Zeravschania kopetdaghensis Pimenov & Kljuykov, 2013

Pimenov, Michael G. & Kljuykov, Eugene V., 2013, Two new species of Zeravschania (Umbelliferae) and some additional notes on the genus, Phytotaxa 130 (1), pp. 25-33 : 28-30

Zeravschania kopetdaghensis Pimenov & Kljuykov , sp. nov. ( Figs. 3, 4 )

A Zeravschaniae stricticaulis , qui proxima est, biomorpha herbae polycarpicae non monocarpicae, foliis petiolatis, non sessilibus, subbipinnatis (non pinnatis), segmentis foliorum lobulatis, non fere integris, umbellis radiis 1–1.5 cm (non 2.5–3.5 cm) longis differt.

Type:— TURKMENISTAN. Turkmen SSR, Kopet Dagh centralis, pars orientalis, angustiae Kelte-Czinar, in rupibus, 27 June 1948, Blinovski s.n. (holotype LE!, isotype LE!) .

Perennial, polycarpic, slightly puberulent herbs, 90–120 cm tall; tap-root slightly lignified; rootstock branched, densely covered with dark brown fibrous remains of petioles and sheaths of dead leaves; stems solid, 4–5 mm in diam. at the base, round in cross-section, densely covered in lower part with white, thin, outspread hairs, glabrous in upper part, with 6–8 internodes, almost straight, paniculately branched from the middle; radical leaves several, petioles 5–9 cm long, solid, round in cross-section, sulculate, shortly puberulent; leaf blades 14–18 cm long, 5–7 cm wide, oblong-elliptic in outline, subbipinnate, more or less densely covered with short thin white hairs; segments 2.5–5 cm long, 1.5–2.5 cm wide, elliptic, the base slightly cuneate, with small lobes, with equal teeth; basal segments with petiolules up to 2 cm long, upper sessile and even slightly decurrent; stem leaves reduced to triangular sheaths; sheaths of lower stem leaves shortly puberulent, of upper ones glabrous. Terminal umbels of 3–5 rays, 2–3 cm in diam., lateral ones of 2–4 more or less equal rays, 1–1.5 cm long, round in cross-section, thin; bracts 3–5, lanceolate, undivided, short, at the margin narrowly white-membranous; umbellets of 8–11 flowers, up to 1 cm in diam.; bracteoles 4–6, linear, acute, brownish, slightly shorter than pedicels; pedicels 1.5–3.5 mm long, unequal, terete, glabrous; flowers hermaphroditic and staminate; calyx teeth inconspicuous; petals pale yellowish, up to 0.5 mm long, without claw, entire, with tip curved inwards, with one secretory duct; fruits (a few immature) slightly compressed laterally; stylopods conical, wavy at the margin; styles 1.5 mm long, reflexed; mericarps compressed dorsally, 2.4 mm long, 1 mm wide, oblong-lanceolate to oblong-elliptic; dorsal ribs almost inconspicuous; marginal ribs short conical; exocarp of small cells with thickened walls, interrupted near distal ends of marginal ribs; commissure broad; mesocarp composed of 1–2 layers of small cells with thickened walls (hypoderm) and several layers of small parenchymatous cells; vascular bundles small; secretory ducts (vittae) large, vallecular solitary, commissural 2; in ribs absent; endocarp of narrow elongated cells with slightly lignified walls; spermoderm of small cells; endosperm on commissural side almost flat.

Phenology:—The plant blooms in June, almost mature fruits are found in July.

Distribution and habitat:— All gatherings of the species were made at the same locality, in Kelte-Czinar Gorge ( Fig. 1 ), where the plants grow in cracks of sheer rocks. Although the locality is situated at the Iran – Turkmenistan border, there is no information about the species distribution in Iran.

Conservation status:— The exact conservation status of natural populations is unknown. Although their habitat in cracks of vertical rocks helps prevent grazing, the species is very rare and a dot endemic of one locality, and so could be assigned to an IUCN Red List category of Endangered (EN).

Etymology:— The specific epithet refers to the geographical origin of the species (Kopet Dagh Mountains).

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— TURKMENISTAN. Ashkhabad distr. , Kopet-Dagh, in fauce, in fissuris rupium prope stationem militarem Kelte-Czinar, 23 May 1940, Blinovski & Androsov s.n. ( TASH!) ; angustiae Kelte-Czinar , in fissuris rupium abruptarum, 13 June 1941, Blinovski s.n. ( LE!) ; Turkmen SSR, Kopet-Dagh centralis, pars orientalis, angustiae Kelte-Czinar, in rupibus, 02 June 1947, Blinovski s.n. ( LE!) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of Zeravschania and localities of two new species. 1’: Border of generic area; 2’: localities of Z. latifolia; 3’: localities of Z. kopetdaghensis

FIGURE 4. Zeravschania kopetdaghensis, type specimen: mericarp cross-section. 1’: exocarp, 2’: hypoderm, 3’: mesocarp (parenchymatous), 4’: vascular bundles, 5’: secretory ducts (vittae), 6’: endosperm. Scale bar = 1 mm.