Allium akirense N.Friesen & Fragman, 2014

Friesen, Nikolai & Fragman-Sapir, Ori, 2014, A new Allium species from section Molium from Israel: A. akirense (Amaryllidaceae), Phytotaxa 173 (2), pp. 140-148 : 143-146

Allium akirense N.Friesen & Fragman , sp. nov. ( Figs 2A–E)

From the closely related Allium qasyunense it differs in white-pinkish perigone, smaller only 3–5 mm long flowers, smaller capsules, included (to equal) stamens, and in a completely different habitat.

Type: — ISRAEL. Hill near kibbutz Giv’at-Brenner, N 31867130, E34807520 , h = 70m, Batha and garigue on calcified sandstone, 2 April 2013. O . Fragman-Sapir (holotype, HUJ123409 !, isotypes HUI!, OSBU!) .

Bulb subglobose, 15–25 × 7–10 mm, with dusty brown, coriaceous outer and white papery inner tunics. Roots 10–15. Stem 15–40(–50) cm tall, cylindrical, glabrous, erect, sometimes bent on lower part, covered by leaf sheaths for 1/5–1/3 of total length. Leaves (2–)3–4(–5), green (usually dry or almost dry in bloom), linear, flat; leaf blade 12–40 cm long (the lower leaf is the longest), 1–3 mm wide in the lower part, gradually narrowing to the tip; sheath densely-minutely velutinous, blade sparsely-minutely velutinous. Spathe persistent, much shorter than pedicels, with 1 valve and 2–3 acute lobes. Inflorescence lax, many flowered, 40–65 mm across, fastigiate to hemispherical, pedicels subequal, 18–24 mm long. Perigone campanulate, segments white to pinkish, elliptical, rounded at the apex, 3–5 mm long, midrib white or pinkish-green. Stamens included in the perigone or equal to it, with simple filaments, white; anthers yellow, oblong. Style included or slightly exserted. Ovary sub-cylindrical, and slightly narrowed in the middle and at the apex, greenish-yellow, densely roughish above, 4−4.2 × 2−2.2 mm; style white, 0.4−0.6 mm long. Capsule 2−2.5 mm across, depressed globose, enclosed by the dry perigone.

Additional specimens seen (paratypes): — ISRAEL, hill near kibbutz Giv’at-Brenner , N31°51’56”, E034°48’24,7”, h = 69 m, 21 March 2011. N . Friesen ( OSBU20932 !) .

Etymology: —The plant is named akirense after the Hebrew Biblical name “Ekron” and the Arabic name “Akir”, both relate to the hills and villages where the species is found.

Distribution: — Allium akirense was found in 8 neighbouring sites in the southern Coastal Plain of Israel around Kibbutz Giv’at Brenner ( Fig. 2). Since the coastal plain of Israel is densely settled, we cannot know the historical full range of the species. We believe it could have been growing in more sites that are now urban.

Ecology:— Allium akirense grows on coastal calcified sandstone, locally known as “kurkar”. The vegetation of the sites is primarily Mediterranean batha and garique (phrygana) dominated by Thymbra capitata ( Linnaeus 1753: 568) Cavanilles (1803: 37) , Cistus salviifolius Linnaeus (1753: 524) , and Hyparrhenia hirta ( Linnaeus 1753: 1046) Stapf (1918: 315) . A. akirense is a good example of an arid taxon that penetrated the Mediterranean Coastal Plain on sandy soils and evolved here into a new narrow endemic. Other desert species or those of arid origin in the coast are Retama raetam (Forsskal 1775: 214) Webb & Berthelot (1842: 56) , Salvia lanigera Poir. in Lamarck (1817: 49), Asparagus horridus Linnaeus (1774: 274) , and Allium tel-avivense Eig in Eig et al. (1931: 75).

Conservation: —The rich habitat of Allium akirense together with other coastal sandy habitats in the coastal plain were assigned to the list of the most vulnerable areas in Israel, suffering from heavy urban, industrial and agricultural developments ( Shmida et al. 2011). Specifically, all A. akirense sites are under immediate danger, as not even one of these sites is to be found within a nature reserve. Thus, there is a real threat to the survival of the species in nature. In three sites there are hundreds of plants, but in the other five just a few. It is estimated that there is a total of around 3000 plants all together. The species range sums up to less than 3 sq. km. Thus, based on the IUCN criteria (2014), it is proposed to include it in the following category: critically endangered CR B2 b(II, III). Due to the vulnerability of the plant, an ex situ conservation program has begun in the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, where reproduction under cultivation is being tested. Reproduced plants will be dispersed in several botanical gardens and plant shelter gardens in order to back up the few wild populations.