Pericallis papyraceus
Plant herbaceous hemicryptophyte, up to 200 cm tall. Stem branched, up to 6mm diameter, green to purplish; indumentum glabrous to white-arachnoid with some white glandular hairs. Leaves petiolate, sometimes auriculate. Lamina 135.2-152.9 x 63.43-137.1, palmately veined, suborbiculate to cordate; margin dentate; greenish, often membraneous and thin, almost transparent, sometimes dense, sinus often wide and shallow, depth of sinus <0.2 x the leaf length; abaxial indumentum sparse to densely white-arachnoid often purple along the veins, sparse to dense filiform hairs forming a lanate layer and thick multicellular hairs mostly along the veins; adaxial indumentum lighty-dark green, smooth with very sparse stiff whitish multicellular conical hairs, that are usually thinner than the multicellular hairs of the abaxial indumentum, with acuminate apex and bulbous base, mostly along the veins; Petiole 0.5-1 x the leaf length, greenish-light purplish, indumentum glabrous. Auricles, when present, usually <0.5 x the petiole length, semicircular, decurrent on the petiole, amplexicaul, margins entire to denticulate; abaxial indumentum similar to the abaxial leaf indumentum; adaxial indumentum glabrous, dark green. Infloresence terminal, lax, branched corymbose cymes, peduncles purplish, glabrous, inflorescence bracts lanceolate-filiform, green-purplish. Capitulae 10-35, 2.46-3.03 x 2.6-4.7mm, more or less urn-shaped; involucral bracts 1.4-3.4mm x WIDTH,caniculate, green or purple becoming dark-purplish at the apex, usually glabrous white-arachnoid, sometimes with multicellular erect conical purple scales, <13, 0.1-0.3mm long, usually restricted to the apex, margin scarious, base sessile, apex acute, recurved and finely ciliate. Ray florets female, 7-8, ligules 3.37-7.6 x 1.73-3.22mm, ovate-lanceolate, 3-5 toothed, light-dark purplish very rarely white, abaxial limb paler; corolla-tube 1.3-2.23mm long, pink-light purplish. Disc florets hermaphrodite, numerous (ca. 50), deep violet-mauve, tabulate-infundibuliform; tube 2.36-3.61mm long, lobes 5, <0.7mm, acuminate. Anthers united, crowned by an oblong, blunt, membranous appendage. Style slender, filiform, smooth and hardly thickened at the base; ray floret style branches recurved, glabrous; disc floret branches recurved with a truncate papillose apex. Ray cypselae 0.55-2.1 x 0.6-0.14mm, apapilose, cylindrical-oblong, slightly compressed, 4-6 furrows, dark brown, glabrous. Disc cypselae 0.7-2.9 x 0.4-0.7mm, papilose, oblong, furrows 5-7, light brown, densely covered with white thick ovate-lanceolate hairs 0.08-0.17mm long. Pappi ribbed with acutely tipped spines decurrent along the length of the pappus.
This taxon is very widespread within the island of La Palma and does not show any ecological specialisation. It exhibits an area of occupancy lower than 2000km2, however, there are no reports of a decline in the number of individuals, and therefore P. papyraceus fits the criteria for Least Concern (LC) (IUCN, 2001).
Pericallis papyraceus is endemic to La Palma, where it is abundant across the whole island and can be found in a range of habitat types and altitudinal zones. It ranges from pine forests in the south near to Fuencaliente at ca. 400m. to laurel forest zones in the north reaching its most northern point around las Muchachos at ca. 1500m. It is especially common in disturbed areas and along grassy roadsides (Santos, 1983; Brandes, 2005).
Pericallis papyraceus occurs in a number of habitat types these include Olea-Juniperus, Kleinio-Euphorbion zone, ‘middle’ zone, cool Pine forest zones, disturbed habitats and Pruno-laurel forest zones. It is also characteristic of recovering laurel forest zones after clear cutting (Bermudez et al, 2007). Bioclimatic variables range significantly across its distribution; annual mean temperature ranges from 14 to 17.4˚C, the mean temperature of the warmest month ranges from 23.6-26.2˚C and mean temperature of the coldest months ranges from 7 to 10.9˚C and annual precipitation ranges from 424- 502mm.