Centaurea cataonica subsp. syriaca Negaresh, 2018

Negaresh, Kazem & Rahiminejad, Mohammad Reza, 2018, A revision of Centaurea sect. Cynaroides (Asteraceae, Cardueae-Centaureinae), Phytotaxa 363 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

7b. Centaurea cataonica subsp. syriaca Negaresh , subsp. nov. ( Fig. 20 )

Centaureae cataonicae subsp. cataonicae affinis , caulibus basi ad mediocre ramosis (nec simplicibus), capitulis 10–12-cephalis (nec 4–6- cephalis), pedunculis inferioribus 2–4-cephalis (nec solitaribus), involucro 25–28 mm (nec 32–48 mm) longo, appendicibus valde brunneis ad nigris (nec stramineis vel paululum brunneis) differt.

Type :— SYRIA. Syrie borealis, Marasch, 1865 , Haussknecht s.n. (holotype P!) .

Stem branched from near base to median part; capitula 10 to 12, arranged in a raceme, lowest peduncles with 3–4 heads; involucres 25–28 × 25–28 mm; appendages dark brown to blackish; spine 2–6 mm long.

Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to Syria, where the new subspecies was collected.

Taxonomic and distribution remarks: — Centaurea cataonica subsp. syriaca is the first record of C. cataonica from Syria. The epithet ‘ Centaurea gigantea ’ was written on the label of Haussknecht’s plant determined by Ch. Haussknecht. But it is clearly different from C. gigantea by having a smaller habit, wider appendages (5–8 mm wide) totally concealing phyllaries, and is more consistent with C. cataonica .

Chromosome numbers: —Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 20. Centaurea cataonica Boissier & Haussknecht subsp. syriaca Negaresh (Haussknecht s.n., P).