Negaresh, Ranjbar & Negaresh, 2013

Ranjbar, Massoud & Negaresh, Kazem, 2013, A revision of Centaurea sect. Phaeopappus (Asteraceae, Cardueae), Phytotaxa 123 (1), pp. 1-40 : 9-11

3. Centaurea aucheri (DC.) Wagenitz (1963: 180) . Fig. 4 .

Basionym: Tomanthea aucheri Candolle (1838: 564) . Phaeopappus leuzeoides Boissier (1845: 124) , nom. illeg. superfl. Phaeopappus aucheri (DC.) Heimerl (1885: 65) . Type: W IRAN. Aucher-Eloy 3195 (holotype G-DC!, isotypes K!, P!, photo BASU!).

Phaeopappus depressus Boissier (1888: 311) . Tomanthea depressa (Boiss.) Czerepanov (1960: 480) . Type: W IRAN. Hamedan, Yalfan village, June 1882, Pichler s.n. (holotype G!, photo BASU!).

Perennial with woody rhizome, usually completely green or green-grayish, 7–22 cm tall; collum covered with abundant brown fibrous remains of petioles of previous year. Stem arcuate-ascending or suberect, sometimes strongly abbreviated, cylindrical, brownish, 2.5–4 mm in diam. at the base, densely covered with appressed floccose-tomentose and sessile glandular hairs. Leaves densely covered with floccose-tomentose and glandular hairs on both sides, usually undivided. Basal leaves distinctly large, almost longer than stem, 9–23 cm long, undivided, lanceolate or elliptic, rarely pinnatisect or lyrate or with small lobes in lower part, segments in 3–12 pairs, sometimes terminal segment very large, acute or subacuminate at apex. Lower cauline leaves petiolate, 4.5–16 cm long, undivided, lanceolate, rarely lyrate or pinnatisect, segments in (1–)2–9 pairs, sometimes terminal segment very large, acute at apex. Median and upper cauline leaves sessile, almost undivided, broadly lanceolate or lanceolate, rarely lanceolate-elliptic or lanceolate-linear, 8–13 × 1.6–2.2 cm, rarely lyrate with 2–5 pair segments, acute at apex, margins scabarous, uppermost longer than capitula. Capitula 1(–2) on peduncles 10–40 mm long, solitary at end of branches; involucres oblong or ovoid, 25–30 × (17–) 20–25 mm. Phyllaries multiseriate, imbricate, coriaceous, green or green-yellowish, smooth and glabrous. Outer phyllaries ovate, 4–7 × 4–7 mm; appendages 6–7 × 5–7 mm (cilia and spine included). Median phyllaries ovate or broadly ovate, sometimes striate, 9–15 × 9–12 mm; appendages 5–8 × 11–12 mm (cilia and spine included). Inner phyllaries oblong or oblong-linear, sometimes striate, 20–22 × 8–10 mm, margins hyaline-membranous, 1–2 mm wide; appendages 3–4 × 4–7 mm (cilia and spine included). Appendages small, only partly concealing basal part of phyllaries, triangular, membranous, whitish, but pale brown in central part, sometimes shortly decurrent on crenate margins, innermost lacerate; cilia whitish, narrowly triangular, indistinct, numerous, 4–12(–15) on each side, 1–4 mm long; spine narrowly triangular, brownish, 2–5 mm long, ± equal to the nearest cilia. Flowers yellow; central florets hermaphrodite, 29–33 mm long, corolla 13–15 mm long, 5-lobed, lobes acute and ± equal; peripheral florets sterile, finely dissected, not radiant, 4-lobed, limb lobes linear, 6–7.5 mm long. Achenes oblong, 8–9.5 mm long, 2.5–3.2 mm wide, brown, glabrous, compressed; hilum lateral, 0.8–1 mm long, glabrous, whitish. Pappus multiseriate, persistent, scabrous, brownish, sometimes purplish, ca. 22–24 mm long.

Taxonomic and distributional remarks: — Centaurea aucheri is common in NW, W and C Iran ( Fig. 2 ). There are disjunctive populations of C. aucheri in the N Iran and E Iraq ( Wagenitz 1980). It is an Irano- Turanian and Zagrosian element. Centaurea aucheri grows in steppes, on rocky slopes, stony slopes, in low and mid-montane zones, in xeric-steppe phytocoenoses, at elevations of 1150–2500 m. According to Flora Iranica ( Wagenitz 1980), C. aucheri comprises 5 subspecies, which are very distinct from each other and separated as different species in the present study.

Selected specimens examined:— IRAN. Prov. Azerbaijan: 38 km NW Bonab, 1550 m, Rechinger 43166 ( W!) ; toward lake Shebli, 2000 m, Rechinger 43205 ( W!) ; Lamond 5106 (E!). Prov. Hamedan: Kandtappeh , 2072 m, 7 July 2011, Ranjbar & Negaresh 26284 ( BASU!) ; Hamedan-Qeydar, 10 km (before Rahdarkhaneh) Gogjayeylagh , 2025 m, 20 July 2011, Ranjbar & Negaresh 27117 ( BASU!) ; Ganjnameh, 2250 m, 3 June 1932, Balls 110 (E!). Prov. Kermanshah: Sonqor to Qorveh , Kochkineh village , 1973 m, 20 July 2011, Ranjbar & Negaresh 27201 ( BASU!) . Prov. Markazi: Komeyjan to Vafs , 7 km before Vafs , 2300 m, 23 July 2011, Ranjbar & Negaresh 27474 ( BASU!) ; Vafs, 2200 m, 23 July 2011, Ranjbar & Negaresh 27650 ( BASU!) . Prov. Lorestan: Saravand, 20 km SE Dow Rud, 2000–2200 m, Rechinger 48081 ( W!) ; in jugo Chariveh Shah 32 km E Khorramabad , 2050 m, Rechinger 47737 (E!) . Prov. Qazvin: between Khur and Fashand, 1500 m, Rechinger 653 ( W!) . Prov. Kurdestan: Sanandaj, Salavat Abad , 2130 m, 15 July 2009, Ranjbar 28533 ( BASU!) ; 33 km NW Divandarreh toward Saqqez, 2100 m, Rechinger 48594 ( W!) ; Ariz near Sanandaj, 2200 m, Rechinger 42842 ( W!) ; 47 km W Bijar toward Divandarreh, 1950–2000 m, 2 July 1971, Lamond 4425 (E!); Rechinger 42667 ( W!) ; Ad radices montibus Hamzeh Arab, SE Bijar, 2000 m, Rechinger 42518 ( W!) ; neck Khan Hasan Saralan near Baneh, 2050 m, Rechinger 49173 ( W!) . IRAQ. Prov. Arbil: Hajji Omran, 1700 m, Wiltshire s.n. in Haines (E!); Hajji Omran , on dry slopes, Rechinger 11295 ( W!) ; near Hajji Omran, 2000 m, Rawi 9177 (K!).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Distribution of Centaurea albonitens (1), C. spectabilis (2), C. aucheri (3), C. phaeopappa (4), C. assadii (5), C. indistincta (6), C. farsistanica (7), C. phaeopappa subsp. jiroftensis (8), and C. handelii (9) in Iran.

FIGURE 4. Centaurea aucheri (DC.) Wagenitz (A and C: Aucher-Eloy 3195, K). A. basal leaves. B. close up of capitule. C. habit. Scale A–C = 2 cm.