Nordic Journal of Botany
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The first record of Astragalus sect. Aegacantha (Fabaceae) in
Iran
R. Karamian and M. Ranjbar
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Karamian, R. & Ranjbar, M. 2005. The first record of Astragalus sect. Aegacantha
(Fabaceae) in Iran. - Nord. J. Bot. 23: 541-544. Copenhagen. ISSN 0107-055X.
A new distinct population of Astragalus leiosemius. hitherto unknown to science, is
reported for the first time from the eastern Alborz mountains in the Irano-Turanian
part of Iran, at an altitude of 2400 m, far disjunct (ca. 800 km) from the
populations at the Asia media and Afghanistan. The new taxon is described and
illustrated as Astragalus leiosemius subsp. sabzevarensis. This orophilous and
tragachantic plant belongs to A . sect. Aegacantha. On the basis of some important
data on morphology, ecology and chorology, the new taxon is reported and its
affinities and differences with regard to close taxa are presented. A. sect
Aegacantha is recorded for the first time from the eastern part Iran.
R. Karamian and M. Ranjbaz Department of Biology. Herbarium Division, h i versity of Bu-Ali Sina. PO. Box 651 7Y4111, Hamadan, Iran. E-mail: R-Karamian
@ basu.ac.ir.
Introduction
Asfragalus L. (Fabaceae) is generally considered as
the largest genus of vascular plants with an
estimated number of 2500-3000 species (Lock &
Simpson 1991; Mabberley 1997; Maassoumi 1998,
Ranjbar & Karamian 2002; Karamian & Ranjbar
2005) and is also the largest genus in Iran,
represented by ca 800 species belonging to 67
sections. In this paper a new taxon from Asfrugalus
sect. Aegacanfha Bunge is introduced from Iran. A.
sect. Aegacantha was established by Bunge (18681869), artificially placed in the A. subgen. phaca
(Bunge 1868-1869) and put in its present position
(Ranjbar & Karamian 2002). The entire section was
revised by Deml (1972) and for certain areas e.g.
Flora USSR (Gontscharov 1946) and Flora Iranica
(Podlech 2001). This section belongs to a group of
Asfragali, which have yellow flowers. This group
consists of A. sect. Astragalus, A . sect. Chronopus, A.
sect. Caprini, A. sect. Eremophysa, A . sect. Alopecuroidei, A . sect. Laxijlori and A . sect. Aegacanfha
(Ranjbar & Karamian 2002; Ranjbar et al. 2002;
Karamian & Ranjbar 2005).
During field investigations in the mountains of
Iran, some peculiar thorny cushion-like populations
of Astragali were found. In fact, they are dominant
members of very specialized orophilous plant community and colonize above the Garu mountain of
Sabzevar. Investigations on living material and
herbarium specimens, suggest that this population
which is closely related to A . leiosemius (Lipsky)
Popov and Astragalus dactylocarpus Boiss. occurs
in the E Alborz mountains too; but some differences
in morphology allow to treat this population as a
new distinctive taxon. However, it seems that this
taxon is an evidence for woodyfication process in
the Iranian herbal Asfragali.
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Accepted 26-8-2003
Nord. J. Bot. 23(5)
54 1
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Fig. 1. Astragalus leiosernius subsp. sabzevarensis. - A: Habit; B: Rachis segment with stipules; C: Leaflets (abaxial and adaxial
views) and Rachis; D: Flower; E: Standard; F: Keel; G: Wings; H: Androecium; I: Gynoecium; J: Calyx; K: Pod. - Scales: A = 1
cm; B-C = 1/6 cm; D-K = 1/3 cm.
Materials and methods
The present study is mainly based on herbarium
material. Several sheets have been examined for each
species, received on loan from the following
herbaria: Herbarium W, Herbarium WU, Herbarium
of Ferdousi University of Mashhad (FUMH), Herbarium Research Center of Natural Resources and
Animal Affairs of Mashhad, Esfahan, S h i m and
Kerman. Moreover, during several excursions in Iran,
many species were studied in the field by the second
author.
542
Astragalus leiosemius subsp. sabzevarensis
Ranjbar, subspec. nov.
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Typus: E Iran: E Khorassan: Sabzevar: 28 km N of
Davarzan, above of Abroud village, Kuh Gar, 2600
m, 25.7.2001, Assadi & Ranjbar 4480 (holo.
BASUH; iso. herb. Ranjbar).
Fruticulosus, spinosus, 20-35 cm altus, pilis albis
0.4-0.6 (1) mm longis. Stipulis chartaceae to membranaceae, 3-5 mm longae. Folia 3-5 cm longa; rhachides dense subappresse to erecto-patent pilosae.
Racemi pedunculo 0.4-0.6cm longo suffilti, 1-flori.
Calyx tubulosus, flaws, 7-10 mm longus, sparse
Nord. I. Bot. 23(5)
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appresse pilosus. Petala flava. Vexillum 14-17 mm
longum, lamina 4-5 mm longa. Legumina bilocularia
13-20 longa et 6-8 mm lata. - Fig. 1.
Dwarf spiny subshrubs, 20-35 cm tall, densely or
rarely loosely branched at the base with white hairs in
vegetative parts, 0.4-0.6 (1) mm long, only in the
peduncle also rarely with grayish-black hairs. Stems
ascending, with f dense appressed to ascending hairs.
Stipules triangular or f oblong-acuminate, chartaceous to membranous, yellowish-white, 3-5 mm long,
adnate to the petiole for ca. 2/3 of their length,
sparsely hairy, ciliate at margins and tip. Leaves 3-5
cm long; rachides f dense, thin, rigid, erect to
suberect, non glabrescent with age; terminal spine;
petiole 1/3-112 as long as the rachis. Leaflets in 4-6
pairs, complicate to flattened, green, 2-3 x 1-1.5 mm,
obovate to elliptic at the apex obtuse, on upper side f
glabrous, on underside sparsely to loosely appressed
hairy. Peduncles 0.4-0.6 cm long, densely covered
with ascending hairs, predominantly white and rarely
grayish-black hairy. Pedicels 2-3 mm long, glabrous.
Bracteoles absent. Calyx yellowish cream, tubular, 710 mm and 2-3 mm wide, sparsely hahy to
glabrescent; teeth 2-4 mm long, linear-subulate. Petals
yellow. Standard 14-17 mm long and 4-5 mm wide,
without distinctly differentiated claw, f obovateelliptic, scarcely constricted at middle, round at apex.
Wings slightly shorter than standard; blade narrowly
oblong, round at the apex, 12-14 x 1-1.5 mm; auricle
0.4-0.6 mm long. Keel 9-11 mm long; blades 5-6.5 x
2.5 mm. Ovary shortly stipitate, densely hairy; style
hairy in lower third. Legumes sessile, elliptic,
shallowly grooved dorsally, acuminate at the apex,
13-20 mm long, 6-8 mm wide and 4-6 mm high,
sparsely hairy to glabrescent, bilocular. - Fig. 2.
Fig. 2. Distribution map of Astragalus leiosemius subsp.
sabzevarensis in Iran.
Etymology. The specific epithet is named after the
village and district Sabzevar, Prov. Khorassan, Iran.
Taxonomic remarks. The similar shapes of pods,
flowers and leaflets confirm the close relationship
between the new species and A . dactylocarpus subsp.
acinacijerus (Boiss.) E. Ott. Although they are sympatric, but the new species differs from it by having
canopy c. 40 cm in diam., leaflets in 4-6 pairs,
narrowly striate hairs (Table 1).
Distribution, evolution and ecology. Astragalus
leiosemius subsp. sabzevarensis is a narrowly endemic
Table 1. Diagnostic morphological characters of Astragalus dactylocarpus. A. Ieiosemius and A . leiosemius subsp. sabzevarensis
Character
A. dactylocarpus
A . leiosemius
subsp. sabzevarensis
A . leiosemius
indumentum
leaves
leaflets
with short flattened hairs
5-20 (-30) cm long
in 10-25 (-40) pairs
non-mucronulate
merely covered
with white hairs
2-4 mm long
19-31 mm long
17-27 mm long
20-33 mm long
30-90 mm long
with short narrow hairs
3-5 cm long
in 4-6 pairs
non-mucronulate
rarely mixed
with black hairs
4-6 mm long
12-14 mm long
9-1 1 mm long
14-17 mm long
13-20 mm long
with short narrow hairs
3-6 cm long
in 6-10 pairs
mucronulate
merely covered
with white hairs
1-2 mm long
16-20 mm long
11-14 mm long
18-22 mm long
10-14 mm long
peduncle
wings
keel
standard
Pod
Nod.1. Bot. 23(5)
543
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Fig. 3. Astragalus leiosemius
subsp. subzevarensis. Fruiting
branches (from type plant).
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species known only from the mountainous regions
from the dry-steppe and stony clay zone around
Abroud village north of Sabzevar which has been
covered by dominant species such as Cosinia
onopordioides, Noaea mucronata, Acantholimon sp.
and Artemisia sp. (Fig. 2). In this region A. cystosus and
A. hcioides from A . sect. Acanthophace have relatively
dense populations. In vegetative form, A. leiosemius
subsp. sabzevarensis (Fig. 3) is the most similar to A.
sect. Acanthophace. Its standard is elliptic shape with
yellow color, calyx hairs are shorter than 1 mm, and
peduncle is not developed characters by which the
species is related to sect. Chronopus.
Acknowledgements - The great help of Dr E. Vitek,
Dr B. Wallonofer and Dr W. Till during our visit
from Herbarium W and Herbarium WU in Vienna is
much appreciated. The present study was supported
by the project number 32-2389 “Biosystematical
study on the Astragalus sect. Chronopus in Iran” of
the Bu-Ali Sina University. We are grateful to Prof.
Dr Assadi from Research Institute of Forests and
Rangelands Tehran for his support, especially in
organizing the excursion in Khorassan. Also we
would like to thank the Director of the Herbarium of
Ferdousi University of Mashhad (FUMH),Herbarium
Research Center of Natural Resources and Animal
Affairs of Mashhad, Esfahan and Kerman for making
the herbarium facilities available for our study. For
the processing and loan of herbarium specimens.
Also we wish to thank Mr Mehranfard for preparing
the illustration and Mr Ghahremani for his helps.
544
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