Verbascum duzgunbabadagensis Karavel. & E.Yüce, 2014

Karavelioğullari, Faik Ahmet, Yüce, Ebru & Başer, Birol, 2014, Verbascum duzgunbabadagensis (Scrophulariaceae), a new species from eastern Anatolia, Turkey, Phytotaxa 181 (1), pp. 47-53 : 49-52

Verbascum duzgunbabadagensis Karavel. & E.Yüce sp. nov. ( Figs. 1−2)

It differs from V. luciliae for its smaller size, 8−20 cm (vs. 20−60 cm in V. luciliae ), numerous articulate hairs in the lower portions of the stems and branches (vs. without articulate hairs), basal leaves ovate (vs. oblong-lanceolate), 2−3 × 1−2 mm (vs. 6−8 × 2−3 cm), floral bracts 2−3 × 1.5−2.5 mm (vs. lower bracts 3−5 × 1−1.5 mm, upper bracts 1−2 × 0.5−1 mm), filaments 1−2 mm long (vs. 6−7 mm long), whitish yellow-purple woolly (vs. whitish yellow woolly), two anterior anthers decurrent (vs. all anthers reniform), corolla 10−15 mm diam (vs. 13−20 mm diam), capsule 2−3 × 1−2 mm (vs. 3.5−4 × 2.5−3.5 mm), capsule ovate (vs. globose). It differs from V. rupicola in having plants 8−20 cm tall (vs. 15−35 tall in V. rupicola ), basal leaves 2−3 × 1−2 mm (vs. 3−8 × 2−2.5 cm), floral bracts 2−3 × 1.5−2.5 mm (vs. lower bracts 1−2 × 0.5−1.5 mm, upper bracts 3−5 × 2−3 mm), filaments 1−2 mm long (vs. 3−4 mm long), filaments whitish yellow-purple woolly (vs. whitish yellow and purplish-violet woolly), two anterior anthers decurrent (vs. all anthers reniform), corolla 10−15 mm diam (vs. 12−16 mm diam), capsule 2−3 × 1−2 mm (vs. 3−4 × 3−3.5 mm), capsule ovate (vs. globose) ( Table 1).

Type:— TURKEY. B7 Tunceli: Nazimiye, Düzgün Baba Mountain , 39°07’41”N / 39°46’16”E, 1800−2050m, 31 May 2012, E. Yüce 2230 (holotype, GAZI!, isotype, ANK!) .

Cespitose perennial, 8−30 cm tall, stem branched at base, numerous articulate hairs in the lower portion of the stems and branches, densely glandular hairs above. Basal leaves ovate, 2−3 × 1−2 mm, covered with glandular hairs, irregularly crenate, base obtuse, apex acute; petiole 3−5 mm long, covered with glandular hairs. Cauline leaves ovate, 1−2 × 0.5−1 mm, covered with glandular hairs, irregularly crenate, base obtuse, apex acute. Inflorescences in racemes, 4−20 cm long, internodes 0.5−1 cm long, covered with glandular hairs. Floral bracts 2−3 × 1.5−2.5 mm, with glandular hairs, oblong-lanceolate, crenate, apex acute. Pedicels 7−10 mm long, glandular hairs, ebracteolate. Calyx 2.5−3.5 mm, with glandular hairs, almost divided to the base, lobes oblong-lanceolate, acute. Corolla 10−15 mm diam, yellow, glabrous outside, tube 1 mm long, lobes 5−8 mm long. Stamens 4, 2− 3 mm long; filaments 1−2 mm long, whitish yellow-purple, woolly; anthers 0.5−2 mm long, the two anteriors decurrent, glabrous near apex. Pollen prolate-spheroidal, polar axis 20.97−30.25 µm long, equatorial axis 19.18−28.88 µm long, colpi long axis 17.53−25.87 µm long, colpi short axis 4.37−7.50 µm long, exine 0.81−1.44 µm thick and intine 0.46−0.98 µm thick ( Table 2), reticulate-perforate surface ornamentation, 2−4 perforations per µm², lumina 0.59−1.76 µm thick, muri 0.12−0.23 µm thick in average ( Fig. 3 ).

Ovary 1−2 × 0.5−1 mm, globose. Style 4−5 mm long, filiform; stigma 1 mm long, capitate. Capsule 2−3 × 1−2 mm, ovate. Seeds cube without ridges or alveolate, 0.9 × 0.7 mm, dark brown, apiculate beak, surface reticulate composed of polygonal−rectangular cells with vesicles only on the angles of the walls, reticulate–pitted ( Table 3, Fig. 4 ).

Phenology:—Flowering from June to July, fruiting from July to September.

Habitat:—Rocky place, rock crevices, 1800−2050 m.

Etymology:—This new species is called after Düzgün Baba Mountain, the unique area where this species has been recorded.

Red list assessment:—The extent of occurrence for the Verbascum duzgunbabadagensis was almost 20 km 2. This species was found in a single location. It grows in limestone slopes, associated to Quercus sp. shrub. Its habitat continues to decline because of agricultural activities and other local uses. Hence, the threat category of V. duzgunbabadagensis is suggested as CR [B1ab(iii)] ( IUCN 2001).

Additional specimens seen (paratypes):— TURKEY.B7 Tunceli: Nazimiye, Düzgün Baba Mountain , 1800−2050 m, 20 June 2012, M. Fırat 27902 ( VANF!); ibidem, 20 August 2012, M. Fırat 30082 ( VANF!) .

Taxonomic relationships:— Verbascum duzgunbabadagensis belongs to the so called “A group” in Flora of Turkey ( Huber-Morath 1978, Davis et al. 1988). This group has reached 30 species with the addition of Verbascum duzgunbabadagensis ( Güner et al, 2012). The new species is morphologically similar to V. luciliae and V. rupicola .

Vernacular names: In Tunceli Province, indigenous people use the name “Masîjark” for Verbascum ( Fırat, 2013) .

Figures

FIGURE 3. SEM photos of the pollen grains of V. duzgunbabadagensis a- equatorial view, b- detail of pollen grain surface (E. Yüce 2230, GAZI!). V. luciliae c- equatorial view, d- detail of pollen grain surface (H. Duman 6325, GAZI!). V. rupicola e- equatorial view, f- detail of pollen grain surface (S. Şenol 3821, GAZI!).

FIGURE 4. SEM photos of the seed coat of V. duzgunbabadagensis a- general shape, b- seed coat surface (M. Fırat 27902, VANF!). V. luciliae: c- general shape, d- seed coat surface (H. Duman 6325, GAZI!). V. rupicola: e- general shape, f- seed coat surface (S. Şenol 3821, GAZI!).