Pimpinella ibradiensis Çinbilgel, Eren, H. Duman & Gökceoğlu, 2015

Çinbilgel, İlker, Eren, Özkan, Duman, Hayri & Gökceoğlu, Mustafa, 2015, Pimpinella ibradiensis (Apiaceae), an unusual new species from Turkey, Phytotaxa 217 (2), pp. 164-172 : 165-168

Pimpinella ibradiensis Çinbilgel, Eren, H. Duman & Gökceoğlu , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–5 ).

Sect. Reutera H. Wolff , subsect. Flabellifoliae H. Wolff.

Shares the perennial habit, the simple, coriaceous, suborbicular to nearly orbicular, basal leaves and toothed leaf margins with Pimpinella nephrophylla , P. flabellifolia , P. sintenisii and P. paucidentata V. A. Matthews but differs in the serrulate basal leaf margins with 60–95 strongly cartilaginous teeth (serrate to dentate with 4–50 teeth in other species), the white petals (yellow or rarely green as in others), the presence of bracts and bracteoles (absent as in others) and the larger fruits to 4–5.5 × 1–2 mm (2–3.6 x 0.5–1.6 mm as in others).

Type: — TURKEY. C3 Antalya: İbradı, Toka Yayla, in Trifolio–Polygonetalia community on flat or gently sloping stony places with plentiful fine soil and good water supply, limestone, 37°13’253” N, 31°22’503” E, 1527 m, 02 July 2011, Çinbilgel 7975 & Eren (holotype GAZI, isotypes ANK, AYDN, Herbarium of Akdeniz University, HUB).

Rossulate, clump forming perennial plant to 30 cm tall (including inflorescence). Rootstock fairly stout, 0.5–1(– 1.5) cm in diam, cylindrical, mostly branched, clothed by the imbricately arranged petiolar remains of the previous years leaves. Stems fairly slender, including the peduncle (9.5–)15–20(–30) cm long, erect, somewhat flattened, longitudinally striate, mostly arising as a single stem or very rarely in a pair from the base, divided above into two or three unequal branches, glabrous. Leaves in a basal rosette, simple, petiolate, petiole (7–)10–15(–20) mm long, distinctly 6–10 veined, glabrous to greyish puberulent especially on veins, margin of petiole membranous; lamina suborbicular to orbicular, (10–)12–16(–20) × (9–)12–15(–20) mm, dark green, coriaceous, serrulate with 60 to 95 strongly cartilaginous teeth, veins reticulate, prominent on both surface, glabrous to greyish puberulent, base cordate. Stem leaves very few, often reduced along the inflorescence to sheaths. Synflorescence composed of compound, unequally 3–5 rayed umbels, rays 0.3–3.5 cm, glabrous. Bracts and bracteoles present. Bracts solitary, subulate, 3–6 mm long. Bracteoles, 2–3 resemble to bracts but smaller in size, 1–4 mm long. Flowers small, 1–2 mm in diam., all perfect, pedicellate, (4–)7–10(–13) in each umbellule. Pedicels unequal, 2–4 mm long. Sepals minute. Petals white, ovate to suborbicular, 1 × 0.8 mm, inflexed, glabrous. Fruit oblong-cylindirical, 4–5.5 × 1–2 mm, glabrous, mericarp 5- ribbed, isodiametric, stylopodium mamillate, style 1–1.2 mm long. Fruit occurs from two homomorphic mericarps with pentagonal shape in transverse section. Thickness of cuticle with papilla 2,5–3 μm. Epidermal surface not pubescent. Dorsal rib prominent; large lateral ribs are two, prominent, equal and small lateral ribs are four, slightly prominent; marginal ribs are two, prominent, equal. Exocarp includes hypodermal collenchyma with 2–5 layer. Vascular bundles are small, many. Mesocarp includes lignified parenchymatous cells with thick wall (scleranchymatous cells) and 2–7 layer. Vallecular vittae 4 in each mericarp, larger than vascular bundles; Commissural vittae (5)–6–(7). Endocarp includes non-lignified parenchymatous cells with thin wall and 3–6 layer.

Additional specimens (Paratypes): —Type locality, 1500 m, 08 May 2010, Çinbilgel 6047 & Eren (sterile, Herbarium of Akdeniz University) ; ibid. 1527 m, 16 June 2010, Çinbilgel 6233 (Herbarium of Akdeniz University) .

Distrubution, site conditions and synecology: — Pimpinella ibradiensis seems to be an extremely rare endemic and confined to Toka Yayla in western part of the central Taurus. We surveyed various places in Taurus and the first author had surveyed the area over 4 years and never seen this species in other areas. This part of the Taurus where the new species is collected has rich flora with a high proportion of endemics ( İlarslan et al. 1997, Dural et al. 1995, Duran 2002, Demirelma 2006, Fakir 2006, Çinbilgel et al. 2006, 2007, Çinbilgel & Gökçeoğlu 2010, Çinbilgel 2012). In recent years, many new species have been described from this region ( Duran et al. 2011) such as Bilacunaria aksekiensis A. Duran & B. Doğan. Pimpinella ibradiensis is hitherto only known from the type locality and has a surprisingly narrow elevational range (1500–1550 m). Putatively an eastern Mediterranean geoelement, it grows preferably in sunny places on limestones. It is found in well developed, flat or gently sloping places with plentiful fine soil and good water supply in the montane zone. Associated species include Helichrysum plicatum DC. , Veronica cuneifolia D. Don , Astragalus acmonotrichus Fenzl , Plantago holosteum Scop. , Linum boissieri Aschers. & Sint. ex Boiss. , Bornmuellera cappadocica (DC.) Cullen & Dudley, Alopecurus lanatus Sm., Anthylis vulneraria L. subsp. praepropera (Kerner) Bornm. , Minuartia leucocephala (Boiss.) Mattf. , Astragalus lydius Boiss. , Festuca jeanpertii (St.—Yves) Markgr., Helianthemum canum (L.) Baumg., Thymus sipyleus Boiss. , Anthemis cretica L. subsp. anatolica (Boiss.) Grierson , Paronychia argyroloba Stapf , Sanguisorba minor Scop. subsp. muricata (Spach) Briq. , Stachys lavandulifolia Vahl , Pilosella piloselloides (Vill.) Sojàk subsp. megalomastix (NP.) Sell & West, Bunium microcarpum (Boiss.) Freyn subsp. bourgaei (Boiss.) Hedge & Lamond , Gypsophila curvifolia Fenzl , Hypericum confertum Choisy subsp. stenobotrys (Boiss.) Holmboe , Bromus scoparius L., Alyssum argyrophyllum Schott and Veronica bozakmanii M. A. Fisch. Phytosociologically , the vegetation in which P. ibradiensis occurs can be grouped into the Trifolio anatolici–Polygenetalia arenastri Quezel 1973 order. The lack of many thorn-cushions and many xerophytes places it within the Thlaspion papillosi Kürschner, Parolly & Raab-Straube 1998 alliance which comprises all of the western Taurus and the western central Taurus ( Kürschner et al. 1998, Eren et al. 2004).

The geographical distribution of P. ibradiensis and other closely related species are mapped in Fig. 4 . Pimpinella ibradiensis is geographically isolated from its relatives, being the only western representative of this group of closely related species.

Phenology: — Pimpinella ibradiensis flowers in June and remains in flowering stage until early July when the first fruiting specimens appear.

Conservation Status: —Unfortunately we have little information about the total number of individuals of Pimpinella ibradiensis in its locality. P. ibradiensis is currently only known from a single locality and its estimated area is about 5 km 2 (Criterion B2). Moreover, the area is subjected to heavy grazing pressure. Hence, we recommend to place P. ibradiensis under the IUCN category “Critically Endangered (CR)” ( IUCN 2012).

Etymology: —The name refers to the district of İbradı in Antalya, where the new species was collected.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pimpinella ibradiensis (Çinbilgel 7975 & Eren, GAZI). A. habit, B. flowers and fruits, C. basal leaves). Scale A = 2 cm, B and D = 1 cm, C = 0.3 mm.

FIGURE 2. Pimpinella ibradiensis in its type locality, photograph by İlker Çinbilgel (A—habit, B—flowers and fruits, C—basal leaves).

FIGURE 3. General appearance of its habitat, photograph by İlker Çinbilgel.

FIGURE 4. Distributions of P. ibradiensis (*), P. nephrophylla (Δ), P. paucidentata (□), P. sintenisii (⌂) and P. flabellifolia (○).

FIGURE 5. Cross section of Pimpinella ibradiensis fruit. cv=commissural vittae, vv=vallecular vittae, dr=dorsal rib, lr=lateral rib, mr=marginal rib, ex=exocarp, m=mesocarp, en=endocarp, ep=epidermis, sc=sclerenchyma. Scale 200μm.