Pimpinella enguezekensis Yıldırım, Akalın & Yeşil, 2016

Yeşil, Yeter, Yildirim, Hasan, Akalin, Emine, Pirhan, Ademi Fahri & Altioğlu, Yusuf, 2016, Pimpinella enguezekensis (Apiaceae), a new species from East Anatolia Region (Turkey), Phytotaxa 289 (3), pp. 237-246 : 238-241

Pimpinella enguezekensis Yıldırım, Akalın & Yeşil sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2B , 3A–C , 6A–B )

Type:— TURKEY. B 6 Malatya: Darende District, Ergü road, Kilise location, gypsum-marl soils, 1420 m elevation, 22 July 2015, H.Yıldırım HY 3492 (holotype: EGE 42433!, isotype: EGE 42434!, ISTE!, NGBB!, ANK!).

Diagnosis: — Pimpinella enguezekensis shows some morphological relations with both P. flabellifolia and P. nephrophylla , but it is easily distinguished by its glabrous stem, glabrous or puberulent leaves, and glabrous petals. The new species also differs from P. flabellifolia by its many stems at base (not only 1 or 2); leaves 7–18 mm in diameter and rhomboid in outline (not 20–60 mm and mostly sub-orbicular) with spiny dentate margin (not coarsely dentate); fruits glabrous and intensely anise smelling (not sparsely hairy and without anise smelling). Pimpinella enguezekensis also differs from P. nephrophylla by its longer stem 15–80 cm (not 12–20 cm); leaves rhomboid (not orbicular-reniform), cuneate at base (not deeply cordate); leaf margin with 8–20 spiny teeth (not 30–50-dentate); fruits glabrous (not hairy). It belongs to Pimpinella sect. Reutera (Boiss.) Benth. subsect. Flabellifoliae H.Wolff

Description: —Perennial herb, rosulate, clump forming, 15–80 cm tall (including inflorescence), many stemmed at base, with thick cylindrical taproot. Stems (1–) 4–28, thick, generally dichotomously branched in middle and upper parts, rarely throughout, leafless, striate, slender, glabrous, in the lower parts reddish and secretion spots prominent, surrounded at the base by dead and partly decayed leaf bases, which form a compact structure extending 1–4 cm below the soil surface. Leaves all basal and long-petiolate, 2–6 cm long; petiole slightly sulcate, enlarged at base; lamina rhomboid, 7–23 × 7–18 mm, undivided, cuneate at base, lower part entire, upper part with 8–20 spiny teeth (spines 0.5–1 mm long), glabrous or puberulent. The lowest cauline leaf 2–4 cm including petiole, with lamina 10–15 × 4–6 mm; upper cauline leaves reduced to linear-lanceolate base of petiole, with membranous margin, 7–15 × 2–4 mm, glabrous. Umbel peduncle 2–7 cm long; rays (3–)4–6, equal, 10–25 mm long; bracts and bracteoles absent. Pedicels 6–8 (–10), subequal, pedicels of unpollinated flowers shorter, elongating during fruiting time. Flowers 6–8 (–10), hermaphrodite, yellow. Sepals reduced. Petals yellow, oblong, c. 1 mm in diameter, incurved, glabrous, apex slightly ribbed. Anthers yellow. Stylopodium 0.8–1 mm, conical; both mericarps mostly well-developed. Mature fruit oblongovoid, 2–3 × 1–2 mm, glabrous, brownish, with lateral and dorsal ridges filiform and yellow.

Phenology: —Flowering occurs in July–August, and fruiting in August–September.

Etymology:— The species epithet is derived from “Engüzek”, the ancient name of Ağılbaşı village where the new species was discovered. The Turkish name of this species is given as “Engüzek Anasonu” according to the guidelines of Menemen et al. (2013).

Distribution, Habitat and Ecology:— Pimpinella enguezekensis is a local endemic restricted to Ağılbaşı (Engüzek) Village in Malatya, eastern Anatolia ( Fig. 4 ). It is an element belonging to the Irano-Turanian floristic region. The new species colonizes only the white calcareous and marly (with high calcium carbonate rate) soils near Ağılbaşı village, between 1500 and 1620 m elevation.

Suggested conservational status:— So far, Pimpinella enguezekensis has been found in 5 populations near Ağılbaşı village and the occupation area was calculated as 0.42 km 2, and about 1500 mature individuals were recorded. No severe anthropogenic or grazing effects were observed on the populations. Following the criteria laid out by IUCN (2012), the plant should be categorized as ‘Vulnerable’ (VU D2), on account of its restricted distribution.

Fruit Anatomy:— Mericarp shape of P. enguezekensis is oblong-ovate to sub-globose depressed in transverse section ( Fig. 6 ). Epidermal surface is glabrous. Length/width ratio of mericarps is 1.62 mm. Ribs are not prominent. Exocarp includes small cells with thick walls; hypodermal collenchyma is one or two layered. Mesocarp includes non-lignified parenchymatous cells with a thin wall. Each furrow has 3–4 vallecular vittae, 16–18 in total, equal to vascular bundles; there are 4–6 commissural vittae, situated between commissural vascular bundles, two of them being bigger. It has 5 vascular bundles; commissure width is measured as 0.75–0.82 mm. Endocarp is composed of a single-layer of non-lignified thin-walled cells.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pimpinella enguezekensis. A–B. habit; C. fruits; D. habitat (Photos: H. Yıldırım, from type locality).

FIGURE 2. Basal leaves of P. flabellifolia (A) and P. enguezekensis (B) (Photo: H. Yıldırım).

FIGURE 3. SEM micrographs of mericarp coat surface of Pimpinella enguezekensis (A–C) and P. flabellifolia (D–F). A, D. general shape; B–C, E–F: ornamentation details.

FIGURE 4. Distributions map of P. enguezekensis (), P. flabellifolia (), P. neprophylla (), P. paucidentata () P. sintenisii () in Turkey.

FIGURE 6. Mericarp structure of Pimpinella enguezekensis (A–B) and P. flabellifolia (C–D). cv: commisural vitta; e: endosperm; en: endocarp; ex: exocarp; me: mesocarp; t: testa; vb: vascular bundle; vv: vallecular vitta. Scale bars:A, C = 0.5 mm; B, D = 0.2 mm.