Iberodes commutata
Iberodes commutata is a species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae. It is an annual endemic to Cádiz and Málaga provinces of southern Spain. It has a conical receptacle. This delicate white to pale violet plant grows exclusively on limestone soils in the mountainous regions of southern Spain. Initially mistaken for other similar species, it was only recognized as distinct in 1980, with its current scientific name being assigned in 2016 after taxonomic reclassification.
Description
Omphalodes commutata is an annual herbaceous plant that is predominantly , except for tiny white glandular bumps and a few coarse hairs along the leaf margins. The stem grows erect—often with a slight zig-zag or habit—and remains unbranched in its lower half, branching only from the middle or upper nodes. The basal leaves are to spatulate- with blunt tips, whereas the upper leaves are to narrowly ovate and have bases that partially clasp the stem.Flowers are borne in bractless —unbranched clusters of flowers along a central axis—each on a spreading, almost hairless stalk up to 1 cm long, with a few hairs near the tip. The is covered in small wart-like projections or dense, appressed hairs and ends in five lance-shaped lobes fringed with hairs. The is white or pale violet and forms a tubular throat and lobes that extend well beyond the calyx. Fruiting results in two smooth, shiny —hard, one-seeded units typical of the borage family —which are oval, hairless, and feature an margin that is only slightly incurved.
Taxonomy
Specimens of this plant were long confused with the widespread Omphalodes pavoniana under the names Cynoglossum brassicifolium Lag. and Omphalodes amplexicaulis, later treated as Omphalodes brassicifolia and O. amplexicaulis. In his 1980 protologue, López González lectotypified both C. brassicifolium and O. amplexicaulis, demonstrating that material matching their descriptions actually belongs to O. pavoniana, and recognised the Andalusian limestone‐dwelling plants as a separate species, which he named Omphalodes commutata.The lectotype of Cynoglossum brassicifolium is specimen MA 94698 at the Real [Jardín Botánico de Madrid], and that of Omphalodes amplexicaulis is MEL 90926 at the National Herbarium of Victoria. The holotype of O. commutata is MA 210998, collected 30 April 1977 near Ronda by Fuertes, Ladero, López & Navarro.