Astragalus miksensis Fırat, 2024

Firat, Mehmet, 2024, Astragalus miksensis Fırat (Fabaceae), a new species in section Hymenostegis from Van province, Türkiye, Phytotaxa 641 (2), pp. 149-160 : 150-155

Astragalus miksensis Fırat , sp. nov. ( Figs. 3–7 )

Diagnosis: Astragalus miksensis resembles A. zohrabi , but it clearly differs by its peduncles shorter than the leaves (not longer than the leaves); leaves 3–12 cm (not 1.5–5 cm); stipules hyaline with several distinct longitudinal ribs, creamish to pale yellowish, 19–25 mm (not thinly membranous, hyaline at the margins and tip, whitish to pale yellowish, 6–16 mm); bracts falling (not ±persistent); legumes stipitate, 6.5–9.0 mm long (not sessile, 4–5 mm long); seeds one ortwo, with few black spots (not one, without black spots)

Type: Türkiye. B9 Van: Bahçesaray (Mîks) district, Kurrêşahap mountains part of Kavuşşahap mountain , 38°04′27″ N, 42°56′19″ E, roky steppe, 3117 m a.s.l., 17 July 2014, M. Fırat 31048 (holotype VANF!; isotypes VHLV! and Herb. M. Fırat!) .

Description: Plants subshrubby, caespitose, 10–20 cm tall. Stems 5–15 cm, in basally branched, densely covered with brown remnants of old leaves, stems of current year’s growth 2–6 cm long. Stipules hyaline with several distinct longitudinal ribs, creamish to pale yellowish, 19–25 mm, adnate to the petiole for 10–17 mm, connate behind the stem for 9–14 mm, the free tips linear-lanceolate, acute, glabrous, with antrorsely subadpressed cilia to 1.2 mm long. Leaves spiny, 3–12 cm, longer than peduncl (except raceme); petiole 2–8 cm, like the rachis sparsely appressed hairy, hairs 0.2–0.8 mm long, spiny. Leaflets in 4–8 pairs, narrowly elliptic to narrowly obovate, 6–15 × 1.5–5 mm, acuminate, slightly pungent, with a minute mucro 1.5–2.5 mm long, both sides sparsely appressed hairy, hairs 0.5–1.2 mm long. Peduncles 5–10 cm long (including racemes 11–18 cm long), shorter than the leaves, erect, covered with spreading hairs 0.3–0.7 mm long and with fewer, longer, spreading hairs 1–2 mm long. Racemes ovoid to long cylindrical, 5–9 cm long and 2–3 cm in diameter, loosely to rather densely many-flowered but axis mostly visible. Bracts falling, at the base of inflorescence, membranous, hyaline towards the margins, cream to pale yellowish, 10–15 × 3–5 mm, lanceolate-acuminate, glabrous but mostly ciliate at the margins with hairs 0.6–1 mm long. Bracteoles absent. Calyx at the beginning of anthesis tubular, soon ±inflated, 12–17 mm × 2–5 mm, creamy to pale yellowish or in upper part entirely suffused purple, rather densely covered with ascending to spreading hairs 3–5 mm long; teeth subulate, 6–11mm long. Petals with blades pink or mauve especially towards the margins; flowers in the distal part of the raceme often ageing purple or dirty cream to pale yellow; flowers in the basal part of the raceme often ageing to yellowish brown to straw. Standard 16–20 mm; blade 5–7 mm wide, obovate to oblong, panduriform, retuse to slightly emarginate, at the base obtusely to somewhat acutely angular to hastate, with a broadly cuneate claw. Wings 15–19 mm; blades narrowly elliptic to narrowly obovate, rounded, 6–8 × 1.5–2 mm; auricle 0.1–0.2 mm, claw 6–8 mm. Keel 13–15 mm; blades obliquely obovate, with rectangularly curved lower edge and straight upper edge, subacute, 4–6 × 2–3 mm; auricle minute, claw c. 6–7.5 mm. Ovary stipitate, densely hairy; style hairy basally. Legumes stipitate, densely hairy, 6.5–9.0 mm long, 2–3 mm high and 3.5–4.5 mm wide, ovate to eliptic. Seeds one or two, 3–4.5 × 2.5–3.5 mm, ellipsoid-reniform, olive green to brown, with a few black spots, pitted.

Phenology: Flowering from June to July, fruiting from July to August.

Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the place where it was collected, the Mîks (Bahçesaray) region, home to Kurdish people since ancient times.

Distribution: Astragalus miksensis is endemic to Bahçesaray (Mîks)/ Van in east Anatolia, Türkiye, occurring in the high mountains of the Iranian-Turanian geographic element ( Figs. 1–2 ).

Vernacular name: Astragalus miksensis is called “Gûniyê mixmakê” in Kurdish by the local people of Mîks (Bahçesaray)/ Van Province, but Astragalus species are known by the local people under many names in Kurdish, e.g. “Giyaşîn”, “Genek”, “Punglor”, “Guna sagana”, “Dukolîşkan”, “Duqlîşka”, “Goniya fisek”, “Goniya dewaran”, “Noka maran”, “Nokik”, “Şimlî”, “Kaxîl”, “Metalûşk”, “Xencelîsk”, “Cebarî”, “Gewen”, “Gewin”, “Gonî”, “Gîngi”, “Gunî”, “Gûnî”, “Gwînî”, “Gîngil”, “Heleza hariyê”, “Ketîre”, “Kewen”, “Kewin”, “Qetre”, “Punglor”, “Gûncelîl”, “Gûna pişîla”, “Genek”, “Punglor”, “Guna sagana”, “Dukolîşkan”, “Duqlîşka”, “Goniya fisek”, “Goniya dewaran”, “Tûpik” and “Tûpika hêriye” ( Fırat 2013).

Habitat and ecology: Astragalus miksensis grows in steppe and alpine areas ( Fig. 2 ), at c. 2900–3200 m elevation, with other plants such as, Stipa ehrenbergiana, Stachys lavandulifolia, Cerasus brachypetala var. bornmuelleri , Cousinia eriocephala , Allium feqiyeteyranii , Hypericum scabrum , Astragalus alyssoides , Astragalus brachycalyx and Astragalus icmadophilus .

Red list assessment: The distribution area of Astragalus miksensis is longer than 35 km 2. The species is known from three localities, in which ca. 3000 individuals were counted. Some anthropogenic or grazing effects were observed on these populations. Based on the above data, the IUCN (2017) red list category “Critically Endangered” is suggested, as well as observed in other very rare species especially in Mediterranean Basin or in east Asia (e.g. Perrino et al. 2013, McPartland & Small 2020, E. Thompson 2020, Conti & Stinca 2023, Perrino et al. 2023), for A. miksensis .

Additional specimens examined ( Fig. 8 A )

Türkiye. B9 Van: Bahçesaray (Mîks) district, Kurrêşahap Mountains part of Kavuşşahap Mountains, 38°04′27″ N, 42°56′19″ E, rocky steppe, 3117 m a.s.l., 14 August 2014, M. Fırat 31641 (Herb. M. Fırat!) (in fruit). B9 Van: Bahçesaray (Mîks) district, Kavuşşahap Mountains, Han plateau, 38°12′51″ N, 42°49′37″ E, rocky steppe, 3147 m a.s.l., 11 July 2015, M. Fırat 32580 (Herb. M. Fırat!). B9 Van: Bahçesaray (Mîks) district, Kavuşşahap Mountains, Sündüs plateau, 38°12′43″ N, 42°44′41″ E, rocky steppe, 3130 m a.s.l., 12 July 2015, M. Fırat 32683 (Herb. M. Fırat!).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of Astragalus miksensis (■) in Türkiye and A. zohrabi (▲) in Türkiye and Iran.

FIGURE 2. Habitat of Astragalus miksensis: A. Kurrêşahap Mountains, part of Kavuşşahap Mountains, B. Sündüs plateau, part of Kavuşşahap Mountains.

FIGURE 3. Astragalus miksensis: A–B. general habit, C. inflorescence.

FIGURE 4. Astragalus miksensis: M. Fırat 31048 (holotype).

FIGURE 5. Astragalus miksensis; A. leaves, B. stipules, C. stipules showing longitudinal ribs, D. bracts showing ciliae, E. peduncle indumentum. Increments on scale bar is 1 mm. (M. Fırat 32580).

FIGURE 6. Astragalus miksensis: A. flower parts (a1.calyx, a2. standard, a3. wings, a4. keel, a5. styles, a6. ovary) M. Fırat 31048 (holotype), B. transition stages from ovary to legume [b1. ovary at anthesis (M. Fırat 32683), b2. stipitate young fruit (M. Fırat 32580), b3. stipitate legume (M. Fırat 31641)], C. seed (M. Fırat 31641). Increments on scale bar is 1 mm.

FIGURE 7. Astragalus miksensis; A–B. habit (in flower): A. zohrabi; C–D. habit (in flower).

FIGURE 8. Inflorescences of selected species of Astragalus sect. Hymenostegis in Türkiye: A. Astragalus miksensis, B. A. zohrabi, C. A. rubrostriatus, D. A. nordisensis, E. A. hymenocystis, F. A. uraniolimneus, G. A. qoturensis, H. A. ciloensis, I. A. hirticalyx, J. A. trifoliastrum, K. A. lagopoides, L. A. gueruenensis, M. A. velenovskyi, N. A. sosnowskyi (photo: Karaman-Erkul et al 2014), O. A. narmanicus (photo: Karaman-Erkul et al 2014).