American Journal of Life Science Researches Case Report Jan 2016, Volume 4, Issue 1 A New Record guttata (L.) Fourr. Var: Clandestina () For the Flora of Syria Mohammed H. Mahklouf 1, * 1 Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya * Corresponding author: Mohammed H. Mahklouf, Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University of Tripoli, Tripoli, Libya. Tel: +218-923045542, E-mail: mahk- DOI: 10.21859/ajlsr-040105 [email protected]

Submited: 05.11.2015 Ab stract Accepted: 19.12.2015 A new species, Var: clandestina (Cistaceae) is reported for the first time for the flora of Syria. The specimens were collected from Ras Al-bassit in Lattakia province Keywords: during the study flora of Lattakia in 2009. Flora Syria Tuberaria guttata Cistaceae

© 2016. American Journal of Life Science Researches.

INTR ODUCTION ger the sepals, at flowering erect then later become spread- ing or deflexed. Outer sepals 2, linear-oblong, about 2 mm The genusTuberaria belong to the family Cistaceae is encom- long, inner sepals 3, ovate, about 4 mm, scarcely 3-nerved, passed about eleven species distributed mainly in Mediterra- sparingly hairy, petals absent, many, all fertile. Ovary nean and Euro-siberian region [1]. According to Mouterde incompletely 3-locular, with many ovules in each locule, style [2] the Tuberaria is represented in Lebanon by on spe- cies T. guttata, while it is lacking in Syria. According to the flo- ra Palaestina [3] the genus Tuberaria represented in Palestine and Jordan by one species T. guttata with two varieties, the type variety guttata, and variety plantaginea. In Turkey [3] recorded four varieties of T. guttata, var. guttata, var. plantag- inea, var. inconspica, var. clandestina. In this paper a news species T. guttata var. clandestina is col- lected and recorded for the first time for the flora of Syria.

METHODS specimens were collected from Ras Al-bassit in Latta- kia province during the study Flora of Lattakia in 2009. The specimens were deposited at the national herbarium of the Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University of Tripoli, Libya. Plant specimens were examined carefully, characterized, and described, the identification of this species was done using the data from the literature [1-4].

RESULTS Tuberaria guttata (L)Fourr Var. clandestina (Vierh.) Davis & Coode Synonyme: Tuberaria guttataForma clandestina (Vierh). In Ost Annual herb, erect, 20-30 cm long, covered with simple and stellate hairs mixed together, non-branched or branched above. simple, opposite, entire, linear-lanceolate, 1-3 cm, 3-nerved at least at the base, covered with single hairs on the upper surface and stellate hairs on the lower surface, stipules subulate-lalnceoate, minute. Inflourescence terminal monochasial cymes, slender, branched or not, 5-10 cm long. Pedicle about 5 mm extending to 10 mm in , much lon- Figure 1: Tuberaria guttata var. clancestina, Habit Akbarzadeh, et al

Figure 4: Distribution of Tuberaria guttata var. clandestina in Syria.

absent, sessile, semi globular. ovoid, shorter than the persistent calyx, about 3 mm long, dehiscing lon- gitudinally by 3 valves, seeds many, leticular or trigonous, brown, about 0.5 mm in diameter (Figs 1, 2, 3 and 4).

Figure 2: Tuberaria guttata var. clancestina, DISCUSSION The studied plant species were identified asT. guttata var. clandes- tina which characterized by absence of petals, this identification were supported by taxonomic key provided by 3 for the varieties of T. guttata recorded in Turkey. 1. Lower leaves larger than the cauline leaves, ovate-oblong, form- ing a definite rosette at flowering time (var.plantaginea ) -Lower leaves smaller than the cauline leaves, not forming a per- sistent rosette (2) 2. Petals twice as long as sepals (var. guttata) -Petals not longer than sepals or absent (3) 3. Petals present (var. incospicua) -Petals absent (var. clandestine) The specimens of the species under study were collected from Ras Al-Bassit mountains belonging to Lattakia province for the first time and recorded as new to the flora of Syria. Tuberaria guttata is Mediterranean and Euro-seiberian element [1, 2], Europe, North Africa, Turkey, Crete, Lebanon [3]. Ac- cording to Jafri and El-Gadi [4] T. guttata var. clandestina has been recorded from Euboea, Crete and Algeria.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS None declared.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST There is no conflict of interest.

REFERENCES 1. Zohary M. Flora palaestina. The Israel Academy of Science and Human- ities. Jerusalem. 1972;2:337-8. 2. Mouterde P. New Flora of Lebanon and Syria. Beirut, Tome II: Dar el-machreque; 1970. 3. Davis PH. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands. Edinburgh: Ed- inburgh University Press; 1965. Figure 3: Tuberaria guttata var. clancestina, Seeds 4. Jafri S, El-Gadi A. Flora of Libya: Al-Faateh University-Faculty of Science; 1977.

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