Eremogone bingolense Behçet & Yapar, 2024

Behçet, Lütfi & Yapar, Yakup, 2024, A new species Eremogone (Caryophyllaceae) from Türkiye, Phytotaxa 633 (1), pp. 1-8 : 2-6

Eremogone bingolense Behçet & Yapar sp. nov. ( Fig. 2–3).

Type: — TÜRKİYE. B8 Bingöl: east of Balpınarı village, meadow, 1970 m, 38°49’25.24”N, 40°23’35.98”E, 22 June 2022, Behçet & Yapar 19321 (holotye BIN!).

Diagnosis ( Fig. 4 , Table 1):— Eremogone bingolense morphologically similar to E. cucubaloides and E. dianthoides s.l. It differs from E. cucubaloides by the stem glabrous (vs. glabrous below, glandular-pubescent above), sheath 3–15 mm long (vs. 4–9 mm), pedicels 1.5–9.0 mm long (vs. 8–35 mm), sepals glabrous, 4.0– 5.5 mm long (vs. glandular, 5–7 mm long), and petals obovate, 8–11 mm, about 2 times longer than the sepals (vs. ovate to ovate-oblong, 12–15 mm, about 3 times longer than the sepals). E. bingolense differs from E. dianthoides s.l. by inflorescence (lax cymose panicle or corymb of one to three 1–6–flowered cymules vs. usually densely compacted into terminal heads), sheath lenght (3–15 mm vs. 12–25 mm), pedicels lenght (3–9 mm vs. 0–3 mm), sepals lenght (4.0– 5.5 mm vs. 4.5–7.0 mm).

Description ( Fig. 5 ):— Erect, tufted perennial, 28–45 cm long, glabrous. Basal leaves 2–18 cm long, 0.7–1.2 mm wide, narrowly linear, grass-like; stem leaves opposite 2.5–10.0 cm long, 1.5–3.2 mm wide and margin scabrid, united to form a sheath 3–15 mm long. Inflorescence 10–16-flowered, a lax cymose panicle or corymb of one to three 1–6- flowered cymules; pedicels 3–9 mm long; bracts 5–10 × 1.5–2.5 mm; bracteoles 1.5–2.5 × 1.0– 1.8 mm, with hyalin margin. Sepals 4.0– 5.5 mm long, ovate, less than 2 times longer than broad, obtuse but appearing acute to cuspidate by the inrolling of the upper margin; middle portion herbaceous, glabrous, violet to black at apex. Petals obovate, 8–11 mm long, about 2 times longer than sepals. Staminal glands 5, small, flap-like. Capsule exceeding calyx 6–8 mm long. Seed, reniform, 1.0–1.2 × 0.6–0.8 mm.

Vernacular names: —Bingölkumotu ( Menemen et al. 2016), Bingöl sandwort (in english, here proposed).

Phenology: —Flowering and fruiting times in June and July, respectively.

Etymology: —The epithet is derived from the name of Bingöl city.

Phytogeographic region:— Irano-Turanian ( Avcı 1993).

Conservation status: —The species Eremogone bingolense is in risk of extinction. because overgrazing and mowing grass is done in the region where the species is found. For these reasons and considering the number of localities (2 localities), extent of occurrence (EOO, less than 100 km 2) and area of occupancy (AOO, less than 10 km 2), the IUCN category of this new species is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR] according to the criteria B1ab(i,ii,iii) and B2ab(i,ii,iii)] ( IUCN 2022).

Ecology:— Eremogone bingolense grows at 2000 m a.s.l. in the high meadows of Balpınar and Yelesen villages of Bingöl with Agrostis olympica ( Boissier 1844: 70) Bor (1961: 4) , Alchemilla crinita Buser (1892: 256) , Alopecurus arundinaceus Poiret (1808: 766) ., Arenaria serpyllifolia Linnaeus (1753a: 423) ., Barbarea plantaginea Candolle (1821: 208) , Blysmus compressus (L.) Panzer ex Link (1827: 278), Cardamine uliginosa Marschall von Bieberstein (1808: 438) , Carex congolensis Turrill (1912: 240) , C. disticha Hudson (1762: 348) , C. divisa Hudson (1762: 405) , C. melanostachya Willdenow (1805: 299) , Cerastium kotschyi Boissier (1867: 715) , Eleocharis mitracarpa Steudel (1854: 77) , E. uniglumis Schultes (1824: 88) , Eremopoa altaica ( Trinius 1835: 526) Roshevitz (1934: 431) , Geum rivale Linnaeus (1753a: 501) , Juncus alpigenus K.Koch (1848: 627) , Ornithogalum sphaerocarpum A. Kerner (1878:15) , Petrorhagia alpina (Hablitz 1783: 57) P.W.Ball & Heywood (1964: 145) , Ranunculus repens Linnaeus (1753a: 554) , R. strigillosus Boissier & A.Huet (1856: 7) , Rumex alpinus Linnaeus (1753a: 334) ., R. ponticus E.H.L. Krause (1908: 15) , Sagina procumbens Linnaeus (1753a: 128) , Stellaria persica Boissier (1854: 85) , Trifolium hybridum Linnaeus (1753b: 766) , Veronica serpyllifolia Linnaeus (1753a: 12) , Zingeria biebersteiniana (Claus 1851: 264) P.A. Smirnov (1946:67) .

Taxonomical relationships: — Eremogone bingolense is similar to E. cucubaloides and E. dianthoides in general appearance, leaf and sepal features. However, the indumentum of these species is quite different with their sheath, pedicel and petal features. While it is similar to E. dianthoides with its complete glabrous formation, it differs from it with pedicel length, sheath and petal features. It resembles E. cucubaloides in general appearance. However, this species differs markedly, especially with the indumentum ( Fig. 4 ). The differences of E. bingolense with similar species are given in Table 1. With this new species, the number of Eremogone species in Türkiye has been 20.

Key to the new species and the most similar taxa: —It follows:

1. Leaves 2–8 cm, all ± setaceous; inflorescence 1–5-flowered; stems 8–20 cm ................................................................ E. lychnidea

- Leaves 2–18 cm, at least those on the stem flattened, linear; inflorescence (3–)6–50-flowered; stems 25–50 cm ...........................2

2. Opposite stem leaves free to the node, the united part less than 2 mm; sepals 3.0– 4.5 mm ................................... E. gypsophiloides

- Opposite stem leaves united to form a sheath 3–25 mm; sepals 4.0–7.0 mm....................................................................................3

3. Inflorescence usually as a compact terminal head; pedicels 0–3 mm ........................................................................... E. dianthoides

- Inflorescence as a lax cymose panicle; pedicels 3–35 mm ................................................................................................................4

4. Plant glabrous below, glandular-pubescent above; pedicels 8–35 mm; sepal 5–7 mm long, glandular hairy ........... E. cucubaloides

- Plant glabrous at all; pedicel 3–9 mm long; sepal 4.0– 5.5 mm long, glabrous.............................................................. E. bingolense Specimens examined: — Eremogone bingolense . TÜRKİYE. Bingöl: west of Yelesen village 4–5.km, meadow, 2150 m, 28 June 2022, Behçet & Yapar19349: south west of Yelesen village, village plateau, meadow, 2100 m, 20 July 2022, Behçet & Yapar19398 (BIN).

Eremogone cucubaloides . TÜRKİYE, Bingöl, Adaklı district, north of Güngörsün village , stepp slope, 1778 m, 15 May 2016, Yapar 1777 ( BIN5001 ) ; Genç district, Şam mountain , steppe, 1950–2050 m, 11 July 2012, Behçet 8175 ( BIN3006 ) ; Yayladere district, Tari mountain , steppe, 20250 m, 22 June 2023, Yapar 6187 ( BIN11940 ) , Ağrı: 50 km east of Ağrı , along the riwervalley, 2300 m, 27 June 1969, Andersen, & Petersen 40 ( E00567009 ) . Erzurum: on E.100, 75 km north from Erzurum , 2400 m, 16 July 1967, Walton 17 ( E00567010 ) .

Eremogone dianthoides subsp. dianthoides . TÜRKİYE. Bingöl, Karlıova district, southwest of Halifan village , steppe, 1530 m, 28 April 2014, H.Cengiz 1012,1067, ( BIN4104 ); Ağrı: 2 km SW of Hamur district ( Murat valley ), sloping meadows, 1670 m, 02 July1966, Davis 44024 ( E00554983 ) .

Eremogone dianthoides subsp. tuncbasii . TÜRKİYE. C3, Antalya, Beydaglari, Calbali Dagi, ascent from Feslikan Yaylasi. Alt.: 1900 m. 06June 2003, Eren & Sirin 37/3 (B100190024).

Figures

FIGURE 4. A. B Eremogone bingolense C. D. Eremogone cucubaloides.

FIGURE 5. Seed of Eremogone bingolense (SEM micrography).