Stipa sczerbakovii Kotukhov (1991: 872)

Nobis, Marcin & Gudkova, Polina D., 2016, Taxonomic notes on feather grasses (Poaceae: Stipa) from eastern Kazakhstan with typification of seven names and one new combination, Phytotaxa 245 (1), pp. 31-42 : 37

16. Stipa sczerbakovii Kotukhov (1991: 872) . Type citation:— Altai Australis, brachia austro-orientalia jugi Azutau, montes Bulgartabaty, 600 m s. m., locus Sargalym, steppa fruticeto-graminosa lapidosa, 16 VI 1988, J. Kotuchov (LE)

Type (original label):—16. 06. [197] 88 g., Stipa sp. nov. zaissanica Kotuch. 1991 , Bot. Zhurn. 76,6: 873 [determ.] N. Tzvelev, Yuzhnyi Altai, khr. Azutau, Uroch. Bylgar-tabaty, yugo-vostochnyi kamenistyi sklon, sredi kustarnika, Isotypus !, Kotukhov Yu. A. (holotype LE!, isotypes KRA 136031!, KUZ! 13 sheets).

= Stipa kyzylkiensis Kotukhov (1998: 12) syn. nov.

In the course of revision in LE herbarium we found only one sheet with a specimen of Stipa sczerbakovii collected by Kotukhov on 16 June 1988 and matching the description of this species. Thus, we treat it as the holotype of the taxon. However, Tzvelev incorrectly annotated this specimen as S. zaissanica and designated it as an isotype of that taxon. These two taxa differ distinctly in the length of ligules of the vegetative shoots and in the length of hairs on the awn ( Kotukhov 1991).

Stipa sczerbakovii is the most abundant species represented in Kotukhov’s collection. More than 40 sheets with specimens identified by Kotukhov as S. sczerbakovii are preserved in KUZ, KRA and LE. The variability of morphological characteristics in this taxon is somewhat greater than that presented in the protologue of the taxon: e.g., ligules of vegetative shoots (0.1–) 0.3–2.7 mm (not 0.3–2 mm as in the protologue), anthecium 8–10.5(–11) mm (not 8.5–9 mm), awns 8.5–11.7 cm (not 9–10 cm), hairs on seta 0.4–1.3 mm (not 0.5–0.8 mm), anthers 3.2–4.3 mm (not 3.5–4 mm). Taking into account that Kotukhov described three species that are very close to S. sczerbakovii , namely S. pavlovii , S. kyzylkensis and S. kotuchovii (= S. monticola ), revision of this group of taxa is needed.