Phlomis Iranica (Lamiaceae: Lamioideae), a New Species from the Khorassan-Kopet Dagh Floristic Province, NE Iran
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Turkish Journal of Botany Turk J Bot (2017) 41: 392-403 http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/botany/ © TÜBİTAK Research Article doi:10.3906/bot-1608-38 Phlomis iranica (Lamiaceae: Lamioideae), a new species from the Khorassan-Kopet Dagh floristic province, NE Iran 1, 1 2 2 Jamil VAEZI *, Maryam BEHROOZIAN , Mohammad Reza JOHARCHI , Farshid MEMARIANI 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran 2 Department of Botany, Research Centre for Plant Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Received: 24.08.2016 Accepted/Published Online: 11.02.2017 Final Version: 18.07.2017 Abstract: The genus Phlomis L. consists of three species, Ph. cancellata Bunge, Ph. chorassanica Bunge, and Ph. herba-venti L., in the Khorassan-Kopet Dagh floristic province, NE Iran. A new species is described and illustrated here as Ph. iranica Joharchi & Vaezi sp. nov. from this area. We included voucher specimens of the new and allied species in a morphological and molecular (nrDNA ITS) framework to examine the taxonomic status of the new taxon. Results showed that Ph. iranica can be morphologically distinguished from the species distributed in NE Iran by seven diagnostic traits including length and width of calyx tube, flower numbers in the lowermost verticillaster, length of branches in lowest and highest inflorescences, width of lowest leaf in branches, and width of lower lip corolla. Results obtained from the molecular phylogenetic tree are consistent with those obtained from the diagnostic morphological characters in which the taxonomic status of Ph. iranica is confirmed as a new species. The conservation status of the new species was evaluated as Critically Endangered. Key words: Lamiaceae, Phlomis, new species, morphology, molecular phylogeny, Iran 1. Introduction including three hybrids for Iran. However, according to According to previous taxonomic studies, the number of Flora Iranica (Rechinger, 1982), three Phlomis species species of the genus Phlomis L. (Lamiaceae: Lamioideae) including Ph. cancellata Bunge, Ph. herba-venti L., and Ph. has been estimated to be from over 100 (Azizian and chorassanica Bunge are distributed in NE Iran. Moreover, Cutler, 1982) to about 90 (Salmaki et al., 2012, after Jamzad (2012) represented a new hybrid (Ph. × wendelboi excluding some synonymous species reported by Govaerts Jamzad) for this region. Of these species, Ph. chorassanica et al., 2010). The genus has a continuous distribution was described by Bunge (1873) based on a specimen from the Mediterranean basin to East China through collected in July 1858 from the Tus region of NE Iran and the westernmost and northeastern parts of Iran (Azizian preserved in the G-BIOSS herbarium (Rechinger, 1982). To and Moore, 1982). Southern and eastern Anatolia date, no further collections were reported for this species. and northwestern Iran are presented as the centers of Nonetheless, after several fieldtrips at the type locality, we Phlomis species diversity (Azizian and Moore, 1982). could not find the species. It seems that its type locality Representatives of the genus grow as shrubs or subshrub was possibly destroyed before the species could extend its plants with the sessile flowers organized in axillary local distribution range. verticillasters. The calyx form is tubular and distinctly The Khorassan-Kopet Dagh floristic province in the five-toothed. The upper lip of the corolla is laterally Irano-Turanian region is located in the mountainous compressed while the lower one is three-lobed with the areas of northeastern Iran and somewhat in southern middle lobe wider than the lateral ones. Moreover, the Turkmenistan. The area is a transition zone and a corridor inside of the corolla margin is not bearded (Azizian and connecting different provinces of the Irano-Turanian Moore, 1982). region and also the Hyrcanian mountain forests of the The genus is represented by 28 species including Euro-Siberian region. The unique combination of Irano- four hybrids in the Flora Iranica area (Rechinger, 1982), Turanian species and also the presence of a local center of of which 20 species (including three hybrids) occur in endemism are evidence of a separate biogeographic entity Iran. Jamzad (2012) in Flora of Iran reported 22 species (Memariani et al., 2007, 2016a, 2016b). * Correspondence: [email protected] 392 VAEZI et al. / Turk J Bot In a recent field examination of some unexplored new species with the type photograph of Ph. chorassanica mountainous areas of the easternmost limits of the obtained from the herbarium G-BIOSS. We found no Khorassan-Kopet Dagh floristic province, we found similarity between them in terms of several traits such an individual of Phlomis restricted to Zaloo Mountain as the growth form, leaf size, number and density of (Figure 1). After an exhaustive investigation in the area, verticillasters, and calyx size. Moreover, when we used the we found a few scattered plants indicating that these Phlomis identification key presented in Flora of the USSR individuals have possibly been geographically isolated for (Shishkin, 1954), Ph. iranica tended to nest into the series a long time. At first glance, it appeared that the new species Salicifoliae Knorr. based largely upon the characteristics (hereafter referred to as Ph. iranica) was morphologically of leaves, bracteoles, and verticillasters. However, in order somewhat similar to Ph. herba-venti due to their almost to ascertain the exact taxonomic status of the new species identical growth form and corolla color, while when we as an independent taxon, we included individuals of Ph. used the Phlomis identification key presented in Flora persica, Ph. herba-venti, and Ph. cancellata in the current Iranica (Rechinger, 1982), Ph. iranica seemed to be more study. related to Ph. persica Boiss. The latter species is completely It appears that using the assemblage of two or more distributed in western Iran with nonoverlapping independent sources of data could ideally strengthen and geographical distribution with Ph. iranica. Likewise, when support our understanding of the taxonomic status of a we utilized the Phlomis identification key presented in the new or problematic species. From this point of view, several Flora of Turkey (Huber-Morath, 1982), the new species investigators demonstrated that using both morphological appeared to be related to Ph. integrifolia Hub.-Mor., a and molecular evidence provides valuable features for species endemic to Malatya, Turkey, and related to Ph. species delimitation (Duminil et al., 2012; Farsi et al., 2013; persica with regard to the growth form, cauline and floral Vaezi et al., 2014; Dutta et al., 2015; Korkmaz et al., 2015; leaf form/size, and corolla color. We also compared the Xu et al., 2015). The purpose of this study was to describe Figure 1. Geographical distribution of Phlomis iranica in Khorassan-Kopet Dagh, NE Iran. 393 VAEZI et al. / Turk J Bot and illustrate Phlomis iranica as a new species using a from different localities in NE Iran or obtained from combination of morphological and molecular datasets. herbarium specimens of FUMH and TUH (Table 1). All field-collected voucher specimens were preserved at 2. Materials and methods FUMH. For the molecular study, fresh-collected materials 2.1. Sampling and conservation survey were preserved in silica gel. Moreover, we integrated new For the morphological study, we included voucher sequences obtained from the current work with those specimens of Phlomis cancellata, Ph. herba-venti, and Ph. obtained from GenBank belonging mostly to some closely persica as well as the new species (Ph. iranica) collected related Phlomis species distributed in Iran (Table 2). Table 1. List of taxa included in the morphological (Mor.) and molecular (Mol.) study, voucher information, and GenBank accessions of ribotypes sequenced in the current work. Voucher Species Locality Lat./ long. Mor. Mol. GenBank acc. no. North Khorassan, Faruj towards Oghaz-e Kohne 36°22′30.60″N Ph. cancellata 29382 √ ˗ ˗ (FUMH) 60°25′35.82″E Khorassan Razavi, Sarakhs, around the Bazangan 37°27′47.58″N Ph. cancellata 27149 √ ˗ ˗ cave (FUMH) 58°13′41.06″E Khorassan Razavi, NE Mashhad, Azhdarkuh, 36°29′N Ph. cancellata 23242 √ ˗ ˗ Joghri (FUMH) 59°52′E 37°17′N Ph. cancellata North Khorassan, N Faruj, Najafabad (FUMH) 42751 √ √ KY088279 58°13′E East Azarbayjan, N slopes of Mishoudagh, south of 45°48′29″N Ph. herba-venti 55260 √ ˗ ˗ the main road near Yam (S of Marand) (TUH) 38°20′E 36°20′N Ph. herba-venti West Azarbayjan, Sardasht, Zamziran pass (TUH) 7558 √ ˗ ˗ 45°34′E East Azarbayjan, Arasbaran Protected Area, 1 km 38°53′N Ph. herba-venti 39808 √ ˗ ˗ from Kaleybar towards Hejrandoust (TUH) 47°00′E Mazandaran, 10 km from Marzanabad towards 36°26′38.44″N Ph. herba-venti 8429 √ ˗ ˗ Kelardasht (TUH) 51°15′19.60″E 37°31′17.42″N Ph. herba-venti North Khorassan, W Bojnurd, Almeh (FUMH) 2176 √ ˗ ˗ 56°23′14.34″E 37°20′N Ph. herba-venti West Azarbayjan, Rezaeiyh-Ghasemlu (TUH) 7557 √ ˗ ˗ 45°09′E Mazandaran, Marzanabad, on the road towards 36°27′11.98″N Ph. herba-venti 20464 √ ˗ ˗ Kojur (TUH) 51°19′41.38″E 38°50′48.2″N Ph. herba-venti East Azarbayjan, Arasbaran Protected Area (TUH) 39830 √ ˗ ˗ 46°54′34.4″E 36°20′N Ph. herba-venti West Azarbayjan, Sardasht, Zamziran pass (TUH) 7563 √ √ KY088280 45°34′E Kermanshah, between Kuzaran and Gahvareh 34°26′17.93″N Ph. persica 18351 √ ˗ ˗ (TUH) 46°28′01.12″E Chaharmahal and Bakhtiyari, Shahrekord, 32°13′N Ph. persica 14399 √ √ KY088282 Hafshejan (TUH) 50°47′E 34°01′01.23″N Ph. persica Markazi, between Shazand and Arak (TUH) 7575 √ ˗ ˗ 49°33′56.13″E Khorassan Razavi, Torbat-e Jam, NW Salehabad, 35°53′30.8″N Ph. iranica 45824 √ ˗ ˗ Zaloo Mount (FUMH) 60°59′50.2″E Khorassan Razavi, Torbat-e Jam, NW Salehabad, 35°53′31.6″N Ph. iranica 45061 √ √ KY088281 Zaloo Mount (FUMH) 60°59′50.3″E 394 VAEZI et al.