Nepeta azadkouhensis Saberamoli, 2019

Saberamoli, Siroos, Balali, Gholam Reza, Asri, Younes & Afsharzadeh, Saeed, 2019, Nepeta azadkouhensis (Lamiaceae), a new alpine-subnival species from the Central Alborz of Iran, Phytotaxa 395 (2), pp. 129-133 : 130-132

Nepeta azadkouhensis Saberamoli , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Type: — Iran. Mazandaran: Baladeh, village of Kalak, northern slopes of the Azadkouh peak, 36°10ˊ 27˝N, 51°30ˊ 38˝E, 3700– 3800 m, on scree, 19 July 2017, Saberamoli 11189 (holotype HNBG!; isotype HNBG!) .

Perennial herbs, woody at base; stems 7–20 cm tall, numerous, upper part covered with a few long simple multicellular hairs with sparsely sessile and short glandular hairs, lower part densely covered with long simple multicellular hairs and a few short glandular hairs without sessile glands. Leaves along stem, dark green to violet, petiolate, 3–15 mm, blades 6–23 × 4–18 mm, broadly ovate to ovate, truncate at the base, obtuse at apex, crenate to entire at margin; lower surface with prominent veins, covered with sessile and short glandular hairs, mixed with long simple multicellular hairs; upper surface covered with long simple multicellular hairs and sparse short glandular hairs. Inflorescences terminal capitules of condensed verticillasters, 8–15 × 8–15 mm, very rarely individual pairs of verticillasters present in lower parts; bracts 3–5 × 0/5– 2 mm, linear to lanceolate, ciliate at margin, sparsely covered with long simple multicellular hairs and few sessile glandular hairs, violet in half upper part; peduncles 2–17 mm long. Flowers pedicellate, pedicels ca. 1 mm long; calyx 4–6 × 1 mm, tubular, with prominent veins, covered with short glandular hairs mixed with few long simple multicellular hairs outside, glabrous at throat and inside glabrous, throat regular, teeth triangular to widely triangular, ciliate, acute, 1–2 mm long. Corolla tubular, pink-purple, 10–12 mm long, tube exserted from calyx, covered with short glandular hairs mixed with few long simple multicellular hairs outside, glabrous inside; middle lobe of lower lip carinate, margin entire, apex foveolate; lateral lobes with a truncate apex, margin crenate; upper lip two lobbed, obtuse at apex. Immature nutlet 0.3 × 0.7 mm, elliptic, light brown, surface slightly smooth, with 1 prominent median keel.

Additional specimens examined:

N. natanzensis : IRAN. Prov. Esfahan: Natanz, Kuh-e Karkas, 3000-3300 m, Foroughi & Assadi 18072 (holotype TARI!).

N. monocephala : IRAN. Prov. Kurdistan: Kuh-e Chang Almas, ESE Bijar, 2200-2500 m, Iranshahr & Dezfoulian 13207 (holotype W 1969-0009487!).

Etymology: —The epithet of the new species refers to its type locality on Azadkouh peak in the central Alborz mountains of northern Iran.

Phenology: The new species flowers from early July to early August and the fruit ripens from mid-July to mid- August.

Distribution and ecology:— Nepeta azadkouhensis is a rare endemic in northern Iran and is known only as a sparse herb on areas with a high percentage of unstable scree on steep slopes of 20°–30°, a northern aspect at elevations of 3700 to 3784 m. This species belongs to the northern high alpine-subnival flora on Azadkouh peak in the village of Kalak between Baladeh and Siahbisheh in Mazandaran province ( Fig. 2 ). Associated species are Tanacetum persicum ( Boissier (1846: 89)) Mozaffarian (2005: 126), Cicer tragacantoides Jaubert & Spach (1842: 234) , Vavilovia formosa ( Steven (1813: 90)) Fedorov (1939: 52) and Pseudocamelina kleinii Rechinger (1973: 171) .

Like N. natanzensis , the new species is occurring in the alpine-subnival zone, while N. monocephala is restricted to the lower subalpine zone. N. natanzensis and N. monocephala are endemic to western and central Iran (Zagros Mountains) respectively, whereas the new species is endemic to the Alborz Mountains in northern Iran ( Fig. 2 ).

IUCN Red List category: The habitat of Nepeta azadkouhensis is above 3700 m asl in high alpine and subnival zones. These species are at risk due to their limited habitat, global change and the stress of summer overgrazing. Due to the lack of appropriate control and protection programs in this area, this species is assessed as critically endangered (CR) according to criterion D (less than 50 mature individuals) of the IUCN Red List Criteria ( IUCN 2017).

Taxonomic notes:— Nepeta azadkouhensis is similar to N. natanzensis and N. monocephala in morphological characteristics such as terminal capitate inflorescences, tubular and curved corolla tubes, and tubular calyces with glabrous inside. It is distinct because of the characteristics of its stem indumentum, dark green to violet (not green or gray) leaves and the length of the bracts. Furthermore, a regular (and not subregular) calyx throat, widely triangular (not lanceolate) calyx teeth, pink-purple (not blue-violet or creamy white) color and the length of corolla mark it as different. Moreover, it differs from N. natanzensis in bracts and bracteoles smaller, calyx with shorter teeth and a regular throat and from N. monocephala in tall stems, procumbent to ascending (not erect) stems and leaves arranged along the stem (not in a basal rosette) ( Rechinger 1982; Jamzad 2013) ( Table 1).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Nepeta azadkouhensis Saberamoli (Saberamoli 11189, HNGB!). A. habit. B. flowers of the verticillaster. C. outer calyx surface. D. inner calyx surface. E. calyx teeth. F. corolla. G. bracts. H. immature nutlet. Scale C-E = 1 mm, F = 3 mm, G = 1 mm, H = 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 2. Topographic map of Iran, indicating the known localities of Nepeta azadkouhensis (star), N. natanzensis (triangle), N. monocephala (circle).