Echinophora scabra Gilli (1959: 193)

Khajehpiri, Maryam, Saeidi, Hojjatollah, Farge, Catherine La & Ghahremaninejad, Farrokh, 2023, Typification and taxonomy of Echinophora scabra (Echinophoreae, Apioideae), Phytotaxa 594 (2), pp. 145-152 : 148-151

Echinophora scabra Gilli (1959: 193)

Type :— AFGHANISTAN. Berghang zwischen Tschardeh und dem Logartal , şdlichvomerstgenannten Fundort , sandige Stelle zwischen Glimmerschiefer, 1840 m, 27 July 1949, A. Gilli 2010 (lectotype W, barcode W1961-0015028 image!), designated here .

Residual syntype:— AFGHANISTAN. Scher Darwasah-Kette bei Kabul: Tobfels am Scher Darwasah , auf Schuttrinnen zwischen Hornblendeschieferfelsen , 1840 m, 14 July 1950, A. Gilli 2011 (W, barcodes W1972-0008964!, W1972-0008965!) .

Perennial, branched herbs, up to 60 cm tall. Stems striate to slightly sulcate, scabrid with short upright or curved hairs. Radical leaves narrow ovate to oblong, 2–3 pinnate, 6–40 × 1.5–12 cm, petiolate and sheathed; segments 4–7 pairs, narrow ovate-oblong or cuneate-oblong, 3–20 × 2–10 mm, with small rigid ovate or lanceolate lobes; lobes straight or curved, slightly acute or mucronulate; lower segments with petiolule, upper segments sessile. Lower cauline leaves narrow ovate to oblong, 3–15 cm long, uni-pinnate or simple, petiolate and sheathed; segments in pinnate leaves ovate or lanceolate. Upper cauline leaves elongated ovate or trifid, 0.7–1.4 cm, simple or uni-pinnate, sheathed. Fruiting umbels numerous, terminal and lateral, 3.2–4 cm in diameter. Peduncles (0.2–)1.2–8(–15.5) cm. Bracts 3–5, subulate, triangular or triangular-lanceolate, 3–10 mm long, almost equal, pubescent, spiny. Rays 2–7, 6–13 mm long, equal or unequal, thick, deflexed, pubescent, usually purplish at the base. Bracteoles 6–8, triangular-lanceolate, 1–6 mm long, unequal, horizontal or slightly curved, indurated and spiny, pubescent, hairs 37.5–220 µ long. Umbellula’s outer flowers male, 4–5, pedicels 2–4.5 mm long, unequal, in fruiting stage indurated and erect, pubescent, hairs 25–300 µ long. Umbellula’s central flower bisexual, sessile, surrounded with male flowers; sepals absent; petals obovate emarginate, with incurved lacinulas, 0.5–1 mm long, almost equal, pale yellow or red, minutely hispid. Male flowers’ calyx lobes lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 1.2–7 mm long, persistent, pubescent, hairs 10–37 µ long; Petals same as bisexual central flower. Fruiting umbellule almost cylindrical, 9–11 × 5–6 mm, pubescent, hairs 25–300 µ long, curved or upright. Mericarps bi- or mono-carpellate, ovoid to cylindrical-ovoid, 5–10 mm long, pubescent, hairs 30–460 µ long. Stylopodium conical, glabrous. Styles divergent or erect, sometimes curved at the end, 2–3.7 mm long, almost glabrous ( Figure 1 ).

Taxonomic remarks. Echinophora scabra can be morphologically distinguished from E. sibthorpiana Gussone (1832: 69) and E. tenuifolia Linnaeus. (1753: 239) by paucifolious stems, extremely reduced cauline leaves, purplish flattened rays’ base, distributed bractlets in different parts of umbellula (not arranged in a single circle at the basis of the umbellula), presence of pedicel cavity by fused pedicels around most part of mericarp, free pedicels only at the end, fewer and shorter umbellula’s male pedicels, male flowers’ sepal up to 7 mm long, emarginate petals, style longer than 2 mm, mericarp hairs up to 460 µ (not up to 160 µ in E. sibthorpiana Gussonne and E. tenuifolia Linnaeus ), smaller vascular bundles rather than vittae and ratio of endosperm furrow depth to endosperm thickness less than 0.6 (also refer Table 1 ).

Anatomical and micromorphological remarks. Mericarps 2, remain intact at maturity, slightly compressed dorsally, heteromorphic, in transverse section almost round, crowned with pedicels. Ratio of mericarp width to thickness 0.98–1.1. Ribs only primary; 1 median rib; 2 equal lateral ribs; 2 equal marginal ribs; all ribs non-prominent. Commissural wings absent. Mesocarp includes thin-walled non-lignified parenchymatous cells. Vittae are vallecular and commissural; vallecular vittae 1 in each furrow, large elliptic; commissural vittae 2, almost large elliptic; vittae almost equal. Vascular bundles 5, elongate or flat elliptic, almost equal; vascular bundles strongly smaller than vittae. Rib secretory ducts in large mericarp tiny or small elliptic, present in all ribs (above the bundles). Endocarp of one single layer. Ratio of endosperm width to thickness 0.9–0.93; endosperm deeply grooved, ratio of endosperm furrow depth to endosperm thickness 0.55–0.6 ( Figure 2 ).

Fruiting umbellula’s hairs in transverse section flat or almost round or polygonal, hairs surface papillate. Mericarp’s hairs in transverse section round or almost flat, hair surface papillate. Umbellula surface ribbed-reticulate-striate, with 5–25 µ platelet secretions. Fruit surface ribbed, lots of platelet secretions present, platelets 2.5–8 µ. Styles deeply striate with fine ribs, platelet secretions 2.5–13 µ ( Figure 3 ).

Distribution: — Afghanistan and Pakistan ( Figure 4 )

Phenology: —Flowering in July and August.

Habitat: —This species grows on rocky slopes, plains and Artemisia -steppe, 1830-2400 m ( Hedge & Lamond 1973).

Conservation status: — Echinophora scabra is a regionally endemic species that is restricted to eastern and south-eastern Afghanistan and partly north-central Pakistan. Based on IUCN Red List categories and criteria, the Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO) of the species are estimated at 23839 and 12500 km 2, respectively, with a maximum distance of 500 km between pairs of distribution points. Therefore, the conservation status of the species is not in any threatened categories, but in Near Threatened (NT).

Additional specimen examined: — AFGHANISTAN. Kabul: ober Tang-i-Gharu, 4 km unterhalb des Einganges, 1750 m, 34°29՛N, 69°22՛E, 25 August 1978, D. Podlech 32348 ( G00405973 !, KUFS005037 !) ; Kabul-Lataband road , 1980 m, 34°30՛N, 69°15՛E, 25 August 1965, J.D.A. Stainton 5054 ( E00787185 !, W1967-0008527 !) ; Lataband , 21 August 1950, O.H. Volk 1167 ( W1963-0000431 !) ; Tobfels am Scher Darwasah auf Schuttrinnen zwischen Hornblendeschieferfelsen, 1840 m, 14 July 1950, A. Gilli 2011 ( W1972-0008965 !) ; Berghang zwischen Tschardeh und dem Logartal , sand von Glimmerschiefer, 1840 m, 27 July 1949, A. Gilli 2010 ( W1961-0015028 !) . Prov. Ghazni: Aqasi (zwischen Ghazni und Nawar), 2320 m, 1 August 1970, D. Podlech 19220 ( KUFS015521 !) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lectotype of Echinophora scabra Gilli (W, A. Gilli 2010, W 1961-0015028), with the permission of the Director.

FIGURE 2. Fruit anatomy of Echinophora scabra Gilli. cv: commissural vittae; en: endocarp; end: endosperm; eng: endosperm groove; ex: exocarp; m: mesocarp; rsd: rib secretory duct; t: testa; vb: vascular bundle; vv; vallecular vittae. Scale bars: A = 1.19 mm; B = 0.19 mm; C = 0.19 mm; D = 0.095 mm.

FIGURE 3. Umbellula and fruit surfaces in Echinophora scabra Gilli. (A) Mature umbellula (Light micrograph); (B) Bractlet; (C) Sepals; (D) Fruit indumentum; (E) Fruit hair surface; (F) Umbellula’s indumentum, surface secretions and hair’s surface; (G, H) Style surface and secretions. Scale bars:A = 1 mm; B, C = 100 µ; D, G, H = 20 µ; E, F = 10 µ.

FIGURE 4. GeoCAT distribution map of Echinophora scabra and estimation of Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO) based on IUCN Red List criteria.