Saxifraga hakkariensis Fırat, 2016

Firat, Mehmet, 2016, Saxifraga hakkariensis (Saxifragaceae), a new species from Hakkâri province (Turkey) belonging to section Porphyrion, Phytotaxa 289 (2), pp. 181-187 : 182-185

Saxifraga hakkariensis Fırat sp. nov. ( Figs. 2–3 )

Diagnosis: — Saxifraga hakkariensis clearly differs from S. paniculata by its flowering stems 5‒10 cm high, leafy, with brown stalked glands, green; basal leaves 6‒10 mm long × 2‒3 mm wide, with margin ciliate in the middle, smooth above; inflorescence with 1‒9 flowers; calyx 4.5‒5.5 mm long × 2‒3 mm wide; petals 9‒11 mm long × 4‒5.5 mm wide.

Type: — TURKEY. C 10 Hakkâri: Cilo Mountains (Cîyayê Cîlo), from Dêze stream (Kırıkdağ stream) to Cîyayê Cîlo, cracks of humid limestone blocky cliffs, 1851 m, 37°33′36″ N, 43°53′37″ E, coll. 9 April 2016, M. Fırat 32630 (holotype: VANF, isotypes: ANK, Herb. M. Fırat).

Description: —Plant densely caespitose perennial, forming cushions up to 15 cm diameter. Leafy shoots columnar, with the previous years’ tightly imbricate dead leaves remaining. Basal leaves 6‒10 mm long × 2‒3 mm wide, linearoblong, ± obtuse, above, canaliculate, recurvate, glaucous, ciliate in the middle, smoot above, margin lime-encrusted, equipped with 3‒8 submarginal hydathodes sunk in pits. Cauline leaves linear-spatulate, obtuse, glaucous, lower surface and margin glandulous, upper surface lime-encrusted, equipped with 2‒3 submarginal hydathodes sunk in pits. Flowering stems 5‒10 cm high, leafy, with brown stalked glands, green, inflorescence corymbose, bearing 1‒9 flowers, pedicels 4‒15 mm long, 1-flowered, bracts 4‒5 mm long, glandular. Calyx 4.5‒5.5 mm long × 2‒3 mm wide, 2/3 split, lobes 3‒4 mm long × 2‒3 mm wide, ovate-lanceolate, acute, nerveless, densely glandular, green or purplish. Petals 9‒11 mm long × 4‒5.5 mm wide, obovate-cuneate, white, with 5 nerves. Stamens c. 4.5‒5.5 mm, filaments 4‒5 mm long, anthers 0.5‒1 mm yellow, ovary semi-inferior, style 3‒4 mm, ± erect, upper part recurved. Capsule subglobose, 3–4 mm, light brown. Seeds 0.5–0.6 mm, ovate-lenticular, brown.

Phenology: —Flowering from April to May.

Etymology: —The specific epithet is derived from the name of Hakkâri province, where type material was collected.

Distribution:— Saxifraga hakkariensis is endemic to Hakkâri province (Colemerîk), Turkey. It is an element of the Irano-Turanian floristic region ( Fig. 1 ).

Vernacular name: — Saxifraga hakkariensis is called “Kulîlka gewranî” in Kurdish by the local people of Hakkâri province.

Habitat and ecology:— Saxifraga hakkariensis grows on rock crevices of humid limestone blocky cliffs, at c. 1200–1900 m elevation, with other interesting plants such as Primula davisii W.W.Sm. , Dionysia teucrioides P.H.Davis & Wendelbo , Campanula acutiloba Vatke , Silene davisii (Chowdhuri) Ghaz. , or Astragalus achundovii Grosh.

Red list assessment: —The extent of occurrence (EOO) of Saxifraga hakkariensis is less than 100 km 2 [Area of occupancy (AOO) is approximately 10–20 km 2]. To date, it has been collected only from two localities, and in each site ca. 20‒30 individuals were counted. Some anthropogenic disturbances (dynamite blasting for road construction) were observed which severely affected the populations. Based on the above data, the IUCN (2012) red list category of S. hakkariensis is suggested as “Critically endangered”, CR B1ab(i,ii,iii)+2ab(i,ii,iii).

Taxonomic relationships: — Saxifraga hakkariensis belongs to section Porphyrion Tausch (1823: 1) . With this new species, the number of Turkish Saxifraga species increases to 21, of which 9 belong to section Porphyrion .

Saxifraga hakkariensis is morphologically different from all other Saxifraga species. The closest relative in Turkey is S. paniculata subsp. paniculata , from which it differs by its flowering stems: 5‒10 cm high, green, leafy, with brown stalked glands [not (3‒) 8‒30 cm, sparsely glandular-hairy, often red]; basal leaves size: 6‒10 mm long × 2‒3 mm wide (not 10‒30 mm long × 7‒12 mm wide); basal leaves margin ciliate in the middle, smooth above (not ciliate at base, finely serrate above); inflorescence with 1‒9 flowers (not 5‒50 flowers); calyx 4.5‒5.5 mm long × 2‒3 mm wide (not 1‒2 mm long × 0.8‒1 mm wide); petals 9‒11 mm long × 4‒5.5 mm wide (not 3‒7 mm long × 3‒4 mm wide).

Saxifraga hakkariensis is also close to the Iranian Saxifraga wendelboi Schönbeck-Temesy (1967: 12) , a species differing by it shorter stems (up to 6 cm height), with black stalked glands; basal leaves with margin ciliate at the base; inflorescence with 3‒4 flowers; petals plurinerved; style suberect, not recurved in the upper part. Furhermore, Saxifraga hakkariensis differs from the Central Asian Saxifraga afghanica Aitchison & Hemsley (1880: 56) by its longer flowering stems (not up to 3 cm height); multiflorous inflorescence with up to 9 flowers (not 2‒4 flowers); larger calyx (not 2‒3 mm long × c. 1 mm wide); and petals larger (not 5 mm long × c. 3 mm wide).

Additional diagnostic characters among Saxifraga hakkariensis and the related species S. paniculata subsp. paniculata , S. wendelboi and S. afhganica are provided in Table 1.

wendelboi .

Other specimens examined:— Saxifraga hakkariensis . TURKEY. C10 Hakkâri: from Nevalê Ze (Zap Valley) to Talê region (Oğul region), cracks of humid limestone blocky cliffs, 1234 m, 37°30′14″ N, 43°43′03″ E, 27 April 2012, M. Fırat 27943 (VANF and Herb. M. Fırat). Saxifraga paniculata subsp. paniculata . TURKEY. A9 Kars: Kağızman district, from Arpaçay to Cumaçay, cracks of limestone cliffs, 1587 m, 40°05′28″ N, 43°16′55″ E, 16 June 2015, M. Fırat 32622 (Herb. M. Fırat).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of Saxifraga hakkariensis (▲) and the related S. paniculata subsp, paniculata (·) in Turkey.

FIGURE 2. Saxifraga hakkariensis. A‒B) detail of flowers and inflorescence; C‒F) habitat, habit and basal leaves.

FIGURE 3. Saxifraga hakkariensis. A) calyx lobe; B) petal; C) ovary and styles; D) stamen; E) seeds; F) glandular stem; G basal leaf; H) cauline leaf; I) capsules.