Rhabdosciadium anatolyi Lyskov & Kljuykov (2017)

Firat, Mehmet & Güzel, Yelda, 2019, Contributions to the taxonomy of the Irano-Turanian genus Rhabdosciadium (Apiaceae): Nomenclatural notes, carpology, molecular phylogeny and the description of a new species from Bitlis (Turkey), Phytotaxa 395 (3), pp. 179-198 : 186-189

Rhabdosciadium anatolyi Lyskov & Kljuykov (2017) ( Figs. 9‒14 )

Type: — TURKEY. Hakkâri province: 20 km E of Hakkâri. Wet rocky northern slope near the snowfield, alt.= 2620–2630 m elevation, 37°28′N, 43°49′E, 3 July 2014, Lyskov & Krupitsky 14-TR-135 (holotype: MW0595616 [photo!]; isotypes: GAZI!, W) .

Epitype (designated here): — TURKEY. C9 Hakkâri, Yüksekova Province Sat Mountains, from Kepirê to Gera Mezin region , rocky, stone, and calcareous areas, 2600 m elevation, 37°22′33″ N, 44°12′50″ E, coll. 5 August 2013, M. Fırat 30400 ( VANF) ; isoepitypes: HUB, ANK and Herb. M. Fırat ).

Emended description: —Perennial, herbaceous, glabrous, and pale green plants with taproot 12‒35 × 5‒17 cm and simple or closely branched 10–15 × 5–17 cm caudex. Caudex covered with dense fibrous collar. Stems 70‒170 cm tall, ca. 4 mm at base, dichotomously branched from the middle part of the stem, solid and slightly striate. Basal leaves forming erect, loose clusters with the sterile shoots, 1-pinnate or irregularly and weakly 2-pinnate, 14‒50 × 6‒15 cm with petiole. Petiole 5‒20 cm, sheathing at base. Sheaths deltoid, 1.5–2 cm, with hyaline margin 1 mm. Segments of the basal leaves elliptic or rhomboid with serrate or irregularly biserrate margin, 2.5‒7 × 1.5‒4 cm, the upper segments sessile. Lower ones with petiolules up to 5 cm long. Terminal segment of the basal leaves similar to the lateral ones or tripartite with 2.5‒6 × 0.8‒4 cm subsegments. Cauline leaves gradually reduced. Middle cauline leaves similar to basal ones but much smaller, ca. 16 × 4 cm in outline, 1-pinnate with ca. 2.5 × 1.3 cm leaf segments. Upper cauline leaves bracteiform (prophyll-like), 1.5 cm × 3 cm. Peduncle ca. 2 cm in flowering and ca. 7 cm in fruiting stages. Prophylls 0‒1. Inflorescences paniculate-corymbose with some proliferating umbels, even proliferating umbellules, that form a second- or third-degree irregularly branched inflorescence. Rays 5‒7, subequal, ca. 0.5 cm in flowering and ca. 2 cm in fruiting stages. Pedicels of peripheral male flowers 2‒5, subequal, up to 5 mm; central hermaphrodite fertile flower sessile. Bracts deciduous, membranous with brown lines, 2‒7 in flower and in early stages of fruit, 0 in mature fruit, ovate, 3‒6 × 0.5–3 mm. Bracteoles 1‒5, deciduous, membranous with brown middle line, acuminate 1‒1.5 mm × 0.1 mm. Flowers 6‒9 per umbellule. Marginal flowers male, only the central, sessile flower hermaphrodite, producing a fruit. Petals white, minute, incurved and glabrous. Sepals reduced. Anthers purple to claret red, 3 mm. Stylopodium conical, not embedded, 0.8 mm. Mature fruits oblong, not curved or occasionally slightly curved in some umbellules (fruit curved when one of the mericarps not fully developed); one central sessile fruit per umbellule. Both mericarps or occasionally one of them well developed, 14‒17 × 3‒4 mm, glabrous; some mericarps, slightly stalked at base. All mericarp ridges filiform and inconspicuous. Styles 1‒4 mm. Primary mericarp ridges only slightly protruding in the cross sections.

Phenology: —Flowering from July to August and fruiting from August to September.

Vernacular name:— Rhabdosciadium anatolyi is called “Kerewz” by the local people of the Hakkâri /Yüksekova Province.

Ethnobotanical usage:— Rhabdosciadium anatolyi is a popular wild edible plant eaten by the local people. It is cooked as stew or egg-vegetable. Fresh leaves and stems are chopped and added to yogurt and served as appetizer. Moreover, it is added to ‘otlu peynir’ (a traditional herbed cheese). It is harvested in summer, dried under the sun for a month, and collected as hay. In winter, when snow falls, it is brought to the villages using sleds. It is an important fodder for sheep and goat breeding.

Habitat and ecology: —The species is a perennial that grows on rocky areas at an elevation of 1300‒2700 m, with plants such as Prangos ferulacea ( Linnaeus 1762: 358) Lindley (1825: 7) , Prangos pabularia Lindley , Campanula persica Candolle (1839: 483) , Pimpinella kotschyana , Allium microspatum Ekberg (1969: 20) , Scorzonera latifolia Candolle (1838: 124) , Hypericum scabrum Linnaeus (1755: 25) , and Amygdalus carduchorum Bornmüller (1938: 257) .

Distribution and proposed conservation status:— Rhabdosciadium anatolyi only occurs on the Sat mountains (Yüksekova/ Hakkâri) and can be considered as endemic to eastern Anatolia. It represents an Irano-Turanian mountain element. The distribution area of Rhabdosciadium anatolyi covers less than 20,000 km 2. The species was collected from one locality where about 50,000 individuals occur. Some anthropogenic or grazing effects were observed on the population. According to the IUCN (2016) criteria and category, we herein assess Rhabdosciadium anatolyi as Vulnerable (VU).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Rhabdosciadium anatolyi in habitat, with Prangos pabularia (from the epitype, M. Fırat 30400).

FIGURE 10. Habitus of Rhabdosciadium anatolyi (from the epitype, M. Fırat 30400).

FIGURE 11. Caudex of Rhabdosciadium anatolyi (from the epitype, M. Fırat 30400).

FIGURE 12. Paniculate corymbose inflorescence (general view and detail) of Rhabdosciadium anatolyi (from the epitype, M. Fırat 30400).

FIGURE 13. A proliferating umbel and umbellules of Rhabdosciadium anatolyi that form a second- or third-degree irregularly branched inflorescence. P: Peduncle; B: Bract; 1. First-degree umbel rays; 2. Second-degree umbellule rays; 3. Third-degree umbellule rays; 4. Pedicels (from the epitype, M. Fırat 30400).

FIGURE 14. A proliferating umbel of Rhabdosciadium anatolyi at the fruiting stage. P: Peduncle; B: Bract; 1. First-degree umbel; 2. Second-degree umbellules; BR: bracteoles; M: Remains of the male flowers; MER: Mericarps that developed from the central hermaphrodite flower; C: Slightly curved fruit when one of the mericarps is not fully developed; S: Some mericarps, slightly stalked at the base (from the epitype, M. Fırat 30400).