Echinops barezicus Montazer. & Mozaff., 2016

Montazerolghaem, Somayeh, Rahiminejad, Mohammad Reza, Mozaffarian, Valiollah & Susanna, Alfonso, 2016, Taxonomic notes on the genus Echinops (Compositae, Cardueae-Echinopsinae) in Iran, Phytotaxa 263 (2), pp. 81-97 : 83-85

Echinops barezicus Montazer. & Mozaff. , sp. nov. (E. sect Oligolepis Bunge)

Type:— IRAN. Kerman: Bam to Jiroft, Mohammad Abad-e Maskun, 1100 m, 3 May 2000, Mozaffarian 79876 ( TARI!).

Diagnosis: —Leaves lobate-dentate, setose-glandulose above, densely white-araneose marmorate on nerves. Heads cornigerous. Phyllaries glabrous, connate into a coriaceous pentagonal tube.

Description: —Plant perennial. Stem 70 cm high, branched, densely arachnoid-glandular in upper part, only short glandular in lower part. All leaves herbaceous-coriaceous, covered only with short stalked glandular hairs above, arachnoid-tomentose along midribs, marmorate; tomentose and woolly below. Lower cauline leaves lanceolate in outline, lobate-dentate, 18 cm long, 8 cm wide (with spines) with 5 pairs of triangular-lanceolate segments terminated to 1.5– 2 cm thick spines; upper cauline leaves similar to lower but smaller, 9 cm long, 6.5 cm wide (with spines). Heads 4–5 cm in diameter, heteromorphous, consisting of lower glabrous non-cornigerous and upper glabrous cornigerous capitula; receptacle 5 mm in diameter; involucre 8 mm long. Lower capitula 25 mm long; brush 13–14 mm long, many-rayed, whitish; phyllaries 14, totally glabrous, brown at base, blue towards tip, innermost five connate in a coriaceous pentagonal tube, brown in connate part and blue in upper free part; upper capitula 48 mm long (comprising horn), with 14 glabrous phyllaries, one of median phyllaries changed into a rigid horn 42 mm long, glabrous, blue at base, straw-coloured towards tip. Corolla blue. ( Fig. 1 )

Phenology: —Flowering in April and fruiting in May.

Ethymology: —The specific epithet refers to Barez Mountain in Kerman province of Iran where the type specimen was collected.

Taxonomical notes: —Three closely related taxa are E. gedrosiacus var. glaber Mozaffarian (2008a: 294) , E. gedrosiacus var. gedrosiacus and E. glanduloso-punctatus Rechinger (1979: 24) , from which the new species differs in some characters as listed in Table 2.

Distribution and habitat: —The new species is endemic to southeast of Iran ( Fig. 2).

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — IRAN. Kerman: ca. 25 km from Jiroft to Bam, 570 m, 3 May 2000, Mozaffarian 79879 ( TARI!) ; Kerman: ca. 25 km from Jiroft to Bam , 570 m, 3 May 2000, Mozaffarian 79878 ( TARI!) ; Baluchestan: Nikshahr, Hichan , ca. 800 m, 9 April 1998, Mozaffarian 77859 ( TARI!) ; Baluchestan: ca. 40 km from Jakigur to Ghasreghand , ca. 250 m, 8 April 1998, Mozaffarian 77864 ( TARI!) ; Baluchestan: Iranshahr to Chahbahar , around Sarbaz village , ca. 600 m, 5 May 1995, Mozaffarian 74380 ( TARI!) ; Kerman: Bam to Jiroft, Mohammad Abad-e Maskun , 1100 m, 3 May 2000, Mozaffarian 79875 ( TARI!) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Type specimen of Echinops barezicus (Mozaffarian 79876, TARI!): a) indumentum of stem, b1) indumentum of upper surface of leaves, b2) indumentum of lower surface of leaves, c) lower capitula, d) upper capitula.