Fritillaria kordestanica M.Advay, 2022

Advay, Mahfouz, Rix, Martyn & Tekşen, Mehtap, 2022, Fritillaria kordestanica (Liliaceae), a new species from western Iran, Phytotaxa 554 (1), pp. 70-76 : 70-75

Fritillaria kordestanica M.Advay , sp. nov. ( Figs 1–4 , Table 1 , 2 )

Type:— IRAN. Kordestan: Marivan to Paveh , Avroman Takht (spelled Hawraman too.), Kamalla Village , grows in very wet and stony soils which are often in running surface water at flowering time, 1650 m a.s.l., 28 April 2012, Advay 13724 (holotype: Iran Kordestan Herbarium; isotype: HKS) .

Fritillaria kordestanica is distinct from related species by its combination of shiny green leaves with short stems usually less than 15 cm high and narrowly campanulate, dark brownish purple, often striped flowers, with a large basal nectary. Fritillaria kordestanica is similar to F. uva-vulpis , F. chlororhabdota , F. assyriaca in its narrowly campanulate flowers and habit ( Table 1 ).

Bulb-bearing herbs, bulb globose to ovoid, 10–25 × 13–20 mm, with 2–3 bulblets; tunics pale brown. Stem 10–26.5 cm long, erect or slightly curved, smooth. Leaves (3–) 4 (–5), sessile, shiny green. Lowest leaves 6.3–9.3 × 0.3–1.5 cm, alternate, lanceolate to oblanceolate, apex acute. Median leaves 4.1–6.3 × 0.3–0.9 cm, alternate, linearlanceolate, apex acuminate. Bract 1, 2.8–5.0 × 0.1–0.3 cm, linear, acuminate. Flower 1. Perianth narrowly campanulate, outer tepal of bud with a clear stripe, outside purplish grey, with a clear green stripe, inside greenish yellow or purplish, purplish brown. Outer segments 20–26 × 6–7 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute to obtuse, recurved, ciliate-tufted at apex; inner segments 19–25 × 5–7.5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, obtuse, ciliate-tufted at the apex. Nectaries 4–6.1 × 1.0– 1.4 mm, ovate to broadly lanceolate, yellowish, placed 1 mm above tepal base. Filaments 6–9 mm long, swollen, papillose, slightly papillose towards the base, whitish yellow; anthers 5.5–8.3 mm long, oblong, apiculate, yellow, dorsifixed. Style 5.0–8.8 × 2–2.6 mm, cylindrical, greenish yellow, papillose, slightly trilobed to unbranched at apex; stigma entire. Capsule 13.6–20.7 × 15.7–16.7 mm, obovoid, rounded apically, tapering basally. Seeds 4.5–6.7 × 3.6–5.7 mm, flat, triangular-ovate.

Etymology:— Referring to Kordestan Province (Western Iran), where the new species was discovered.

Distribution, habitat, and phenology: —Known from four populations in Hawraman and Marivan, Kordestan Province, western Iran ( Fig. 1 ). It is an Irano-Turanian phytogeographical element and grows in wet meadows with running surface water at flowering time, 1300–1750 m. Growing with Eranthis hyemalis ( Linnaeus 1753: 557) Salisbury (1807: 304) , Iris reticulata Marschall von Bieberstein (1808: 34) , Ornithogalum narbonense Linnaeus (1756: 15) , Muscari neglectum Tenore (1841: 49) , and Gagea graminifolia Vvedensky (1932: 269) (Figs 2,3). Flowering March– April, fruiting June–July.

Conservation status: — Extent of occurrence (EOO) is less than 5.000 km 2, and the area of occupancy (AOO) is less than 500 km 2 (criterion B1, B2); number of locations is less than five (a), and with an estimated continuing decline (a, b) of occurrence (i), of occupancy (ii), quality of habitat (iii), and number of subpopulations (iv). Its populations are threatened by grazing. The developing capsules are usually grazed before maturation. This new species is assessed to be considered as “endangered: EN B1ab (i, iv) B2ab (ii, iii, iv)” ( IUCN 2019).

Additional specimens examined:— IRAN. Kordestan: Marivan to Paveh, Hawraman area , Seline village , 1730 m a.s.l., 28 April 2012, Advay 13725 (Iran Kordestan Herbarium); Kammalla village , 1750 m a.s.l., 26 April 2013, Advay 13724 (Iran Kordestan Herbarium); Bendol village , 1700 m a.s.l., 26 March 2013, Ghaderi 13820 (Iran Kordestan Herbarium); Marivan, Kall village , 1320 m a.s.l., 20 March 2014, Advay 13870 (Iran Kordestan Herbarium); Rekhallan village , 1300 m a.s.l., 25 March 2017, Advay 14210 (Iran Kordestan Herbarium) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of Fritillaria kordestanica (blue circles), F. uva-vulpis (yellow squares), F. assyriaca (black triangles) and F. chlororhabdota (red stars) in Iran.

FIGURE 2. Fritillaria kordestanica habitat. A. Flowering. B. Fruiting.

FIGURE 3. Habitat of Fritillaria kordestanica (photos by M.Advay).

FIGURE 4. Fritillaria kordestanica. A. Habit. B–C. Floral details. D. Bud, E. Pistil and stamens. F. Outer tepal and inner tepal. G. Capsules and seeds. H. Bulbs.