Prunus mazandaranica, Habibi & Aritar & Anbaran & Gisavandi, 2022

Habibi, Meisam, Aritar, Farideh, Anbaran, Mohsen Falahati & Gisavandi, Hadi Maleki, 2022, Some novelties of Prunus subgenus Cerasus (Rosaceae) from Iran, Phytotaxa 542 (1), pp. 64-72 : 66-67

Prunus mazandaranica

(subgenus Cerasus ) Habibi, Maleki & Attar sp. nov. ( Fig. 2a )

Type:_ IRAN: Mazandaran: Karaj-Chalous road, ca. 50 km to Chalous N : 36 ◦ 12′41″, E: 51 ◦ 19′ 20″, Alt: 2195 m; 10. 4. 2007, Attar, Maleki & Zamani; 37189 (holotype: TUH!) .

Additional specimens studied (paratypes): Iran, Mazandaran: Karaj-Chalous road, ca. 72 km to Marzan-Abad from Gachsar , Habibi , 2.5. 2017, 48229- TUH (mature fruit); Karaj to Chalous , Hezarcham , ca. 50 km to Chalous , Attar & Zamani, 10. 4. 2007, TUH! 37189 (in flower) Tehran: between Firouzkuh and Semnan, Bashm pass, ca. 40 km to Semnan, N: 35 ◦.42′, E: 53 ◦.01′. E, Alt : 2290 m, 12. May. 2018, Attar, Mehdigholi, Habibi, Bayat, TUH 48247 (flower).; Tehran: Darakeh mountain , A. R. Naqinezhad , 3. 5. 2002, TUH! 29098 (flower); Northern Khorasan: Bojnourd to Shoqan , After Hesar Hosseini , ca. 2 km before Kotali village , N: 37 º 19′44″, E: 57º 02 ′23″, Alt : 1890 m, 7. 4. 2008, Attar , Zamani , Maleki , 38057- TUH!, 38058, 38060 (flower). Iran: Northern Khorasan: NE of Bojnourd deviation road of Gifan , After oazi to Amir-Abad village , N: 37 º 51′58″, E: 57º 18 ′14″, Alt : 1085 m, 6. 4. 2008, Attar, Maleki & Zamani, 38037- TUH (flower).

Erect shrubs, with diffuse branches, 1–3 m high, young erect shoots pubescent, purplish brown; older shoots dark gray, glabrous, with indistinct short brachyblasts, with tufted hairs; winter buds ovoid, glabrous, apex acute. Stipules linear-subulate, dentate, glandular, shorter than petioles, 2–3 mm long, persistent. Leaves glabrous on both sides; leaves usually on short shoots in groups of 2–6, (0.5–) 0.8–1.2 (–1.4) × (0.3–) 0.5–0.8 (–1.0) cm, 1.7–2 times as long as wide, obovate to elliptic, rounded or acute apex, regularly or irregularly serrate,, frequently with rather broad cuneate base; leaves on long shoots up to two times longer than that on short shoots with variable size and shape, (1.2–) 1.5–1.8 (–2.1) × (0.6) 0.9–1.2 (–1.5) cm, 1.5–1.7 times as long as wide, often obovate to elliptic, rounded or slightly at the apex, sharply regular serrate at margin, ± cuneate at base. Petioles 4–10 mm long, glabrous. Flowers often in cymes of (2–) 3–5 (–12) on short shoots, rarely 1-flowered, opening at the same time as leaves; pedicles up to (0.5–) 1–3 (–6) mm long, pubescent to puberulent; hypanthium tubular-cylindrical, slightly inflated at the base, glabrous outside, usually pubescent inside above the base, prominently nerved, conspicuously rogusus, purplish to reddish, up to 5–8 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, 2–3.4 times longer than sepals; sepals 2–2.5 × 0.5–1 mm, triangular to oblong, acute or obtuse, densely adpressed, hairy inside; petals pink, obovate, tapering to a short claw, 7.5–8.5 × 4–5 mm. Stamens 4–6 mm long, 10–12 prominently unequal, borne one levels (1-series); filaments glabrous; anthers almost orbicular, about 0.5 mm wide. Ovary ovoid, 1–2.2 mm long, 0.8–1 mm wide, glabrous; style up to 7–10 mm long, glabrous and pin-shaped; stigma capitate. Unripe drupe ovoid, green, ripe drupe black, elliptic, 8–10 mm long, 4–6 mm wide, with acute apex, endocarp 6–8 mm long, 3–5 mm wide, smooth on both sides, with sparse network of shallow furrows. Seed ovoid, compressed, about 5 mm long, 3 mm wide; testa yellowish, verruculouse.

Etymology

The species epithet is obtained from the province name, Mazandaran, located in northern Iran, where the new species is found for the first time.

Phytochoria:—In shrublands between Hyrcanian and Irano-Turanian provinces to Irano-Turanian province in north and northeast of Iran ( Zohary 1973, Takhtajan 1986).

Phenology:—Flowering occurs in late April to early May and, the fruit matures in late June.

Distribution: — Prunus mazandaranica has been collected from several localities in the central to eastern parts of Alborz mountain in the transitional zone between Hyrcanian and Irano-Turanian regions in north and northeast of Iran. This species is observed in sympatry with P. microcarpa subsp. microcarpa in most the occupied areas, whereas P. paradoxa and P. yazdiana are endemic species found only in one small population at Durak fountain in Lorestan province (W Iran) and Damgahan valleys in Yazd Province (C Iran), respectively. Moreover, P. mazandaranica is seen in small patches with Berberis integerrima Bunge , Rosa canina L., Crataegus atrosanguinea Pojark. Rhamnus cathartica L., Prunus divaricata Ledeb. Cotoneaster assadii Khatamsaz. , Pyrus boissieriana Buhse , P. kandevanica Ghahreman., M. Khatamsaz & Mozaffarian , P. ghahremanii Attar & Zamani , Primula macrocalyx Bunge , Anemone sp. , Cotoneaster sp. , Malus orientalis Uglitzk.

Figures

FIGURE 2. a) Holotype of Prunus mazandaranica sp. nov. deposited in the TUH, 37189; b) Prunus microcarpa subsp. microcarpa (Holotype, 1465- LE); c) petal; d) the flower including hypanthium, stamens and carpel.