Crocus ancyrensis (Herb.) Maw subsp. guneri Yüzb.

Yüzbaşioğlu, Sirri & Celep, Ferhat, 2016, Crocus ancyrensis subsp. guneri (Iridaceae), a new subspecies from Turkey, Phytotaxa 266 (3), pp. 219-225 : 220-223

Crocus ancyrensis (Herb.) Maw subsp. guneri Yüzb. subsp nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 ).

The new subspecies differs from the type subspecies by chiefly flower coloration. It has heavily suffused or striped on the exterior of the outer segments with purplish-brown whereas the type has always without any coloration on the exterior of the outer segments.

Type:— TURKEY. A5 Amasya. Göynücek, Bekdemir köyü çevresi, 505 m, bozkır yamaçlar, 2 March 2007, A. Güner (14380), F. Tezcan, M. Öztekin (holotype NGBB 1864!).

Corm ovoid to flattened-globose, 7.5–15 × 9.25–14 mm. Corm tunic of coarsely reticulate fibers, 0.23–0.32(–0.41) mm wide. Leaves 3–4(–6), shorter than to just exceeding the flower at anthesis, 0.75–1 mm broad, grey-green, glabrous to sparsely ciliate at margins; white stripe 1/3 to rarely larger than 1/3. Two ribs on both sides underneath the leaves. Cataphylls 3(–4), white. Prophyll absent. Bracts and bracteoles equal in length, white. Flowers 1–2(–3), orange to yellow-orange (RHS Colour Chart, Yellow-Orange group 21A). Perigone tube 34–46(–57) mm long, yellow or purplish. Perigone segments more or less equal, 17–30 mm long, 6–12 mm broad. Perigone segment shape obovate or elliptic, obtuse to subacute. Inside all segments uniformly orange to yellow–orange. Outside of outer segments striped or suffused dark purplish brown. Outside of inner segments orange to yellow–orange, sometimes dark purplish brown basal blotch at base. Throat yellow, glabrous or slightly pubescent. Filaments 4.5–7.5 mm long, yellow, glabrous or sparsely papillose at the base. Anthers arrow-shaped, 9–12.5 mm long, yellow, lobes 2–2.5 mm. Connective colorless to pale yellow. Style orange-red to orange, divided into 3 branches, which are not or slightly widened towards the apex; branches 3.5–6.5 mm long, papillate, usually shorter than the stamens. Capsule at ground level, 12–17.25 × 5.25–7 mm, ellipsoid, purple, number of seeds per fruit 16–24. Seeds ellipsoid, 3.25–3.75 mm long, 1.6–2 mm broad, pale brown with a prominent caruncle and a poorly developed raphe.

Phenology:—Flowering from February to March.

Etymology:—This new subspecies is named after Adil Güner, who is a well-known Turkish taxonomist and one of the mentors of the first author.

Leaf Anatomy:—The leaf anatomical features of the new subspecies are similar to the type subspecies, as reported by Kandemir (2011) and Candan (2015). Cross sections is more or less symmetric. There is a large rectangular central lacuna in the middle of the leaf. Large vascular bundles are located at the margins and a few (3–4) subsidiary vascular bundles can be found in the abaxial surface. Palisade parenchyma cells is 2–3 layered and spongy cells is 3–5 layered ( Fig. 1d ).

Analysis of seed testa surface:—Three major testa surface sculpturing patterns with subtypes were recognized by Harpke et al. (2013) in Crocus . According to this classification, the new subspecies can be evaluated as Type 2.4: “seed surface has papillae like excrescences in different variations, which are mostly tapered and sometimes twinned or triplet” ( Fig. 1f ). On the other hand, Harpke et al. (2013) classified C. ancyrensis s.str. in Type 3.1 and 3.3, as “seed surface has papillae without any excrescences and seed surface has papillae with filiform or drawn-out excrescences, which are twisted or buckled, respectively”.

Karyology:— Crocus ancyrensis subsp. guneri is a diploid plant with 2n = 10 chromosomes ( Fig. 1g ). The karyotype formula can be expressed as 2n = 2x = 10 = 2m + 6sm + 2st, satellites may occasionally be visible on the short arm of the smallest sm pair, and the metaphase chromosome length ranges from 4.03 to 7.42 μm. The same chromosome number was reported from type locality of C. ancyrensis ( Karasawa 1950, Mathew 1984).

Taxonomic relationships:—The new subspecies is mostly similar to C. ancyrensis considering gross morphology and more or less similar also to C. angustifolius Weston (1771: 238) from the Crimea, considering outer tepal coloration. The new subspecies differs from C. ancyrensis s.str. by its tepal coloration as yellow or orange colour with heavily striped and suffused dark purplish on outer tepals (not plain yellow or orange) and seed surface sculpturing pattern as Type 2.4 (not Type 3.1 and 3.3, see Harpke et al. 2013). The new subspecies and C. angustifolius have yellow or orange flowers and heavily striped or suffused dark purplish brown outside. However, there are many morphological differences in detail between the two taxa. For example, tepals of C. angustifolius roll back in sunshine and this is a characteristic of the species. The new subspecies differs mainly in its leaves with two ribs in lateral channels (not without rib) and glabrous or very sparsely scabrid hairs (not ciliated on margin and keel); style branches usually shorter than anthers (not well overtopping anthers); seeds ellipsoid (not subglobose). The shape of perigone segment apex may also be of help in distinguishing between the two taxa. In C. ancyrensis , the perigone segment apex is obtuse to rounded, whereas it is usually subacute in C. angustifolius .

Additional specimens examined of C. ancyrensis subsp. guneri (paratypes):— TURKEY. A5 Amasya. Göynücek, Bekdemir köyü üstleri, Paliurus spina-christi açıklıkları, 540 m, 13 February 2014, S. Yüzbaşıoğlu 3928 (ISTE 109490!); ibidem, 5 March 2015, S. Yüzbaşıoğlu 4124 (ISTE 109491!); ibidem, 17 May 2015, S. Yüzbaşıoğlu 4184 (ISTE 109492!); Direkli köyü, 1180 m, 13 February 2014, S. Yüzbaşıoğlu 3931 (ISTE 109493!).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Crocus ancyrensis subsp. guneri. a: habit. b: flowers, variation of outer perigone segments markings. c: flower, anthers and three branch style visible. d: leaf cross-section and two ribs in lateral channels. e: outer corm tunic. f: SEM image of the seed surface. g: somatic chromosomes and idiogram (arrow indicates satellite).

FIGURE 2. Crocus ancyrensis subsp. guneri. a: habitat. b, c: habitus.