Cephalaria juncea Boissier (1846: 72)

Ranjbar, Massoud & Ranjbar, Zahra, 2017, A taxonomic revision of Cephalaria subgen. Cephalaria sect. Atrocephalae (Caprifoliaceae) from Iran, Phytotaxa 311 (2), pp. 101-138 : 113-115

7. Cephalaria juncea Boissier (1846: 72) .

Type:— IRAN. Prov. Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad: Dena Mt. , Th. Kotschy 627 (G-Boiss! [G00330272!], lectotype designated here; isolectotypes G!, E!, FI!, K!, P!, MO!). Fig. 7 .

Perennial, erect, slender, seemly leafless, looking similar to Juncus spp. Stem up to 40 cm high, branched, scabrous, green, with opposite branches. Leaves slightly pubescent, linear to filiform, minute, angustate, less than 1 cm wide, pinnatipartite with decurrent segments, opposite, blades rather symmetrical, leaves green when dried. Lower cauline leaves withered at anthesis. Middle cauline leaves scarcely developed, filiform, pinnatipartite with 8–10 decurrent segments, linear in outline, 4.5–5 × 0.5–0.8 cm; lateral segments oblong-elliptic, 3–5 × 1.5–3 mm, obtuse at apex, entire, midvein impressed to flat adaxially, rounded abaxially, secondary veins weakly percurrent, oblique, tertiary veins unclear. Peduncle 10–20 cm long, glabrous to sparsely pilose. Capitula subglobose, 1–1.5 × 0.7–1 cm in diameter in flower, subradiant, few-flowered, solitary, 1.2–2 × 1–1.5 cm in diameter in fruit. Involucral bracts in one series, ovate-rotund, ca. 5 × 2.5–3 mm, pinkish to brown-coloured dorsally, villous, obtuse to slightly acuminate at apex. Receptacular bracts in 4–5 series, sublanceolate-acuminate 5–8 × 2–2.5 mm, pinkish with brown strips, abruptly acute or acuminate and recurved at apex, pilose or sericeous, ciliate at margins. Calyx cupuliform, 1–1.5 × 1.5–2 mm, green to creamy-coloured, pubescent, with irregular teeth 1–2 mm long. Corolla ca. 6 mm long, yellow to lemon-coloured, densely covered with appressed hairs outside, stamens slightly longer than corolla, anthers deeply yellow. Involucel 3–4 × 1.5 mm in flower, 4-angled, adpressely hirsute (hairs up to ca. 1 mm long), 4 long and 4 short teeth at apex.

Additional specimens examined:— IRAN. Prov. Fars: 79 km NW of Ardakan, 2300 m, Pabo 2420 ( TARI) ; Shiraz, Kaleh Kalagh Mt., Behbudi 912-E ( TARI) .

Distribution and habitat: — Cephalaria juncea is endemic to western to central Iran and is known only from mountainous areas in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars and Kohgiluyeh Boyer Ahmad provinces. The species grows on rocky mountain slopes at elevations of 1500–3100 m.

Taxonomic notes: — Cephalaria juncea is the only species of C. sect. Atrocephalae in Iran that looks leafless and similar to Juncus , and may be an isolated species.

Nomenclatural notes: —The original material of Cephalaria juncea was collected by Kotschy on 13 July 1842 and found at G (G00330272, G00330272-a, G00360038, G00406424, G006437), K (K000762996), FI (FI004499), E (E00690430), MO (MO5259440, MO5259441) and P (P02284056, P02284057, PO2284058). Boissier (1846) cited these specimens in the protologue, but he did not designate a type. Szabó (1914) examined two specimens of G and E without designating a type. Lack examined some of these specimens at G-Boiss and G, but did not designate any lectotype. Gautier examined G-Boiss and G specimens and considered two sheets of G-Boiss (G00330272, G00330272- a) as the holotype specimen (on red lable), but apparently he did not publish his choice. Here it is confirmed that the GBoiss specimens have been certainly examined by Boissier and one sheet (G00330272) is considered as the lectotype of C. juncea (this sheet is perfect and contains morphologically recognisable elements).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Lectotype of Cephalaria juncea Boiss. (Kotschy 627, G-Boiss! [G00330272]).