Eremogone ali-gulii Koc & Hamzaoglu, 2016

Koc, Murat & Hamzaoglu, Ergin, 2016, Eremogone ali-gulii (Caryophyllaceae), a new species from Turkey, PhytoKeys 61, pp. 93-99 : 94-96

Eremogone ali-gulii Koc & Hamzaoglu sp. nov. Fig. 1

Diagnosis.

Eremogone ali-gulii is similar to Eremogone scariosa (Boiss.) Holub and Eremogone armeniaca (Boiss.) Holub, but differs in having fasciculate sterile shoots, a tufted habit and shorter sepal and capsules.

Type.

TURKEY, Erzurum province, between Bayburt and Aşkale, Kop mountain, 40°00'N- 040°32'E, 2150 m, serpentine stony slopes, 24 June 2014, Koç 1723 & Hamzaoğlu (holotype ANK, isotype Bozok Univ. Herb., ANK, GAZI).

Description.

Tufted, perennial herb. Stems erect or ascending, 10-18 cm long and 0.7-0.9 mm in diameter, glabrous below, glandular-puberulent above. Rosette leaves setaceous, 1.5-2.5 cm, fasciculate; stem leaves linear-setaceous, 0.6-15 × 0.5-0.8 mm, smooth, glabrous, 3-5 pairs, apex acute to acuminate, leaf sheath membranous, 0.1-0.2 mm, glabrous. Bracts oblong-lanceolate, 2.5-5 × 0.8-1.2 mm, glandular hairy, obscurely 3-nerved, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescences usually terminal, 3-10-flowered, panicles, the peduncles and pedicels sparsely to densely glandular-puberulent; bracts oblong-lanceolate, 4-6 × 0.5-0.8 mm, apex setaceous-acuminate, margins scarious never extending right to the tip; pedicels 1-4 mm long. Flower sepals oblong-lanceolate, 2.8-4.5 × 1.2-1.7 mm, glabrous, obscurely veined, membranous at the base, scarious above, the apex obtuse to acute; petals white, linear-oblong, 3-5 × 0.8-1.2 mm, slightly longer than sepals, the apex obtuse to acute; stamens 10, the filaments 2-3.5 mm long; styles 3, more or less erect, 1.5-2 mm long; staminal glands deeply bifurcate, appearing as 10, distinct, alternating with the stamens. Capsules 2.5-4 × 0.8-1.2 mm, ovoid to elongate-ovoid, glabrous, opening by 6 recurved teeth, containing only a few seeds. Seeds 1.9-2.4 mm long, oblong, tuberculate on the rim and the sides with low, elongate tubercles, black to dark brown. Flowering in June and July.

Ecology.

Eremogone ali-gulii grows on serpentine, which is the most widespread of the non-calcareous soils in between the cities of Erzurum and Erzincan in Turkey. It occurs in stony slopes habitat with Achillea biebersteinii Afan, Pimpinella rhodantha Boiss., Inula heterolepis Boiss., Arenaria pseudoacantholimon Bornm., Arenaria serpyllifolia L., Dianthus crinitus Sm. var. crossopetalus Boiss., Helichrysum plicatum DC. subsp. polyphyllum (Ledeb.) Davis & Kupicha.

Conservation status.

The species is currently known from two populations: in the location of Kop mountain in Erzurum and another location between Erzurum-Erzincan, around Karasu village. Both populations are vulnerable to anthropogenic impact. Informal grazing and land-use changes could have a detrimental impact in the future. On the basis of IUCN red list categories and criteria (IUCN 2012), Eremogone ali-gulii covers an area (AOO) of about 300 km2. The new species is here assessed as Endangered [EN, B2ab(iii)].

Etymology.

The species is named in honour of the eminent Turkish hydrobiologist Prof. Dr. Ali Gül (Gazi Faculty of Education, Gazi University, Ankara).

Figures

Figure 1. Eremogone ali-gulii (Koc 1723). A Habit B Inflorescence C Sepal D Petal E Capsule.