Cotoneaster aitchisonii C.K.Schneid.

Niaki, Nemat Allah Raei, Attar, Farideh, Zamani, Asghar, Maroofi, Hossein & Joharchi, Mohammad Reza, 2022, Five new records and two new reports of Cotoneaster Medik. (Rosaceae) for the Flora of Iran, Adansonia (3) 44 (14), pp. 141-152 : 146

Cotoneaster aitchisonii C.K.Schneid.

( Fig. 5 )

Illustriertes Handbuch der Laubholzkunde, Band 1: 749 (Scheneider 1906).

TYPUS. — Afghanistan. Kuram district, 5.VII.1880, J. E. T. Aitchison 277 (lecto-, K ; iso-, A) .

SPECIMENS EXAMINED. — Iran. Province Khorasan, Bojnord, 37°50’31”N, 57°31’25”E, 1593 m, 03.X.2009, Memariani , Zangooei & Arjmandi 43351, 43353 ( FUMH); Chenaran, Ferizi, 36°4’49”N, 58°4’43”E, 2050 m, 31.X.2009, Arjmandi & Zangooei 43442 ( FUMH) .

NOTE

The closest morphologically relative of C. aitchisonii is C. suavis Pojark. ( Raei Niaki 2019). They share many similar characters, e.g., habit, the large leaves with a villose lower surface, long petiole (c. 4-12), dense inflorescence (7-15 flowers), and navel open in fruit. C. aitchisonii can be readily separated from C. suavis by its obovate leaves (vs elliptic- rhombic), leaves apex rounded to acute ( Fig. 5A, B ) (vs obtuse), red fruit (vs black), succulent fruits of 7-10 mm diam., (vs non-succulent of 6-8 mm diam. fruit) ( Fig. 5 ). This species occurs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir ( Fryer & Hylmö 2009) and Iran.

Figures

FIG. 5. — Cotoneaster aitchisonii C.K.Schneid. outline (A) and close up of leaves (B) and fruit (C). Collection number: Memariani, Zangooei & Arjmandi 43351 (FUMH); determined by Raei Niaki & Attar.