Centaurea shehbazii Ranjbar & Negaresh (2014a: 51)

Negaresh, Kazem & Rahiminejad, Mohammad Reza, 2018, A revision of Centaurea sect. Cynaroides (Asteraceae, Cardueae-Centaureinae), Phytotaxa 363 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

32. Centaurea shehbazii Ranjbar & Negaresh (2014a: 51) . Type:— IRAN. Prov. Kermanshah: 5 km to Ravansar, Bave Geh village , 1420 m, 30 May 2012, Ranjbar & Negaresh 28805 (holotype BASU!, photo herb. Negaresh). ( Fig. 71 )

Biennial plants, with thick fleshy taproot, whole plant usually green, up to 60 cm tall. Stem erect, usually simple, ca. 12 mm in diam. at base, cylindrical, with thick white striations, loosely leafy up to median part, lower part reddish, subglabrous or with sparse hirsute-articulate hairs, up to 1.5 mm long, median part loosely covered with hirsute-articulate hairs and sessile glands, upper part loosely arachnoid with a mix of hirsute-articulate hairs and sessile glands, sometimes only with sessile glands. Leaves stiff, papyraceous (on drying), with prominent veins on both sides, almost covered with hirsute-articulate hairs, up to 0.7 mm long, more densely along midrib and veins, and sessile glands, margins scabrous. Basal leaves simple, with a ca. 12 cm petiole, broadly lanceolate, ca. 30 × 12 cm, cartilaginously dentate, acute at apex. Lower cauline leaves simple, with a 7.5–12.5 cm petiole, broadly ovate or broadly ovate-lanceolate, 27–33 × 13–14 cm, entire or cartilaginously dentate, acute at apex. Median cauline leaves sessile, oblanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 15–20 × 6–10.5 cm, decurrent, up to 18 mm along stem, entire, acute at apex. Upper cauline leaves increasingly smaller, sessile, oblong-elliptic, ca. 9.5 × 3.7 cm, loosely covered with hirsute-articulate and sparsely arachnoid hairs, narrowly decurrent, up to 12 mm along stem, obtuse at apex. Capitula few, 5 to 7, arranged in a raceme, peduncles naked, upper peduncles 9–16 cm long. Involucres ovoid-globose, truncate at base, 40–45 × 30–40 mm. Phyllaries multiseriate, green in vivo, yellow-greenish in sicco, imbricate, coriaceous, with dense lanate-tomentose appressed hairs. Appendages rigid-chartaceous, medium-sized, concealing basal part of phyllaries only, not decurrent; cilia numerous, white or white-purple, 8–12 on each side, 1–6 mm long; spines rigid, purplish or blackish, triangular, (3–) 5–8 mm long, equal to or longer than adjacent cilia. Outer phyllaries oblong, 3.5–8 × 8.2–9.8 mm; appendages shortly ovate, ca. 9 × 15–16 mm (including cilia and spine), straw-coloured with purple striations or purple throughout. Median phyllaries oblong or rectangular, 12–17 × ca. 12 mm; appendages ovate-triangular, 13–16 × ca. 18 mm (including cilia and spine), deep purple to blackish in central part. Inner phyllaries lanceolate-oblong or lanceolate-linear, 21–36 × 10–14 mm; appendages triangular, 12–15 × 4–15 mm, blackish. Flowers pink; central florets hermaphroditic, ca. 65 mm long, corolla ca. 19 mm long, 5-lobed, lobes ± 8.5 mm long; peripheral florets sterile, slightly shorter than central ones, numerous (15–20 in each capitulum) and conspicuous, finely dissected, not radiant, 4-lobed, limb lobes linear, ca. 9 mm long. Achenes oblong, 6.2–6.5 mm long, 2.2–3.2 mm wide, yellowish, glabrescent; insertion areole lateral, 0.8–1 mm long. Pappus persistent, multiseriate, scabrous, whitish or pale brown, ca. 15.5–16 mm long.

Taxonomic and distribution remarks: — Centaurea shehbazii is a rare endemic to Kermanshah Province, W Iran ( Fig. 72 ). It is an Irano-Turanian element, and grows on stony slopes, fallow fields and along roadsides, at elevations of 1400–1450 m ( Ranjbar & Negaresh 2014a) .

This species is similar to C. regia var. purpurea in its length of spine, color of flowers and length of achenes. However, it differs from C. regia var. purpurea by its involucres 40–45 × 30–40 mm (vs. 40–55 × 40–60 mm), appendages concealing basal part of phyllaries only, shortly ovate or ovate-triangular (vs. totally concealing phyllaries, ovate or broadly triangular), cilia 8–12 (vs. 10–17) on each side, spine purplish or blackish (vs. whitish or pale brown), and also median appendages 13–16 × ca. 18 mm (vs. ca. 20–25 × 20–25 mm). Centaurea shehbazii is also related to C. haradjianii , especially because of phyllaries densely lanate-tomentose, appendages concealing part of phyllaries only and flower pink. However, it differs from C. haradjianii in its stem up to 60 cm (vs. 70–100 cm) tall, median cauline leaves sessile, oblanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 6–10.5 cm wide, decurrent, up to 18 mm along stem (vs. petiolate, lanceolate, 2–5 cm wide, not decurrent), involucres 40–45 × 30–40 mm (vs. 25–32 × 17–25 mm), median appendages ca. 18 mm wide (vs. 10–11 mm wide), flowers ca. 65 mm (vs. 28–30 mm) long, achenes 6.2–6.5 mm long (vs. ca. 5 mm long), and also pappus ca. 15.5–16 mm (vs. ca. 10 mm) long. In addition, C. shehbazii shares some characters with C. amanicola such as shape of involucres, length of spine and color of appendages, but differs from it by its involucres 40–45 × 30–40 mm (vs. 27–35 × 25–30 mm), appendages concealing basal part of phyllaries only, shortly ovate or ovate-triangular (vs. totally concealing phyllaries, broadly triangular to orbicular), cilia 8–12 (vs. 12–16(–20)) on each side, flowers ca. 65 mm long (vs. 32–35 mm long), and also pappus ca. 15.5–16 (vs. 8–9 mm) long.

Chromosome numbers: —Unknown.

Selected specimens examined:— IRAN. Prov. Kermanshah: Ravansar toward Sardem village , 34° 43′ 4.4″ N, 46° 40′ 38.6″ E, 1370 m, 16 June 2017, Negaresh 177 (herb. Negaresh!, RUH!) .

Figures

FIGURE 71. Centaurea shehbazii Ranjbar & Negaresh (Ranjbar & Negaresh 28805, BASU). A. close up of capitule. B. median cauline leaves. C. habit. D. indumentum of upper part of stem. Scale A = 1 cm, B and C = 2 cm.

FIGURE 72. Distribution of Centaurea shehbazii (circles), C. solitaria (squares), and C. spicata (triangles).