Cousinia edmondsonii Rechinger (1972: 321)

Mehregan, Iraj & Assadi, Mostafa, 2016, A synopsis of Cousinia sect. Pseudactinia (Cardueae, Asteraceae) including a new species from NE Iran, Phytotaxa 257 (3), pp. 271-279 : 276

4. Cousinia edmondsonii Rechinger (1972: 321)

Type:— IRAN. Northern Khorassan Province: Kuh-e Kurkhud [Ghorkhod], 45 km W Bojnurd, in regione Juniperi, 56.50°E, 37.50°N, 2500 m, 22 July 1971, Edmondson 751 (holotype W!).

Life form perennial , 20–30 cm high, branched at the base. Stems woody and covered with the remnants of old and curved withered petioles at the base. Current year stems arachnoid, usually unbranched (rarely bifurcated above), terminate to usually single capitulum (rarely 2). Basal leaves up to 10 cm long and 3 cm broad, obovate to oblanceolate, attenuated at the base, hairy on both surfaces, dentate-lobed at the margin; lobes terminate to 3 mm long spines; stem leaves similar to basal ones, gradually diminish in size toward the capitulum. Synflorescence singular or corymbose. Capitulum solitary, 20–30 mm in diameter (including bracts). Involucre 20–30 mm long, 15–20 mm broad, ovatecylindrical, arachnoid; involucral bracts 80–100, spiny at apex, without lateral teeth; outer and middle bracts up to 20 mm long, subulate, slightly recurved to erect; inner bracts oblanceolate. Flowers 30–50; corolla ca. 18 mm long, pale purple; tube ca. 6 mm long; limb ca. 12 mm; anther tube glabrous, purple. Achene 6–7 mm long, pyriform-obovate, compressed, edentate at the apex.

Distribution: Endemic to NE Iran, Khorassan, mt. Kurkhoud [Ghorkhod] ( Fig. 3 ).

Further specimens examined: — IRAN. Northern Khorassan Province: between Bojnourd and Golestan forest, N slopes of Ghorkhod Mt. (Kuh-e Kurkhud), 2000–2700 m, 18 July 2003, Assadi & Hamdi 85611 ( TARI) ; between Zard and Hastan, 2500 m, 15 July 2003, Assadi 101 ( MJG) .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Distribution of species belonging to C. sect. Pseudactinia (illustrated by I. Mehregan).