Centaurea bavegehensis Ranjbar & Negaresh (2014b: 324)

Negaresh, Kazem & Rahiminejad, Mohammad Reza, 2018, A revision of Centaurea sect. Cynaroides (Asteraceae, Cardueae-Centaureinae), Phytotaxa 363 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

6. Centaurea bavegehensis Ranjbar & Negaresh (2014b: 324) . Type:— IRAN. Prov. Kermanshah: Kamyaran, 5 km to Ravansar , Bave Geh village , 1418 m, 31 June 2012, Ranjbar & Negaresh 28812 (holotype BASU!). ( Figs. 16 and 17 )

Biennial plants, whole usually green, with thick fleshy taproot, ca. 100 cm tall; collum neck with fibrous remnants of petioles from previous year. Stem erect, usually simple, up to 12 mm diam. at base, cylindrical, finely white striate, loosely leafy from lower to median parts, lower part sparsely covered with hirsute-articulate hairs, up to 1 mm long, median part also with sessile glandular hairs, upper part with hirsute and scattered sessile glandular hairs. Leaves rigid, papyraceous (on drying), sparsely covered with hirsute-articulate hairs, sometimes denser along midrib, and sessile glands, blade margins subscabrous. Basal leaves withered at anthesis, apparently with a long petiole, up to 11 cm, reddish. Lower cauline leaves simple, lanceolate, ca. 25 × 8 cm, subcuneate at base, with ca. 9 cm petiole, basally auriculate, acute at apex, denticulate. Median cauline leaves sessile, oblanceolate or oblong, 15.5–20 × 3–8 cm, broadly decurrent, up to 45 mm along stem, acute or subacuminate at apex, entire. Upper cauline leaves acropetally smaller, sessile, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate or linear, 1.5–12 × 1–3 cm, sometimes bract-like, sparsely covered with hirsutulous-articulate and scattered arachnoid hairs (especially on margins), sometimes with arachnoid hairs ± predominant in the indument, acuminate or acute at apex, sometimes decurrent, up to 15 mm along stem. Capitula several, 4 to 15, arranged in a raceme, upper capitula on peduncles ca. 27 cm long, sometimes lowest with 2–3 heads, sometimes with bracts similar to phyllaries with small stramineous and chaffy appendages.Involucres ovoid-cupuliform or ovoid, truncate at base, 35–45 × 35–45(–47) mm. Phyllaries multiseriate, green in vivo, greenish-yellow in sicco, imbricate, coriaceous to scarious, densely lanate-tomentose. Appendages rigid-chartaceous, concealing a minor part of phyllaries, not decurrent, straw-coloured; cilia erect, few, 2–4 on each side, 0.8–3 mm long; spines narrowly triangular, much longer than adjacent cilia. Outer phyllaries ovate to oblong, 4.5–9.5 × 5–9.5 mm; appendages triangular, 8.5–9 × 6–7 mm (including cilia and spine), gradually narrowing into a 2.8–4.8 mm spine. Median phyllaries broadly oblong, sometimes ovate to oblong, 12.5–17 × 10.5–12 mm; appendages elongate triangular, 14–16 × 5–6 mm (including cilia and spine), gradually narrowed into a 6–9 mm spine. Inner phyllaries lanceolate or linear, 20–30 × 10–12.5 mm; appendages narrowly triangular, 13–16.5 × 4–6 mm (including cilia and spine), gradually narrowed into a 8–10.2 mm spine. Flowers pale pink to pink; central florets hermaphroditic, 50–55 mm long, corolla ca. 17 mm long, 5- lobed, lobes 7.2–9 mm long, with reddish nerves, anthers ± equal to corolla, with apical appendages acute or obtuse, stigma exserted from corolla up to 5 mm; peripheral florets sterile, nearly equal to central ones, numerous (20–25 in each capitulum) and conspicuous, finely dissected, slightly radiant, 5-lobed, limb lobe narrowly lanceolate to linear, ± 8 mm long. Achenes oblong or ovate-oblong, 6.5–7.2 mm long, 3.9–4.1 mm wide, smooth and shiny, white or yellowish, rounded at apex, glabrous; insertion areole lateral, ca. 0.5–0.8 mm long, with pilose hairs. Pappus persistent, multiseriate, scabrous, pale brown, 12–13 mm long, bristles of inner rows very slightly longer than others.

Taxonomic and distribution remarks: — Centaurea bavegehensis is a rare endemic of Kermanshah Province, W Iran ( Fig. 14 ). It is an Irano-Turanian element, and grows on roadsides and fallow fields, at elevations of 1400–1450 m ( Figs. 17C and 17D ). Centaurea bavegehensis is similar to C. regia var. regia by having flowers pink, leaves papyraceous, upper cauline leaves narrowly decurrent and also the sympatric occurrence of both taxa near Ravansar. However, C. bavegehensis differs significantly from it by having lower cauline leaves lanceolate, ca. 25 × 8 cm, denticulate (vs. broadly lanceolate, ca. 20 × 10–12 cm, sometimes narrowed toward base or broadly decurrent along petiole, undivided or basally pinnatilobed), upper cauline leaves sparsely hirsutulous-articulate and scattered arachnoid hairs (especially on margins), sometimes with the arachnoid hairs ± predominant in the indumentum (vs. loosely hirsute-articulate), involucres ovoid-cupuliform or ovoid, 35–45 × 35–45(–47) mm (vs. subglobose, 40–55 × 40–60 mm), phyllaries indumentum densely lanate-tomentose (vs. glabrous), appendages rigid-chartaceous, concealing a minor part of phyllaries (vs. chartaceous, totally concealing phyllaries), outer appendages triangular (vs. ovate), median appendages elongate triangular, 14–16 × 5–6 mm (vs. broadly ovate, 20–25 × 20–25 mm), cilia few, 2–4 on each side, 0.8–3 mm long (vs. numerous, 10–17 on each side, (3–) 4–6 mm long), and also spine of median appendages 6–9 mm (vs. (8–) 9–14 mm) long.

This species is also related to C. shahuensis , especially because of the same indumentum, flowers pink and appendages with few cilia. However, it differs from C. shahuensis in its lower cauline leaves lanceolate, ca. 25 × 8 cm, denticulate (vs. broadly subcordate to ovate or broadly cordate-ovate, 27.5–37 × 14–18 cm, entire), involucres ovoid-cupuliform or ovoid, truncate at base (vs. globose-conical, somewhat convex at base, abruptly contracted at apex and angustate), outer appendages straw-coloured, 8.5–9 × 6–7 mm, gradually narrowing into a 2.8–4.8 mm spine, cilia 2–4 on each side (vs. purple to straw-coloured, ca. 15 × 5–7 mm, gradually narrowing into a ca. 8 mm spine, margin entire or sometimes with 1–2 cilia on each side, irregular), inner appendages straw-coloured (vs. deep purple), and also flowers 50–55 mm (vs. ca. 60 mm) long.

Chromosome numbers: —Unknown.

Selected specimens examined:— IRAN. Prov. Kermanshah: Javanroud toward Ravansar, 5 km to Ravansar , 1430 m, 27 May 2014, Negaresh & Kamalnejad 20137 ( HUI!, herb. Negaresh!) .

Figures

FIGURE 14. Distribution of Centaurea amanicola (circles), C. arifolia (squares), and C. bavegehensis (triangles).

FIGURE 16. Centaurea bavegehensis Ranjbar & Negaresh (Ranjbar & Negaresh 28812, BASU). A. inflorescence. B. habit and and median cauline leaves. Scale A and B = 2 cm.

FIGURE 17. Centaurea bavegehensisRanjbar &Negaresh (Negaresh& Kamalnejad 20137,HUI).A. close upof capitule.B.inflorescence. C. habit. D. indumentum of median part of stem. Scale A = 1 cm, B = 5 cm, C = 20 cm.