Cephalaria subindivisa (Boissier) Szabó (1940: 238)

Ranjbar, Massoud & Ranjbar, Zahra, 2017, A taxonomic revision of Cephalaria subgen. Cephalaria sect. Atrocephalae (Caprifoliaceae) from Iran, Phytotaxa 311 (2), pp. 101-138 : 126-130

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.311.2.1
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039787ED-FF95-9C71-DEBF-D1B8FB9CA6B3
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Cephalaria subindivisa (Boissier) Szabó (1940: 238)
status

Treatment

14. Cephalaria subindivisa (Boissier) Szabó (1940: 238) View in CoL . Cephalaria microcephala var. subindivisa Boissier (1875:

125).

Type:— IRAN. Prov. Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari: Kellal from Sabz Kooh, 1868, Haussknecht s.n. (G-Boiss! [G00330400!], on 3 sheets, lectotype designated here). Figs. 14–16 View FIGURE 14 View FIGURE 15 View FIGURE 16 .

Perennial, erect, slender. Stem up to ca. 70 cm high, single, few-branched, rather glabrous, thinly white to creamystriate. Leaves slightly coriaceous, opposite, blades symmetrical, leaves green when dried, rather glabrous on surface or slightly hairy only along the midvein and margins. Lower cauline leaves petiolate (10–11 cm); undivided, oblong-spathulate in outline, 14–20 × 3–4 cm, obtuse at apex, serrate to dentate (crenate), 40–50 teeth (apical side straight to flexuous, basal side to flexuous and spines at apex), angle of teeth with reference to the midrib 45º–60º, teeth 1.5–3 mm long, midvein flat adaxially, rounded abaxially, tertiary veins weakly percurrent, widely spaced, oblique. Middle cauline leaves undivided, reduced in outline, 2–2.5 × 0.12–0.2 cm, acute at apex, midvein gently raised adaxially, round-keeled abaxially, tertiary veins close together. Upper cauline leaves undivided, reduced, linear to lanceolate in outline, 1–1.5 × 0.1–0.2 cm, acute at apex, entire, midvein impressed to flat adaxially, flat abaxially, tertiary veins close together. Peduncle 4–20 cm long, glabrous. Capitula globose or ovoid in flower, 1–1.5 × 0.8–1.5 cm in diameter in flower, subradiant, solitary. Involucral bracts in one series, ovate, 5–6 × 3.5–5 mm, straw-coloured and brown at apex and middle part, tomentose hairs up to 1 mm long, obtuse at apex. Receptacular bracts in six series, rhombic to narrowly ovate to lanceolate 6–10 × 3–4 mm, spine 1–1.5 mm long, straw-coloured dorsally at base, purple to brownish at apex, abruptly acute or acuminate at apex, pilose or sericeous, ciliate at margins. Calyx cupuliform, 1–1.5 × 1.5 mm, dark green, pubescent, with irregular teeth 1–1.5 mm long. Corolla 10–11 mm long, yellow, densely covered with appressed hairs outside, stamens slightly longer than corolla, anthers deeply yellow. Involucel 2–2.5 × 1.5 mm in flower, 4-angled, hairy (hairs up to 0.2 mm long), 4 long and 4 short teeth at apex; longer teeth ca. 2 mm long, shorter teeth ca. 0.5 mm long.

Chromosome numbers: — Cephalaria subindivisa was reported as a diploid species with the base chromosome number of 2 n = 2 x = 36 (Verlaqe 1980: 46). It seems that this species is actually tetraploid because the basic chromosome numbers in Cephalaria are x = 5, 7 and 9, thus the ploidy level here is 2 n = 4 x = 36.

Additional specimens examined:— IRAN: Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari , Borujen , Boldaji, Sanagan village, 2150 m, Mozaffarian 57303 ( TARI) ; Iran : Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari , Shahrekord , Protected area Tange Saiiad, Shahidan mountain, 2400–3000 m, Mozaffarian 58101 ( TARI) .

Distribution and habitat: — Cephalaria subindivisa is a rare species endemic to central Iran in Kellal from Sabz kooh Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province. This area has an average annual precipitation of 400–800 mm and an average annual temperature 14.2 ºC. The species is an Irano-Turanian element.

Taxonomic notes: — Cephalaria subindivisa is not well known but is closely related to C. microcephala in shape of involucral bracts, shape, size and colour flower and involucel. However, C. subindivisa differs by its height (80 vs. 120 cm), lower cauline leaves undivided, 50 teeth in margin and petiole length 10–11 cm long (vs. 6–8 teeth, sessile), middle cauline leaves undivided and 0–14 teeth (vs. lyrate to pinnatilobed, 0–6 teeth), peduncle length (up to 20 vs. 32 cm long), involucral bracts straw-coloured and brown at apex and median (vs. straw-coloured with brown nerves), receptacular bracts straw-coloured dorsally at base, purple to brownish at apex (vs. straw-coloured). Furthermore, C. subindivisa differs from other related species of C. sect. Atrocephalae by involucral bracts straw-coloured and brown at apex and median and receptacular bracts straw-coloured dorsally at base, purple to brownish at apex (see Table 4). Lack (1991) considered C. microcephala var. subindivisa as a synonym of C. microcephala . However, we prefer the species rank for this taxon.

Nomenclatural notes: —The original description provided by Boissier (1875) for Cephalaria microcephala var. subindivisa was based on unnumbered JE and G-Boiss specimens (G00330400, G00330401, JE00013768 and JE00013769) collected by Haussknecht in Iran, Kellal from Sabz kooh, Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province in 1868. Szabó (1940) elevated this variety to the species rank, but he had not seen any type specimens of this taxon. One of GBoiss specimen (G00330400) was selected here as a three-sheets lectotype, annotated accordingly as “ Lectotype 1/3, G00330400”; “ Lectotype 2/3, G00330400-a” and “ Lectotype 3/3, G00330400-b”.