Phytotaxa

A checklist of Iranian Grasses

2022-11-25T09:09:04+13:00

This paper provides a taxonomic treatment for the large angiosperm family, the Poaceae, in Iran. The last comprehensive review of Iranian Grasses (Poaceae) dates back to half a century ago in Flora Iranica. Since then, a number of taxa have been described as new species or newly recorded from Iran, and some names have been placed in synonym. This study presents a comprehensive and updated account of all reported Iranian grasses and their classification. The results include 128 genera, 477 species, 64 subspecies and 44 varieties belonging to 37 subtribes, 19 tribes, and seven subfamilies, of which 28 taxa are endemic for Iran. The genera, Elymus, with 7 species and Festuca, with 5 species have the highest number of endemic species. The most diverse genera in Iran are, Bromus (39 spp.), Festuca (27 spp.), Stipa (27 spp.), and Poa (26 spp.). Poeae is the largest tribe, and Pooideae is the largest subfamily in Iran. This paper provides a new name, Festuca neopersica a new combination, Leymus europaeus as well as nomenclatural modifications on the basis of recent taxonomic and molecular investigation of Poaceae taxa related to Iran. The comparison of the species distribution in Iran with that in neighboring countries indicates that Turkey has the most and the Arabian Peninsula the least species in common with Iran, with 305 (64%) and 156 (32%) species, respectively. The species shared with Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are placed mainly in PACMAD clade, while the species shared with Iran, Turkey and Transcaucasia are mainly placed in PEB clade. Grasslands in Iran are in need of more protection as a result of climatic change and human actions.

Vascular flora of Zarrin-Kuh Protected Area in Central Kopet Dagh Mountains, NE Iran: An annotated checklist

2022-11-25T09:09:05+13:00

Zarrin-Kuh Protected Area (ZPA) is a part of the Khorassan-Kopet Dagh floristic province of the Irano-Turanian region. In this research, we present the first checklist of vascular plants of ZPA along with the life-form spectrum, phytogeography, and conservation status. We conducted field surveys through several random collection efforts and vegetation sampling during 2015–2017. A total of 549 species/infraspecific taxa belonging to 69 families and 318 genera are recorded as native and naturalized plants. The most prominent families are Asteraceae (43 genera/72 species), Poaceae (29/44), Brassicaceae (31/43), Fabaceae (15/43), and Chenopodiaceae (24/41). The richest genera are Astragalus (21 taxa), Euphorbia (10), Acanthophyllum (8), and Allium (8). The therophytes (47.2 %) and hemicryptophytes (25.2%) are dominant in the life-form spectrum. Irano-Turanian elements (347 taxa, 63.2%) are the most common plants; however, the area is inhabited by several Iranian and/or Khorassan-Kopet Dagh endemic, rare and narrow-range plants, among which 17 species are threatened. Astragalus androssovianus Gontsch. is also recorded as new to the flora of Iran. Over-grazing and exploiting valuable plants are the most critical threats to the area. The results support more effective protection practices to ensure the conservation of the unique flora of Central Kopet Dagh.

**DNA links Andean tepui endemic Helonoma peruviana to Hapalorchis (Orchidaceae, Spiranthinae)**

2022-11-25T09:09:07+13:00

Helonoma peruviana is here reported as a generic and specific addition to the Ecuadorian orchid flora based on a plant found recently in the Cordillera del Cóndor. The systematic position of H. peruviana was assessed by means of a Bayesian inference analysis of plastid (matK-trnK, trnL-trnF) and nuclear (ITS) DNA sequences from 43 genera and 50 species of Spiranthinae, plus suitable outgroups. The analysis recovered H. peruviana as the strongly supported sister of Hapalorchis, being more distantly related to Beloglottis, a genus in which Helonoma has been merged at the sectional level. Despite some differences in perianth morphology, Helonoma and Hapalorchis share both vegetative (densely pubescent roots, decumbent rhizome) and reproductive traits (similar column and pollinarium morphology). Helonoma has a disjunct distribution between the Guiana Shield and the Andean tepui region, and H. peruviana is restricted to the later in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Three new national records from Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve, Vietnam: Euphorbia bokorensis, Glochidion geoffrayi and Lysimachia nutantiflora

2022-11-25T09:09:09+13:00

We report three species of angiosperms found in Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve representing new records for Vietnam. Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve is located in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, being a part of a recently established Kon Ha Nung Highland Biosphere Reserve. Euphorbia bokorensis (Euphorbiaceae) appears to be widely distributed throughout the Central Highlands of Vietnam, although it was earlier known from Cambodia and Laos only. Pistillate flowers are for the first time described for E. bokorensis. Glochidion geoffrayi (Phyllanthaceae) was considered endemic to southern Cambodia, and Lysimachia nutantiflora (Primulaceae) was only known from Guangxi, China. For each species, we provide analytical photographs, information on its habitat, phenology, distribution and studied specimens.

Leptomischus multiflorus (Argostemmateae: Rubiaceae), a new species from southern Vietnam

2022-11-25T09:09:11+13:00

Leptomischus multiflorus, a new species of the tribe Argostemmateae (Rubiaceae), is described and illustrated. The species was discovered in 2022 in Quang Nam Province, southern Vietnam. The new species is characterized by rich indumentum on almost all plant parts, distylous flowers, and minutely puberulent ovary disk. Leptomischus multiflorus differs from all its congeners by the following features: leaf blades up to 23 cm long with up to 25 pairs of secondary veins, many-flowered inflorescences, and corolla tube 7–8 mm long and hairy outside. It additionally differs from the morphologically closest species, L. anisophyllus, in weakly anisophyllous to nearly isophyllous leaves, calyx lobes 2–2.5 mm long (about 1/3 length of corolla tube), corolla lobes with horn-like appendages, anthers 1–1.3 mm long, style hairy in distal half, pin flowers with filaments adnate at the middle of the corolla tube and with stigma lobes 1 mm long, and thrum flowers with style 2.5–3 mm long.

Epidendrum claustralis (Orchidaceae), another new species from the high Andean forests of the Rupestre group

2022-11-25T09:09:12+13:00

Epidendrum claustralis, a new species of the Rupestre Group is described and illustrated. It is a novelty from the Departments of Junín, San Martín and Amazonas, Peru. It is compared to the most similar species, Epidendrum excelsum. The species is characterized by the entire lip and with two prominent parallel calli that lean towards each other after pollination or the loss of the pollinarium, closing the entrance of the nectary, and thus avoiding another pollination event.

Acantholimon assadii (Plumbaginaceae), a new species from flora of Iran

2022-11-25T09:09:14+13:00

A new species, Acantholimon assadii from mountainous slopes of N of Kerman, Zarend, Kerman Province, south-east of Iran is here described and illustrated. The new species is morphologically distinguished from the other species of Acantholimon sect. Acantholimon by short spike-like inflorescence, length and width of bract and bracteoles, shape of bract and bracteoles, color of calyx and corolla.

Ophiocordyceps ovatospora sp. nov. (Ophiocordycipitaceae, Hypocreales), pathogenic on termites from China

2022-11-25T09:09:16+13:00

A new species, Ophiocordyceps ovatospora, occurring on termites was collected from Yunnan Province, China, and is described based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic data. In a phylogenetic analysis of a combined dataset of multigene loci comprising the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS), the small and large subunit of the ribosomal DNA (nrSSU and nrLSU), partial sequences of elongation factor 1-alpha (tef-1a) and the largest and second largest subunit of the RNA polymerase (rpb1, rpb2), O. ovatospora was clustered together with O. khokpasiensis to form a clade separate from other species of Ophiocordyceps. Morphologically, O. ovatospora is characterized by producing pseudo-immersed perithecia, filiform asci and ascospores, monophialidic phialides, and oval conidia. Ophiocordyceps ovatospora has smaller perithecia than those of O. khokpasiensis but its asci are larger.

Cardamine pakistanica (Cardamineae; Brassicaceae), a new species from North Pakistan

2022-11-25T13:13:03+13:00

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