
also participates in the study of Erica genus.
Jaime Fagúndez Two wild hybrids of Erica L. (Ericaceae) from nortwest Spain
135 Botanica Complutensis: 30: 131-135. 2006
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REFERENCES


Two wild hybrids of Erica L. (Ericaceae) from northwest Spain

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Two wild hybrids of Erica L. (Ericaceae) from northwest Spain

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