Glaucium alakirensis Aykurt, K.Yıldız & A.Özçandır, 2017

Aykurt, Candan, Yildiz, Kemal, Özçandir, Ayşen, Mungan, Fatma & Deniz, İ. Gökhan, 2017, Glaucium alakirensis (Papaveraceae), a new species from Southern Anatolia, Turkey, Phytotaxa 295 (3), pp. 255-262 : 258-260

Glaucium alakirensis Aykurt, K.Yıldız & A.Özçandır , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 , 3, 4A–B , 5A–B–C )

Diagnosis:— Glaucium alakirensis differs from related species ( G. leiocarpum Boiss. and G. secmenii Yıld. ) by: dwarf cushion-forming habit; pedicels covered with multicellular long setae throughout; petals shorter; siliquae shorter and densely papillose.

Type: — TURKEY. Antalya: Kumluca, Altınyaka, upper part of Alakır Valley, close to the entrance of the Dibek Nature Conservation Area, stony areas in mixed Cedrus libanii and Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana forest clearings, 1326 m, 13 May 2016, A. Özçandır 1321 (holotype, Akdeniz University Herbarium; isotypes: Celal Bayar University Herbarium, ANK, E).

Dwarf, 2–10 cm tall, densely cushion-forming perennial with a stout woody taproot crowned by old petiole remains. Stems up to 10 cm, sometimes absent, unbranched or rarely branched 2-3 cm from the base, glabrescent, sparsely short-setaceous in the upper part, light green above, darker at base. Radical and cauline leaves similar, lyrate-pinnatifid; terminal segment palmately divided; lateral segments coarsely dentate; all ultimate segments or teeth with hyaline needle-like mucros; especially adaxial leaf surface papillose with spreading small setae. Radical leaves 20–55 × 4–7 mm, longer or slightly shorter than stems. Cauline leaves amplexicaulous, 15–20 × 2–4 mm. Flowers solitary, 18–20 mm in diameter. Pedicel erect, 10–32 mm long, with multicellular long setae throughout. Sepals grayish green, 6–9 × 3–4 mm, ovate, acuminate, with a needle-like mucro at the tip; margin membranous with multicellular long setae. Petals 6–13 mm long, obovate, usually yellowish-orange with a darker reddish blotch at base. Stamens numerous; filament filiform, yellow; anther oblong-elliptic, yellow. Stigma arrow-shaped, yellow. Ovary densely papillose-tuberculate. Siliquae 17–35 mm long, 0.8–2.2 mm in diameter, arcuate, torulose, tapering towards the apex, densely papillose, many-seeded. Seeds reniform-oblong, blackish brown, 1.0–1.3 × 1.4–2.1 mm; testa alveolate and verrucate; testa cells quadrangular to hexagonal with undulate anticlinal walls ( Fig. 5 ). Pollen grains in monads, small (10–25 μm), oblate spheroidal, tricolpate; surface micro-echinate and perforate to foveolate ( Fig. 4 ).

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): ― TURKEY. C3 Antalya: Kumluca, Altınyaka, upper part of the Alakır Valley , 5 km from Akmuar towards the Dibek Nature Conservation Area , 1190 m, 16 May 2016, İ. G. Deniz 6296, C. Selim ; ibid., 08 June 2016, C. Aykurt 4412, A. Özçandır (herb. Akdeniz Univ.) .

Distribution, habitat and ecology: ― Glaucium alakirensis is found in the upper part of the Alakır Valley (Kumluca, Antalya). The distribution of Glaucium alakirensis and its closest relatives is shown in Fig. 3. It grows in stony clearings in mixed Cedrus libani A.Rich. and Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana (Lamb.) Holmboe forests and on limestone slopes at elevations from 1120 to 1360 m. It is associated with other plants, for example Anthemis rosea subsp. carnea (Boiss.) Grierson , Bupleurum gracile D’Urville , Digitalis cariensis Boiss. ex Benth. , Dorystaechas hastata Boiss. & Heldr. ex Benth. , Geranium rotundifolium L., Helianthemum stipulatum (Forssk.) C.Christensen , Phlomis bourgaei Boiss. , Rumex scutatus L., Silene echinospermoides Huber-Morath , Thesium bertramii Aznavour and Velezia rigida L.

Phenology:— Glaucium alakirensis was observed flowering in May and June, and with mature fruits in June to August.

Etymology: —The species epithet is derived from the type locality.

Proposed conservation status:— Glaucium alakirensis is included in the Critically Endangered category according to IUCN (2012). Its extent of occurrence (EOO) was estimated to be c. 10 km 2, taking into account the location of occupancy and the area contained within the shortest continuous imaginary boundary. The area of occupancy (AOO) was calculated as less than 2 km 2 [CR B1b(i, iii, iv)+CR B2b(ii, iii, iv)]. We found only two [sub]populations of G. alakirensis , and the number of mature individuals was less than 50 [CR D].

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habit and flower details of A–C: Glaucium alakirensis (holotype); D: G. leiocarpum (K. Yıldız 604) and E: G. secmenii (K. Yıldız 587).

FIGURE 2. Field photographs of Glaucium alakirensis (A. Habit; B. Flower; C. Siliquae; D. Habitat; Photos: İ.G.Deniz).

FIGURE 4. SEM photographs of the pollen grains of Glaucium alakirensis (A–B), G. leiocarpum (C–D) and G. secmenii (E–F). (Specimens examined A–C from Aykurt 4412, D–F from K. Yıldız 604, G–H from K. Yıldız 587).

FIGURE 5. SEM photographs of seed coat of Glaucium alakirensis (A–C), G. leiocarpum (D–F) and G. secmenii (G–I). (A–C from Aykurt 4412, D–F from K. Yıldız 604, G–H from K. Yıldız 587).