Ramaliella Zaika, Sukhor. & N.Kilian, 2020

Zaika, Maxim A., Kilian, Norbert, Jones, Katy, Krinitsina, Anastasiya A., Nilova, Maya V., Speranskaya, Anna S. & Sukhorukov, Alexander P., 2020, Scorzonera sensu lato (Asteraceae, Cichorieae) - taxonomic reassessment in the light of new molecular phylogenetic and carpological analyses, PhytoKeys 137, pp. 1-85 : 1

Ramaliella Zaika, Sukhor. & N.Kilian gen. nov.

= Scorzonera subsect. Intricatae Boiss., Fl. Orient. 3: 756. 1875.

≡ Scorzonera sect. Intricatae (Boiss.) Lipsch., Fragm. Monogr. Gen. Scorzonera 1: 10. 1935. Type (Art. 10.8, see Turland et al. 2018): Scorzonera intricata Boiss.

Type species.

Ramaliella polyclada (Rech.f. & Köie) Zaika, Sukhor. & N.Kilian

Note.

The new genus corresponds to the Scorzonera polyclada clade. Morphologically, Ramaliella resembles Lipschitzia divaricata , but differs by the caudex surface, size of the capitula and the achene anatomy of a type of its own.

Diagnostic features.

Subshrubs or perennial herbs; stems numerous, intricately and divaricately branched (Fig. 16A ); leaves few, the lower leaves filiform, the upper leaves reduced, curved; pollen with 24 lacunae; capitula terminal, with 3-12 florets.

Description.

Habit, life form, subterranean parts: subshrubs or perennial herbs with taproot, often with cushion-like habit.

Leaves: few, the lower leaves filiform, the upper ones reduced, curved, entire or denticulate.

Synflorescence: stems numerous, strongly divaricately and intricately branched, glabrous or puberulent, capitula terminal.

Capitula: involucre glabrous or pubescent, phyllaries in several series, the outer phyllaries tiny, triangular, the inner phyllaries linear-lanceolate much longer than the outer ones, receptacle naked, flat, florets 3-12, yellow, slightly exceeding the involucre (Fig. 16B ).

Pollen: echinolophate, tricolporate and each colpus divided into 2 lacunae, with 24 (6 abporal, 6 equatorial, 6 interporal, 6 polar) lacunae ( R. tortuosissima : Askerova 1987).

Achenes: 7-12 mm, cylindrical, without carpopodium, with five main ribs and five (or even more) barely noticeable secondary ribs, surface smooth; achene wall with parenchyma of both thin- and thick-walled cells, sclerenchyma forming a sheath (sometimes irregularly discontinuous), with an invagination on either side of the principal rib, cells orientated parallel to the achene axis, air cavities absent, tannins absent or rarely present in cell wall only ( R. koelpinioides ).

Pappus: 11-18 mm, fulvous or dirty white, bristles plumose, but in upper part scabrid.

Chromosome number.

x = 7, diploid (data for R. koelpinioides and R. tortuosissima : Razaq et al. 1994).

Etymology.

The new genus is named after the specific “brushwood” habit ( rāmālia: brushwood).

Species.

(1) Ramaliella intricata (Boiss.) Zaika, Sukhor. & N.Kilian, comb. nov. ≡ Scorzonera intricata Boiss., Diagn. Pl. Orient., ser. 1, 7: 9. 1846. urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77204064-1

(2) Ramaliella koelpinioides (Rech.f.) Zaika, Sukhor. & N.Kilian, comb. nov. ≡ Scorzonera koelpinioides Rech.f., Fl. Iranica 122: 53. 1977. urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77204065-1

(3) Ramaliella longipapposa (Rech.f.) Zaika, Sukhor. & N.Kilian, comb. nov. ≡ Scorzonera longipapposa Rech.f., Fl. Iranica 122: 53. 1977. urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77204066-1

(4) Ramaliella musilii (Velen.) Zaika, Sukhor. & N.Kilian, comb. nov. ≡ Scorzonera musilii Velen., Sitzungsber. Königl. Böhm. Ges. 9: 8. 1911. urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77204068-1

(5) Ramaliella polyclada (Rech.f. & Köie) Zaika, Sukhor. & N.Kilian, comb. nov. ≡ Scorzonera polyclada Rech.f. & Köie, Biol. Skr. 8(2): 195. 1955. urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77204069-1

(6) Ramaliella tortuosissima (Boiss.) Zaika, Sukhor. & N.Kilian, comb. nov. ≡ Scorzonera tortuosissima Boiss., Fl. Orient. 3: 775. 1875. urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77204071-1

Distribution area.

N Africa: EG. Asia-Temperate: AE; AF; IQ; IR; JO; KU; SA; YE. Asia-Tropical: PK.

The following species may belong to Ramaliella , based on their morphological characters (they were neither included in the carpological nor in molecular investigations): Scorzonera hondae Kitam., S. microcalathia (Rech.f.) Rech.f., S. subaphylla Boiss., S. yemensis Podlech

Figures

Figure 16. Images of living plants. A, B Ramaliella tortuosissima A general view B close up view of the capitula (Jordan, Nakeb, 1250 m alt., 8 May 2019). Photograph by O. Fragman-Sapir C Pseudopodospermum papposum (Jordan, Nakeb, 8 May 2019). Photograph by O. Fragman-Sapir D Takhtajaniantha austriaca (Italy, South Tyrol, Schlanders, 6 May 2010). Photograph by R. Hand E Scorzonera humilis (Germany, Ammersee, 15 May 2009). Photograph by C. Niederbichler F Scorzonera meyeri (Russia, Karachaevo-Cherkessiya, Teberda, 14 July 2005). Photograph by A. S. Zernov.