Juno petri (F.O.Khass., Rakhimova & Achilova) M.B.Crespo, Mart.

Crespo, Manuel B., Martínez-Azorín, Mario & Mavrodiev, Evgeny V., 2018, Notes on taxonomy and nomenclature of juno irises (Juno, Iridaceae), Phytotaxa 376 (5), pp. 185-200 : 190

Juno petri (F.O.Khass., Rakhimova & Achilova) M.B.Crespo, Mart. -Azorín & Mavrodiev comb. nov.

≡ Iris petri Khassanov et al. (2014: 19) , basionym. Holotype:— UZBEKISTAN. Kelif-Sherabad range, 25 km east from Bajssun, 38°33′51″ N, 67°26′19″ E, 860 m elevation, 18 March 2014, F.O. Khassanov et al. s.n. (TASH). Isotype: MBG.

Observations:—This plant occurs on gypsic hills of the Kelif-Sherabad range, near Bajssun (Boysun), in the Pamir- Alai area (southern Uzbekistan). It stands morphologically close to both Juno svetlanae Vvedensky (1971: 322) , a plant with 2n = 20 ( Hall 2001, M. Johnson & T. Hall unpubl.), and Juno victoris ( Khassanov et al. 2013: 207) Crespo et al. (2015: 54) , on account of its golden-yellow flowers and broad leaves with a notable whitish margin; two species whose taxonomic status is still to be revised. However, J. petri differs by the leaves curved, falls with broader wings (up to 2 cm wide) and provided with a prominent crenate crest, and standards smaller and subspathulate-obtuse (neither bifid like in J. victoris nor subtrullate-acute like in J. svetlanae ), among other characters. Although further work on the wild populations and cultivated material, as well as chromosome counts, appear to be necessary for a better characterisation of all species in this still poorly known group, the current data allow recognition of I. petri at specific rank, and it is transferred here to Juno .