Phelipanche purpurea (Jacq.) Soják (1972: 130)

Piwowarczyk, Renata, Pedraja, Óscar Sánchez, Khutsishvili, Manana & Kharazishvili, Davit, 2023, Holoparasitic Orobanchaceae in Georgia (Caucasus): taxonomic revision, diversity, distribution, habitats and host range, Phytotaxa 604 (1), pp. 1-103 : 17

1. Phelipanche purpurea (Jacq.) Soják (1972: 130)

. Type:— AUSTRIA (lectotype designated by Piwowarczyk et al. 2019: 22): „nº 97 Oropanche purpurea . Jacq.: non Lin: [Habitat in collibus siccioribus; supra Weinhaus (Weinhaus, village very close to the city of Vienna), & c., leg. Jacquin]” (LINN-HL-798-12!). Basionym:— Orobanche purpurea Jacquin (1762: 252) . Heterotypic synonyms:— Orobanche laevis L. (1753: 632), nom. rej. [ambiguous name]. Orobanche caerulea Villars (1787: 406) . Misapplied names:— Phelypaea longiflora sensu C.A. Meyer (1831: 104) [saltem p.p.], non Orobanche longiflora Persoon (1806: 181) . Fig. 7 .

General distribution: —Europe, southwards to Asia Minor , Caucasus to Iran, it has also been mentioned from Afghanistan to the Himalayas.

Distribution: —Mainly in the Samtskhe-Javakheti (Trialeti range) and Kakheti provinces, as well as in the Shida Kartli, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Tbilisi provinces and Adjara ( Fig. 8 ).

Habitat: —Rocky slopes, steppes, meadows, dry hills, edges of shrublands and forests, ruderal habitats, railways, roadsides, usually (230)600‒1600(2100) m.

Hosts: —In Georgia, parasitic always on Asteraceae , mainly on Achillea sp. , principally A. millefolium L., A. arabica Kotschy [ A. biebersteinii Hub. -Mor.], rarely on Tanacetum partheniifolium (Willd.) Sch. Bip. [ Pyrethrum partenifolium Willd. ], Artemisia vulgaris L., and Tripleurospermum elongatum (DC.) Bornm. [ Pyrethrum elongatum DC. ] (new host genus for this species). Also found in a pot in Tbilisi on a balcony where it was casually parasitising on a Chrysanthemum .

Phenology: —Flowering May–June (July), fruiting July–August.

Conservation status: —Least Concern (LC). The species has a rather wide distribution in Georgia, (EOO is ca. 25,000 km 2, and AOO is ca. 2000 km 2). In some localities there is a threat of overgrowth, overgrazing or destruction and conversion of habitats to farmland or development.

Specimens examined: — GEORGIA. Adjara prov.: distr. Shuakhevi, Ajara, vil. Tselati, rocky dry slopes, on Calamintha grandiflora ?, 29 June 2015, M. Darchidze (BATU) [as O. caryophyllacea ]; Batumi, Bartskhana, railway, 18 June 1980, I. Lomtadze & A. Dmytrieva (BATU) [with attached Artemisia vulgaris ; as O. mutelii ], 28 June 2011, D. Kharazishvili (BATU) [as O. mutelii ]; Kakheti prov.: Dedoplistskaro distr., Zemo Kedi E, slopes of Alazani river, N exposure, NE of monastery, on Achillea arabica , 41°24’50’’N, 46°26’15’’E, 730 m, 11 May 2019, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); Kalvata NW, dry slopes, wastelands, roadside, in the Alazani river valley, on A. arabica , 41°27.17’N, 46°25’E, 230 m, 12 May 2019, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); rocky slopes in Singhaghi in direction to Tsnori, near serpentine road, on Achillea , 41°37.4’N, 45°55.7’E, 640 m, 26 May 2014, 13 May 2019, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); Sighnaghi NE, in direction to Tsnori, serpentine roadsides, edges of shrublands, on T. partheniifolium , 41°37.4’N, 45°55.8’E, 620 m, 13 May 2019, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); Kvemo Kartli prov.: prov. et distr. Tiflis, Manglis, in jugo Kartalini, 2 July 1920, O. Zedelmejer (TGM2220); Mtskheta-Mtianeti prov.: Tiflis prov., Shio-Mgvime, on the stony slopes near Tsikhe didi, 12 June 1918, B. Schischkin (TGM42221); prov. Tiflis, in viciniis Mtschet, in fruticetis faucium Armaziz-chevi (left specimen], 6 June 1920, B. Schischkin (TGM8428) [as O. cumana by Melikischvili]; prov. Tiflis, distr. Duset. [Dusheti], in fruticetis prope coelesiam S. Ninae [S. Nino’s church, 42.079777°, 44.709925°], 4 June 1922, B. Schischkin (TGM53203); Tsodoreti W, Trialeti range, Tsodoreti lake, slopes near the road from lake to the monastery, on Achillea , 41°45’59.3”N 44°37’46.8”E, 980 m, 10 June 2022, R. Piwowarczyk (phot.); between Mukhatskaro and Kvemo Lisi, steppe slopes with Pinus near the road (construction of a housing estate has started nearby), on A. millefolium , 41°45’00.5”N, 44°40’02.6”E, 1017 m, 10 June 2022, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); Samtskhe-Javakheti prov.: prov. Tiflis, distr. Gori, vil. Bakuriani, near Tsaghveri, Varontsovskoye plato, [attached Achillea ], 1 June 1915, W. Kozlowsky (TBI); prov. Tiflis, distr. Gori, vil. Bakuriani, Gvirgvina Mt., 13 June 1915, W. Kozlowsky (TBI); prov. Tiflis, distr. Gori, vil. Bakuriani, Sakochavi, 29 June 1915, W. Kozlowsky (TBI); prov. Tiflis, distr. Gori, vil. Bakuriani, Kodjani-ubani range [Kodani Mt.?], dry slope, 25 June 1915, W. Kozlowsky (TBI); 10 km ESE of Borjomi, shrublands and edges of forest on the steep rocky slopes, S exposure, on the road between Tsaghveri and Timotesubani, on T. partheniifolium , 41°48’15’’N, 43°29’52’’E, 1075 m, 2 June 2014, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); between Abastumani and Zekari pass, side road, rocky slopes of Otskhe river, on Tripleurospermum elongatum , 41°47’07’’N, 42°50’27’’E, 1420 m, 12 June 2015, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); between Zarzma and Utkisubani, slopes, on Achillea , 41°40’01.2’’N, 42°37’25.7’’E, 1400 m, 13 July 2015, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); between Naokhrebi and Turkish border, steppe hills, on Achillea , 41°35’41.6’’N, 42°49’43.1’’E, 1230 m, 13 July 2015, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); Untsa E, woodlots near the road to Varkhani, 41°40’41.6”N, 42°49’56.6”E, 1006 m, 12 July 2015, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); prov. Tiflis, distr. Gori, Bakuriani, 3 July 1915, W. Kozlowsky (TBI) [as O. ramosa ]; Lesser Caucasus, Trialeti range, Tetrobi massif [Tetrobi- Gabaretskij, Tetrobi-Chobareti], Akhalkalaki district, on the river bank, in a meadow, 15 July 1961, E.W. Wołkowa & L.I. Ivanina (LE); N of Atskuri, Borjomi-Kharaguli National Park, [1900 m], 41°47’07.6”N, 43°07’34.4”E, C. Frasch [phot. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/31489686], [requires confirmation, not a typical specimen]; Samtskhe-Javakheti, valley of river Kura (Mtkvari), gorge between monastery of Vardzia and castle Khertvisi, 43°19’03’’E, 41°23’32’’N, 1260 m, 16 July 2002, G. Schneeweiss et al. (WU0032450, WU0032451, WU0032452, WU0032453); by the road from Bakuriani to the Tskhratskaro pass [2454 m], roadside/subalpine rocky meadow, last year’s dry shoot on Achillea , 41°42’19.8”N, 43°30’08.8”E, 2085 m, 13 June 2022, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); Bakuriani NW, foot of the rocky basalt slopes near the road to Borjomi, yellow form, on Achillea , 41°45’34.1”N, 43°30’48.4”E, 1570 m, 15 June 2022, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); between Daba and Tsaghveri, NW of Tsaghveri, rocky slope with tragacanth on Gujaretistskali river valley, on Tripleurospermum , 41°48’21.9”N, 43°28’24.8”E, 1030 m, 15 June 2022, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); Shida Kartli prov.: E of Uplistsikhe Cave Town, near Cafe-Restaurant Gamardjoba, foot of rocky slopes in the valley of the Mtkvari River, roadsides, on A. arabica , 41°58’00.5”N, 44°12’48.7”E, 570 m, 8 June 2022, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); Tbilisi prov.: Tbilisi, Tbilisi Sea, NE part, steppe slopes of the Kvirikobis Mt., on Achillea , 41°45’11.5”N, 44°51’19.5”E, 570 m, 7 June 2022, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); Tbilisi, Vake distr., in balcony pot with Chrysanthemum , 41°44’04.7”N, 44°45’57.3”E, [ca. 470 m], 19 May 2022, N. Tiunov (phot., https://www. inaturalist.org/observations/118007260); 1. “unde?”. – 2. “ Or. coerulea / Iberia [Caucasus] / Wilhelms [? “Iberia! (Wilhelms pl. exs.)” ( Ledebour 1849: 311)] 1829”. – 3. “ Phelipaea / longiflora ... / Iberia” (C373394 [the sheet contains four specimens, all of them correspond to P. purpurea ).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Phelipanche purpurea. A–C. General habit. D. Representative habitat: slopes of the Alazani valley in Zemo Kedi (Kakheti prov.). E, G. Flower, side view. F. Flower front view. H–K. Representative hosts (H. Achillea millefolium. I. A. arabica. J. Tanacetum partheniifolium. K. Tripleurospermum elongatum). Photos by R. Piwowarczyk.

FIGURE 8. Distribution of Phelipanche purpurea in Georgia.