Hesperis zaferi Hamzaoğlu & Koç, 2022

Hamzaoğlu, Ergin & Koç, Murat, 2022, Two new species of Hesperis L. (Brassicaceae) from Turkey, Phytotaxa 545 (1), pp. 30-36 : 33-34

Hesperis zaferi Hamzaoğlu & Koç , sp. nov.

( Hesperis sect. Hesperis ) ( Figure 2 ).

Diagnosis: — Hesperis zaferi is related to H. tosyaensis and H. ozcelikii in habit, inflorescence, and siliquae dimensions, but can be distinguished by basal leaves (entire versus lyrate or sinuate-dentate), leaf hairs (bifurcate hairs versus bifurcate, glandular, a few simple and trifid hairs, or glandular and stellate hairs or trifid and a few glandular hairs and very rarely a few simple hairs), pedicels (densely glandular and sparsely simple hairs versus glabrous or sparsely bifurcate and rarely trifid hairs, or densely glandular or rarely stellate and glandular hairs), petal claws (7–9 mm long versus 9–13 mm long), and silique hairs (glandular hairs versus glabrous or densely glandular, sparsely bifurcate and rarely a few simple hairs) in H. tosyaensis and H. ozcelikii ( Table 2 ).

Type: — TURKEY. Çorum, Sungurlu, SE of Kurbağalı village, Aygar Mountain , 1500 m a.s.l., 07. June 2017, Hamzaoğlu 7249 & Koç (holotype GAZI!, isotypes GAZI!, ANK!, HUB!) .

Description: —Perennial herbs. Roots thickened, horizontal, 2–5 mm in diameter. Stems ascending to erect, 30–70 cm tall (including inflorescence), usually purplish below, simple or 2–4-branched in inflorescence, terete, smooth, 2–3.5 mm in diameter at base; hispid simple hairs in lower part, hispid simple and sparsely glandular mixed hairs in middle part, densely glandular and sparsely ± hispid simple mixed hairs in upper part, longest simple hairs 2 mm long. Leaves crowded at lower and middle part; basal leaves entire, elliptic, 6–15 × 1–2.5 cm (including petiole), remotely denticulate, bifurcate hairs, only main midrib simple hairs, acute at apex, attenuate at base; petiole 2–7 cm long, with 1–2 mm simple and bifurcate hairs; cauline leaves similar, but decreasing to flowering part; lower elliptic-lanceolate, shorter petiolate; middle lanceolate, subsessile, acute to acuminate at apex; upper sessile, acuminate at apex, obtusetruncate at base, semiamplexicaul. Inflorescences raceme or panicle, ebracteate. Pedicels ascending at flowering time, horizontal or recurved at fruiting time, 15–25 mm long, densely glandular and sparsely simple hairs. Sepals usually purplish-violet, oblong-oblanceolate, deciduous, 4–6-veined, 8–9.5 × 1.2–1.8 mm, entirely glandular, a few bifurcate hairs only at apex, with membranous margins, inner sepals strongly saccate. Petals 16–22 mm long, purplish-pink; limbs obovate, 9–13 × 4–6 mm; claw ± oblong, 7–9 × 1–2 mm. Outer filaments not dilated at base, 3.8–4.3 mm long, inner filaments dilated at base, 5.8–6.4 mm long; anthers all fertile, ± linear, 2.4–2.9 mm long, usually greenish, basifixed. Stigmas with two obtuse, decurrent carpidial lobes. Ovaries minutely glandular. Siliquae 45–80 × 1–1.5 mm, ± terete, dehiscent, torulose, straight or curved, glandular, usually greenish.

Etymology and Turkish name: —The species is named in honour of the Turkish phytosociologist Prof. Dr. Ahmet Zafer Tel (Adıyaman University, Adıyaman, Turkey). We propose that the Turkish name of this new species “zafer yıldızı” (Turkish).

Distribution and habitat: —The species is known only from the type locality, Aygar Mountain, Sungurlu district, Çorum city, where it grows at an altitude of approximately between 1400 and 1640 m a.s.l. in oak forest clearings.

Phenology: —Flowering time May‒June, fruiting time June‒July.

Conservation status: —According to the existing data, Hesperis zaferi is an endemic plant only known to grow at Aygar Mountain located between Çorum and Yozgat (Central Anatolia) Provinces. It is estimated that the area of the species is approximately between 1400–1640 meters and that it shows distribution glades in Quercus sp. woodlands. No threat whatsoever was observed that the number of individuals in the area would decrease or that the area of distribution would narrow. The area of distribution of the species is approximately 400 km 2, but it is estimated that it has a scattered distribution and that the number of individuals is fewer than 1000. According to the data at hand and the projections, it was decided that it would be appropriate to evaluate the species in the Vulnerable [VU (D1)] category according to the IUCN criteria ( IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2019).

Discussion: — Hesperis zaferi is similar to H. tosyaensis and H. ozcelikii in habit, inflorescence and siliquae measurements ( Dvořák 1973, Duran 2009, Duran & Çetin 2016). H. zafe ri is closer in distribution to H. tosyaensis (Tosya, Kastamonu Province). The distance as the crow flies between the two species is approximately 100 km. However, while H. zaferi (Çorum / Yozgat Provinces) is grown in the Irano-Turanian phytogeographic region, H. tosyaensis , grown at the northwest of it, has adapted to the Euro-Siberian region. H. ozcelikii (Sütçüler, Isparta Province) shows a distribution in the southwest at approximately 400 km as the crow flies from H. zaferi and has adapted to the Mediterranean region. Pubescence is the most important characteristic that separates H. za feri from these two similar species. In H. zaferi , the body and pedicels are bifurcate and stellate, whereas, trifid pubescence is not found on the leaves. Furthermore, the basal and body leaves in H. zaferi are always entire and the petal claw is clearly short ( Table 2 ).

Specimens Examined:— Hesperis tosyaensis . TURKEY. Kastamonu, between Tosya and Sekiler village, 7. km, 1000 m a.s.l., 12.05.2001, A.Duran 5657 & E.Hamzaoğlu (isotype GAZI!) ; ibid., between Tosya and Sekiler village, 7. km, 1000 m a.s.l., 21.07.2001, A.Duran 5822 & Y.Menemen (paratype GAZI!) ; Paplagonia , Wilajet Kastambuli [Kastamonu],Tossia [Tosya], Karkun, 24.05.1892, Sintenis 3867 (paratypes:JE00001437!; JE00001438!; JE00001439!; JE00001440!, virtual images; ANK!). Hesperis ozcelikii . TURKEY. Isparta, Sütçüler , between Ayvalıpınar and Kesme road, 17. km, 1025 m a.s.l., 11.06.1999, A.Duran 4636, H.Özçelik & M.Sağıroğlu (holotype KNYA!, isotype GAZI!); ibid., 09.06.2000, A.Duran 5262 & H.Özçelik (paratype KNYA!, GAZI!) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Hesperis zaferi Hamzaoğlu & Koç sp. nov. A. Habit. B. Lower leaf. C. Upper leaf. D. Flowers. E. Fruits (Note: The habit picture was taken from above to make the whole plant visible. For this reason, the scale is not put in order not to be mistaken).