Huynhia pulchra (Willdenow ex Roemer & Schultes) Greuter & Burdet (1981: 37)

Khalvati, Sina & Ranjbar, Massoud, 2021, The comparative study of Alkanna and Huynhia (Boraginaceae, Lithospermeae), with description of a new species in Iran, Phytotaxa 524 (4), pp. 216-234 : 217-223

1. Huynhia pulchra (Willdenow ex Roemer & Schultes) Greuter & Burdet (1981: 37) . Figs.1–4 .

Basionym: — Lycopsis pulchra Willdenow ex Roemer & Schultes (1819: 756) .

Type: —[ USSR], ad Caucasum, Adams 3396 (holotype B! [B-W03396-010]). Fig. 3 .

= Arnebia cyrousiana Parsa (1948: 211) .

= Lithospermum cyrousianum (Parsa) I.M. Johnston (1953: 7) .

Type: — IRAN. Mazandaran: Kojur, Namazgah, 3100 m, 1 August 1941, Parsa 213 (holotype K! [ K000958610 ]) .

(See also full synonymy by Edmondson 1977).

Description: —Perennial grayish green plant, with stout scaly stock. Stem multi-branched, 15–45 cm, densely yellow whitish setose. Basal leaves, oblong to lanceolate, 6–15 × 1–2.5 mm, acute to subacute, tapering into the petiole, with entire, flat or sometimes slightly undulate margins; cauline leaves, obovate to oblanceolate, 3–5 × 0.5–1.5 mm, acute or subacute, sessile, attenuate at base, with an evident midrib, veinless. Inflorescence a loose terminal head; pedicels short, 1 mm long in flower, up to 2 mm in fruit; peduncle 7–8 cm long; bracts triangular to lanceolate, 8–18 × 3–8 mm. Calyx 8–14 mm long in flower, up to 18 mm long in the fruiting state, broad at nearly the base; lobes oblong to triangular, acute to obtuse, densely hispid-setose with yellowish, patent setae up to 2 mm long. Corolla sulphur yellow with purple spots, tube usually twice as long as the calyx, 18–20 mm long; tube puberulous inside and outside, annulus absent; with unequal lobes, 3–5 × 2–3 mm, with purple spots. Stamens inserted irregularly at different levels; three higher at the throat and two lower above the tube. Style 9–10 mm long, reaching up to slightly above the middle of the corolla tube, deeply bilobed, the lobes 0.5–0.7 mm long. Nutlets 4–4.5 × 3–3.5 mm, ovoid-subglobose, acute, chestnutbrown, tuberculate, and faintly rugulose to scrobiculate, with sharp ventral keel.

Palynology: —Pollen grains prolate, stephanocolporate, equatorial axis (E) 17.6 ± 0.84 μm (mean ± standard deviation), polar axis (P) 28.45 ± 3.9 μm, ornamentation psilate. Fig. 5 .

Distribution: — Huynhia pulchra is an element of the Euxinian and the Hyrcanian floristic provinces. Fig. 6 .

Ecology: —The species usually grows on stony clay slopes or shallow sandy scree over mottled clay, or shallow gravelly sand over gravel over clay duplex sandy gravel in rocky and clay mountain at 1500–3300 m.

Additional specimens examined: — AZERBAIJAN. Quba: Daðüstü yolu, 41° 11’ 17’’ N, 48° 22’ 19’’ E, 1994 m, 4 June 1907, Busch & Klopotow 797 (MW-0707671) . ARMENIA. Lori: 27 June 1926, Chukina s.n. (MW-0707720) . GEORGIA. Imereti: Vani , 40° 44’ 08’’ N, 44° 21’ 54’’ E, 2364 m, 8 July 1977, Pimenov 1287 (MW-0707728) ; Tskhinvali: Saboloke , 42° 20’ 51’’ N, 44° 5’ 52’’ E, 1820 m, 22 July 1954, Vitolo s.n. (MW-0707709) . IRAN. Ghazvin: Alamut, Avan village , Khasheh Chal Mt. , 36° 28’ 51’’ N, 08° 50’ 03’’ E, 2919 m, Assadi & Massomi 51121 ( TARI) ; Gilan: Khalkhal to Asalem, Almas neck, 15 km to Asalem , 37° 40’ 31’’ N, 48° 39’ 11’’ E, 1973 m, 6 June 2010, Ranjbar & Khalvati 22016 ( BASU) ; Mazandaran: Chalus, near to Dalir village , 36° 29’ 17’’ N, 51° 29’ 17’’ E, 1700 m, s.d., Assadi & Massomi 51565 ( TARI) . RUSSIA. Dagestan: Artlukh , 42° 51’ 39’’ N, 46° 40’ 10’’ E, 2007 m, 3 July 1898, Kusnezow s.n. (MW-0707697) ; Kabardino-Balkaria: Karachayevsky , 43° 15’ 24’’ N, 42° 38’ 45’’ E, 2247 m, 14 July 1970, Kirillina s.n. (MW-0707681) ; Dombai, Mussa-Achitara Mt. , 43° 17’ 00’’ N, 41° 40’ 00’’ E, 2900 m, 1 July 2008, Wen 10349 (US-01175713) ; Karachay-Cherkessia: Stavropol, 43° 26’ 47’’ N, 41° 41’ 4’’ E, 2473 m, 27 June 1963, Florenskaya s.n. (MW-0707677) ; Krasnodar Krai: 43° 38’ 0.4’’ N, 40° 16’ 19’’ E, 1839 m, 17 June 1935, Dayeva 80 (MW-0707642) ; North Ossetia: Ingushetia & Chechnya, 42° 48’ 8.8’’ N, 43° 54’ 39’’ E, 3096 m, 5 July 1977, Shvedchikova s.n. (MW-0707686) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Huynhia pulchra. A–B) inflorescence; C) habit. Scale bars: A–B = 2 cm; C = 5 cm. Photographed by: Roman Businsky from Azerbaijan, eastern Caucasus.

FIGURE 2. Huynhia pulchra (Ranjbar 22016). A) inflorescence; B) habit; C–D) corolla; E) calyx; F) style. Drawn by: S. Khalvati.

FIGURE 3. Huynhia pulchra (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.) Greuter & Burdet (Willdenow s.n., B) (reproduced with permission).

FIGURE 4. Huynhia pulchra (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.) Greuter & Burdet (Ranjbar 22016, BASU).

FIGURE 5. Pollen of Huynhia and Alkanna. A–B) H. pulchra (Ranjbar 22016); C–D) A. semiromica (Ranjbar 30880). Scale bars: A–B = 5 μm; C–D = 5 μm.

FIGURE 6. Distribution range of Huynhia (the dashed lines) and closely compared species of H. pulchra (triangles), H. purpurea (squares), Alkanna frigida (circles), and A. semiromica (star).