Asparagus capitatus Baker subsp. gracilis Browicz (1990: 175)

Akhani, Hossein, Abdullahi, Hussaini, Ürker, Okan & Malekmohammadi, Maryam, 2024, Molecular phylogenetic studies on Asparagus (Asparagaceae) revealed the position of the highly endangered Irano-Turkish halophytic species A. lycaonicus P. H. Davis related to A. officinalis L., Phytotaxa 646 (2), pp. 125-142 : 136

Asparagus capitatus Baker subsp. gracilis Browicz (1990: 175) .

This taxon was reported to be a new record from Iran by Hamdi (2016) based on a specimen collected from the Province of Sistan va Baluchestan: Nikshahr, 29.3. 1949, 900 m, Scharif (IRAN-29594). The author of this article did not indicate that this report had already been published in Flora Iranica ( Browicz 1990, page 175, Sharif 245-E) with the note that it is probably a hybrid between A. capitatus subsp. gracilis and A. monophyllus Baker (1875: 604) . Furthermore, the author misread collector’s name Scharif and recorded the specimen as collected by Sohani instead of Scharif; this error occurred despite the clear photo in Fig.1 of the herbarium specimen illustrated in his article ( Hamdi 2016). In the Flora of Iran, Assadi (2023) accepted this report and in addition to Scharif, another specimen is reported from Khuzestan: Between Shooshtar and Haft-Tappeh, Dez river marshes, 80m, Mozaffarian 62870. We could not investigate this specimen too. However, we have collected a specimen from the nearby locality and included in our phylogenetic analysis: Khuzestan: W Shush, along Karkheh River, 32°11’N, 48°12’. 1200m, 1.4.2001; H. Akhani 14875. This specimen grouped with A. officinalis ( Fig. 2). As well, the illustration in page 9 of the Flora of Iran ( Assadi 2023) looks indeed very similar to A. officinalis .