Orobanche cicerbitae (Uhlich & Rätzel) Tzvelev (2015: 210)

Piwowarczyk, Renata, Pedraja, Óscar Sánchez, Khutsishvili, Manana & Kharazishvili, Davit, 2023, Holoparasitic Orobanchaceae in Georgia (Caucasus): taxonomic revision, diversity, distribution, habitats and host range, Phytotaxa 604 (1), pp. 1-103 : 81-84

19. Orobanche cicerbitae (Uhlich & Rätzel) Tzvelev (2015: 210) .

Type:— RUSSIA: (holotype designated by Rätzel & Uhlich 2004): Russia, in Caucaso boreo-occidentali (Adygaea), prati Poljana Firsova, ca. 1450 m, ad radices Cicerbita cf. petiolata 12.07.2002, leg. Rätzel n. 3501 (B101037923; isotypes B101037938, n. 3502, 3503, 3504, 3505, 3506 Herb. Rätzel). Basionym— O. flava subsp. cicerbitae Uhlich & Rätzel (2004: 207) . Fig. 56 .

General distribution: —Caucasus: Russia (Adygaea) ( Rätzel & Uhlich 2004), Azerbaijan (Rätzel et al. 2016), Georgia. Caucasian endemic.

Distribution: —Mainly in the northern parts (Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti provinces), and southwestern and south parts, in Adjara, Guria, and Samtskhe-Javakheti provinces ( Fig. 57 ).

Habitat: —Humid tall herbaceous vegetation, subalpine meadows, edges of shrublands and forests, forests, shrublands, near river valleys, near waterfalls, rocky slopes, usually 1600–2300(2500) m.

Hosts: —On Asteraceae species, usually on tall herbaceous vegetation with species from the tribe Senecioneae . In the Russian and Azerbaijan parts cited on: Prenanthes petiolata (K. Koch) Sennikov [syn. Cicerbita petiolata (K. Koch) Gagnidze ] ( Rätzel & Uhlich 2004) and Senecio propinquus Schischk. (Rätzel et al. 2016) . In Georgia, parasitises on Caucasalia macrophylla (M. Bieb.) B. Nord. [syn. Senecio rhombifolius (Willd.) Sch. Bip. ], C. pontica (K. Koch) Greuter [syn. Senecio platyphylloides Sommier & Levier ], Pojarkovia pojarkovae (Schischk.) Greuter [syn. Senecio pojarkovae Schischk. ].

Phenology: —Flowering (June) July (August), fruiting end of July–August.

Conservation status: —Least Concern (LC). The species has rather wide distribution in Georgia, but mainly in the western part of the country. EOO is 30,000 km 2 and AOO is ca. 500 km 2. Populations are fragmented but usually numerous in size and in many places are threatened by habitat destruction, especially the drying up of habitats favored by hosts. Therefore, the species may come closer to the Near Threatened (NT) category in the future.

Notes: —ITS sequences of high mountain Orobanche species, such as O. krylowii Beck , O. cicerbitae , O. arpica Piwow., Ó. Sánchez & Moreno Mor. , O. mlokosiewiczii Piwow., Ó. Sánchez & Moreno Mor. , O. inulae and O. lycoctoni Rhiner showed that they are closely related, and form a separated clade included in O. ser. Krylowianae Piwow., Ó. Sánchez & Moreno Mor. It is probable that these species diverged relatively recently and may be an example of recent rapid radiation ( Piwowarczyk et al. 2017a, 2018c, 2021a).

The recently described O. flava subsp. cicerbitae Uhlich & Rätzel [≡ O. cicerbitae (Uhlich et Rätzel) Tzvelev ] parasitising Cicerbita Wallr. and Senecio propinquus is distantly related to O. flava , at least as far as ITS and morphological analyses have shown. On the ITS tree, O. cicerbitae belong to clade O. subsect. Curvatae (Beck) Piwow., Ó. Sánchez & Moreno Mor., particularly with species of the O. series Krylowianae clade. However, trees based on trnL–trnF sequences show displacement of samples of Caucasian O. flava close to O. cicerbitae . This phenomenon may be explained by hybridisation and requires further research. In this case O. cicerbitae might be a species formed by the crossing of O. flava (or related species) as a female parent and one of the species belonging to ser. Krylowianae , but this supposition requires further study. In the Caucasus, both species often occupy the same habitats (humid tall herbaceous vegetation) and grow with their hosts ( Caucasalia B. Nord , Senecio L., Pojarkovia Askerova vs. Petasites Mill. ) next to each other, thus facilitating gene flow ( Piwowarczyk et al. 2017a, 2021a).

Specimens examined: — GEORGIA. Adjara: distr. Shuakhevi, Ajara, vil. Shubani, forest sides, 14 June 2015, N. Memiadze (BATU) [as O. crenata , poorly preserved specimen]; Arsiani range, mount. Chairaki [Chanchakhi], Picea forests, subalpine, 13 July 1961, A. Dmytrieva (BATU) [as O. alba ]; Arsiani range, Goderdzi pass, Picea forests, on Senecio platyphylloides [ Caucasalia pontica ], 13 July 1961, A. Dmytrieva (BATU) [as O. alba ]; Ajara-Imereti range, Sarmikeli, subalpine meadows, on S. platyphylloides [ C. pontica ], 2300 m, 7 August 1967, A. Dmytrieva (BATU) [as O. crenata ]; Ajara-Imereti range, mount. Khino, subalpine meadows, on S. platyphylloides [ C. pontica ], 2300 m, 21 July 1965, A. Dmytrieva (BATU) [as O. crenata ]; Ajara-Shavsheti range, mount. Tbeti, Fagus orientalis forest, on S. platyphylloides [ C. pontica ], 2200 m, 16 August 1954, A. Dmytrieva (BATU) [as O. crenata ]; distr. Khulo, Kalota, subalpine meadows, on S. platyphylloides [ C. pontica ], 22 July 1947, A. Dmytrieva (BATU) [as O. crenata ]; Khulo distr., descent from the Goderdzi pass, over the village Danispareuli, Picea forest, 30 June 1980, G. Popova et al. (LE) [as O. alsatica ]; Guria prov.: Ajara-Imereti range, Bakhmaro, 30 July 1947, G. Tatishvili & A. Dmytrieva (BATU) [as O. crenata , poorly preserved specimens, need confirmation]; Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti prov.: tall herbaceous, forest edges, near the trail to Udziro lake, 1.5 km S of Shovi village, 42°41’27’’N, 43°40’04’’E, 1960–1990(2000) m, on Caucasalia , 18 July 2018, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); near Koruldashi village (N of Tsana], tall herbaceous vegetation, near ruins of the buildings of the sports station, 2000 m, 4 October 2019, M. Szewczyk [phot., the specimens were dry and require confirmation]; Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti prov.: tall herb on the edge of the forest, Mestia, 1.5–2 km NW from Queen Tamar airport, in direction to Koruldi lake trial, 43°04’00’’N, 42°44’21’’E, 1740 m, on Pojarkovia , 22 July 2018, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); tall herb in Alnus shrublands, in the Dolra river valley, 2 km N of Mazeri village in direction to Ushba Mt., 43°05’15’’N, 42°35’48’’E, 1630 m, on Pojarkovia , 25 July 2018, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); tall herb on the edge of forest, 3 km N of Mazeri village, 43°06’13’’N, 42°35’40’’E, 1680 m, on Caucasalia , 25 July 2018, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); subalpine grassland, rocky places near Shdugra (Mazeri) waterfall, 4–5 km N of Mazeri village, 43°07’46’’N, 42°35’42’’E, 2200 m, on Pojarkovia , 25 July 2018, R. Piwowarczyk (KTC); SW of Shdugra waterfall, 43°07’31.6”N, 42°35’28.9”E, [1970 m], 26 July 2022, G. Natsvlishvili (phot., https://www. inaturalist.org/observations/128179692); Samtskhe-Javakheti prov.: Georgian SSR, surroundings of Bakuriani – Akhalkalaki highway, shady forest slope along the path to the southern slope of Tskhra-Tskaro, under a beech, S. Juzepczuk et al. (LE) [as O. flava ].

Figures

FIGURE 56. Orobanche cicerbitae. A–D, O. General habit. E–G. Flower, side view. H–I.Flower, front view. J–M, P.Representative hosts (J–K, P. Caucasalia macrophylla. L–M. Pojarkovia pojarkovae). N, P, R. Representative habitats (N. Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti prov., Shdugra waterfall near Mazeri. R. Mestia, in direction to Koruldi Lake trial. P. Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti prov., S of Shovi, near the trail to Udziro Lake). Photos by R. Piwowarczyk.

FIGURE 57. Distribution of Orobanche cicerbitae in Georgia.