Stachys cudiensis Fırat & Ö.Güner, 2022

Firat, Mehmet & Güner, Özal, 2022, Stachys cudiensis (Lamiaceae), a new species from Şırnak province (Turkey), belonging to section Olisia, Phytotaxa 570 (1), pp. 43-54 : 45-50

Stachys cudiensis Fırat & Ö.Güner , sp. nov. ( Figs. 2 – 4 ).

Diagnosis:— Stachys cudiensis differs from S. diversifolia mainly by retrorsely pubescent flowering stems, oblong to oblong‒lanceolate bracteoles, short calyx with densely glandular hairs and sessile glands and gibbous corolla tube.

Type:— TURKEY. C9 Şırnak: Silopi district, Cudi Mountains (Cîyayê Cûdî), Besta Region , rocky slopes, slopes, eroded slopes, 1100-1200 m, 7 October 2014, M.Fırat 31731 (holotype VANF, isotypes GAZI, HUB, VANF and Hb. M. Fırat) .

Description:— Suffrutescent perennial with sterile basal rosettes. Flowering stems erect, slender, simple or sparingly branched above, 30‒80 cm long, sparsely retrorsely pubescent with sessile glands, rarely glabrescent. Basal leaves ovate to oblong-elliptic or orbicular, 1.7‒4.6 × 1‒2.7 cm, shallowly crenate at margin, attenuate at base, rounded or obtuse at apex, sparsely long adpressed-pubescent, petiole 1‒5.6 cm long; cauline leaves narrowly oblanceolate to linear‒lanceolate, 1.2‒5.7 × 0.2‒1.2 cm, subentire to entire at margin, acute at apex, sessile, glabrous with few sessile glands. Floral leaves linear‒lanceolate to lanceolate, uppermost ovate-lanceolate, 3‒4.5 × 0.8‒3 mm, mucronulate at tip (mucro 0.2 mm long), usually shorter than the verticillasters. Verticillasters 2‒3-flowered, ± approximate into a dense head, rarely 1‒2 remote below, sometimes upper ± approximate on simple or branched inflorescence axis; bracteoles few, oblong to oblong‒lanceolate, 2‒3.5 mm long. Pedicels ca. 1 mm long. Calyx ± regular, subcampanulate, 4‒4.5(- 5) mm long, densely glandular hairs and sessile glands, mouth sparsely hairy (between calyx teeth); teeth ± equal, triangular, erect, 1‒1.5 mm, slightly shorter than tube, mucronate at tip (mucro 0.3 mm long); corolla white, 7‒8 mm long, whitish-pale pink, tube exserted, shortly pubescent outside, annulate, tube gibbous; limb bilabiate, upper lip 2‒3 mm long, shorter than lower, emarginate, lower lip 3-lobed, middle lobe largest, subglobose, 3.5‒4.5 mm long; stamens 4, slightly exserted from corolla tube. Nutlets oblong‒obovoid, 2‒2.5 mm long, water-colored spots, smooth on surface, brown to black.

Phenology:— Flowering time October, fruiting time November.

Etymology:— The specific epithet is derived from Cudi Mountains (Cîyayê Cûdî) Şırnak province where type material was collected.

Distribution:— Stachys cudiensis is endemic to Cudi Mountains (Cîyayê Cûdî) Şırnak Province, Turkey. It is an element of the Irano-Turanian floristic region ( Fig. 1 ).

Vernacular name:— Stachys cudiensis is called “Mozir” in Kurdish by the local people of Şırnak Province. Stachys species are known by the local people under many names in Kurdish, e.g. “Çeya koyê”, “Çaya çiyan”, “Birîngiya”, “Giyapembik”, “Punga textan”, “Çaya çê”, “Mozik” and “Xew” ( Fırat 2013).

Habitat and ecology:— Stachys cudiensis grows on rocks slopes, at c. 1100–1200 m elevation, with other plants, such as Ficus carica L. (1753: 1059) and Crupina crupinastrum (Moris) Visiana , very common taxa in Mediterranean Basin (e.g. Perrino et al. 2013; Perrino et al. 2014), and Cerasus tortuosa Boissier & Haussknecht , Bufonia anatolica Chrtek & Křísa subsp. anatolica , Spiraea cudidaghensis Fırat & N.Aksoy , while are very rare.

Phytogeography:— The Cudi Mountain (Cîyayê Cûdî), belonging to the Irano-Turanian phytogeographical region, is an interesting area for the botanical aspects and probabily with many phylogenetically isolated species without close relatives, as observed in other territory with similar circumstances (e.g. Wagensommer et al. 2014). Both the geographic structure and (nowadays) military regulations in the area have long prevented the area to be explored. The first floristic investigation to the area was done by P.H. Davis during 1966‒1985 in the “Hessena” part, where 76 taxa were collected. Nevertheless, the Cudi Mountain (Cîyayê Cûdî) is about 50 km of a mountain chain extending to the Iraqi border, and contains hundreds of other parts like “Hessena”. Many of these parts are not inhabited by humans, which therefore remain as conserved wild habitats. I belive that, with further investigations of the botanists, many new taxa (like e.g. Clinopodium serpyllifolium subsp. sirnakense Fırat & Akçiçek in Fırat et al. (2013: 131) from “Kasrik”, Kemulariella tahirelcii Fırat (2016: 91) from Cudi Mountains (Cîyayê Cûdî), Spiraea cudidaghensis Fırat & N. Aksoy (2017: 1752) from Cudi Mountains (Cîyayê Cûdî) Turkey) and the new species proposed here can be identified.

Red list assessment:— Stachys cudiensis only occurs on the Cudi Mountains (Cîyayê Cûdî), Besta Region (Silopi/ Şırnak) and can be considered endemic to south-eastern Anatolia. It represents an Irano-Turanian mountain element. The new species should be classified as endangered - (EN) [criterion B2ab (ii, iv, v); C2a (ii)] according to IUCN (2022) criteria. The distribution area of S. cudiensis covers less than 20,000 km 2. The species was collected from two localities where about 1000 individuals occur. Some anthropogenic effects were observed on the population.

Palynology:— The pollen grains of Stachys cudiensis sp. nov. are in monads, isopolar 3-colpate, prolate spheroidal [Polar length: 26.56 (± 1.08), Equatorial length: 25.81 (± 0.57), Polar length/Equatorial length: 1.03, Exine thickness: 1.09 (± 0.07), Intine thickness: 0.76 (± 0.05)], ornamentation is bireticulate, ornamentation of colpus is granulate ( Fig. 5 , Table 2).

Taxonomic relationships:— Stachys cudiensis belongs to subsection Rosulatae Bhattacharjee (1980: 17) of section Olisia . The subsection is characterized by having basal rosettes with divaricately unbranched flowering stems. The subsection has four species, Stachys inanis Hausskn. & Bornm. (1925: 188) , S. munzurdagensis R. Bhattacharjee (1974: 290) , S. diversifolia and new species S. cudiensis , and three of which are endemic to Turkey. These species have median cauline leaves which are clearly different from the rosette leaves in the shape. The new species is well adapted to live on rocks slopes like many endemic Stachys species in the various regions in Turkey, particularly in southeastern Anatolia ( Turkey). We observed the area has shown more diversity for Stachys species, and has more than 20 Stachys taxa and different structures of habitats, such as sloping limestone rocks, schistose rocks, and cliff crevices in a short distance. Stachys baytopiorum Kit Tan & Yıldız (1988: 450) , S. glecomifolia Nábělek (1926: 61) , S. hakkariensis Akçiçek & Fırat (2016: 167) , S. siirtensis Ö. Güner & Akçiçek (2021: 252) , S. willemsei Kit Tan & Hedge (1989: 451) are certain endemic species that grow in the region.

Stachys cudiensis is morphologically similar to S. diversifolia , but distinctly differs in having retrorsely pubescent flowering stems, oblong to oblong‒lanceolate bracteoles, short calyx with densely glandular hairs and sessile glands and gibbous corolla tube ( Table 1 ). In addition, the new species is geographically distinct from S. diversifolia which grow in western Syria and Turkey. Stachys diversifolia is distributed in Syria Latakia and across particular routes in Amanus (Nur) Mountain in southern Turkey. The inflorescence of S. diversifolia and S. cudiensis is very characteristic; it is either simple or sparsely branched above. In the genus Stachys , a number of pollen morphological characters can have taxonomical significance (Salmaki et al. 2008). In our study, there was no significant difference between the new species and S. diversifolia in terms of measurement and surface properties of pollen grains. The most important difference between pollens is that pollen grains of S. cudiensis are prolate-spheroidal shaped, while pollen grains of S. diversifolia are oblate-spheroidal shaped ( Table 2, Fig. 5 ).

Nutlet characters in the genus Stachys are important and useful micromorphological characters at the species and subspecies level ( Açar & Satıl 2019). Although the nutlet surface features of Stachys diversifolia and S. cudiensis species are similar to each other, some differences have also been detected. Nutlets are oblong-obovoid in S. cudiensis and obovoid in S. diversifolia . No tubercle-like ornaments were observed in the surface structure of both taxa. Although both species have undulate-cellular surface texture, wing structure is not seen. The anticline walls of the cells are elevated and thickened, while the periclinal walls are smooth and collapsed. This thickening is higher in S. diversifolia and well swollen, while it is less in S. cudiensis . At the same time, these species differ from each other by the nutlet size of 2‒2.5 mm long in S. cudiensis , 2.53 mm long in S. diversifolia , and the intense water-colored spots in S. cudiensis ( Fig. 6 , Table 2). Stachys diversifolia is also similar to S. inanis and S. munzurdagensis differing from these species in several characters: more or less simple flowering stems and oblong-lanceolate 2‒4 mm bracteoles with mucronate tip. Stachys inanis and S. munzurdagensis grow in eastern Anatolia ( Turkey) and their habitats are geographically isolated from S. diversifolia and S. cudiensis .

Turkey is the richest country in the world in terms of the number of Stachys taxa and also one of the greatest centre of diversity of Stachys . With this new species, the number of Turkish Stachys species increases to 95, of which 16 belong to section Olisia . Various habitats such as limestone, other basic rocks, mountainous steppes, rocky places, forests, and stream banks in the country contribute to species diversity of Stachys .

Additional specimens examined:— Stachys cudiensis (paratype): TURKEY. C 9 Şırnak; Silopi district, Cudi Mountains (Cîyayê Cûdî), Besta region, rocky slopes, 1142 m, 10 October 2014, M.Fırat 33665 ( VANF and Hb. M. Fırat). Stachys diversifolia : TURKEY. C 6 Hatay: Amanos mountains., 240–915 m, September 1913, Haradj. 4671 (G, W); Amanos mountains, Dörtyol, Karagüzen district, Pinus brutia woods, 700 m, 3 April 1979, Y. Akman 7709 (ANK); Amanos mountains, Dörtyol, Karagöl district, Quercus cerris wood, 900 m, 22 September 1967, Y. Akman 67- 4 (ANK); Monts Amanus, 800–3000’ vallees, September 1913, Haradj. 4671 (E); Valley above Yesilkent, river bank, S facing, below rocks, 305 m, 11 August 1969, J. Darrah 590 (E). Osmaniye: N. Amanus, Yağlıpınar, S. of Yarpuz, 1430–1500 m, 1 July 1959, Hub.-Mor. 15276 (G); Yarpuz village, rocky mountainous ground, 1260 m, 15 July 2013, Akçiçek 5595, Dirmenci & Ö. Güner (Hb. Akçiçek); Osmaniye: 7 km S Yarpuz, 1550 m, 13 July 1978, Sorger 78-42- 5 (W). Stachys inanis : TURKEY. B 7 Erzincan: Suşehri-Refahiye, Kalkgeröl am Kelkit Çayı in der Schlucht 72 km östlich Suşehri, 1530 m, 1 July 1953, Hub.-Mor. 12761 (G); Distr. Refahiye, steppe, 2 km vor Refahiye, 1570 m, 7 July 1955, Hub.-Mor. 14181 (G); 9 km from Kemaliye to İliç, Salihli village, screes, 1356 m, 30 June 2014, Akçiçek 5630, Dirmenci & Ö. Güner (Hb. Akçiçek). Stachys munzurdagensis :— TURKEY. Erzincan: 10 from Kemaliye to Arapgir, limestone screes, 22 July 2009, Akçiçek 5332 & Dirmenci (Hb. Akçiçek); ibidem, 26 June 2014, Akçiçek 5628, Dirmenci & Ö. Güner (Hb. Akçiçek); Malatya: Doğanşehir, Erkenek, Büngüldek district, limestone screes, 1600 m, 6 July 1987, E. Aktoklu 0717.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Geographical distribution map of Stachys cudiensis (▲) in Turkey, and S. diversifolia (■) in Syria and Turkey.

FIGURE 2. Stachys cudiensis: A. habitat, B. habit, C. cauline leaves, D. terminal verticillasters, E. cauline verticillasters with calyx, corollas and floral leaves (photograph by Mehmet Fırat).

FIGURE 3. Stachys cudiensis: A. habitat and habit, C. cauline leaves, E. cauline verticillaster, G. terminal flowers (photograph by Mehmet Fırat); S. diversifolia: B. habitat and habit, D. cauline leaves, F. cauline verticillasters, H. terminal verticillasters (photograph by Ekrem Akçiçek).

FIGURE 4. Stem and calyx trichomes:A, B. Stachys cudiensis, C, D. S. diversifolia.

FIGURE 5. Micromorphological photos of pollen grains of Stachys cudiensis:A. polar wiev, B. equatorial wiev and colpus; S. diversifolia: C. polar wiev, D. equatorial wiev and colpus.

FIGURE 6. Micromorphological photos of nutlets: Stachys cudiensis: A. gereral wiev (bar=1mm), B. close wiev (50 µm); S. diversifolia: C. gereral wiev (bar=1mm), D. close wiev (50 µm) [C, D photographed by Mikail Acar (Acar, 2019)].