Negaresh, Ranjbar & Negaresh, 2013

Ranjbar, Massoud & Negaresh, Kazem, 2013, A revision of Centaurea sect. Phaeopappus (Asteraceae, Cardueae), Phytotaxa 123 (1), pp. 1-40 : 4-6

1. Centaurea albonitens Turrill (1930: 427) . Type: IRAN. Prov. Azerbaijan, W Tabriz , 23 June 1929, Gilliat-

Smith 2568 (holotype K!). Fig. 1 .

Amberboa carthamoides Candolle (1838: 561) . Phaeopappus carthamoides (DC.) Boissier (1845: 125) . Centaurea

carthamoides (DC.) Schultz Bipontinus (1847: 326) , non Chevallier 1827. Tomanthea carthamoides (DC.)

Takhtajan (1939: 243). Type : IRAN. Prov. Azerbaijan: near NW Khoy, Szowits s.n. (holotype B!) .

Perennial plants, usually pale green, 15–40 cm tall; collum covered with abundant brown fibrous remains of petioles of previous year. Stem erect, simple, rarely dichotomous in median part, branches ± equal in length, cylindrical, densely leafy, subglabrous and conspicuously ivory-white, 4–8 mm in diam. at the base. Leaves very firm with prominent veins on both sides, undivided, petiole and midrib white, rigid, coriaceous, glabrous, and margin subscabrous. Basal and lower leaves at flowering time withered, 11–14(–30) × 3–4(–8) cm, undivided, nearly orbicular to ovate or broadly lanceolate, shortly petiolate, up to 2 cm long, acute at apex. Median cauline leaves sessile, simple, 10–20 × 4–10 cm, lanceolate or broadly lanceolate or lanceolateoblong, broadly decurrent up to 30 mm long, acute or acuminate at apex. Upper cauline leaves smaller, sessile, simple, 2–12 × 0.6–3(–8) cm, lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, sometimes ovate-lanceolate, sometimes longer than capitula, broadly decurrent up to 30(–50) mm long, acuminate or elongated into a mucro at apex. Capitules solitary, terminal, long-pedunculate, and the peduncles foliate to the top; involucres ovoid to subglobose or ovoid-globose, 30–40 × (20–) 25–35 mm. Phyllaries multiseriate, imbricate, rigid, coriaceous, green, margins pale green, smooth and glabrous. Outer phyllaries ovate, 7–8 × 5–7 mm; appendages 8–14 × 3–7 mm (cilia and spine included). Median phyllaries lanceolate or rectangular or ovate-oblong, 13–19 × 10– 17 mm, appendages 11–18 × 3.5–7 mm (cilia and spine included). Inner phyllaries lanceolate or lanceolatelinear or lanceolate-oblong, 20–25 × 6–15 mm; appendages 4–10 × 3–4(–8) mm (cilia and spine included). Appendages concealing part of phyllaries only, firm, straw-coloured or pale brown or brown, triangular or mostly rectangular in lower part, entire or fringed in upper part or with (3–)5–7(–11) cilia on each side, 1–3 mm long, innermost lacerate or dentate; spine triangular, 3–7 mm long, longer than the nearest cilia. Flowers yellow; central florets hermaphrodite, 27–30 mm long, corolla 18–20 mm long, 5-lobed, lobes acute and ± equal; anther tube pink, stigma symmetrically bifid, up to 0.5 mm long, pubescent; peripheral florets sterile, finely dissected, not expanded. Achenes oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 6–8 mm long, 3.5–4 mm wide, brown or dark brown, glabrous; hilum lateral, yellowish or whitish, ca. 1 mm long, glabrous. Pappus multiseriate, scabrous, persistent, 10–14 mm long, inner row longer, usually straw-coloured to brownish.

Taxonomic and distributional remarks: — Centaurea albonitens is widely distributed in western Iran, especially W Azerbaijan Province, and also in E Turkey and Armenia, occurring in the steppe zone ( Fig. 2 ). It may grow on stony slopes, at elevations of 1600–2400 m. Centaurea heratensis Rech. f. & Koeie ( Rechinger

1955: 183) from Afghanistan is the only species that shows a close relationship to C. albonitens ( Wagenitz 1975, 1980) by having the stem (10–) 15–40 cm tall and median and upper cauline leaves broadly decurrent. However, it differs in some characters such as the stem subglabrous and conspicuously ivory-white (vs. loosely floccose-tomentose), basal and lower leaves undivided, nearly orbicular to ovate or broadly lanceolate (vs. lyrate, segments lanceolate), flowers yellow (vs. white, in dry state ochre-yellow or dirty white), spine 3– 7 mm (vs. 5–12 mm) long, achenes brown or dark brown and 6–8 mm long (vs. deep purple and 10–11 mm long), and also pappus straw-coloured to brownish, 10–14 mm long (vs. deep violet, 5–7 mm long).

Chromosome numbers: — Centaurea albonitens is a diploid species with the base chromosome number of 2 n = 2 x = 18 ( Fig. 1C and Table 1). Our results agree with the report by Garcia-Jacas et al. (1998a) from Iran, W Azerbaijan, surroundings of Marand near Mishudagh. The basic number of x = 9 was already known for other species of the section.

Taxon 2 n Locality Vouchers

Centaurea albonitens 18 Azerbaijan: Marand, Mishudagh, 10 km before Payam, alt. 1724 m Ranjbar & Negaresh 28921

Selected specimens examined:— IRAN. Prov. Azerbaijan: Marand, Mishudagh , 10 km before Payam , 1724 m, 26 June 2012, Ranjbar & Negaresh 28921 ( BASU!) ; Khoy, 3 km after Balagock, 2100 m, 23 June 2012, Ranjbar & Negaresh 29843 ( BASU!) ; mountains above Rezaiyeh , 2150 m, Furse & Synge 791 (E!) ; 27–30 km S Khoy toward Shahpur, 1500–1700 m, Rechinger 41798 ( W!) ; Shahpur, Kuh-e Pass, Archibald s.n. (E!); Kuh Ziarat N Habashi Bala near Qotur , 2500–3000 m, Rechinger & Renz in Rechinger 49711 (E!); between Marand to Sufian , 1600–1750 m, Rechinger 41183 ( W!) ; Lamond 3756 (E!); W Tabriz, Gilliat-Smith 2568 (K!). Prov. Zanjan: Zanjan to Hamedan, 25 km to Qeydar, 2030 m, 20 July 2011, Ranjbar & Negaresh 29215 ( BASU!) ; Qeydar to Abhar, 5 km to Abhar , 1717 m, 28 July 2007, Ranjbar 15358 ( BASU!) ; 15 km after Halab city, 1720–1750 m, 14 June 2012, Ranjbar & Negaresh 33163 ( BASU!) , 33164 ( BASU!); Zanjan toward Bijar, 1500 m, Rechinger 42403 ( W!) . Prov. Kurdestan: Marivan to Sofian , Sivan village , 1700 m, 25 June 2012, Ranjbar & Negaresh 33161 ( BASU!) , 33162 ( BASU!). Prov. Hamedan: Hamedan, 2 June 1998, Farahmand 686 ( BASU!) . TURKEY. Van: Gürpinar-Hakkari , 1 km W Güselsu (Hosąb), 2000 m, 25 July 1997, s.c. 12674 (P!); in faucibus 25 km NW Bashkale , 2400 m, 23 July #, s.c. 49900 (E!); 34 km from Gürpinar to Hoşap, 2150 m, 3 July 1966, Davis 45961 (E!); Gürpinar-Hakkari , 1 km W Güzelsu , 2000 m, 25 July 1977, Huber-Morath 12674 (E!) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Centaurea albonitensTurrill (Ranjbar & Negaresh 28921, BASU). A. habit. B. close up of capitule. C. metaphase plate (2n = 18). Scale A and B = 1 cm.

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.