Centaurea mozaffarianii Negaresh, 2018

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

23. Centaurea mozaffarianii Negaresh , sp. nov. ( Fig. 50 )

Centaureae karamianiae affinis , a qua foliis basalibus ovatis (nec late cordatis), inflorescentiis 10–12-cephalis, pedunculis inferioribus et superioribus ± equalibus, 10–17 cm longis (nec 24–26-cephalis, pedunculis superioribus 15–23 cm longis), involucro ovoideo, 30–35 × (28–) 30–35 mm (nec globoso, 35–40 × 35–45 mm), appendicibus phyllorum mediorum 8–10 × 5–8 mm, ciliis utrinque 4–5 (nec 10–12 × 5–6 mm, ciliis utrinque 2–3, vel integris), spinis terminalibus appendicibus mediis 2–4 mm (nec 4.5–6 mm) longis, appendicibus interioribus ciliatis (nec integris), floribus 40–42 mm (nec ca. 55 mm) longis, tubis antheris albidis (nec roseis), acheniis ca. 7.5 mm (nec 8.5–9 mm) longis differt.

Type:— IRAN. Prov. Kermanshah: Ravansar toward Kamyaran , Shahu mountains , roadside, 1300–1500 m, 30 May 2014, Negaresh & Kamalnejad 156 (holotype herb. Negaresh!, isotype FUMH!, RUH!) .

Biennial plants, whole plant usually green, 100–110 cm tall; collar of fibrous petiolar remains present at stem base. Stem erect, branched from lower to median parts, stout, ca. 20 mm in diam. at base, cylindrical, with thick and yellowish striations, sparsely leafy throughout, lower part reddish and ± densely covered with hirsute-articulate hairs, median part subglabrous or with scattered short hirsute hairs, upper part sparsely covered with tomentose and minute sessile glandular hairs. Leaves coriaceous, papyraceous (on drying), basal and lower ones loosely covered with deciduous hirsute and sessile glandular hairs, median and upper ones subglabrous or with deciduous and scattered hirsute hairs and sessile glandular hairs. Basal and lower cauline leaves petiolate, large, usually withered at anthesis, undivided, ovate, acute at apex. Median cauline leaves sessile, simple, oblanceolate or lanceolate, decurrent, up to 20 mm along stem, obtuse to subacute at apex. Upper cauline leaves increasingly smaller, sessile, simple, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, or narrowly lanceolate, 5–10 × 1.5–3 cm, acute or acuminate at apex, decurrent, up to 20 mm along stem. Capitula several, 10 to 12, arranged in a raceme, borne on long leafless peduncles, lower and upper peduncles ± equal, 10–17 cm long, sometimes with bracts similar to phyllaries with small stramineous or chaffy appendages. Involucres ovoid, truncate at base, 30–35 × (28–) 30–35 mm. Phyllaries multiseriate, green in vivo, yellow-greenish in sicco, imbricate, coriaceous-scarious, densely lanate-tomentose. Appendages small, concealing a minor part of phyllaries, chartaceousrigid, straw-coloured, not decurrent, triangular or narrowly triangular, 2–5 wide at base (excluding cilia), ciliate; cilia few, ± patent, 4–5 on each side, 1–2(–3) mm long; spine narrowly triangular, 2–5 mm long, slightly longer than adjacent cilia. Outer phyllaries ovate to broadly ovate, 3–10 × 6–12 mm, appendages 5–8 × 6–8 mm (including cilia and spine). Median phyllaries broadly ovate to broadly lanceolate, 10–20 × 10–13 mm, appendages 8–10 × 5–8 mm (including cilia and spine). Inner phyllaries lanceolate to linear, membranous at margins, 25–28 × 4–12 mm, appendages ciliate, 6–12 × 3–4 mm (including cilia and spine). Flowers white in vivo, sulphur in sicco; central florets hermaphroditic, 40–42 mm long, corolla 17–18 mm long, 5-lobed, lobes 6–8 mm long, with orange nerves in sicco, anther tube pink, style ± equal to corolla, stigma exserted partly from corolla, up to 6 mm; peripheral florets sterile, slightly shorter than central ones, few (3–5 in each capitulum) and very inconspicuous, somewhat distinct, finely dissected, not radiant, 4- lobed, limb lobe filiform or linear, 6–7 mm long. Achenes oblong, ca. 7.5 mm long, ca. 4 mm wide, smooth and shiny, white-yellowish, rounded at apex, glabrescent; insertion areole lateral, yellow, 0.8–1 mm long. Pappus persistent, multiseriate, scabrous, whitish to pale brown, 13–14 mm long, bristles of inner rows slightly longer than others.

Etymology: —The specific epithet honours the Iranian botanist, Dr. V. Mozaffarian, who worked on various families of the flora of Iran.

Taxonomic and distribution remarks: — Centaurea mozaffarianii is a rare endemic of Kermanshah Province, W Iran ( Fig. 51 ). It is an Irano-Turanian element, and grows on stony slopes, fallow fields and roadsides, at elevations of 1300–1500 m ( Figs. 50C and 50D ). Centaurea mozaffarianii resembles C. karamianiae by having few and very inconspicuous peripheral florets; this character is distinct for this group of C. sect. Cynaroides . The species also shared with C. karamianiae its the flowers white, appendages small, concealing a minor part of phyllaries, and same length pappus. This new species and its closely related taxon ( C. karamianiae ) occur sympatrically in Shahu Mountains, W Iran. However, C. mozaffarianii differs from C. karamianiae by several characters (see Table 3).

This species is also related to C. amadanensis subsp. amadanensis , especially because of the flowers white, anther tube color pink and appendages straw-coloured. However, it differs from C. amadanensis subsp. amadanensis in its basal and lower cauline leaves undivided, ovate (vs. lyrate or undivided, hastate or broadly ovate, broadly triangular, ovate-triangular or cordate-ovate), median cauline leaves oblanceolate or lanceolate, decurrent, up to 20 mm along stem (vs. broadly lanceolate, oblong to oblong-subpandurate, broadly decurrent, up to 50 mm along stem, or winged), capitula arranged in a raceme, lower and upper peduncles ± equal, 10–17 cm long (vs. usually arranged in a raceme but sometimes in a raceme or dichasium, or upper capitula arranged in a raceme and lowest ones arranged in a dichasium, upper capitula sessile or shortly pedunculate, gradually longer towards base, up to 20(–30) cm long, lowest sometimes with 2–5 heads), phyllaries indumentum densely lanate-tomentose (vs. densely floccose-tomentose), phyllaries with distinct and ciliate appendages (vs. with 5–20 mm spine, usually entire), and also peripheral florets 3–5 (vs. 1–3) on each capitulum.

In addition, C. mozaffarianii shares some characters such as appendages ciliate, flowers white and anther tube color pink with C. alfonsoi , but differs from it by its stem branched from lower to median parts (vs. usually simple), median cauline leaves decurrent, up to 20 mm along stem (vs. winged or broadly decurrent, up to 60 mm along stem), involucres ovoid, 30–35 × (28–) 30–35 mm (vs. ovoid to subglobose, (25–)35–40 × 35–40 mm), outer appendages triangular, 5–8 × 6–8 mm (including cilia and spine), not decuurent, with 4–5 cilia on each side, spine 2–4 mm long (vs. appendages triangular-ovate, 8–10 × ca. 9–10 mm (including cilia and spine), narrowly decurrent, with 8–12 cilia on each side, sometimes denticulate, gradually narrowing into a 1–2 mm spine), median appendages 8–10 × 5–8 mm (including cilia and spine), spine 2–5 mm long (vs. 11–13 × ca. 10–11 mm (including cilia and spine), gradually narrowing into a 5–7 mm spine), inner appendages narrowly triangular, 6–12 × 3–4 mm (including cilia and spine), spine 2–5 mm long (vs. lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 8–16 × 4–10 mm (including cilia and spine), gradually narrowing into a 5–9 mm spine), flowers 40–42 mm (vs. 46–48 mm) long, peripheral florets few (3–5 in each capitulum) and very inconspicuous, somewhat distinct (vs. numerous (ca. 20 in each capitulum) and conspicuous), and also achenes ca. 7.5 mm (vs. 9–10 mm) long.

Chromosome numbers: —Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 50. Centaurea mozaffarianii Negaresh (Negaresh & Kamalnejad 156, herb. Negaresh). A. close up of capitule. B. capitule with pollinators. C. habit and habitat. D. inflorescence. Scale A = 1 cm, C = 15 cm, D = 5 cm.

FIGURE 51. Distribution of Centaurea mozaffarianii (circles) and C. nemecii (squares).