Tanacetum kurdistanicum Maroofi & Rastegar, 2022

Rastegar, Azad, Maroofi, Hosein & Tabad, Mohammad Aref, 2022, Two new species of Tanacetum (Anthemideae, Asteraceae) from western Iran, Phytotaxa 561 (1), pp. 111-111 : 111

Tanacetum kurdistanicum Maroofi & Rastegar , sp. nov.

Type:— IRAN. Prov. Kurdistan: West of Sanandaj, Northwest slopes of the Abidar Mountain , Lat 35.296558° N, Lon 46.970775° E, 1750 m, 14 May 2015, H. Maroofi 12958 (HKS, holotype). Figs 1–2 .

Herbs, perennial, woody at base, rhizomatous. Stems erect-ascending, numerous, simple or distally branched, each branch terminated by a capitulum, 25–65 cm tall, sulcate, 1.5–2.5 mm in diam., densely pubescent-tomentose or rarely glabrescent. Leaves oblong, vaginate, basal leaves (including petiole) 6–13 × 1–2 cm, bipinnatisect, ± discolorous, densely covered with silk-like hairs and sessile glands, petiole 2–4.5 cm; upper leaves decreasing in size, sessile, pinnatisect, often as a leaflike bract at base of capitulum. Capitula 1–3(–7) per stem, arranged remotely. Involucre 13–20 × 9–12 mm; phyllaries in 6 series, median phyllaries 5–6 × 2–3 mm, margin broadly membranous, densely pubescent; outer phyllaries ovate, margin membranous, shorter than inner phyllaries; inner phyllaries ±oblong, margin ±lacerate. Capitula heterogamous; pistillate marginal flowers few, inconspicuous, 5-lobed; disk flowers 3.5–4.5 mm, tubular, deep yellow, 5-lobed, lobes ±glandular, glands hyaline. Anthers exerted, yellowish; style bifid, divergent. Achenes 4–4.5 mm long, 14-ribbed, ±straight; corona ca. 0.3 mm long, denticulate.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — IRAN. Prov. Kurdistan, West of Sunandaj, Abidar Mountain , 2000 m, 20 June 2003, H. Maroofi 5953 (HKS) ; same locality, 1700–1800 m, 24 May 2018, H. Maroofi & A. Hesami 13995 (HKS) ; same locality, 1650 m, 10 June 2018, H. Maroofi 14088 (HKS) ; same locality, 1800 m, 16 May 2021, H. Maroofi & A. Rastegar 14432 (HKS) .

Distribution and habitat: — Tanacetum kurdistanicum is restricted to Abidar Mountain, a subalpine region in Kurdistan. It grows on dry northern slopes between 1650 and 2000 m a.s.l. Phytogeographically, it is an Irano-Turanian element.

Taxonomic notes: — Tanacetum kurdistanicum has no close relatives based on our comparisons with descriptions in Flora Iranica, Flora of Iran (in Persian), neighboring floras and recently published species accounts.

Conservation status: —Based on our field observations during the last 15 years, we observed Tanacetum kurdistanicum at a few localities on Abidar Mountain. Each population counted fewer than 100 individuals. The total area of its range was about 3 km 2. Our annual monitoring revealed degradation in population size and reproduction structure. Based on the IUCN criteria and categories, we assess T. kurdistanicum to be Critically Endangered ( IUCN 2022).

Phenology: —Flowering April to May, fruiting July to September.

Etymology:—The species epithet was derived from Kurdistan, the province where the new species was found.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A. Tanacetum kurdistanicum Maroofi & Rastegar (photo by Hosein Maroofi); B. Tanacetum urmiense Tabad, Maroofi & Rastegar (photo by Mohammad Aref Tabad).

FIGURE 2. A–E. Tanacetum kurdistanicum. A. Leaf; B. Capitula; C. Phyllaries; D. Flowers; E. Achene. F–I. Tanacetum urmiense. F. Leaf; G. Capitula; H. Phyllaries; I. Flowers.