Phelypaea boissieri f. lutea Ue . Subasi, R. Piwowarczyk, O . Sanchez Pedraja, 2021

Subasi, Uemit, Pedraja, Oscar Sanchez & Piwowarczyk, Renata, 2021, Phelypaea boissieri f. lutea (Orobanchaceae), a peculiar new form from Turkey and typification of the name of this species, PhytoKeys 186, pp. 159-167 : 159

Phelypaea boissieri f. lutea Ue. Subasi, R. Piwowarczyk, O. Sanchez Pedraja f. nov.

Figure 3

Diagnosis.

This new taxon is very similar to typical Phelypaea boissieri , and is compliant with morphometric characteristics in the description of the plant after Reuter (1847: 42, sub Anoplanthus biebersteinii var. boissieri ), Stapf (1915), Nicolson (1975), Cullen (2010) but differs significantly in color and, usually, a higher stem. In typical P. boissieri , flowers are deeply red, and stem, calyx and scales are red to brown, or rarely pale-brown, whereas in the Phelypaea boissieri f. lutea corolla, calyx, and scales are yellow to orange with black folds in the corolla, with only the stem being brownish (Fig. 3 ).

Type.

Turkey. C10 Hakkâri: Merkez district, Kırıkdağ village, Gümüşlü location (Kurdish: Spixane). Cilo Mountains , subalpine grasslands and meadows, ca. 2,470 m alt., 10 June 2021, Ü. Subaşı s.n. (holotype and isotypes ANK!) .

Distribution and ecology.

This taxon is known exclusively from the type locality. The Cilo (Glacial) Mountains (Cilo (Buzul) Dağı) are part of the Hakkâri Dağları range and include the third highest peak of Turkey with an altitude of 4,135 meters. Turkey’s Eastern Anatolia Region, the easternmost extension of the Southeast Taurus Mountains, is located within the borders of Hakkari province. The locality of P. boissieri f. lutea is located in Hakkari province, Kırıkdağ village, Gümüşlü location (Kurdish: Spixane). This area is located around Mt Uludoruk ( Reşko 4,135 m), at an altitude of approximately 2,470 meters. In this area dominated by high mountain steppe plants, the bedrock consists mainly of tectonic deposits and limestone. It is approximately 20 km from any settlements. Parasitising Centaurea , probably C. persica Boiss. (new host-plant). Phenology - flowering end of June to July, fruiting July to August. The population size is small, over a dozen individuals. The number of individuals counted in the area is fewer than 100. The entire population in this locality is formed by higher plants than the type with yellow corolla. In the future, research into the cause, phytochemical composition, ecological importance and adaptation, and also into pollinators of typical red Phelypaea individuals and yellow-orange ones could shed new light on this topic.

Etymology.

The form name originated from the yellow to orange colouring of plants.

Note.

There are also photos of a yellow flower belonging to P. boissieri in Internet sources [https://www.flickr.com/photos/camerar/2887571252/ and http://www.agaclar.net/forum/1296397-post1573.htm]. The photos, respectively, were taken in SE Turkey by Karen Nichols in 26 June 2008, possibly in the same Hakkari province, but no more detailed location data is available, and Hakkari-Mergan-Yaylası (Mergan Plateau) by Güngör Salman in 16 June 2014 [http://www.agaclar.net/forum/1296397-post1573.htm], as well as from Yüksekova /Hakkari by Leoš Smutný in 13 May 2014 [https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71616618]. We are also aware of a near mention ( “Yüksekova [Gever / Gawar], 1950 m, 23 v 1966, Eiselt !") ( Gilli 1982: 2, sub P. coccinea ); this record probably corresponds to the same f. previously described.

Figures

Figure 3. Habitat and general habit of Phelypaea boissieri f. lutea at 2,470 m alt. in Cilo Mountains, Hakkari province, SE Turkey. Phot. Ue. Subasi.