Aquilegia bashahrica Erst, 2020

Erst, Andrey S., Pendry, Colin A., Erst, Tatyana V., Ikeda, Hiroshi, Xiang, Kunli & Wang, Wei, 2020, Two new taxa and one new record of Aquilegia (Ranunculaceae) from India and Pakistan, Phytotaxa 439 (2), pp. 108-118 : 112-113

1. Aquilegia bashahrica Erst sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 A-C)

Type:— INDIA. [Himachal Pradesh State (The territory of this former state is now part of Shimla districts)], Bashahr District, Bagi forest, NW Himalayas, 11 May 1890, J.H. Lace 60 (holotype, E-E00913523!). Fig. 1.

Diagnosis:—Flowers yellow. Sepals perpendicular to floral axis, ovate-lanceolate, yellow, long-acuminate at apex. Petals yellow, laminae oblong-obovate, rounded at the apex, shorter than sepals and longer than spurs. Spurs straight, convergent, basally not inflated, slightly curved apically. Stamens equal to petal laminae. Anthers yellow, longer than or equal to petal laminae.

Description:—Perennial herb with short vertical taproot bearing 1–3 annual flowering stems ( Figs. 1; 2A ). Stems 20–80 cm tall, sparsely pubescent with simple hairs in the lower part, and with simple and glandular hairs in the upper part. Leaves thickish in texture, adaxially dark green with brighter nerves, greyish abaxially. Basal leaves rosulate, one to several, 8–21 cm long, persistent, ternate or 2-ternate; petioles 5–15 cm long, covered with simple longnwhite hairs; leaflets 3-lobate, obovate obovate to obovate-cuneate, glabrous or sparsely pubescent above, scattered pilose beneath, teeth 7–12, rounded at apex. Cauline leaves usually 2 or more, gradually reduced upward, 2–6 cm long, with petiole 0.5–2 cm long, ternate or 2-ternate; terminal lobes obovate or rounded-obovate, with 3–4 rounded teeth; their laminae abaxially with simple hairs along veins. Bracts 0.5–1 cm long, ternate, petiolate (petioles 0.1–0.5 cm long), indumentum similar to those of lower leaves; terminal lobes lanceolate acuminate. Inflorescence 3–6-flowered. Flowers yellow, nodding to suberect, 2–3 cm long, 2.5–4 cm in diameter, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with simple hairs. Sepals perpendicular to floral axis, ovate-lanceolate, yellow, 3–4 cm long, 1.4–2.5 cm wide, long-acuminate at apex. Petals yellow, 2–3 cm long, with oblong-obovate laminae 0.7–1.5 cm long, 0.5–0.9 cm width, rounded at the apex, bent outwards, shorter than sepals and longer than spurs; spurs straight, convergent, 0.5–1.5 cm long, basally not inflated, thinned towards the apex, slightly curved apically, with black clavate tip ( Fig. 2C ). Stamens exserted (longer than or equal to petal laminae). Anthers yellow. Follicles 4 to 5, 0.6–1 cm long (including the styles that can be up to 1.5 cm long), covered with simple and glandular hairs, not divergent ( Fig. 2B ). Seeds 1.6–1.8 × 1.1–1.2 mm, with smooth surface.

Habitat: —Mountainous forests, 2400–2600 m a.s.l.

Phenology: —Flowering April–May; fruiting May–August.

Conservation status: —The appropriate data on abundance and/or distribution of the taxon are lacking. It can not be included in the Evaluated (NE) category of IUCN Red List categories ( IUCN 2016) as there is inadequate information to make a direct or indirect assessment of its risk of extinction.

Additional specimen examined (paratypes):— INDIA. [Himachal Pradesh State, Shimla District, Churdhar Peak, 13 May 1985, Ram Balish 3026 (K001392470!); Chur , 8000 ft., 18 May 1985, Ram Balish 3027 [fruiting] (BM!).

Notes: —The flowers of Aquilegia bashahrica are unlike those of other species of Aquilegia apart from A. pubiflora . Both species have ovate-lanceolate sepals with long-acuminate apices, petal laminae bent outwards and small flowers ( Fig 2A, 2D ). However A. bashahrica clearly differs from A. pubiflora in having yellow flowers, yellow vs blackish anthers which are longer than or equal to petal laminae and its rather fleshy, dark green leaves ( TABLE 1). Aquilegia species vary widely in colour, but yellow flowers are rare, since previously were recorded only in A. aurea Janka (1872: 174) (Europe), A. viridiflora Pallas (1779: 260) (Asia), A. chrysantha A. Gray (1873: 621) and A. flavescens S. Watson (1871: 10) (both North America).

Currently, Aquilegia bashahrica is the only Indian species with yellow flowers and however it is morphologically very different from the other known yellow-flowered species.

Qureshi & Chaudhry (1979) described two yellow flowered Aquilegia taxa from Pakistan, such as A. pubiflora var. hazarica Qureshi & Chaudhry (1979: 17) and A. kurramensis Qureshi & Chaudhry (1979: 4) . The latter, as well as A. pubiflora var. hazarica , shows blackish anthers and therefore is close related to A. pubiflora , as indicated by Riedl & Nasir (1991). Aquilegia kurramensis was described from a single incomplete herbarium specimen. However its dark anthers clearly indicate that A. kurramensis is within A. pubiflora , as indicated in the Flora of Pakistan ( Riedl and Nasir 1991).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Aquilegia bashahrica A) General view, B) Follicles, C) Petals, D) A. pubiflora, flower, E) A. fragrans, flower, F) A. moorcroftiana, flower, G) A. lactiflora, flower, I) A. nivalis, flower. Scale bars: 1 cm.