Pentanema kurdistanicum Maroofi & Ghaderi, 2016

Maroofi, Hosein & Ghaderi, Hiva, 2016, Pentanema kurdistanicum (Inuleae, Asteraceae), a new species from subalpine cliffs of Kurdistan, Iran, Phytotaxa 253 (3), pp. 223-226 : 223-225

Pentanema kurdistanicum Maroofi & Ghaderi , sp. nov. Fig. 1 .

Pentanemate flexuoso affinis, sed caulibus pilis multicellularibus albis dense tectis (nec albo-pilosis et glanduloso-papillosis ± glabrescentibus), gemmis quiescentibus magnis, longe albo-villosis (nec gemmis quiescentibus inconspicuis), foliis 5–15(–20) × 2–8 mm (nec 20 × 10 mm), involucro 5–7 mm longo (nec 4–5 mm longo), involucri phyllis omnibus subaequilongis (nec involucri phyllis exterioribus interioribus manifeste brevioribus), floribus tubulosis pappi radiis 5 (nec 5–7) differt. Pentanemate prasinuro affinis, sed caulibus pilis multicellularibus albis dense tectis (nec inferne praecipue longe albo-villosis, superne praecipue glandulosopillosis), involucro campanulato (nec depresse semigloboso), floribus marginalibus flavis (nec pallide flavis, saepe purpurascentibus) differt.

Type:— IRAN. Prov. Kurdistan: Ca. 30 km South to South-East of Marivan, Bendol village, 2600 m, 19 July 2014, Hiva Ghaderi 11897 (holotype HKS). Paratype:—same location, 23 August 2015, Hiva Ghaderi 13025 ( HKS).

Type location:— 35º 18’ 53.98” N, 46º 13’ 41.15” E.

Suffruticose perennial plant; resting buds prominent, covered with dense, long and soft hairs. Stems numerous, 4–12(–15) cm high; arcuate-ascending, slender, flexuous, simple or branched, reddish-brown, densely covered with multicellular white hairs mainly above, leafy up to top. Leaves oblong to ovate-lanceolate, 5–15(–20) mm long and 2–8 mm wide, all entire, sometimes with undulate margin, concolor, yellowish green, sessile or with short petiole in lower leaves, up to 3 mm long, with prominent reticular veins beneath in lower leaves and prominent middle vein in upper leaves, on both sides densely covered with pale yellow, glossy, sessile glands and multicellular soft hairs, thickened at base, acute or subobtuse at apex, cuneate at base. Capitula solitary and terminal, campanulate, 5–7 mm long and 8–12 mm wide, round at base. Involucre arcuate-imbricate, usually 4 seriate; bracts subequal or outer slightly smaller than inner; outer bracts narrow lanceolate-linear, deep green, covered with soft papillose hairs and sometimes glands; middle bracts lanceolate, up to 5.5 mm long, glandular outside, median nerve greenish, margin fimbriate; inner bracts linear, membranaceous, margin fimbriate. Peripheral florets ligulate, all female, numerous in capitulum, 3.5–5 mm long, longer than pappus, lamina yellow, longer than involucre, apex 3-toothed, hairy outside. Central (disk) florets tubular, 3–4 mm long, ± as long as or longer than pappus, teeth ca. 0.5 mm long, glandular outside. Achenes 1.2–1.5 mm, oblong-angular, appressed hairy; pappus in ligulate florets 3 mm long, 4–5, in tubular florets 3–4 mm long, with 5 bristles, white, one-rowed, scabrid in upper part.

Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to the collection region of this plant, Kurdistan Province, west of Iran.

Phytochoria ( Takhtajan 1986, Zohary 1973):—Irano-Turanian Region.

Life-form ( Raunkiaer 1934):—Hemicryptophyte.

Phenology:—Flowering period June to July.

Related taxa:— Pentanema kurdistanicum is closely related to P. flexuosum and P. prasinurum . The new species differs from P. flexuosum , occurring in the west of Iran, in its stems densely covered with multicellular white hairs mainly above, resting buds prominent, covered with dense, long and soft hairs, leaves 5–15(–20) mm long and 2–8 mm wide, capitula 5–7 mm long, bracts of the involucre subequal or the outer bracts slightly smaller than the inner bracts, and the pappus in the tubular florets with 5 bristles, whereas in P. flexuosum resting buds are inconspicuous, leaves ca 20 mm long and 10 mm wide, capitula 4–5 mm long, the outer bracts clearly shorter than the inner bracts, and the pappus in the tubular florets with 5–7 bristles. The new species differs from P. prasinurum , which is found in the east to south-east of Afghanistan, by the following characters: stems densely covered with multicellular white hairs mainly above, involucres campanulate, and ligulate florets yellow, while in P. prasinurum stems are white-villous below and glandular-pilose above, involucres depressed spherical, and ligulate florets pale yellow or mainly purplish. Important diagnostic characters of the new species in comparison with P. flexuosum and P. prasinurum are given in Table 1.

Ecology and conservation status:—Western Iranian alpine and subalpine areas have been scarcely investigated ecologically, phytosociologically and botanically. The Shaho Mountain is one of the completely unknown areas, due to some geomorphological complexity and a lack of in-depth studies. Few botanists studied plants of the Shaho Mt. The first and most famous of them was Heinrich Carl Haussknecht (1830 − 1903), who collected plants from Shaho and other similar parts in Iraqi Kurdistan such as Sindjar, Jezireh, etc. The high mountain parts exhibit a strong continental climate. The summer is arid, relatively hot and sunny with the solar radiation intense most of the time. Both annual and diurnal brae of temperature can be very high, especially on the soil surface. Pentanema kurdistanicum grows in deep grooves on bare rocks, under the situation of the shortage of water and mineral nutrients, at altitudes of 2500 m to 2700 m. a.s.l. The new species is a local endemic and is only known from small populations in Shaho and Avroman Mts., West Iran. Due to the rarity and small size of populations of P. kurdistanicum (each numbering less than 15–20 individuals), this species should thus be regarded as ‘Endangered’ (EN— B 2ab (i, ii, iv)) based on the IUCN (2001) criteria.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pentanema kurdistanicum Maroofi & Ghaderi. A & B. Habit; C. Tubular floret. Photographs by Hiwa Ghaderi.