Dianthus multiflorus Deniz & Aykurt, 2016

Deniz, Ismail Goekhan, Aykurt, Candan, Genc, Ilker & Aksoy, Ahmet, 2016, A new species of Dianthus (Caryophyllaceae) from Antalya, South Anatolia, Turkey, PhytoKeys 63, pp. 1-12 : 3-9

Dianthus multiflorus Deniz & Aykurt sp. nov. Figs 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , Table 1, 2

Diagnosis.

Dianthus multiflorus is distinguished from related species by having flowers numerous [(30-)80-250(-300)], pedicels 0.5-30 mm, calyx 12-13 mm, petals white, and petal limb margins shallowly sinuate.

Type.

TURKEY. Antalya: Gazipaşa, from Akoluk Village to Akkaya Hill of Taşeli Plateau, c. 3. km, stony sliding slopes and serpentine soils in clearings of Pinus brutia forest, 1075 m a.s.l., 05 July 2015, İ.G. Deniz, C. Aykurt, 6195 (holotype: Akdeniz University Herbarium 3823).

Annual, many-stemmed, divaricately branched herbs. Stem erect to ascending, fragile, slender, 20-80 cm, branching from the base, glabrous or minutely scabridulous especially toward base, usually purplish at base, many-flowered (30-)80-250(-300). Basal leaves linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-spatulate, 25-35 × 2.5-4.5 mm, with scabridulous edges especially near base, obtuse at apex. Cauline leaves linear-narrowly triangular to linear-lanceolate, gradually smaller upwards, flattened, distinctly nervous, glabrous, with scabridulous margin and narrowly membranous toward base, acute to acuminate at apex, their sheaths shorter than the internodes; lower cauline leaves linear-lanceolate, 20-50 × 2-2.2 mm, longer or shorter than internodes, swollen and usually purplish at base; upper cauline leaves linear to linear-narrowly triangular, 4-20 × 0.5-1.5 mm, slightly swollen at base. Inflorescence dichotomously branched; flowers almost always solitary, occasionally two or three flowers borne on the same nod; branches usually minutely scabridulous; pedicels 1-30 mm (sometimes very short, to 0.5 mm). Epicalyx scales 4, almost equaling or shorter than calyx tube, cartilaginous, straw-colored, markedly 8-nerved toward apex, glabrous, verrucose at middle and below surfaces, scabridulous at apex and on scarious margins; scarious margins terminating at or under apex; outer epicalyx segments obovate, 8-9 × 3-3.5 mm, with acuminate tip (ca. 3 mm), scarious margins up to 0.75 mm broad; inner epicalyx segments obovate, 11-12 × 4-4.5 mm, with acuminate tip (ca. 3.5 mm), scarious margins up to 0.8 mm broad. Calyx cylindric-lanceolate, verrucose, distinctly 35-40-veined, usually purplish at upper 2/3 part, 12-13 × 2.8-3 mm; teeth triangular, 4.5-5.5 mm long, 7-8-veined, with narrowly scarious and scabridulous margins. Petals white, 20 mm; limb narrowly obovate, 6-7 × 3 mm, emarginate with shallowly sinuate lobes, completely exerted from calyx, unspotted, barbulate, with 3 main purplish vein; claw 12-13 × ca. 1 mm. Anthers 3.6 mm long; filaments 7 mm long. Ovary 3.5 mm long; style 5 mm long. Capsule cylindrical, included in calyx, 10 × 3 mm. Seeds ovate to elliptic, 1.9-2.5 × 1.07-1.7 mm, black, minutely cuspidate at apex, granular, covered by irregularly polygonal or rectangular cells; anticlinal walls represented by shallow and wide grooves, with U-like undulations; the periclinal walls distinctly papillose. The cells of ventral surface 75-145 × 33.2-59.4 μm, more elongated and bigger than the cells of dorsal surface (31.4-86 × 25-45 μm).

Distribution, habitat and ecology.

Dianthus multiflorus is known only from the type locality, between Akoluk Village to Taşeli Plateau, where it grows at altitude of 1000-1150 m on sliding slopes and serpentine soils in clearings of Pinus brutia Ten. forest. Within this area, the new taxon is associated with plants such as: Pinus brutia var. brutia , Quercus coccifera L., Helichrysum arenarium Moench subsp. aucheri (Boiss.) P.H.Davis & Kupicha, Carduus rechingerianus Kazmi, Centaurea urvillei DC. subsp. urvillei , Teucrium lamiifolium d’Urv. subsp. lamiifolium , Thymus cilicicus Boiss. & Balansa. Ballota saxatilis Sieber ex C.Presl subsp. saxatilis .

Phenology.

Dianthus multiflorus was observed flowering in June and July, and mature fruits are produced in July to middle of August.

Etymology.

The species epithet is derived from its abundant flowers representing one of the main characters that distinguishes it from other similar species.

Proposed conservation status.

Dianthus multiflorus is included in the Critically Endangered category according to IUCN criteria ver. 11 ( IUCN 2014). The species was determined at only a single location and the extent of occurrence (EOO) value of the species was determined to be 7 km2 taking into account location of occupancy and the area contained within the shortest continuous imaginary boundary. Additionally, the area of occupancy (AOO) value in this area was calculated as 4 km2 [CR B1ab(i)+CR B2b(ii)].

Seed testa micro-morphology.

A detailed comparison of seed micromorphology based on SEM analysis was made (Table 2 ). The seeds of Dianthus multiflorus and Dianthus tripunctatus are black, minutely cuspidate at apex, granular, and have anticlinal walls represented by shallow and wide grooves, with U-like undulations, while the periclinal walls are distinctly papillose. The seeds of Dianthus multiflorus are covered by irregularly polygonal or rectangular cells, and the cells of ventral surface are more elongated and larger, conversely the seeds of Dianthus tripunctatus are covered by irregularly rectangular cells and the cell size of ventral and dorsal surfaces are similar (Fig. 3 ).

Karyology.

The chromosome number of Dianthus multiflorus and Dianthus tripunctatus is 2 n = 30 (Fig. 4 ). The shortest chromosome length for Dianthus multiflorus is 0.54 μm, the longest is 1.24 μm, and total haploid chromosome length (THL) is 12.21 μm. The karyotype formula of Dianthus multiflorus consists of 28 median pairs and 2 submedian pairs. As for karyotype asymmetry, its karyotype was classified according to the symmetry classes of Stebbins (1971) as 3B. Intrachromosomal asymmetry (MCA) is 6.26 and the interchromosomal asymmetry index (CVCL) is 19.93. Our study showed that the shortest chromosome length for Dianthus tripunctatus is 0.77 μm, the longest is 1.21 μm, and total haploid chromosome length (THL) is 14.09 μm. The karyotype formula of this species consists of 28 median pairs and 2 submedian pairs. As for karyotype asymmetry, the karyotype of this species is classified according to the symmetry classes of Stebbins (1971) as 3A. Intrachromosomal asymmetry (MCA) is 6.42 and the interchromosomal asymmetry index (CVCL) is 12.57. The karyogram is given in Figure 4 and ideogram was drawn based on the centromeric index (Fig. 4 ).

According to Stebbin’s (1971) classification, the karyotypes of Dianthus multiflorus belong to type 3B, whereas the karyotypes Dianthus tripunctatus belong to type 3A. The asymmetry indices also reveal some small differences between the two species. Nevertheless, according to interchromosomal asymmetry index (CVCL), Dianthus multiflorus is more asymmetric than Dianthus tripunctatus . The total haploid chromosome length (THL) in Dianthus multiflorus is 12.21 μm and that of Dianthus tripunctatus is 14.09 μm (Table 2 ).

Diagnostic key to the annual Dianthus species with verrucose calyx in Turkey

1	Stem unbranched, 3-15 cm; calyx 10 mm or shorter	Dianthus aydogdui
-	Stem many branched, 12-80 cm; calyx more than 10 mm	2
2	Stem bearing (30-)80-250(-300) flowers; petal limb white with purple venation, shallowly sinuate at margins	Dianthus multiflorus
-	Stem bearing 4-15(-40) flowers; petal limb pink, dentate at margins	3
3	Calyx tube nervose-striate; base of epicalyx segments adpressed to the calyx, their membranous margins conspicuous, 2 mm wide	Dianthus tripunctatus
-	Calyx tube enervate; base of epicalyx segments spreading, their membranous margins inconspicuous, not more than 0.5 mm wide	Dianthus cyri

Figures

Figure 1. Habit and flower photographs of Dianthus multiflorus (A-G from holotype, Deniz 6195) and Dianthus tripunctatus (H-I from ISTE 74221). (A Outer epicalyx segment B Inner epicalyx segment C Calyx D Pistil E Capsule F, H Flower G, I Habit).

Figure 2. Field photographs of Dianthus multiflorus (A) and Dianthus tripunctatus (B).

Figure 3. SEM photographs of the seed coat. A Dianthus multiflorus B Dianthus tripunctatus. 1 - 3: Ventral surface. 4 - 6: Dorsal surface. (Scale bars 200 μm for A 4 and B 4; 100 μm for A 1 and B 1; 30 μm for A 2; 20 μm for A 5 and B 2; 10 μm for A 3, A 6, B 3, B 5 and B 6).

Figure 4. Somatic chromosomes and ideogram of Dianthus multiflorus (a-b) and Dianthus tripunctatus (c-d). (Scale bars 2 μm).