Stipa × kamelinii Kotukhov (1998a: 10)

Nobis, Marcin & Gudkova, Polina D., 2016, Taxonomic notes on feather grasses (Poaceae: Stipa) from eastern Kazakhstan with typification of seven names and one new combination, Phytotaxa 245 (1), pp. 31-42 : 34

5. Stipa × kamelinii Kotukhov (1998a: 10) pro sp. Type citation:—Saur-Tarbagataj, praemontium boreali-occidentale juge Sajkan, in denudationibus tertiariis Akseir, jugi parvi declivitas aqua erosa australi-occidentalis, in glareosoargillosis, 09.VI.1992, Ju. Kotuchov (LE)

Type (original label):— Stipa kamelinii Kotuch. 1998 ( Turczaninowia 1 vyp. 1), [det.] N. Tzvelev, No. 2, 9 VI 1992, Stipa sp. nova ! kamelinii ,!Tip, Vostochnyi Kazakhstan, sev.-zap. predgor’e khr. Saikan, gliny Akseir, yugo-vost. sklon, galechno-glinistye uchastki, Yu. Kotukhov (holotype LE!; isotypes KRA 436045!, KRA 436046!, KUZ! 9 sheets).

At LE there are three sheets with specimens determined by Tzvelev (not by Kotukhov) as Stipa kamelinii . However, only one sheet includes specimens and a label similar to the one cited in the protologue and matches the description of the species; we treat it as holotype. The first of the two remaining sheets contains specimens of S. saikanica Kotukhov (1998b: 10) , whereas the second, with a label dated 20 July 1993, contains specimens of S. sareptana .

We consider Stipa ×kamelinii to be a hybrid, originating from hybridization between S. orientalis and S. lessingiana . The length of ligules of vegetative shoots, pilosity of leaves, length of callus, length and character of anthecium, and length and pilosity on the awn of S. × kamellini are intermediate in comparison with the parental species. The taxon has been found at the localities where both of its parental species grow together.

In morphology, Stipa ×kamelinii is close to S. ×zaissanica ; however, they differ in the length of ligules of the vegetative shoots, which are 0.3–1.0(–1.3) vs. (0.5–)3–6.5(–7.5) mm long, respectively. Kotukhov (1998a) distinguished these two taxa by the length of callus (1.4 vs. 1.5–2.0 mm), anthers (4–5 vs. 3.5–4 mm) and hairs of awn seta (3.5–4 vs. 2–2.5 mm). In our revision of all original specimens of S. ×kamelinii and S. ×zaissanica , we found that the ranges in length of all the above-mentioned characters distinctly overlap in these two taxa: callus 1.5–2.2 vs. 1.3–1.8 mm, anthers 3.5–4.6 vs. 3.2–4.4 mm, hairs on seta 3.3–4.0 vs. 2.3–3.6 mm, respectively. Kotukhov (1991, 1998a) supposed that S. kamelinii is a result of the hybridisation of S. orientalis × S. zaissanica whereas S. zaissanica is a hybrid of S. orientalis × S. hohenackeriana . In our opinion it seems unlikely that S. ×kamelinii originated from a backcrossing of S. ×zaissanica and its putative parent, S. orientalis , since its ligules on the vegetative shoots are much shorter than in both putative parental species (in S. orientalis , ligules of the vegetative shoots are 1–3.5 mm long).