Hypericum malatyanum Peşmen subsp. nurhakense Özgişi & Ocak, 2021

Özgişi, Kurtuluş & Ocak, Atila, 2021, A new taxon of Hypericum (Hypericaceae) from southeastern Turkey, Phytotaxa 479 (1), pp. 129-136 : 130-132

Hypericum malatyanum Peşmen subsp. nurhakense Özgişi & Ocak subsp. nov.

(sect. Taeniocarpium Jaub. & Spach.) ( Figs. 1 , 3 D−F, 4A, C).

Type: — TURKEY: B6 Kahramanmaraş: Nurhak district, Nurhak Mountain, above Karadede Tableland , 38°2′25.04″N 37°24′46.50″E, 2010 m elevation, 19 July 2020, K. Özgişi K.O.1400 (holotype: OUFE 16500 !; isotypes: HUB ! and EGE! ).

Diagnosis:— Hypericum malatyanum subsp. nurhakense differs from the related H. malatyanum subs. malatyanum by its oblong to lanceolate bracts and bracteoles with long stalked black glands (vs. oblong to narrowly obovate bracts and bracteoles with shortly pedunculated black glands); dentate sepals with long stalked black glands (vs. entire sepal with very shortly black-glandulardenticulate); petal margin with 1(–5) apical black-glandular cilium (vs. entire or with 1(–2) apical black-glandular cilium); 23–28 stamens (vs. 28–30 stamens); capsule 3.5–4 mm. long, shorter (vs. 4–5 mm long); seeds shorter (1.75 mm long), with the outer surface coloured (brownish yellow) and reticulate (vs. 2 mm. long, bright yellow and papillate seeds).

Description:— Perennial herb, 3.5–8.0 cm tall, glabrous. Stems ascending or prostrate from the woody base. Internodes 2–7.5 mm; lower ones longer than leaves. Leaves 2.5–6.0 × 1.5–3.0 mm, fleshy, green, narrowly obovate, apex rounded, margin plane, base cuneate, petiole up to 1 mm; laminar glands pale, punctiform, numerous; intramarginal glands pale, without an apical black gland. Inflorescence 1–3-flowered from 1 node; bracts and bracteoles oblong to lanceolate with long stalked black glands on margin. Flowers ca 9 mm in diameter; buds ovoid to pyramidal, ± acute. Sepals 2.6–4.5 × 1.2 mm, narrowly oblong, acute, with up to 3 veins, dentate with stalked black glands, ± ciliate; laminar glands few and pale. Petals 5.5–9 × 2.5–3.8 mm, oblanceolate to obovate; margin with 1 (up to 5) apical black-glandular cilia; laminar glands few and pale, punctiform to linear. Stamens 23–28, ca 4 mm long; filaments yellow. Ovary ca 2 × 0.75 mm, narrowly ovoid; styles ca 2.5 mm long. Capsule 3.5–4 mm long, ovoid. Seeds ca 1.75 mm long; brownish yellow; testa surface reticulate.

Habitat: — Limestone rock crevices.

Flowering and fruiting time: — July.

Etymology: — The subspecific epithet refers to Nurhak Mountain, where the new taxon was collected. The Turkish name of this plant was assigned as “Nurhak Kantaronu”, according to the guidelines of Menemen et al. (2013).

Suggested conservational status: — Although extensive field studies were undertaken at the valley where the newly described taxon occurs, only 1 population was found. The occupancy area was calculated as ca 1 km 2 and the population size was estimated as less than 1000 individuals. Anthropic activities, such as overgrazing and changes in the land use, decrease the number of mature individuals and negatively affect the habitat quality of the new species. Therefore, in accordance with the criteria of the IUCN (2017), Hypericum malatyanum subsp. nurhakense was assessed as Critically Endangered, CR B2ab(i,ii,iii,v). But this assessment is provisional since new populations can be located by future studies.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Hypericum malatyanum subsp. nurhakense subsp. nov. in habitat.

FIGURE 3. Hypericum malatyanum subsp. malatyanum. A. Bract; B. Sepal; C. Petal. Hypericum malatyanum subsp. nurhakense: D. Bract; E. Sepal; F. Petal.