Cyanus reuterianus (Boiss.) Holub (1973: 145)

Negaresh, Kazem, 2022, A checklist of the genus Cyanus (Asteraceae, Cardueae) in Turkey, with notes on taxonomy and distribution, Phytotaxa 531 (1), pp. 18-40 : 29-30

14. Cyanus reuterianus (Boiss.) Holub (1973: 145) .

Centaurea reuteriana Boissier (1844: 18) . Centaurea lanigera subsp. reuteriana (Boiss.) Dostál (1931: 68) . Type:— TURKEY. Caria, 1843, C. Pinard s.n. (holotype G-BOIS! (G00150033), isotypes G00074349!, JE00015819!, P00703833!: top left hand corner of the sheet, W0027109!).

Centaurea ermenekensis Uysal & Şirin (2020: 176) , syn. nova. Cyanus ermenekensis (Uysal & Şirin) Raab-Straube & Greuter in Raab-Straube & Raus (2021: 145). Type:— TURKEY. Karaman: Ermenek, W of Göktepe , 1300 m, steppe, 19 June 2017, Ertuğrul et al. 5377 (holotype KNYA!, isotype ANK).

Taxonomic notes: — Cyanus ermenekensis was described as an endemic species from Turkey with the name of Centaurea ermenekensis by Şirin et al. (2020) and then its name was changed to Cyanus ermenekensis by Raab-Straube & Greuter in Raab-Straube & Raus (2021). According to Şirin et al. (2020), C. ermenekensis is distinguished from C. reuterianus by its stem, number of capitula, involucre, and median appendages. Based on the description of C. ermenekensis and its comparison with C. reuterianus given by Şirin et al. (2020), and my careful examination of the important morphological traits ( Wagenitz 1975) of the type specimens, I found noticeable similarities, namely flowering stem lateral at base of a rosette, usually arising from base of rosette, simple or branched in upper part, decumbent-ascending, cauline leaves lanceolate to oblanceolate, 1.8–2.9 × 0.2–0.9 cm, capitula solitary at end of stem and branches, involucres ovoid and 12–18 mm long, median appendages ovate-oblong, peripheral florets slightly radiant, central florets pink- to violet-purple, 12–16 mm long, achenes ovoid-oblong, 3.5–4.5 × 1.5–2 mm, and pappus scabrous. The only difference is that C. ermenekensis has narrower involucres and slightly smaller appendages, while C. reuterianus has wider involucres and slightly larger appendages, but following a thorough investigation of many specimens, I concluded the variation in the involucres and appendages to be continuous. Therefore, by comparing localities and geographical distributions ( Fig. 7 ), and comparing with other samples and type specimens, I established that C. ermenekensis did not differ from C. reuterianus and should be considered as a new synonym of it.

Distribution: — Cyanus reuterianus is endemic to Turkey.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Distribution of Cyanus reuterianus var. reuterianus (circles), C. reuterianus var. phrygius (squares), and C. raimondoi (triangle) in Turkey.