Orobanche alba subsp. cuprea (Boissier & Balansa ex Boissier 1879: 510 ) Uhlich, C.A.J.Kreutz & Rätzel, comb., 2015

Uhlich, Holger & Rätzel, Stefan, 2015, A contribution to the taxonomy and phytogeography of Orobanche alba Steph. ex Willd. (Orobanchaceae), Phytotaxa 222 (1), pp. 1-16 : 4-5

Orobanche alba subsp. cuprea (Boissier & Balansa ex Boissier 1879: 510) Uhlich, C.A.J.Kreutz & Rätzel, comb.

nov., [Basionym: Orobanche cuprea Boissier & Balansa exs. 1855 ex Boissier (1879: 510)].

Lectotype (hic designatus):— TURKEY. Cilicien: province Mersin (until 2002 prov. Icel), Buluklu (36°52’ N / 34°34’ E), Stigmate blanc. Parasite sur le Satureia thymbra . Bouloukli , près de Mersina, 23 April 1855, M. Balansa 765 (G-BOISS 00330045) ( Fig. 4 ).

Distribution: — Boissier (1879), reports Orobanche alba subsp. cuprea from Buluklu (Prov. Icel: „ad Boulouklii“) and Güzeldere (Prov. Hakkari: „in fauce Guzel Dere supra Sedichig Ciliciae“) from southern Turkey.

Orobanche alba subsp. cuprea seems to be rather widespread on the island of Cyprus. Typical O. alba is not known to us from Cyprus. Viney (1994, on page 500) reports under the name Orobanche alba the following plants: “Unbranched, erect plant with purplish, densely sticky-downy stem to 20 cm, with many scales 10–15 mm long, flowers sessile, calyx with only 2 long-pointed teeth to 10 mm, corolla-tube 1–2 cm long, reddish, purplish, yellowish or whitish, wide open with 2 orange-yellow bulges on the lower lip, the lobes all spreading and wavy-edged; stigma usually pale. In pastures, hillside garigue and pine forest, paras. on Thymus .”

Meikle (1985, on pages 1238 ff.) also knows this taxon and reported it as Orobanche alba . In his detailed description he explicitly mentions the yellow throat folds (“[...] with 2 conspicuous orange-yellow folds on the lower lip”) and the bright stigma (“stigma usually pallid”). In addition to the remark at Gilli in Davis (1982, page 15), that the stigma at O. alba may be also white there is no indication of this taxon in Gilli (1971, page 381 ff.) or in Gilli in Davis (1982, page 1 ff.).

Orobanche alba subsp. cuprea occupies a distinct distribution area encompassing the island of Cyprus and a few localities on the Turkish coast ( Fig. 2 ):

Examined specimens: — TURKEY. Cilicien: province Mersin (until 2002 prov. Icel), Gorge du Guzel-Déré, en amont de Sedichig (Environs de Mersina), 24 April 1855, M. Balansa 763 (G-BOISS 00330044), (syntype, scan, fig. 5). Cilicien: province Mersin (until 2002 prov. Icel), Buluklu (36°52’ N / 34°34’ E), Stigmate blanc. Parasite sur le Satureia thymbra . Bouloukli, près de Mersina, 23 April 1855, M. Balansa 765 (G-BOISS 00330045), (syntype, scan, fig. 4).— CYPRUS: Prov. Limassol: between Pano Kyvides and Souni (34°44’41.72”N / 32°52’28.76”E), end March 2010, M. Pettemerides s.n. (herbar Uhlich) (fig. 1). Prov. Limassol: plateau above the coast between Pissouri Bay and Avdimou, 12 April 1992, H. Kalheber 92–612 (herbar Kalheber, det. Uhlich 4 March 2012). Prov. Limassol: western coast of Episkopi-Bay, plateau E Pissouri Bay, 20–70 m, shrubs on loamy soil, 5 April 1997 H. Kalheber 97–437 (herbar Kalheber, det. Uhlich 4 March 2012). Paphos: SSE above Moni Agiou Neophytou, macchia, ca. 450 m, 9 May 1999, R. Hand 3155 (B-10-0274932, det. Rätzel 7 Oct. 2013).

Specimens of O. alba subsp. cuprea :— CYPRUS: 1 km NNE Agia Marinouda, in geological varied valley below rubbish-tip, phrygana, ca. 150 m, 9 April 1998, R. Hand 2143 (B). Neo Chorio, 300 m W picnic-site „Smigies“, phrygana, ca. 300 m, 3 April 1999, R. Hand 2703 (B). Kannaviou, Argaki tis Agias valley above road to Panagia, downstream the second bridge, ca. 450 m, 21 April 1998, R. Hand 2243 (B).

Further localities: — TURKEY: Prov. Antalya: Side, 7 May 1988, C. A. J. Kreutz (phot.).— CYPRUS: Northern part: Tepebasi, „several places along the Northern Range from Hisarköy to Yaila“. Viney (1994, on page 500). Southern part: Limassol, between Souni and Pano Kivides, 20 March 2002, C. A. J. Kreutz (phot.). Southern part: Episkopi, 21 April 2011, G. Loidolt (obs., pers. comm.). Southern part: foothills of Troodoos mts., at 500 m s. m., 22 April 2011, G. Loidolt (phot., fig. 8). Western part: Tsada/Tsadha (34°50’08“ N / 32°28’29“ E), Mynthis hills, 26 March 2010, C. Makris (phot., figs. 6, 7).

Further locations, possibly belonging to this taxon mentions Meikle (1985) (distribution map Fig. 2 as Z symbol): CYPRUS: 1. Fontana Amorosa, 1962, Meikle 2302. 2. Platres, 1938, Kennedy 1420. 3. Mazotos, 1905, Holmboe 199; Zagala, 1941, Davis 3132; Kato Lefkara, 1955, Merton 2056; Kakomallis, 1962, Meikle 2903; Pissouri, 1967, Merton in ARI 673. 4. Between Paralimni and Ayia Napa, 1979, Chesterman 114. 6. Dhiorios, 1952, F. M. Probyn 98. 7. Near St. Hilarion, 1933, Syngrassides 50; Yaila, 1941, Davis 2899; Kambyli, 1956, Merton 2570; Kyrenia, 1956, G. E. Atherton 1326.

Further studies have to be conducted on the distribution of this taxon and the typical subspecies of O. alba in the presumable overlapping area in the southern part of Turkey.

Ecology: —The flowering period lasts from the middle of March until the middle of May. The plant parasitizes exclusively on Lamiaceae . As hosts, Boissier & Balansa (1879) mentioned Origanum onites and Satureja thymbra and Viney (1994), Thymus , while we mainly observed O. alba subsp. cuprea in the vicinity of Thymbra capitata [= Coridothymus capitatus ; see also fig. 6]. R. Hand (pers. comm. 10.09.2013) also noted Thymus integer as host. Preferred growing sites are located near the coast, mostly in lower altitudinal ranges on loamy soil.

The ecology of typical O. alba ecology is substantially similar, but O. alba subsp. alba also grows on higher places far from the coast. O. alba subsp. cuprea flowers—due to more favorable climatic conditions—earlier than subsp. alba .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Occurrence of O. alba subsp. cuprea [Ì = Syntypes from G; ● = own observations; ▲ = localities in Meikle (1985: 1238 ff.; as O. alba); Z = observations by R. Hand (cf. subsp. cuprea)].

FIGURE 4. Syntype G 00330045 of Orobanche cuprea (courtesy of the herbarium Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques, G-BOIS). Lectotype (hic designatus) of O. alba subsp. cuprea (Boiss. & Balansa) Uhlich, C.A.J.Kreutz & Rätzel.