Cousinia Waldheimiana Bornm. 1916, Beih. Bot. Centrl. XXXIV. II. 140. (1916).

Usmonov, Mansur X., 2017, Cousinia waldheimiana (Asteraceae) a new record from Uzbekistan (Central Asia), PhytoKeys 77, pp. 93-98 : 94-96

Cousinia Waldheimiana Bornm. 1916, Beih. Bot. Centrl. XXXIV. II. 140. (1916). Fig. 1

Description.

Biennial plant. Stem erect, 30-80 cm tall, subglabrous, basally covered in brownish thinly-arachnoid hairs; branches elongated, mid-corymbosa, patulous, monocephalous. Leaves coriaceous, glabrous above, green, tomentose below; basal leaves pinnatisected, cauline sessile, semiamplexicaul, narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate, drawn to the apex, almost smooth-edged, just at the base of usual with 2-4 pairs of teeth; branches of the leaves strongly diminished. Capitula ovate-conical, slightly arachnoid, 2.5-3 cm in diameter, (without acidotus) monocephalous. Phyllaries are numerous in number 90-100, except internal, with a slightly arcuately reflect acidotus; internal protruding up, lanceolate; scarious on top, acerous in a very thin, short the barb, usually brownish; setula receptacle above advanced, asperous. Corolla pink. Achenes ca. 3.5-4.0 mm long, obovate, glabrous and smooth.

Phenology.

Flowering from June to July, fruiting from July to August.

Habitat.

On the rubbly-fine earth slopes, shale rocks in the middle belt of mountains.

Distribution.

Previosuly considered endemic to the Western Tien Shan Mountains to distribution in Chatkal, Fergana, Uzunakhmat and Atoynak ranges. This range is now extended to the Alay Range, Uzbekistan (Fig. 2 ).

Specimens seen.

Uzbekistan. Alay Range (North side): Fergana Valley, above the Shakhimardan resort on the slopes of the river Jordan. 02.08.1954, Korotkov 4569 (TASH); Alay Range. River basin Shakhimardan, neighborhood of village Jordan. Stony NE slope of the upper terrace of the right bank of the river. Ak-su. Tree and shrub belt. 16.07.1961, Pyataeva 118 (TASH); S slope of the Alay range. River basin. Shakhimardan, neighborhood of village Jordan. 1600 m. NE slope of the right bank of the river. Ak-suv. 16.07.1961, Abdullayev 66 (TASH).

Other specimens examined.

Kyrgyzstan. Jalal-Abad region . Kyrg. SSR. Upper river of the Hodge-ata. On the pass and the lake Sary-Chelek. 31.07.1949, Bondarenko 1197 (TASH); Central Tien Shan. Ketmen-Tyube region . Valley Uzun-Akhmat. Wormwood steppe. 21.07.1927, Abolin 455 (TASH); Central Tien Shan. Ketmen-Tyube region . Ayukty river , the hole Almaly. The stony slope. 2007.1927. Abolin 414 (TASH); The Ferghana Valley. Fergana mountain range near the village Dmitrievka (river Kugart). 29.06.1955, Korotkov 4894 (TASH) .

Species recognition.

Very close to the Cousinia margaritae Kult., differing mainly by the color of the corolla (from Cousinia margaritae corolla whitish or pale yellow in Cousinia waldheimiana corolla pink or purple). However, color of the corolla in the herbarium of poorly stored, making difficulties to define plant, why the geographical boundary of these species are currently unclear (Tscherneva 1962).

Figures

Figure 1. Representative specimen of Cousinia waldheimiana.

Figure 2. Distribution map of Cousinia waldheimiana in Uzbekistan and the neighboring territories (according to the specimens examined).