Adonis villosa Ledeb.

Kubentayev, Serik, Baasanmunkh, Shukherdorj, Alibekov, Daniyar, Son, Dong Chan, Tsegmed, Zagarjav, Myrzagaliyeva, Anar, Zhumagul, Moldir, Rustemova, Assel, Mukhtubayeva, Saule, Kubentayeva, Balsulu & Choi, Hyeok Jae, 2025, A taxonomic revision of Adonis (Ranunculaceae) in Kazakhstan, Italian Botanist 20, pp. 45-76 : 45-76

Adonis villosa Ledeb. , Ind. Hort. Dorp. Suppl. (1824).

Fig. 8

≡ Adonanthe villosa (Ledeb.) Chrtek & Slavíková in Preslia 50: 24 (1978)

≡ Adonis vernalis var. villosa (Ledeb.) Regel in Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 34 (II): 35 (1862)

≡ Adonis volgensis var. villosa (Ledeb.) Trautv. in Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 33 (I): 63 (1860)

≡ Chrysocyathus villosus (Ledeb.) Holub in Preslia 70: 103 (1998)

Type.

Kazakhstan. ‘ Riddersk Gebirge’ Ledebour s. n. ( lectotype LE 01041083). [designated by Grabovskaya-Borodina 2018].

General distribution.

Altay, Kazakhstan, West Siberia ( POWO 2025).

Distribution in Kazakhstan.

Altai.

Habitat and ecology.

This species grows on the edges of birch forests, on the slopes of hills.

Conservation status.

The estimated EOO is 21,204 km 2 and estimated AOO is 32 km 2. Therefore, the conservation status of A. villosa has been assessed vulnerable [VU B 2 a (ii)]. It is included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan under category II ( Baitulin 2014).

Phenology.

Flowering in May – June; fruiting in June – July.

Chromosome number.

2 n = 16 ( Shlangena 1976; Rice et al. 2015).

Notes.

Based on the classification introduced by Wang (1994 a) A. villosa belongs to subg. Adonanthe sect. Adonanthe W. T. Wang ser. Apenninae Bobr. Despite the fact that A. villosa has a very high life expectancy (approximately 50 years, Poschkurlat 2000), this species is rare and is listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( Baitulin 2014). A. villosa disperses its seeds through both barochory (gravity) and myrmecochory (ants) ( Papina and Fotieva 2008). The main distribution area of A. villosa is in southwestern Siberia, where this species is usually found in meadow steppes and steppes rich in grasses ( Hoffmann 1998). Its populations in this region are typically scattered and relatively small in size ( Papina and Fotieva 2008). While most species of the genus Adonis prefer places with sufficient access to water ( Heyn and Pazy 1989), species such as A. volgensis , A. villosa and A. mongolica Smirnov have adapted to drier conditions of mountain and mixed-grass steppes. A. volgensis , A. villosa and A. mongolica grow predominantly in drier mountain steppes and mixed-grass steppes, and these species show signs of ecological vicariance ( Hoffmann 1998; Baasanmunkh et al. 2022). Perezhogin (2015) reported the occurrence of this species in the Tobol-Ishim floristic region (Kostanay). In our opinion, this regional record is erroneous because the herbarium specimen was misidentified, as it differs morphologically from the lectotype of A. villosa (LE 01041083). Subsequently, A. villosa was not included in the list of vascular plants in the Kostanay Region ( Perezhogin 2024) or in the synopsis of the family Ranunculaceae in the Tobol-Ishim and Turgay floristic regions ( Sultangazina et al. 2024). Our data show that A. villosa is not found in Central and Northern Kazakhstan, and previous reports on its presence in these regions were based on incorrect identifications.

Specimens examined.

Altai: Near the village of Skalistoye [Izghutty Aytyqov] , 40 km south of Ust-Kamenogorsk, 27 Apr 1987, Smirin s. n. ( MW 0113323 !) ; near the surroundings of Leninogorsk , May 1969, Poschkurlat s. n. ( MW 0113324 !) ; near the surroundings of the village of Bekalka , Katon-Karagay State National Nature Park, 13 May 2020, Bolbotov (personal observation) ; near the surroundings of the settlement of Targyn, on the road to Samarka, ridge summit , 27 May 2004, Kupriyanov s. n. ( KUZ!) ; near the Azutau Ridge, city of Mramornaya , 9 May 2001, Kupriyanov et al. s. n. ( KUZ!) .

Figures

Figure 8. Adonis villosa in Kazakhstan A general habit B flower, front view C flower, dorsal view D aggregate fruit E, F leaves G petals H calyx (Photos by S. Kubentayev).