''Micromeria glomerata'', known locally as cliff thyme (''

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

'': ''tomillo'' ''de risco'''')'' or thyme of Taganana, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of plant with woody chameleophyte

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s, belonging to the ''

Lamiaceae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

. It is a species endemic to the northeast of the

Canary Island The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocco ...

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

, whose description was first made in 1974, thanks to botanist Pedro Luis Pérez de Paz. It is a

medicinal Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

and aromatic plant with pink-purple flowers that grows at low altitude in the crevices of the slopes of the protected area of the Anaga Rural Park, located in the massif of the same name.
Micromeria glomerata P.Perez
�. ''Global Biodiversity Information Facility''. Accessed on July 11, 2019. The flexible, puberulose

stem Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

In botany, the term pubescent refers to any plant organ (

leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

) or plant set that has a

hairy Hairy may refer to: * people or animals covered in hairs or fur * plants covered in trichomes * insects covered in setae * people nicknamed "the Hairy" * Hairy (gene) See also * Hairies, a fictional people * Haerye ''Hunminjeongeum Haerye'' ...

surface, covered with fine, short hairs. and with internodes can reach 10 to 40 centimeters in height.Pérez de Paz, 1974
p. 79. On the other hand, the

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are small and flat, 8 mm long by 6 mm wide.11 In 1991, R. H. Willemse confused it with what he believed to be a new species, so he gave it the name of ''Satureja anagae'', although this was eventually rejected.«
Satureja anagae
'». ''The Plant List''. Accessed on October 5, 2018. Its

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

, dated May 27, 1972, is kept in the herbarium of the

University of La Laguna The University of La Laguna (ULL; Spanish: ''Universidad de La Laguna'') is a public research university situated in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on the island of Tenerife, Spain. It is the oldest university in the Canary Islands. The university ...

.
Holotype_of_Micromeria_glomerata_P._Pérez_[family_LABIATAE
/nowiki>.html" ;"title="amily LABIATAE">Holotype of Micromeria glomerata P. Pérez [family LABIATAE
/nowiki>">amily LABIATAE">Holotype of Micromeria glomerata P. Pérez [family LABIATAE
/nowiki>�. ''Pedro Pérez de Paz''. Accessed on October 2, 2018. Due to its small distribution and threats in its habitat, it is considered Critically Endangered, critically endangered. Some botanical gardens are involved in its conservation, such as the

Conservatoire botanique national de Brest The Conservatoire botanique national de Brest (32 hectares) is a notable botanical garden located at 52 Allée du Bot, Brest, Finistère, in the region of Brittany, France. It is open daily without charge. The conservatory site was formerly a quar ...

, which listed it in 2008.
Rapport 2008
�. ''Conservatoire botanique national de Brest''. 2008. Accessed on August 1, 2015.

Description

Vegetative apparatus

''Micromeria glomerata'' is a chameleophytic plant,Santos Guerra y Romero Manrique, 1996, p. 432. whose holotype, collected on May 27, 1972, is kept in the herbarium of the

. Depending on its habitat, ''Micromeria glomerata'' produces small woody stems, simple or branched, vertical or ascending, between 10 and 40 centimeters above the ground. These stems are flexible and puberulous, with very short internodes. In addition, the cortex of older ones turns red. At the top of the stems, the branching is dense and rather thin. The leaves are small and flat (8 millimeters long and 6 millimeters wide),

oval An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.) it is given a more precise definition, which may include either one or ...

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

(lance-shaped),

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

or slightly

petiolate Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, a ...

, nervomarginalized,The

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

term ''nervosomarginiltis'' is used only by Pérez de Paz to describe the species of the genus Micromeria. closely interlaced and often tinged redGonzález González, 2011, p. 402. by

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart gave the name Anthokyan to a chemical compo ...

s, especially when highly exposed to the sun. These pigments play a

photoprotective Photoprotection is the biochemical process that helps organisms cope with molecular damage caused by sunlight. Plants and other oxygenic phototrophs have developed a suite of photoprotective mechanisms to prevent photoinhibition and oxidative stre ...

role: by absorbing UV rays, they reduce

photoinhibition Photoinhibition is light-induced reduction in the photosynthetic capacity of a plant, alga, or cyanobacterium. Photosystem II (PSII) is more sensitive to light than the rest of the photosynthetic machinery, and most researchers define the term as ...

and photooxidation, acting as a shield for DNA and cellular components. The lower part of the leaves is slightly

tomentose Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...

, and the upper part is glabrous and bright green.

Reproductive system

The flowers are about one centimeter long and are pink-purple in color; they grow clustered at the end of the annual branches, attached to the apex. Three to ten pedicellate flowersThe adjective pedicellate is used to describe flowers that are provided with

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

, meaning the structure that joins the flower to the branch that supports it. grow on pedunculate stems, which have linear lanceolate hairy bracts 2 to 6 millimeters long. The ''spicaster'' -inflorescences in the ears of the

verticillium ''Verticillium'' is a genus of fungi in the division Ascomycota, and are an anamorphic form of the family Plectosphaerellaceae. The genus used to include diverse groups comprising saprobes and parasites of higher plants, insects, nematodes, mo ...

- forms a ring that completely hides the leaves. The cylindrical tubular calyx is slightly flared, with 13 to 15 ribs about 8 millimeters wide, bilabiate and subcutaneous teeth, hairy on the outside,

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin ''glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

on the inside and tinged with red. The corolla is about twice as long as the calyx, purple, hairy on the upper outer part of the tube and outside the

leaf blade A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

. The '' nuculae'' are oblong.

Evolution

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

study of ''

Micromeria ''Micromeria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, widespread across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, with a center of diversity in the Mediterranean region and the Canary Islands. It is sometimes placed within ...

'' has shown that this genus, although

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

, has been divided into two subgenera, one exclusive to

peninsular Spain Peninsular Spain refers to that part of Spanish territory located within the Iberian Peninsula, thus excluding other parts of Spain: the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, and a number of islets and crags off the coast of Moro ...

and

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, and the other to the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

, including

.Puppo, 2014, p. 1876. Furthermore, the Canary subgenus can be divided into three, based on the analysis of

gene cluster A gene family is a set of homologous genes within one organism. A gene cluster is a group of two or more genes found within an organism's DNA that encode similar polypeptides, or proteins, which collectively share a generalized function and are o ...

s. ''Micromeria glomerata'' belongs to the group of the three species present in the

Macizo de Anaga Macizo de Anaga is a mountain range in the northeastern part of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The highest point is 1,024 m (Cruz de Taborno). It stretches from the Punta de Anaga in the northeast to Cruz del Carmen in the south ...

, while the other two are '' Micromeria teneriffae'' and '' Micromeria rivas-martinezii''. The group of ''Micromeria glomerata'' is the oldest that has been found in Macizo de Anaga. The time that separates ''Micromeria glomerata'' from the

last common ancestor In biology and genetic genealogy, the most recent common ancestor (MRCA), also known as the last common ancestor (LCA) or concestor, of a set of organisms is the most recent individual from which all the organisms of the set are descended. The ...

of its group is about 8.4 million years, while its most recent version is about 2.7 million years old. The species was officially discovered on February 8, 1972, by Pedro Luis Pérez de Paz during a hike.Pérez de Paz, 1974, p. 77. On March 18 of the same year, Pedro took samples of the plant and distinguished '' Micromeria rivas-martinezii'' by its morphological characters and

ecological niche In ecology, a niche is the match of a species to a specific environmental condition. Three variants of ecological niche are described by It describes how an organism or population responds to the distribution of resources and competitors (for ...

. The species was officially added to the catalog of Micromeria species specific to the Canary Islands two years later. The name ''Micromeria glomerata'' was proposed by its discoverer in 1974. Locally, it is called thyme, cliff thyme or thyme of Taganana. In 1991, R. H. Willemse gives a description of what he believes to be a new species, and gives it the name ''Satureja anagae''. However, it turned out to be the same species discovered by Perez de Paz. The synonym name ''Satureja anagae'' is rejected in favor of ''Micromeria glomerata''. On the other hand, the phylogenetic classification of the species has been under discussion since at least August 2015, due to recent findings on the diversification of the genus ''Micromeria''.

Distribution and habitat

Micromeria_glomerata_topographic_distribution_map-es

''Micromeria glomerata'' is endemic to the island of

, in the

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It grows at an altitude of between 300 and 485 meters, in the protected area of the Anaga Rural Park, located in

, near Taganana.«Micromeria glomerata
�. ''IUCN Red list''. Accessed on October 1, 2018. In 2004, about 490 specimens were counted, divided into two subpopulations with a tendency to increase. One of the endemic subpopulations has 460 individuals, the next has less than 30.Bramwell, 2006, p. 38.

Lithophyte Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are also ...

plants grow on steep phonolithic rocks and in crevices of steep slopes that are exposed to the north and northwest. There are two subpopulations, the larger one covering an area of approximately 2 km². In total, the territory covers 6500 m².

Biology

Flowering occurs in spring (May and June) and fruiting in summer (July and August). During dispersal, the seeds emerge from the dry calyx and fly away. ''Micromeria glomerata'' partially loses its leaves in summer, while the remaining leaves take on a characteristic persistent reddish color.

Endangerment and protection

Within the genus ''

'', ''Micromeria glomerata'' is one of two species classified as critically endangered by the IUCN, the other being ''Micromeria rivas-martinezii''.

Erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

of its original paleo-island has diminished the ecological niche available over time.Puppo, 2014, p. 1880. In 1996, specimens were threatened by human activities, such as hunting or grazing, which limit their expansion. Propagation of the species in botanical gardens has been proposed to ensure its conservation. In 2010, efforts were focused on storing the plant in a germplasm bank and eliminating traces of grazing in the Anaga region.González González, 2011, p. 403. The 2013

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

report notes that the sites where it is found are often inaccessible. Predation by

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

s and

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

s may limit expansion. Hybridization phenomena with '' Micromeria varia'' have been reported as a threat to this species. This occurrence is probably related to the short genetic distance between the two species. Since 2008, the species has been cultivated in tropical greenhouses corresponding to the subtropical oceanic islands of the climate of the

, following the mission of Mr. Yves Brien in the Canary Islands.

Uses

This plant is of commercial interest as a rock border ornament, and is also used as an aromatic plant for its culinary qualities. Its use as a

medicinal plant Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including Plant defense against her ...

may have contributed to its rarification, although this is more uncertain than for '' Micromeria rivas-martinezii''.

Bibliografía

* Bramwell and Bramwell (1990).

David Bramwell David Bramwell is a British writer, musician, performer and broadcaster. For BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4, Radio 4, he has made programmes on diverse subjects, including Ivor Cutler, clapping, time travel, and the murmurations of starlings. He i ...

and Zoé Bramwell, ed. ''Flores silvestres de las islas Canarias''. Madrid: Rueda. p. 392. * Bramwell (2006).

, ed. ''«Medicinal plants of the Canary Islands», Medicinal Plant Conservation, IUCN, vol. 12, November of 2006,'' p. 37-38.

ISSN An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit serial number used to uniquely identify a serial publication, such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs ...

br>1430-953X
/small>. Archived from th
original
on August 8, 2017. * González González (2011). R. González González, J. A. Reyes Betancort, P .L. Pérez de Paz et M. C. León Arencibia, ed.
Labiatae: Micromeria glomerata P. Pérez
'. Madrid: ''Dirección General de Medio Natural y Política Forestal y Sociedad Española de Biología de la Conservación de Planta''s. p. 402-403. . * Santos Guerra y Romero Manrique (1996). A. Santos Guerra y P. Romero Manrique, ed. ''«Micromeria glomerata Pérez (Lamiaceae)», de César Gómez Campo''. ''Libro rojo de especies vegetales amenazadas de las islas Canarias, Gobierno de Canarias''. * Pérez de Paz (1974). Pedro Luis Pérez de Paz, ed
Micromeria glomerata'', una nueva especie del genero'' Micromeria ''Benth, en la isla de Tenerife''
p. 77-81. * Puppo (2014). Pamela Puppo, Manuel Curto, Guillermo Velo-Antón, Pedro Luis Pérez de Paz y Harald Meimberg, ed. ''The influence of geological history on diversification in insular species: genetic and morphological patterns of'' Micromeria ''Benth. (Lamiaceae) in Tenerife (Canary archipelago).'' Journal of Biogeography. p. 1871-1882. . * Puppo, Curto y Maimberg (2015). Pamela Puppo, Manuel Curto y Harald Meimberg, ed. ''Development and characterization of 16 microsatellite markers for'' Micromeria ''(Lamiaceae) from Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) using 454 sequencing''. Conservation Genetics Resources. p. 743-749. .

References

Notes

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15342329 glomerata Medicinal plants of Europe Tenerife Plants described in 1974