Linum aksehirense Tugay & Ulukus, 2019

Tugay, Osman & Ulukus, Deniz, 2019, Linum aksehirense (sect. Dasylinum, Linaceae), a new species from Central Anatolia (Turkey), PhytoKeys 136, pp. 23-34 : 23

Linum aksehirense Tugay & Ulukus sp. nov. Figures 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6

Diagnosis.

Linum aksehirense belongs to Linum sect. Dasylinum . The new species is similar to L. pubescens but is distinguished by its spathulate lower stem leaves that are not evanescent (vs. oblong-spathulate evanescent), subequal lanceolate sepal shape (vs. subequal linear), petals 27-33 mm (vs. 18-27 mm) and petals that are blue-violet with a yellowish limb base (vs. pink with a bluish limb base).

Type.

Turkey. B3 Konya; Akşehir, Sultan Mountains, slopes in Pinus nigra forest, 1150 m alt., 38°19.230'N, 31°23.181'E, 01 August 2017, O.Tugay 14.542 & D. Ulukuş (holotype KNYA, isotypes KNYA 28.229).

Description.

The plant is a green annual. Flowering stems villous, erect, 22-33 cm; sterile shoots few. Lower stem leaves spathulate, not evanescent, 10-13 × 2-4 mm; median stem leaves lanceolate-elliptic, acute, 16-19 × 2-3.5 mm, 1-3 nerved. Bract (similar to median stem leaves) stipitate glandular margined, lanceolate, 14-15 × 3-3.5 mm. Cymes divaricate, lax, few-flowered; flowers 3-7 per stem; pedicels 1-2 mm, not elongated in fruit. Sepals subequal, lanceolate, 12-14 × 2-3 mm, bearing long hairs and stiputate glandular margined. Petals blue-violet (blue when dry) with a yellowish base to the limb, 27-33 mm. Capsule 5 × 5 mm diam. with 1-1.5 mm beak. Seeds elliptic-oblong, 2-2.5 × 1-1.5 mm, brown, glossy. Sculpturing of seed coat is reticulate-rugolose-ruminate ( Fig. 4 A–B ).

Paratypes. Turkey. B3 Konya; Akşehir, slopes, 1170 m alt., 38°20'N, 31°24'E, 31 August 2011, O.Tugay 7.182 (KNYA); Akşehir, Hıdırlık, slopes, 1100 m alt., 38°19'N, 31°23'E, 01 August 2017, O.Tugay 14.520 & D. Ulukuş (KNYA).

Ecology.

Linum aksehirense , which is endemic to Turkey, grows between 1100 and 1170 m elevation on slopes with Pinus nigra forest. The vegetation of this habitat is composed mainly of herbaceous and suffruticose plants including: Agrimonia eupatoria L. subsp. asiatica , Campanula lyrata Lam. subsp. lyrata , Centaurea virgata Lam., Cistus laurifolius L., Cota tinctoria (L.) J.Gay ex Guss. var. tinctoria , Digitalis ferruginea L. subsp. ferruginea , Dianthus crinitus Sm. var. crinitus , Hedysarum varium Willd. subsp. varium , Phlomis armeniaca Willd., Pinus nigra J.F.Arnold subsp. nigra , Prunus divaricata Ledeb. var. divaricata , Scabiosa rotata M.Bieb., Securigera varia (L.) Lassen, Teucrium chamaedrys L. subsp. chamaedrys and Teucrium polium L.

Phenology.

The new species was observed flowering in July and collected fruiting from July to August.

Etymology.

The species epithet comes from ‘Akşehir’, where the new species is found.

Proposed Turkish name for the new species.

Akşehir keteni.

Distribution and conservation status.

Linum aksehirense is known from three localities in Konya province, in the Irano-Turanian phytogeographic region ( Fig. 1) . Its area of occupancy is estimated to be less –1½. The number of mature individual plants is estimated to be less than 250. Being an annual gives this new species a crucial advantage for survival against potential threats, which include the destruction of brush by locals, road construction and deterioration of habitat. Thus, according to criterion B and D, it can be included in the EN (Endangered) category ( IUCN 2001; 2016).

Key to the species of Linum sect. Dasylinum in Turkey

Pollen morphology

The pollen shape of the new species was subprolate (P/E: 1.13) with a polar axis of 53.85 ± 1.75 µm (mean ± standard deviation) μm and an equatorial axis of 47.70 ± 4.70 μm. The aperture was tricolpate. The colpus was long-acute ended with a colpus length of 34.82 ± 3.26 μm and width of 12.91 ± 2.23 μm. Exine thickness was 0.5 μm and intine thickness was 0.4 μm. Exine ornamentation was densely gemmate (Fig. 5 A-C ).

Figures

Figure 1. Distribution map of Linum aksehirense (triangle), and closely related Linum pubescens (circle) and Linum anisocalyx (square) in Turkey.

Figure 2. Holotype specimen of Linum aksehirense Tugay & Ulukus.

Figure 3. General view of habit and flower A-C Linum aksehirense.

Figure 4. Scanning electron micrographs of seeds Linum aksehirense species A general view and B surface sculpturing pattern.

Figure 5. SEM micrographs of the pollen grains of L. aksehirense A-C polar, equatorial view and ornamentation (O. Tugay 14.542 & D. Ulukus).

Figure 6. Scanning electron micrographs of seeds sculpturing patterns Linum species A L. aksehirense B L. anisocalyx C L. pubescens.