Gypsophila dumanii Armağan & E.G.Çakır, 2023

Armağan, Metin & Çakir-Dindar, Ece Gökçe, 2023, Gypsophila dumanii, Caryophyllaceae, a new species from Eastern Turkey, Phytotaxa 594 (2), pp. 137-144 : 138-141

Gypsophila dumanii Armağan & E.G.Çakır sp. nov. ( Figure 1–2 ).

Type:— TURKEY. Ağrı: Diyadin, the southwest of Mollakara Village , on gravelly steppe, 2200–2260 m, 6 August 2022, Duman 10719 (holotype KNYA!, isotypes ANK!, HUB!, KNYA!, NGBB!, VANF!) .

Diagnosis ( Table 1 , Fig. 1 ): — Gypsophila dumanii is morphologically similar to G. olympica Boissier (1849: 55) from which differs in branched in the upper part (vs. unbranched), flower clusters 2–5 (vs. solitary), bracts and calyx glabrous (vs. glandular pubescent), petals linear-oblong, 6–7 mm (vs. cuneate 4–5 mm), calyx 4–5 mm, glabrous (vs. 2.5–3.5 mm, glandular-hairy).

Description:— Perennial caespitose, root thick, woody. Flowering stems several, 2–20 cm high, ascending, entirely glabrous, branched 2–5 times in the upper part. Basal leaves linear, thick, subtriquetrous, distinctly one nerved, acute, 10–30 × 1.5 mm; stem leaves similar to basal but smaller, 1–3 pairs. Inflorescence dense capitate, terminal and laterally 2–5 clusters, 8–15 mm in diameter. Pedicel 1.5–4 mm long, glabrous. Bracts ovate-lanceolate, acuteacuminate, 2–3 mm long, glabrous, scarious. Calyx glabrous, campanulate, 4–5 mm long, with green bands, the white commissural membrane hardly or a little wider than those, incised up to one third; teeth ovate, acute to mucronate, with crowded crystals. Petals linear-oblong, 6–7× 1.4–1.8 mm, white with pink veined, with obtuse, retuse to emarginate apex. Stamens 10, as long as or longer than petals. Ovary elliptic-globose, with two divergent style, styles 4–5 mm long. Ovules 8. Capsule and seeds unknown.

Etymology:— This new species named in honour of Hayri Duman (also the first to collect samples of new species), a botanist in Gazi University, Turkey.

Proposed vernacular name: —Diyadin Çevgeni.

Phenology:— Flowering and fruiting times August‒September.

Taxonomical notes: — Gypsophila dumanii with its densely capitate inflorescence, short campanulate calyx, and 4 to 12 ovules per ovary, belongs to sect. Capituliformes F.N. Williams (1889: 323). For most of the species of this section, Turkey is the main center of diversity, the various taxa inhabit in high mountains on calcareous rock crevices ( Barkoudah 1962, Huber-Morath 1967, Aktürk & Yılmaz 2021).

Distribution and habitats:— Gypsophila dumanii can be considered endemic to Turkey at the being time. Since the locality collected is close to the Iranian border region, the occurrence of the new species in Iran is expected ( Fig. 3 ). G. dumanii grows in the gravelly steppe, at 2200–2260 a.s.l. Associated species are Ziziphora clinopodioides Lamarck (1791: 63) , Thymus migricus Klokov & Desjatova-Shostenko (1936: 302) , Crepis willdenowii Cherepanov (1964: 646) , Psephellus pulcherrimus ( Willdenow (1803: 2298)) Wagenitz (2000: 36), Echinops pungens Trautvetter (1833: 18) , Cephalaria microcephala Boissier (1856: 123) , Pimpinella tragium Villars (1779: 24) subsp. lithophila ( Schischkin (1950: 206)) Tutin (1968: 62), Eryngium billardierei F. Delaroche (1807:87) , Rosa pulverulenta M. Bieberstein (1808: 399) , Onobrychis cornuta ( Linnaeus (1763: 1060)) Desvaux (1814: 81), Astragalus wagneri Bartl. ex Bunge (1869: 125) , Astragalus lagopoides Lamarck (1783: 322) , Erodium amanum Boissier & Kotschy (1867: 887) , Minuartiella dianthifolia ( Boissier (1849: 99)) Dillenb. & Kadereit (2014: 84).

Conservation status: — Gypsophila dumanii is known from a one location; its extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupany (AOO) are less then 10 km 2 (criteria B1 and B2); number of locations is only one (a), and estimated continuing decline (b) in extent of occurrence (i), area of occupancy (ii), quality of habitat (iii), number of mature individuals (v); number of mature individuals less than 1000 (D1). The main threats are the opencast mining activities and heavy grazing in this habitat.As a result, this new species is assessed as “Critically Endangered; CR B1ab (i,iii,iii,v) + B2ab (i,ii,iii,v); D1” ( IUCN 2022).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Gypsophila dumanii: a) holotype (Duman 10719!), b) basal leaves, c) petal, d) calyx, e) inflorescence and bracts, f) pistil.

FIGURE 2. Gypsophila dumanii: a) inflorescence and flowers, b) habitus.

FIGURE 3. Distribution map of Gypsophila dumanii (red star) and G. olympica (blue circle).