4. Malus kirghisorum Al.Fed. & Fed.

Figs 15–16

Trudy Yuzhno-Kirgizskoy ekspedicii 1: 220 (Fedorov & Fedorov 1949).

Malus sieversii subsp. kirghisorum (Al.Fed. & Fed.) Likhonos, Trudy po prikladnoi botanike genetike i selektsii 52 (3): 23 (Likhonos 1974). – Malus sieversii var. kirghisorum (Al.Fed. & Fed.) Langenf., Yablonya. Morfologichyeskaya evolyutziya, filogyeniya, geografiya, sistyematika roga: 174 (Langenfeld 1991).

– Type: KYRGYZSTAN • Dzhalalabad, Тоi-taipan, on the right bank of the river Aktasch in a juglandin forest; 25 Sep. 1944; Al. Theodorov s.n.; lectotype: LE, designated by Langenfeld 1991: 174.

Examined specimens

UNITED STATES – Illinois • Lisle; 30 Apr. 2001; fl; S. Packard & P. Steinhouse 9243 V01; KUN [KUN0937410]. (Seeds wild collected from Tien Shan Kirgiz, SSR, USSR, cultivated in the Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois, USA.

Description

Tree, 10‒14 m high. Branches terete; annotinal bud with sparse spines, pubescent when young, glabrescent. Leaves petiolate, petiole ca 0.9 cm long, puberulous. Lamina 8.0‒10.0 × 4.0‒6.0 cm, oblong to oval, base cuneate, equilateral, apex acuminate or obtuse, margin crenate to serrulate, blade abaxially puberulous. Inflorescence umbellate, with 3‒5 flowers. Pedicel ca 3.0 cm long, pubescent when young, glabrescent. Hypanthium densely lanuginous. Sepals triangular-lanceolate to triangular, longer than calyx tube, puberulous, caducous. Petals ca1.3 × 0.8 cm, white or light pink, obovate. Stamens 15‒20, unequal. Styles 3 or 4, longer than stamens, with dense tomentum at base. Pome ca 3.0‒8.0 cm in diameter, subglobose or coniform, yellow or green.

Phenology

Flowers from April to May. Mature fruits from July to October.

Habitat

Terrestrial, seasonally green, growing at the edge of the forest on slopes or in valleys.

Distribution

Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (Fig. 15).