Phytotaxa 92 (1): 20–24 (2013) www.mapress.com/ phytotaxa / Copyright © 2013 Magnolia Press ISSN 1179-3155 (print edition) Article PHYTOTAXA ISSN 1179-3163 (online edition) http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.92.1.3 A new species of Acanthophyllum (Caryophyllaceae) from Iran ATEFEH PIRANI1,*, MOHAMMAD REZA JOHARCHI2 & FARSHID MEMARIANI2 1 Department of Plant Sciences, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 14155-6455, Tehran, Iran; e-mail: pirani@khayam.ut.ac.ir 2 Department of Botany, Research Center for Plant Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran * author for correspondence Abstract The new species Acanthophyllum yasamin-nassehiae (Caryophyllaceae) from North Khorassan province (north-eastern Iran) is here described and illustrated. It belongs to the sect. Oligosperma, and it is related to A. lilacinum and A. brevibracteatum from the morphological point of view. Notes on its ecology and conservation status are given. Key words: sect. Oligosperma, Endemic species, Irano-Turanian, Taxonomy Introduction Acanthophyllum Meyer (1831: 210) is a genus of about 60 species mainly distributed in the Irano-Turanian region, with center of diversity in north-east of Iran and adjacent areas of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan (Takhtajan 1986, Ghaffari 2004). This genus includes small pulvinate shrubs with spiny leaves that grow in open habitats. These taxa are floristic components of steppe and mountain vegetation in Iran (Zohary 1973). The first classification of Acanthophyllum was made by Boissier (1897). He recognized five groups within the genus (any certain taxonomic rank was given). Boissier’s classification has been followed by several authors (e.g. Golenkin 1893, Shishkin 1936, Schiman-Czeika 1988). There are two main taxonomic treatments of the genus Acanthophyllum. The first one by Shishkin (1936) in the Flora of USSR in which two subgenera [subgen. Acanthophyllum and subgen. Allochrusa (Bunge in Boissier 1867: 559) Shishkin (1936: 799)], six sections, five series and 33 species are recognized. The other important study has been made by Schiman-Czeika (1988) for the Flora Iranica region: seven sections were recognized for Acanthophyllum, of which four [sect. Acanthophyllum, sect. Macrostegia Boissier (1867: 563), sect. Oligosperma Shishkin (1936: 783), and sect. Pleiosperma Boissier (1867: 565)] occur in Iran. Several other works have recently been published on the taxonomy of the genus in Iran. Parsa (1951) recognized 18 species [five sections corresponding to the five groups by Boissier (1867)]. Mobayen (1979) reported 17 species without subgeneric classification. Schiman-Czeika (1988) recognized four sections including 33 Acanthophyllum species in Iran. Some new records as well as a new species of Acanthophyllum for Iran have been recently published (Joharchi & Akhani 2006, Mahmoudi-Shamsabad et al. 2012). BasiriEsfahani et al. (2011) reduced the number of Iranian species to 21, on the basis of morphological studies. They followed the sectional classification by Schiman-Czeika (1988), and suggested seven synonymies as well as the treatment of five species at variety rank. Oligosperma is the largest section of Acanthophyllum, and represents the most diverse and controversial group (Ghaffari 2004, Mahmoudi-Shamsabad et al. 2012). It includes shrubs with elongate internodes, cushion-forming shrubs and, subshrubs with extremely reduced stems and imbricate leaves. All members of the section have inflorescences in cymes (compound dichasia), five sepals, five clawed pink to lilac petals, 10 exerting stamens and 4-ovuled ovaries. 20 Accepted by Duilio Iamonico: 12 Mar. 2013; published online in PDF: 5 Apr. 2013 During a field investigation in the NE Iran in 2008, a new Acanthophyllum species was observed from North Khorassan province. Several individuals were collected and studied. The species was carefully compared with Acanthophyllum specimens at B, BM, FUMH, G, GB, JE, K, LD, M, MSB, TARI, TMRC, TUH and WU herbaria (codes according to Thiers 2011). Because of the complexity of the inflorescence structure in the genus Acanthophyllum, the definition of some parts is necessary: “floral leaves”, the leaves subtending each inflorescence branch; “upper floral leaves”, the leaves subtending the inner branches of the inflorescence; “lower floral leaves”, the leaves subtending the outer branches of the inflorescence; “cymule”: the smallest part of a compound dichasium; “bracts”, the leaves subtending each cymule; “bracteoles”, the leaves subtending each flower. Acanthophyllum yasamin-nassehiae Joharchi & Pirani, sp. nov. (Fig. 1). Type:—IRAN. North Khorassan province: NE Jajarm, 19 km west of Showqan village, 37° 20´ 21.0”N, 56° 40´ 36.1”E, 1256 m, 7 September 2008, Memariani & Zangooei 41448 (holotype FUMH!). Diagnosis:—Similis A. lilacino et A. brevibracteato, sed differt ab A. lilacino bracteis calyce brevioribus, foliis crassiusculis, indumento non scabrido et differt ab A. brevibracteato caulibus a medio valde ramosus, bracteis convicibus, calycibus non angulato-costatis. Description:—Subshrub, pulvinate, 25–30 cm high, densely branched from the middle (few branches at the base), covered with ±dense and simple to multicellular hairs. Stems brownish; internodes subequal, (8–)9.5–10.5(–12) mm long. Leaves subulate, (13–)14.5–16.5(–18) long, 1.5–2 mm wide, sparsely hairy, rigid, thickened, horizontally spreading, with a terminal yellowish mucro. Inflorescence cymose, multiflowered, (18–)20–40(–45) mm in diameter, with peduncles 10–12 mm long; flowers sessile. Floral leaves 6–14 × 1.5–2 mm, the uppers bract-like, the lowers leaf-like, not exceeding the calyx. Bracts shorter than calyx, 5.5–6 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, lanceolate, narrowly hyaline at the margins, mucronate, with prominent midrib, sometimes recurved at the apex. Bracteoles similar to the bracts, 4.5–5 mm long, about 1.5 mm wide, lanceolate, hyaline at the margins, mucronate, with prominent midrib, sometimes recurved at the tip. Calyx tubular, 5-ribbed, 7–8 mm long, with 5 subequal teeth; teeth 0.5–1 mm long, narrowly triangular, mucronulate. Petals pink, clawed, blade lanceolate, obtuse at the apex, 12–12.5 mm long, about 2 mm wide, about 5 mm longer than the calyx. Ovary ovate, styles 11 mm long, ovules 4. Stamens 5, about 14 mm long. Fruit capsule, with one mature seed. Seed ovate-reniform. Etymology:—The species is dedicated to Mrs. Yasamin Nasseh, the Iranian botanist at Herbarium of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUMH). Distribution, ecology and conservation remarks:—A. yasamin-nassehiae is a narrow endemic species currently known only from the type locality. Its distribution area overlap with those of the related species (Fig. 2). The new species includes late summer flowering plants which grow on semi-saline soils of the plain located between southern foothills of Aladagh mountain range in SW Bojnord and northern foothills of Salook and Bahar ranges in NE Jajarm. The main co-occurring species are Astragalus podolobus Boissier (1849: 49), Diaphanoptera khorasanica Rechinger (1940: 42), Suaeda microphylla Pallas (1803: 52), Halothamnus glaucus (von Bieberstein 1808: 185) Botschantzev (1981: 157), Halimocnemis pilifera MoquinTandon in De Candolle (1849: 195), Kaviria aucheri (Moquin-Tandon in De Candolle 1849: 207) Akhani (in Akhani et al. 2007: 948), Pyankovia brachiata (Pallas 1803: 30) Akhani & E.H. Roalson (in Akhani et al. 2007: 949), and Sophora pachycarpa Schrenk ex Meyer (in Fischer et al. 1843: 89). The habitat of A. yasamin-nassehiae is threatened by human activities (road constructions between Showqan and Jajarm). On the basis of the IUCN Red List categories and criteria (IUCN 2010) this species is here evaluated as critically endangered [CR, B1ab(iii) + B2ab(iii)]. Another endangered endemic species (D. khorasanica) grows in the same place of A. yasamin-nassehiae. Therefore, a conservation planning for the threatened ecosystem and species is needed. A NEW SPECIES OF ACANTHOPHYLLUM FROM IRAN Phytotaxa 92 (1) © 2013 Magnolia Press • 21 Taxonomical notes:—The new species certainly belongs to sect. Oligosperma, showing however peculiar inflorescence and stem characteristics. Morphologically similar species are A. brevibracteatum Lipsky in Shishkin (1936: 790) and A. lilacinum Shishkin (1936: 787, 892). It is characterized by short bracts never exceeding the calyx, non-glandular hairs, and brownish stems which are densely branched from the middle. It differs from A. brevibracteatum in having dense simple to multicellular hairs, non-angled ribs of the calyx, and convex bracts with hyaline margin, while differs from A. lilacinum by short bracts with non-crisped hairs, and by short thickened leaves (Table 1). FIGURE 1. Acanthophyllum yasamin-nassehiae (drawing by Nona Karimzadeh from holotype). A: Habit, B: Flower. 22 • Phytotaxa 92 (1) © 2013 Magnolia Press PIRANI ET AL. TABLE 1. Morphological comparisonof A. yasamin-nassehiae, A. lilacinum and A. brevibracteatum. The characters are based on studies of the only one know population of A. yasamin-nassehiae (five individuals), fifteen populations of A. lilacinum and five populations of A. brevibracteatum. A. yasamin-nassehiae A. lilacinum A. brevibracteatum Stem densely branched from the middle, brownish densely branched from the base, violet- densely branched from the base, tinged non-violet-tinged, non-brownish Indumentum simple to multicellular hairs all over, glandular hairs absent scabrid hairs; crisped hairs on bracts, short glandular hairs intermixed on inflorescence region scabrid hairs; crisped hairs on calyx, short glandular hairs intermixed on stem and leaves Internodes (8–) 9.5–10.5 (–12) mm (10–) 14–20 (–30) mm (5–) 7–15 (–17) mm Leaves (13–) 14.5–16.5 (–18) mm long, thickened, horizontally spreading (20–) 25– 35 (–40) mm long, nonthickened, obliquely ascending (12–) 15– 20 (–30) mm long, nonthickened, ±horizontally spreading Calyx ribs non-angled non-angled angled Bracts 5.5–6 × 1.5–2 mm, obviously shorter than calyx, convex at base, narrowly hyaline-margined 8–12 × 2.5–3 mm, longer than calyx, often convex at base, covered with ± dense crisped hairs, non-hyalinemargined 5–7 × 1–1.5 mm, shorter than or equal to calyx, keeled or shieldshaped at base, narrowly hyalinemargined toward the base Petal blade lanceolate, obtuse narrowly obovate, acute narrowly obovate, acute FIGURE 2. Distribution map of A. yasamin-nassehiae, A. lilacinum, and A. brevibracteatum. Acknowledgements We wish to thank the assistant staff of FUMH, especially Hassan Zangooei for his helps in field surveys. Nona Karimzadeh is gratefully acknowledged for the illustrations. We also thank the Directors and the Curators of the herbaria cited for the loan and permission to study the Acanthophyllum specimens. A NEW SPECIES OF ACANTHOPHYLLUM FROM IRAN Phytotaxa 92 (1) © 2013 Magnolia Press • 23 References Akhani, H., Edwards, G. & Roalson, E.H. (2007) Diversification of the old world Salsoleae s.l. (Chenopodiaceae): molecular phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and chloroplast data sets and a revised classification. International Journal of Plant Sciences 168: 931–956. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/518263 Basiri-Esfahani, Sh., Bidi, B., Assadi, M. & Rahimi-Nejad M.R. (2011) A taxonomic study of Acanthophyllum C.A. Mey. (Caryophyllaceae) in Iran. Iranian Journal of Botany 17: 24–39. Boissier, E. 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