Muscari tauricum S.Demirci, N.Özhatay & E.Kaya, 2019

Kayiran, Serpil Demirci, Özhatay, Neriman & Kaya, Erdal, 2019, Muscari tauricum (Asparagaceae, Scilloideae), a new species from Turkey, Phytotaxa 399 (2), pp. 109-118 : 112-116

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.399.2.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039CEC53-FF8F-FFCD-A2BD-FF2F338DFD0E
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Muscari tauricum S.Demirci, N.Özhatay & E.Kaya
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Muscari tauricum S.Demirci, N.Özhatay & E.Kaya View in CoL , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 ).

Type: ― TURKEY. C 4 Mersin: Tarsus-Çamlıyayla, 18 km of Çamlıyayla, wet rift valley, 1140 m of elevation, 14 April 2011, E. Kaya 1918 (holotype ISTE 94347!)

Muscari tauricum is distinguished from related Muscari species (s.l., including Botryanthus) in its flowering time, longer raceme, broader leaves, smaller flower size and pedicels of fertile flowers. M. tauricum is closely related to M. aucheri , but the former has longer and pyramidal racemes; longer pedicels (elongating in fruit 6–7 mm); a different perigone shape; smaller fertile flowers (2.5–3 mm long); numerous, flat, broad, subcucullate leaves. M. tauricum is also similar to M. bourgaei , but the fomer differs by perigone tube shape; small fertile flowers; longer and patent pedicels; and broad leaves (5–10 mm wide), lacking a white line on the upper surface of leaves.

Geophyte. Bulb ovoid to subglobose, 20–25 × 18–20 mm, always without bulbils; tunics bright brownish cream. Leaves 2–6, linear–lanceolate, flat, channelled, 10–14 cm × 5–10 mm, erect-patent, entire, glabrous, subcucullate, apex acute. Scape solitary, 11–14 cm long, not distinctly elongating in fruit. Raceme compact, consistently pyramidal, 2.5–3 cm long; pedicels of fertile flowers patent at anthesis, 2–5 mm long, elongating in fruit 6–7 mm long; fertile flowers urceolate, 2.5–3 × 1.5–2 mm, not shouldered, violet-blue; lobes white to pale violet, slightly recurved, ca. 1 mm long. Pedicels of sterile flowers horizontal to patent, 1.5–2.5 mm long. Sterile flowers 7–12, narrowly obovateoblong, 2–2.5 × 1–2 mm, pale purplish-blue to ice-blue. Bracts 0.8–1 mm long. Stamens biseriate, with filaments adnate along the basal half of the perigone tube; outer filaments 0.5–0.6 mm long; inner filaments 0.7–0.8 mm long; anthers purplish-black, 0.7–0.8 mm long. Pollen grains pale yellow, monosulcate, elliptic in equatorial, longitudinal and transversal views, elliptic in polar view, axis 20–23 μm long, equatorial diameter 26–30 μm; shape oblate; exine pattern ornamentation macroreticulate, reticulum heterobrochate. Ovary yellowish-cream, pyriform, 1–1.3 mm long, style whitish, 1.2–1.5 mm long, stigma punctate. Fruit a capsule, dehiscing by 3 valves. Seeds black, globose, with wrinkled surface.

Etymology:— Muscari tauricum is named after the geographical area where the new species grows in the Taurus mountains.

Ecology:—It grows in open pine forest and wet rift valley at the elevation of 1140 – 1430 m ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 ). Flowering time March-May.

Distribution:— Muscari tauricum is endemic to Southern Turkey which is included in the Mediterranean phytogeographical region.

Karyology:—Taxa of subgen. Botryanthus has three pairs of long, strongly heterobrachial chromosomes, clearly differentiated from six pairs of medium sized chromosomes which may show differences, remaining three pairs of small chromosomes. Turkish species of subgen. Botryanthus are diploid ( Stuart 1970; Karlén 1984; Dalgıç 1990; Johnson 1994; Özhatay & Johnson 1996; Johnson & Brandham 1997; Demirci & Özhatay 2017), triploid, tetraploid, pentaploid or hexaploid ( Johnson 1994; Özhatay & Johnson 1996; Johnson & Brandham 1997; Demirci & Özhatay 2017) ( Table 2). Muscari tauricum , M. aucheri and M. bourgaei have diploid chromosome number ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ).

Taxonomic relationships:— M.tauricum is closely related to M.aucheri and M. bourgaei in several morphological features. However, the new species differs from those species in the earlier flowering time, longer raceme, broader leaves, smaller flower size (only 2.5–3 mm long) and pedicels of fertile flowers (reaching 5 mm long), whilst the other species always produce shorter racemes, narrower leaves, longer fertile flowers (3–5 mm long) and smaller pedicels of fertile flowers (1–3 mm long) ( Table 1). Among these species, the closest appears to be M. aucheri in general appearance, color of fertile flowers, scape length, biseriate stamens, habit and distribution, but M. tauricum produces longer and pyramidal racemes; longer pedicels; a different perigone shape with slightly recurved lobes of 1 mm long; smaller fertile flowers; numerous, broad, flat, subcucullate leaves ( Table 1). M. tauricum also resembles M. bourgaei in scape length, bulb size, leaves number, and fertile flowers color, but the former differs by its perigone tube shape; small fertile flowers; longer and patent pedicels (elongating in fruit 6–7 mm); and broad leaves ( Table 1), lacking a white line on the upper surface of leaves.

In 2014, within the recent project “the cultivation of Turkey’s geophytes and contributing new species and cultivars to the relevant industries”, Muscari artvinense Demirci & Kaya (2014: 544) was described from Artvin (Northern Turkey). M. artvinense is also morphologically related to M. aucheri , M. bourgaei and M. tauricum , but the former differs from M. tauricum in its color and shape of fertile flowers, scape length, dense raceme (40–60 flowered), large (20–30 cm long), broad (2–4 cm) and numerous (6–10) leaves ( Demirci et al. 2014).

Some specimens were collected by Davis on 21 April 1956 from Pozantı, Adana, Turkey (Pozantı Bürücek to Pozantı, 1000 m of elevation, 21 April 1956, D. 26135 (2n = 36) K!). In Davis’ “Flora of Turkey and East Aegean Islands”, the chromosome number of the species was remarked as 2 n = 36 and was determined as M. aucheri ( Davis & Stuart 1984) . It was noticed by the authors that some specimens belonging to the M. aucheri differed in several features from other known specimens, they were examined in detail using the herbarium material; for instance, M. aucheri kept in K herbarium, where specimens collected from Turkey. At the Pozantı locality, specimens of M. aucheri are not found, but they are seen in the wild at elevations below 1000 m, where M. aucheri is always present. According to the observations of E. Kaya, M. tauricum and M. aucheri are allopatric. Due to the fact that the type locality is located at the intersection of three different phytogeographic regions, it is in an ideal location for speciation.

Other examined specimens (paratype): ―C5 Adana: between Saimbeyli-Tufanbeyli, 1430 m, 15 April 2013, Erdal Kaya 4389, cult. fl. 27 March 2018, E. Kaya 4389 (CUEF 1634).