Cyanus cyanomorphus (Stef. & T. Georgiev) S. Stoyanov, 2016

Stoyanov, Stoyan S., 2016, Reinstatement of Centaurea cyanomorpha (Asteraceae), an endemic species from Southeastern Bulgaria, Phytotaxa 268 (1), pp. 46-56 : 52-54

Cyanus cyanomorphus (Stef. & T. Georgiev) S. Stoyanov , comb. nov.

Basionym:— Centaurea cyanomorpha Stefanov & Georgiev (1931: 181) . Type:— BULGARIA. In dumetis ad Kara Bair prope Kavakli, 5 May 1926, N. Stojanov, B. Stefanov & T. Georgiev 12140 (SOA!, holotype).

Heterotypic synonyms:— Cyanus diospolitanus Bancheva & Stoyanov (2009: 421) ≡ Centaurea diospolitana (Bancheva & S. Stoyanov) Bancheva in Boršić et al. (2011: 244). Type:— BULGARIA. Yambol Prov.: Elhovo mun., Tundzha hilly country floristic region, Derventski Hills, ca. 2 km SW of village of Vulcha Polyana, 370 m, 41°59’58.9” N, 26°39’26.2” E, 23 May 2006, S. Bancheva & S. Stoyanov (SOM 163344!, holotype; isotypes SOM 163343!, MO 6262535!, W!, WU!).

Phenology: —Flowering in April–May, fruiting in June.

Habitats and Populations: —Kara Bair is situated in the northernmost part of the Sakar Mountain and is a limestone hill with elevations of 100– 300 m. On the north and west it borders with the valley of Sinapovska River, on the south with the road Topolovgrad town–Svetlina village and on the east with the road Topolovgrad town– Golyam Manastir village. Its vegetation consists mainly of sparse forests with Quercus pubescens and open scrubby grassland on stony terrains predominated by Paliurus spina-christi . In the type locality C. cyanomorpha is found in two subpopulations, about 3 km apart, each numbering more than 300 individuals. It predominantely inhabits calcareous grassy places in sparse communities of Paliurus spina-christi and on margins of Quercus spp. forests. The species occurs in the following habitat types of Directive 92/43/EEC (1992): ‘62A0 Eastern sub-Mediterranean dry grasslands’ and ‘91AA Eastern white oak forests’. The species composition in the locus classicus of C. cyanomorpha in Kara Bair (Appendix 1) as well as the habitat type and soil conditions are quite similar to those of Cyanus diospolitanus in its type locality near Vulcha Polyana village ( Bancheva & Stoyanov 2009). The low migration potential of C. cyanomorpha and its occurrence in scattered localities makes it vulnerable and particularly sensitive to anthropogenic impact.

Distribution: — Centaurea cyanomorpha is a Bulgarian endemic species, so far known only from the Tundzha Hilly Country floristic region ( Fig. 4 ). Its area covers the westernmost part of the Derventski Hills between the villages of Chernozem, Vulcha Polyana and Lessovo and the eastern and northern lower parts of the Sakar Mountain near Topolovgrad town and the villages of Dobroselets, Mramor and Ustrem. To the north the species area reaches the Sveti Iliyski Hills. During the fieldwork the localities of C. cyanomorpha on the Manastirski and Sveti Iliyski Hills, which were traced in herbarium collections, were not confirmed.

Centaurea pseudaxillaris is also a Bulgarian endemic, with a wider range, but with too few currently known localities ( Bancheva et al. 2013). It occurs mainly in the floristic regions of Thracian Lowland and Tundzha Hilly Country ( Fig. 5 ). On the west the limit of its area lies between the Besaparski Hills and Ovchi Hills, Pazardzhik district, on the east it reaches the eastern parts of the Sveti Iliyski Hills and the eastern slopes of the Sakar Mountain. In the southern periphery the area of the species touches the foothills of the Central Rhodope Mountain (above Plovdiv town), and on the north it reaches the southern slopes of the Sredna Gora Mountain (above Stara Zagora town), which are geographically related to the Thracian Lowland.

The localities of both species were found near the Bulgarian-Turkish border: that of C. cyanomorpha near Lessovo village (SOM 163346) and that of C. pseudaxillaris near Matochina village (SO 91271), so it is very likely that the two species will be found also in the Republic of Turkey.

Additional C. cyanomorpha specimens examined: — BULGARIA. Sveti Iliyski Hills , Nova Zagora district, in grassy places of young forests in the western part of the hills, 4 May 1943, D. Jordanov 78382 ( SO), sub C. pseudaxillaris ; Manastirski Hills , in scrubs on dry sunny places above Golyam Manastir village, Elhovo district, 9 June 1941, D. Jordanov 78384, 78394 ( SO), sub C. napulifera subsp. pseudaxillaris ; Sakar Mt , ca. 3 km north-northwest of Topolovgrad town, Kara Bair locality, in dry calcareous grasslands and sparse scrubs of Paliurus spina-christi , 310 m, 42.11206°N, 26.32897°E, 14 May 2015, S. Stoyanov 171879–171882 ( SOM) ; Sakar Mt , between Topolovgrad town and Dobroselets village , Topolovgrad district, Kara Bair locality, at the periphery of Quercus spp. scrubs, 280 m, 42.12732° N, 26.32737° E, 14 May 2015, S. Stoyanov 171883, 171884 ( SOM) ; Sakar Mt , west of Ustrem village, Topolovgrad district, at the periphery of dry stony grasslands in thermophilous oak forests and brushwood, 240 m, 42.02299° N, 26.42442° E, 19 May 2012, S. Bancheva et al. 168719 ( SOM), sub C. diospolitana ; Derventski Hills , northeast of the Lessovo customs, Elhovo municipality, 22 May 2006, S. Bancheva & S. Stoyanov 163345, 163346 ( SOM), sub Cyanus diospolitanus ; Derventski Hills , southeast of the village of Malko Kirilovo, Elhovo municipality, 16 May 2005, S. Bancheva & S. Stoyanov 163347 ( SOM), sub Cyanus diospolitanus ; Derventski Hills , south of the village of Chernozem, Elhovo municipality, 206 m, 42°05’31.6” N, 26°35’34.4” E, 24 June 2005, S. Bancheva & S. Stoyanov 163348, 163349 ( SOM), sub Cyanus diospolitanus .

Additional C. pseudaxillaris specimens examined: — BULGARIA. Besaparski Hills, Balabanitsa locality, in scrubs of Quercus pubescens , 26 May 1973, S. Stanev 127593 (SOM), 08025-08027 (Herb. Mus. Plovdiv); Ovchi Hills, in scrubs of Q. pubescens , 6 May 1977, S. Stanev 137982 (SOM), 09495–09497 (Herb. Mus. Plovdiv); In graminosis ad pagum Kara Mustafalar [Lyuben village, Saedinenie district], 1900, I. Urumov 84919 (SOM), sub C. napulifera ; Sotira [Hrabrino village, Plovdiv district], April 1910, V.Stříbrný 12100 (SOA), sub C. variegata Lamarck (1783: 668) ; Nova Mahala [Stoevo village, Asenovgrad district] ad Phillipoppel [Plovdiv town], June 1893, V.Stříbrný 19856 (SOA), June 1900, V.Stříbrný 84922 (SOM), June 1894, V.Stříbrný 84925 (SOM), May 1914, V.Stříbrný 84926 (SOM), May 1885, V. Stříbrný 84927 (SOM), May 1910, V. Stříbrný 84928 (SOM), May 1914, J. Mrkvička 18227 (SOA), 15 May 1914, J. Mrkvička 84921 (SOM), sub C. napulifera ; In graminosis ad Papazli [Popovitsa village, Sadovo district], 21 April 1914, 15 May 1914, J. Mrkvička 84924 (SOM), sub C. napulifera ; Stara Zagora vicinity, on the hills north of Forest Park Ayazmoto, dry grassy places in sparse scrubs, 23 May 1943, A. Yurkovskiy 84860 (SOM), sub C. napulifera ; Stara Zagora, in Forest Park Mitropolit Metodiy Kussev [Ayazmoto], 27 June 2006, S. Radanova 163451 (SOM), sub C. napulifera ; Along the road between Stara Zagora and Hrishteni village, 20 April 1910, B. Achtarov 84920 (SOM), sub C. napulifera ; Aprilovo village, Stara Zagora district, in sparse forest of Q. pubescens , 4 June 1959, I. Ganchev & S. Denchev 106867 (SOM), sub C. stricta Waldstein & Kitaibel (1805: 194) ; Haskovo vicinity, in grassy places northwest of Quail Farm locality, 2 June 1974, P. Rohov 129927 (SOM), sub C. triumfettii Allioni (1773: 16) ; Rakovski village [neighborhood of Dimitrovgrad town], Haskovo district, 7 May 1915, unknown collector 84923 (SOM), sub C. napulifera ; In graminosis ad Nova Zagora, May 1915, V. Stříbrný 12097 (SOA; Lectotype: designated by Bancheva & Raimondo 2003), sub C. napulifera ; Sveti Iliyski Hills, ca. 2 km northeast of Sokol village, Nova Zagora district, in sparse forests of Q. pubescens , 370 m, 42.41988°N, 26.11929°E, 15 May 2015, S. Stoyanov 171885–171887 (SOM); Sveti Iliyski Hills, ca. 1 km southeast of Grafitovo village, Nova Zagora district, along the dirt road towards Sveti Iliya chapel, 250 m, 42.44217°N, 26.12064°E, 4 June 2015, S. Stoyanov 171888, 171889 (SOM); Sveti Iliyski Hills, in young forests above Omarchevo village, Nova Zagora district, 3 May 1943, D. Jordanov 78383 (SO); Sveti Iliyski Hills, in grassy places of young forests between the villages of Botevo and Boyadzhik, Yambol district, 2 May 1943, D. Jordanov 78381 (SO); In pascuis ad pagum Meden Kladenets, Yambol district, 20 May 1948, N. Stojanov & B. Achtarov 90789 (SOM), sub C. triumfettii subsp. variegata (Lam.) Stefanov & Georgiev (1931: 162) var. cana (Smith in Sibthorp & Smith 1813: 198) Stefanov & Georgiev (1931: 163) f. jablonovskyi ( Velenovský 1896: 8) Stojanov & Achtarov (1935: 14) ; In declivibus siccis prope pagum Vakav ad Kavakli, 2 May 1926, N. Stojanov et al. 12099 (SOA), sub C. napulifera ; Sakar Mt, in sparse scrubs west of Matochina village, Svilengrad district, 27 May 1963, D. Jordanov & A. Yanev 91271 (SO), sub C. triumfettii subsp. variegata .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Distribution map of Centaurea cyanomorpha (open triangles—records before 1975, solid triangles—records after 1975).

FIGURE 5. Distribution map of Centaurea pseudaxillaris (open circles—records before 1975, solid circles—records after 1975).