Salvia hasankeyfense Dirmenci, Celep & O. Guner, 2015

Celep, Ferhat, Dirmenci, Tuncay & Güner, Özal, 2015, Salvia hasankeyfense (Lamiaceae), a new species from Hasankeyf (Batman, South-eastern Turkey), Phytotaxa 227 (3), pp. 289-294 : 290-292

Salvia hasankeyfense Dirmenci, Celep & O. Guner sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–2 )

Salvia hasankeyfense very differs from S. verbenaca Linnaeus (1753: 25) by its denser, narrower, subsessile, always pinnatisect, oblong in outline and a completely different indumentum in basal leaves (above greyish-green and eglandular arachnoid-lanate, beneath very densely eglandular white arachnoid-lanate hairy); narrower, subsessile, above densely glandular capitate with some eglandular hairy and beneath densely white eglandular arachnoid-lanate hairy in stem leaves; selender, branched and densely glandular capitate pilose hairy in stem, and white flowers.

Type:— TURKEY. Batman: Hasankeyf, Hasankeyf to Karaköy, ca. 1 km from the main road to Karaköy, in valley, rocky cracks, 655 m, 370 42’ 7,885’’ N, 410 26’ 14,059’ E’, 20 June 2015, F.Celep 3782 (holotype GAZI!, isotypes ANK!, E!).

Perennial with a woody rootstock. Stems erect, 15–50 cm, simple or branched, densely glandular pilose with eglandular hairs. Leaves basal, deeply pinnatisect, narrowly oblong in outline, with irregularly lobed segments, ca. 2–9 × 0.2–2.5 cm, above greyish-green and eglandular arachnoid-lanate, rugose, beneath very densely eglandular white arachnoid-lanate hairy, petiole subsessile. Stem leaves oblong, subsessile, 0.4–2.5 × 0.2–1 cm beneath densely eglandular white arachnoid-lanate hairy, above densely glandular pilose with eglandular villous hairs, margin entire to shallowly erose. Inflorescence slender, branched, densely glandular pilose with some eglandular hairs. Verticillasters 2–7, each verticillaster with 2–8 flowered, internodes 2–6 cm. Bracts broadly ovate, 0.3–0.7 × 0.2–0.7 cm, densely glandular pilose with eglandular villous hairs. Pedicels 2–3 mm. Calyx greyish-green, tubular to slightly campanulate, 4–7 mm, up to 9 mm in fruit, scarcely expanding in fruit, densely glandular pilose to villous with some eglandular hairs, teeth 0.3–0.6 mm, shortly spinulose. Corolla white, 10–15 mm, tube 6–10 mm; upper lip ca. 3.5–7 mm, scarcely falcate. Stamens 2, type B (see Hedge 1982a); staminal connectives clearly longer than filaments, lower lever arm distally enlarged and thecae reduced. Style glabrous, 12–17 mm, long-exserted from corolla lips and apically divided into two parts at apex. Nutles rounded-trigonous, 1.7–2.0 × 1.3–1.5 mm, brown.

Distribution and ecology:— Salvia hasankeyfense is endemic to Turkey and grows only in narrow rocky cracks at an elevations from 650– 700 m. The vegetation in this place is mainly of formed by herbaceous and suffruticose plants including, Allium sp. , Alyssum sp. , Globularia sp. , Onosma sp. , Centaurea sp. , Satureja macrantha C.A.Mey. , Teucrium multicaule Benth. , Teucrium andrusii Post , Thymbra spicata L. and Origanum vulgare L. Salvia hasankeyfense can be considered an Irano-Turanian element.

Etymology: —The species is named after Hasankeyf ancient city in Batman Province, Turkey.

Phenology:— Flowering from June to mid-July, fruiting from July to August.

Conservation Status:— Salvia hasankeyfense is only known from the type locality and its population size and geographic range seems to be very small. The estimated area of occupancy is less than 10 km 2 with the number of mature individuals being less than 250 (criteria B2 ab (i, iii) of IUCN 2012). In addition, because of the Ilısu Dam construction, the population of the species is threatened by extinction if protection measures are not taken. Therefore, we recommend that the threat category of S. hasankeyfense should be regarded as Critically Endangered (CR).

Discussion:— Salvia verbeneca is an extremely variable and frequent species particularly in Europe, NW and N Africa, Russia, Cyprus, Palestine, Caucasus, Turkey and naturalised in other parts of the world i.e. America, S Africa and Australia ( Hedge 1982a). The new species is morphologically similar to S. verbenaca but clearly differs in having denser, narrower, subsessile leaves always pinnatisect, oblong in outline, a completely different indumentum and white flowers. The most important diagnostic characters and comparisons between S. verbenaca and S. hasankeyfense are given in Table 1. In addition, the new species differs from S. verbenaca in its habitat preference as the new species grows in only in rocky cracks, whereas S. verbenaca grows in many different habitats i.e. forest clearings, roadsides, stony slopes, deciduous woodland and etc. Within the treatment of Bentham (1832 –1836), S. hasankeyfense resembles the species in Salvia sect. Plethiosphace Bentham (1833: 230) , as it has concave and two sulcate upper lip of calyx, scarcely falcate upper lip of corolla and connective longer than filaments and the sterile arm of the staminal lever mechanism shorter than the fertile arm and lower lever arm flattened distally.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— Batman: Hasankeyf, Hasankeyf to Karaköy, ca. 5–6. km, in valley, rocky cracks, 700 m, 370 70’ 216’’, 410 43’ 686’’, 10 June 2014, Dirmenci 4114-a & Ö. Güner (Hb. Dirmenci, E), Batman: Hasankeyf, Hasankeyf to Karaköy, ca. 1 km from the main road to Karaköy, in valley, rocky cracks, 655 m, 370 42’ 7,885’’, 410 26’ 14,059’’, 18 May 2015, F.Celep 3781 (basal leaves).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Salvia hasankeyfense A & B, habit. C, basal leaves. D, basal leaves in outline. E, verticillaster with 2–8 flowered. F, flower. G, nutlet.

FIGURE 2. Illustration of Salvia hasankeyfense A & B, habit. C, Corolla. D, stamen. E & F, calyx. G, basal leaf. H, stem leaf. I, bract.