Satureja intermedia C.A.Mey.

Bordbar, Firouzeh & Mirtadzadini, Mansour, 2024, A morphological re-evaluation of the taxonomic status of Satureja L. (Lamiaceae, Nepetoideae, Mentheae) from flora of Iran, Adansonia (3) 46 (7), pp. 45-63 : 52-53

Satureja intermedia C.A.Mey.

( Fig. 1K )

Verzeichniss der Pflanzen: 91 ( Meyer 1831). — Clinopodium intermedium (C.A.Mey.) Kuntze, Revisio Generum Plantarum 2: 515 ( Kuntze 1891). — Type: Iran • Common in the area between Iran and Azerbaijan , Talisch ; s.d.; C.A. Meyer 775; holo-, LE [ LE01175436 , image!]; iso-, LE[ LE01175434 , LE01175435 , image!], G, G-BOIS [ G00786094 , image!], P[ P02998275 ], W [ W0031747 , image!]) .

Satureja subdentata Boiss. , Flora Orientalis 4: 565 ( Boissier 1879).

S. gunibica Woronow, Acta Instituti Botanici Academiae Scientiarum URSS, sér. 1, 1: 222 ( Woronow 1933).

PHENOLOGY. — Flowering August to September, Fruiting October.

DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY. — NW of Iran and S of Azerbaijan (Lenkoran, near the border of Iran) ( Fig. 4C ). Rocky slopes.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED. — Iran • NW Iran, Ardabil Prov., Talesh area, east of Khalkhal , after Kalestan village , Soltan-e Khuni ; [37°42’52.74”N, 48°36’13.28”E]; alt. 2695 m; 08.VIII.2012; Mirtadzadini 1980 (MIR) • Asalem to Khalkhal , Mt. Kerman ; alt. 2100-2300 m; 06.IX.1982; Terme, Matin & Zargani 25028 ( IRAN) .

DESCRIPTION

Aromatic perennial, 10-20 cm high. stems erect- procumbent, covered with white hairs and scattered sessile glands. Leaves broad, obovate-oblong or obovate-spathulate, conduplicate, 8-15 mm long, 3-6 mm wide, with sparsely hairs and sessile glands, gradually attenuate at base or with a short petiole, apex rounded or ± acute, floral leaves similar to or slightly smaller than the cauline leaves in shape and size. Verticillasters axillary, distant or approximate especially at upper parts of stem, 2–6 flowers in verticillaster, flowers with a short pedicel up to 2 mm. Calyx green, campanulate-tubular, covered with hairs and sessile glands on the outside, 5-7 mm, teeth subulate or subulate-lanceolate, inferior teeth c. 3 mm, superior c. 2 mm. Corolla white, 8-12 mm long. Stamens exserted from the tube. Style exserted from the tube. Nutlets elliptic, brown to dark brown, 1.4-1.6 mm long, 0.7-0.8 mm wide.

REMARKS

This species is characterized by its obovate-oblong or obovate-spathulate leaves. The color of corolla in S. intermedia was mentioned to be “ rosea ” in Flora Iranica ( Rechinger 1982), red in Flora of Iran ( Jamzad 2012), and pink in Flora of the USSR ( Borissova 1977). However, we found only the specimens with white corollas in nature including the type locality. Rechinger (1982) in Flora Iranica, defined specimen “ Meyer 775” as the “typus” without mentioning the herbarium where the specimen is kept, and G-BOIS and W specimens were defined to be the “ isotypus ”. Later, Doroszenko (1986) was assigned LE specimen as the holotype. Three specimens are deposited in LE collected by Meyer, No. 775 labelled “typus”. Accordingly, we considered one of them in LE [LE01175436] as the holotype.

Figures

FIG. 1. — Habit and close-up of inflorescence of Satureja L. species from flora of Iran: A, B, S. avromanica Maroofi (Mirtadzadini 3029); C, D, S. bachtiarica Bunge (Mirtadzadini & Bordbar 4151); E, S. bachtiarica (Bordbar 1995); F, S. bachtiarica (Bordbar 1944); G, S. longiflora Boiss. & Hausskn. (Mirtadzadini 2031); H, S. longiflora (Bordbar 2032); I, S. longiflora (Advay 4155); J, S. longiflora (Mirtadzadini & Bordbar 4153); K, S. intermedia (Mirtadzadini 1980); L, M, S. isophylla Rech.f. (Mirtadzadini 1978).

FIG. 4. — Distribution map of Satureja L. species in Iran: A, S. bachtiarica Bunge; B, S. avromanica Maroofi (circle), S. hortensis L. (naturally grows) (square); C, S. kermanica Payandeh, Bordbar & Mirtadz. (circle), S. intermedia C.A.Mey. (square); D, S. khuzistanica Jamzad (circle), S. isophylla Rech.f. (square).