Androsace artvinensis Sefalı & Yapar, 2022

Sefali, Abdurrahman & Yapar, Yakup, 2022, Androsace artvinensis sp. nov. (Primulaceae): A new species from northeastern Anatolia, Turkey, Phytotaxa 552 (3), pp. 171-181 : 172-177

Androsace artvinensis Sefalı & Yapar sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 , 5 and 6 )

Androsace artvinensis is related to A. armeniaca var. armeniaca , A. armeniaca var. macrantha and A. intermedia . It differs from A. armeniaca var. macrantha , by its getting longer pedicels at the anthesis, 4 –50 mm (vs. not much longer, 3–20 mm), generally unequally pedicels (vs. equaling or at least equaling); large corolla, 10–14 mm diam. (vs. 6–10 mm diam.), calyx lobes broadly triangular (vs. acute triangulare) and finely fingered leaves marginal (vs. blunt teeth or irregular fingered teeth). It differs from A. armeniaca var. armeniaca by its longer scapes up to 20 cm long (vs. up to 8-10 cm long), the getting longer pedicels (vs. not much longer), generally unequally pedicels (vs. equaling or nearly equaling); large corolla, 10-14 mm diam. (vs. 6-7 mm diam.). It differs from A. intermedia by its simple, forked, or branched hairs (vs. generally glabrous and specially scape glabrous) and the white corolla (vs. pinkish).

Type: TURKEY. Artvin: southern foothills of the Kackar Mountains, Yaylalar Village , forest side or stony and moist places in the forest, 2129 m, 40°51′N, 41°16′E, 09 June 2021, A.Sefalı 686 (holotype: ISTE 117317 ; isotypes: VANF 165223 , herbarium of Bingöl Universty 10099) .

Etymology: Androsace artvinensis is named from the province of Artvin. The Turkish name for this species was chosen as “Yayla güzeli” ( Menemen et al. 2016).

Description

Biennial c. 25 cm tall, forming a single rosette c. 8 cm in diameter. Leaves in semi hemispherical or flat basal rosettes, somewhat fleshy, narrowly oblong to lanceolate or spathulate, c. 40 × 8 mm; surface often branched hairy, especially towards the apex, with short branched hairy; margin with generally fingered pairs of towards the apex. Scapes 5– 10, c. 25 cm long, covered with densely branched and scattered glandular-hairy; median scape sometimes present. Bracts ovate to widely lanceolate, 5.5– 9 × 3–4 mm, densely branched and glandular-hairy, much shorter than pedicels. Inflorescence with (4–) c. 15 flowered. Pedicel 4–10 mm long at anthesis, elongated up to 50 mm, and generally unequal when fruiting. Calyx 6–6.5(–7) mm, densely shortly glandular-hairy rarely some branched or short simple hairy especially towards to apex or margin, calyx teeth orbicular to equilateral triangular 2.2 × c. 2.5 mm. Corolla campanulate, 10-14 mm in diameter, white with yellowish center; tube ± equaling calyx; lobes oblong 7 × 5.5 mm with claw (2 mm long– 3 mm wide) densely glandular-hairy; throat constricted, and annulate. Capsule 6–7 × 5 mm, spherical. Seeds brown, ovoid, 2–2.2 × 1–1.2 mm, surface reticulate ( Fig 4 ).

Phenology

Flowering from June to July; fruiting in August.

Pollen morphology ( Fig. 3 )

Pollen grains of A. artvinensis are tricolporate and isopolar. The polar axis (P) is 12.84 μm; the equato¬rial axis (E) is 10 μm; P/E ratio is 1.28, and pollen shape is subprolate. The exine is 0.65 μm, and the intine is 0.33 μm. The exine ornamentation of pollen grains is microparticulate. And pollen grains of A. armeniaca var. macrantha are tricolporate and isopolar. The polar axis (P) is 13.55 μm; the equatorial axis (E) is 10.23 μm; the P/E ratio is 1.31, and the pollen shape is subprolate. The exine is 0.66 μm, and the intine is 0.35 μm. The exine ornamentation of pollen grains is microparticulate ( Table 1 , Fig. 3 ).

Distribution and ecology ( Fig. 1 )

Androsace artvinensis is a local endemic species restricted to the southern foothills of the Kackar Mountains in Artvin Province, northeastern Anatolia. It is an element belonging to the Hyrcano-Euxine (mt.) phytogeographical region. The new species colonizes Oriental spruce forest sides or stony places in the forest, generally moist places, between 1960 and 2200 m. a.s.l. Species growing in the near vicinity include Picea orientalis (L.) Peterm., Pinus pinea L., Sorbus sp. , Thesium alpinum L., Berteroa mutabilis (Vent.) DC. , Polygala major Jacq. , Parnassia palustris L., Rosa sp. , Alyssum sp. , Saxifraga paniculata Mill. and Cirsium sommieri Petr.

Taxonomic relationships

Life form, leaf shape, perianth, and fruit characteristics are distinguished for divided sections of Androsace . Androsace artvinensis belongs to the sect. Androsace and to the A. albana group. Especially the members of the A. albana group are characterized by biennials or short-lived perennial life forms ( Smith & Lowe 1997). A. sect. Androsace shows that indumentum features are especially determinative in the taxonomy ( Sefalı 2021; Shishkin & Bobrov 1952; Grossheim 1967; Lamond 1978; Smith & Lowe 1997). Androsace artvinensis stands out in terms of its larger flower, calyx shape, and also its longer and unequaled pedicel. These features make A. artvinensis different from all other members of the A. sect. Androsace and A. albana group ( Table 2 ). When looking at members of the A. albana group, this new species is closely related to A. armeniaca var. macrantha in terms of its getting longer and unequaled pedicel. However, A. armeniaca var. macrantha has not gotten longer and unequaled pedicel, and also it has not had large flowers as much as A. artvinensis . And also A. armeniaca var. macrantha type materials show that this species grows in Gümüşhane and Bayburt provinces, and the general habitus looks bigger. It is possible that these two taxa ( A. armeniaca var macrantha and A. artvinensis ) were previously confused. Therefore, the measurements of these two taxa are seen as covering each other in the flora descriptions. But the type specimens of A. armeniaca var macrantha show that it is the bigger and glandular-hairy version of A. armeniaca var armeniaca —especially the A. armeniaca var macrantha samples collected in Bayburt support this. In terms of appearance and flower characteristics, A. artvinensis is distincly different from A. armeniaca var macrantha . Difference of A. artvinensis from A. armeniaca var. armeniaca is glandular hairs and large flowers. A. artvinensis has a longer stem, larger flowers, large triangular calyx shape, longer pedicels, and larger basal leaves than all Albana group species. When the new species is observed in the late period, in August and September, it looks like A. intermedia in point of the unequaled pedicel. A.intermedia is nearly glabrous and specially inflorescence regions not hairy; conversely. On the other hand, pedicels of A. armeniaca var. macrantha cannot elongate in the late period.

In Turkey, according to Lamond (1978), A. armeniaca appears to grow in the south of the watershed of the Pontus range, while A. intermedia is found on northern slopes. Androsace artvinensis is found on the northern slopes of the Pontus range. But field researches show that this two taxa ( A. armeniaca , A. intermedia ) and A. artvinensis grow in the same area ( Fig. 1 ). And also when examining habitat choosing A. artvinensis prefer stony and moist places in the forest or forest side; otherwise, A. armeniaca var. macrantha tends to grow at the steppe and serpentine steppe ( Fig. 7 ).

As a result, it was concluded that A. artvinensis is a distinct new species, clearly different from all other members of the A. albana group.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map for A. artvinensis (), A. armeniaca var. macrantha (), A. armeniaca var. armeniaca (), A. intermedia ().

FIGURE 2. Androsace artvinensis: A. Habitus in flowering time, B. Flowers, C. Corolla with glandular hairs, D. Calyx and fruit, E. Basal leave, F. Glandulare leaves the surface.

FIGURE 3. SEM pollen grain and pollen surface photographs: A-B. Androsace artvinensis, C-D. A. armeniaca var. macrantha E-F. A. armeniaca var. armenica.

FIGURE 4. SEM seed and seed surface photographs: A-B. Androsace artvinensis, C-D. A. armeniaca var. macrantha E-F. A. armeniaca var. armenica, G-H. A. intermedia.

FIGURE 5. Morphologically related species to Androsace artvinensis: A. Flower and late period pedicel (A. artvinenesis), B. Flower and late period pedicel (A. armeniaca var. macrantha), C. Bracts (A. artvinenesis), D. Bracts (A. armeniaca var. macrantha), E. Calyx shape and indumentum (A. artvinenesis), F. Calyx shape and indumentum (A. armeniaca var. macrantha), G. Flowers and late period pedicel (A. armeniaca var. armeniaca), H. Flowers and late period pedicel (A. intermedia).

FIGURE 6. Comprasing of general habitus: A. Androsace artvinensis, B. A. armeniaca var. macrantha, C. A. intermedia, D. A. armeniaca var. armenica.

FIGURE 7. Comprasing of habitats: A. Androsace artvinensis, B. A. armeniaca var. macrantha.