Allium registanicum Wendelbo, 1969

Khan, Nazar, Fritsch, R. M., Sultan, Amir & Khan, Tahir, 2021, ALLIUM (AMARYLLIDACEAE) SPECIES IN PAKISTAN: TWO NEW RECORDS AND A NEW SPECIES FROM ZHOB (BALOCHISTAN), Pakistan Journal of Botany 53 (5), pp. 1-7 : 2-5

Allium registanicum Wendelbo (Bot. Not. 122: 34, 1969). Figs. 12-16 , 17

Bulb ovoid 2 cm long, 1 cm in diameter, outer tunics brownish, coarsely reticulate, inner tunics white to pale brown, membranous. Scape 1-2, 12- 30 cm long, underground parts covered by leaf sheaths. Leaves 2-5, shorter to longer than the scape, narrow, semi–cylindrical, sub-opposite to sub-verticillate, 0.7-2.2 mm broad, not fistular. Spathe soft membranous with brownish to purple nerves, 7-10 mm long, upper part almost split. Umbel hemispherical, dense; pedicels unequal, 5-20 mm long. Perigonium campanulate; tepals white to lilac, pale violet flushed, with purple to violet nerve, elliptic to ellipticoblong, 4-5.5 mm long, outer tepals slightly shorter than inner tepals and obtuse, inner tepals obtuse to subobtuse. Filaments shorter to slightly longer than tepals, 4-6 mm long, lilac to purple, connate at base and adnate to tepals, outer filaments triangular, narrower at base than inner filaments, facing the angles of ovary, inner filaments subulate facing the grooves of ovary. Anthers 0.8-1.2 mm long, violet. Style 2-7 mm long, stigma slightly capitate. Capsule depressed globose, triangular, 3-4 x 5 mm with persistent dry tepals. Seeds black, thin, irregularly ovate, 2-2.5 mm.

Vernacular names: Piazian, Anjorai

Distribution: Previously only reported as endemic from S. Afghanistan in the province Qandahar ( Wendelbo, 1971; Breckle et al., 2013). Newly found in Pakistan near the village Appozai, Qamardin Karez, Chukhan and Shaghala in the Zhob district.

Ecology: Usually found in sandy to sandy gravel soil in the plains

Ethnobotany: The whole plant is edible, especially the leaves are collected and eaten as salad.

Specimens examined: Balochistan, Zhob district , Appozai village , 31°21’37”N 69°25’22”E, Nazar Khan Mandokhel, 25 April, 2019 ( RAW100739 ) .

This species belongs to A. subg. Allium sect. Brevispatha Valsecchi.

Figures

Figs. 12-16. Allium registanicum. Fig. 12. Plant habit, Fig. 13. Inflorescence in early anthesis, Fig. 14. Inflorescence in late anthesis, Fig. 15. Flower section showing filaments and tepals, Fig. 16. Bulb with reticulate tunics. Photos by Nazar Khan.

Fig. 17. Distribution of Allium caroli-henrici, A. registanicum and A. zhobicum.