Cerastium azerbaijanicum Poursakhi, Assadi & F.Ghahrem., 2013

Poursakhi, Katayoun, Assadi, Mostafa, Ghahremaninejad, Farrokh, Nejadsattari, Taher & Mehregan, Iraj, 2013, A new species of Cerastium (Caryophyllaceae) from the Kiamaki-Dagh Mountain, Iran, Phytotaxa 144 (1), pp. 22-26 : 23

Cerastium azerbaijanicum Poursakhi, Assadi & F.Ghahrem. , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1−2 )

Type:— IRAN. Azerbaijan: ca. 35 km. N of Marand, Kiamaki-Dagh mountain , 38° 45’ 14.19” N, 45° 52’ 19.83” E, 1800–3200 m, 25 July 1990, Assadi & Olfat 68590 (holotype TARI!) .

Diagnosis:—Species nova a Cerastium argenteum similis sed sepalis brevioribus, petalis brevioribus, glabris, non ad basim ciliatis, a sepalis 1.3–1.5-plo longioribus, ad 1.3 partem bifidis, filamentis brevioribus, glabris, non sparsim eglandulosis, stylis brevioribus.

Description:—Perennial, dense caespitose, 5–9 cm high, ± densely covered with lanate eglandular and rarely glandular hairs, except in lower part. Stems numerous, 2.5–7.5 mm long, erect or patent; lower and middle internode 2–12 mm long; upper internode 5–20 mm long. Leaves acute, obtuse or mucronulate, lanate; middle leaves 6.0– 18.5 mm long, 1.2–2.2 mm wide, narrowly linear and nearly fascicled, with a prominent midrib on back, margins slightly revolute, apex sometimes slightly purple; upper leaves 4.0–5.0(–9.0) mm long, 0.5–1.0(–1.9) mm wide, narrowly elliptic or lanceolate. Inflorescence in sparse cyme, 1.5–3.0 mm long; bracts herbaceous, widely scarious at margins, glabrous adaxially and lanate abaxially, 4.0–5.5(–6.0) mm long, 1.0– 1.5 mm wide, laciniate; lower bracts ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate; upper bracts ovatelanceolate; pedicels 6.5–16 mm long, ± up to 2.5 as long as sepals, erect or patent, lanate. Sepals 5(–6), lanate, widely scarious at margins; outer sepals 6.0– 6.5 mm long, 2.0– 2.5 mm wide, oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, laciniate; inner sepals 5.7–6.5 mm long, 2.0– 2.5 mm wide, ovate-lanceolate, laciniate; petals 5, 7.5–10.0 mm long, 3.5–5.0 mm wide, obovate, bilobed (sinus 2–3 mm long, up to 1/3 of the total length of the petal), glabrous, 1.3–1.5 as long as sepals; stamens 10, filaments 4–5 mm long, glabrous, anthers 0.7–1 mm long, elliptic, yellow; styles 5, 2.5–2.8 mm long, in upper part papillose; seeds unknown.

Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to Azerbaijan Province where the new species was found.

Distribution and Habitat:—This new species has been known only from the type locality. Azerbaijan Province, N of Marand, Kiamaki-Dagh mountain in Iran. C. azerbaijanicum grows on S slopes (1800−3200 m a.s.l.). The new species can be considered endemic to NW Iran, representing an Irano-Turanian element. The closest relative C. argenteum Marschal A Bieberstein (1808: 361) occurs in Talish, northwest Iran (M. Qareh- Dagh, 20 km southwest Kaleybar, near Aliabad, 2300–2500 m a.s.l.), East Caucasus, Transcaucasus, Armenia ( Möschl 1988).

Taxonomical notes:— C. azerbaijanicum differs from C. argenteum in having shorter stem (5–9 vs. 6–13 cm), shorter internodes [lower and middle internode (2–12 vs. 5–27 mm), upper internode (5–20 vs. 40–45 mm), shorter upper leaves [4.0–5.0(–9.0) vs. 17–30 mm] and narrower upper leaves [0.5–1.0(–1.9) vs. 3.0– 4.5 mm), shorter sepals (5.7–6.5 vs. 6.5–10.0 mm), shorter petal (7.5–10.0 vs. 11.5–14.0 mm), shorter filaments (4–5 vs. 5–6 mm) and shorter styles (2.5–2.8 vs. 3.5–3.7 mm long) (see Table 1). The new species belongs to subgenus Cerastium . In this subgenus styles are 5, and teeth of capsules are with 10 dehiscent.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cerastium azerbaijanicum.

FIGURE 2. A–G. Cerastium azerbaijanicum. A. Habit. B. Inner sepal. C. Outer sepal. D̡E. Petals. F. Pistil. G. Stamen (drawing from the holotype).