Dianthus hamzaoglui Koç, 2020

Koç, Murat, 2020, Morphological and Molecular Evidence for a New Species of Dianthus (Caryophyllaceae) from Turkey, Phytotaxa 439 (1), pp. 56-66 : 58-62

Dianthus hamzaoglui Koç , sp. nov. ( Figs. 2–5)

Type: ― TURKEY. Sivas: Between Sivas and Kangal, Gürün junction, around abandoned quarry, igneous rocky steppes, 1650 m a.s.l., 14 July 2018, Hamzaoğlu & Koç 3431 (holotype GAZI!, isotypes GAZI!, ANK!, HUB!).

Diagnosis― Dianthus hamzaoglui is similar to D. burdurensis from which differs in having stems, sterile shoot and lower leaves, and inflorescence puberulous (vs. stems glabrous above and usually puberulous below, sterile shoot and lower leaves glabrous, and inflorescence glabrous in D. burdurensis ), bracts up to half as long as flowers, petals 17.0‒ 20.5 mm long, with limbs 6.0‒8.0 × 4.0‒ 5.5 mm, and claws 11.0‒ 12.5 mm long (vs. bracts as long as or shorter than flowers, petals 11.5‒15.5 mm long, with limbs 3.5‒5.5 × 2.5‒3.5 mm, and claws 8‒10 mm long in D. burdurensis ), seeds dorsal surface cells margine teeth clear U-undulate with ventral surface tuberculate (vs. seeds dorsal surface cells margine teeth clear V-undulate with ventral surface papillate in D. burdurensis ).

Description (macromorphology):― Perennial, few-stemmed herbs. Stems ascending to erect, slender at base, 12‒30 cm tall, simple or rarely branching from upper nodes, 4‒8-noded, puberulous, greenish. Leaves linear, flattened in cross-section, puberulous, margins scabrous, with ciliate and scarious near base, apex acuminate; sterile shoot leaves present but usually withered at flowering, linear and loosely arranged; lower usually withered after anthesis; middle 20‒40 × 1‒2.5 mm, usually adpressed to stem, shorter than or as long as internodes, thin, sheaths 1‒1.5 times as long as wide; upper adpressed to stem, greenish at base, nodes swollen. Inflorescence usually simple or rarely branched, flowers in capitate clusters, each one (3‒)5‒8(‒11)-flowered; pedicels 0‒2.5 mm, sparsely puberulous, greenish. Bracts greenish to straw-colored, linear-subulate to lanceolate, puberulous, up to half as long as flowers. Epicalyx scales 2‒4, herbaceous, greenish or straw-colored; outer usually distinctly 3‒5-veined, sparsely puberulous, 2/5‒3/5 as long as calyx, linear-lanceolate, 6.0‒8.0 × 1.5‒2.0 mm, with scarious (c. 0.2 mm) margins, apex acute-obtuse except arista, arista 1/2‒3/5 as long as scale, adpressed to calyx; inner usually distinctly 5‒7-veined, glabrescent, c. 1/2 as long as calyx, linear-oblanceolate, 7.0‒10.0 × 1.8‒2.5 mm, with ciliate and scarious (0.5‒0.8 mm) margins, apex acute-obtuse except arista, arista 1/4‒1/3 as long as scale. Calyx oblong-lanceolate, 13.5‒17.5 × 2.5‒3.5 mm, distinctly 35‒40- veined, glabrous, greenish or straw-colored; teeth triangular-lanceolate, 3.0‒4.0 × 1.5‒2.0 mm, glabrous, 3‒5-veined, with ciliate and scarious margins, apex acute-acuminate and mucronate, greenish or sometimes purplish tinged towards apex. Petals 17.0‒ 20.5 mm long; limb obovate, 6.0‒8.0 × 4.0‒ 5.5 mm, about 1/3 as long as petal, about 2/3 exserted from calyx, unspotted, barbulate, creamish-white above, greenish or sometimes purplish beneath, 7‒10-toothed, teeth irregular, broadly triangular, up to 1/6 as long as limb; claw 11.0‒12.5 × 0.8‒1.1 mm, collar 1/2 as wide as claw. Capsule shorter than calyx. Seeds broadly ovate, 2.5‒2.8 × 1.8‒2.3 mm, blackish.

Seeds (micromorphology):― Dianthus hamzaoglui has seed broadly ovate, 2.5‒2.8 × 1.8‒2.3 mm, blackish, granular; dorsal surface convex, with regular rectangular cells, tuberculate, with 5‒7 teeths per margin, teeth clear Uundulate; ventral surface flat, with regular rectangular cells, tuberculate, with 3‒5 teeths per margin, teeth S-undulate; apex beaked. D. hamzaoglui seeds are similar to D. burdurensis ones concerning the shape of apex, color and dorsal surface. However, the D. hamzaoglui seeds differ in dorsal surface cells margine teeth clear U-undulate; ventral surface tuberculate.

Etymology:― The species is named in honour of the eminent Turkish botanist Prof. Dr. Ergin Hamzaoğlu (Gazi University, Ankara / Turkey).

Proposed vernacular names ― Sultan karanfili (Turkish), Sultan carnation (English).

Phenology:― Flowering time July‒August; fruiting time August‒September.

Distribution and habitat:― Dianthus hamzaoglui is known only from the type locality, between Sivas and Kangal, Gürün junction, where it grows at altitude of 1650 m a.s.l. on igneous rocky steppes.

Conservation status— On the basis of IUCN red list categories and criteria ( IUCN 2014), Dianthus hamzaoglui is distributed only one locality and the estimated area of occupancy (EOO) is less than 70 km 2 in Sivas. Because of agricultural activities, overgrazing and mining, the habitat of this species is under threat, and destruction of the species is leading to the reduction in the number of plants. The species is here assessed as Critically Endangered (CR) according to the criterion B1[ab(i,iii,iv)].

Selected specimens examined: — Dianthus masmenaeus . TURKEY. Kayseri: Pınarbaşı, above Kaynar, Hınzır Mountain , Kurudere , 1900 m, 21 September 1980, Çelik 1570 ( ANK!) ; Malatya: Doğanşehir, Erkenek town, around Radar , 1800 m, 4 July 1987, steppe, Aktoklu 663 ( HUB!) ; Adana: Tufanbeyli, above Tozlu village, towards Ziyaret Tepe , 1995 m, 15 July 2008, steppe, Aksoy, Budak & Hamzaoğlu 5233 ( GAZI!) ; Sivas: Between Kangal and Hekimhan, around Höyüklü R / L station, 1930 m, 26 June 2010, calcareous rocks, Budak, Koç & Hamzaoğlu 5778, ( GAZI!) ; Niğde: Pozantı, above Hamidiye village, Karanfil Dağı ( Masmeneu Dagh ), 1860 m, 18 July 2014, rocky slopes, Koç & Hamzaoğlu 7092 ( GAZI!) .

Dianthus burdurensis . TURKEY. Burdur: Between Yeşilova and Salda village, N slopes of Eşeler Mountain, small dry meadows in forest clearings, 1590 m a.s.l., 23 August 2014, Koç & Hamzaoğlu 7170 (GAZI!).

Specimens used for DNA isolation (all collected from Turkey) — Dianthus burdurensis . TURKEY. Burdur: Between Yeşilova and Salda village, N slopes of Eşeler Mountain, small dry meadows in forest clearings, 1590 m a.s.l., 23 August 2014, Koç & Hamzaoğlu 7170.

Dianthus hamzaoglui . TURKEY. Sivas: Between Sivas and Kangal, Gürün junction, around abandoned quarry, igneous rocky steppes, 1650 m a.s.l., 14 July 2018, Hamzaoğlu & Koç 3431.