Nordic Journal of Botany z zyxwvuts The first record of Astragalus sect. Aegacantha (Fabaceae) in Iran R. Karamian and M. Ranjbar zyxwvut zyxw zyxwvu zyxwv 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. zyxwvu Accepted 26-8-2003 Nord. J. Bot. 23(5) 54 1 zyxwvutsrqpon zyxwvuts zy z 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. zyxwv 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) zyxwvu zyxwvuts zyxwvuts zyxwvut zyxw zyxwvu 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 zyxw zyxw Fig. 3. Astragalus leiosemius subsp. subzevarensis. Fruiting branches (from type plant). zyxwvu zyxwvutsr zyxwvutsr 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 References Bunge, A. 1868-1869. Generis Astrugali species Gerontogeae. Pars prior, claves diagnosticae. - Mem. Acad. Imp. Sci. Saint. PCtersbourg., ser. 7, 11: 1-140, 15 (1): 1-245. Deml, I. 1972. Revision der Sektionen Acanthophace Bunge und Aegacantha Bunge der Gattung Astragalus L. Boissiera 21: 1-235. Goncharov, N. F., Borisova, A. G., Gorshkova, S. G., Popov, M. G. & Vasilchenko I. T. 1946. Leguminosae: Astragalus. - In: Komarov, V. L. & Shishkin, B. K. (eds), Flora USSR, Vol. 12. Izdatel ’stvo Akademii Nauk USSSR, Moskova & Leningrad. Karamian, R. & Ranjbar, M. 2005. Astrugulus sect. Astragalus (Fabaceae) in Iran. - Bot. J. Linnean SOC. 141: 363-368. Lock, J. M. & Simpson, K. 1991. Legumes of West Asia, a Check-List. - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 81-82. Maassoumi, A. A. 1998. Astrugalus in the Old World CheckList. - Islamic Republic of Iran Ministry of Jahad-e Sazandegi Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands 1998- 194, Tehran. Mabberley, D. J. 1997. The Plant book, A Portable Dictionary of the Vascular plants, 2nd edition. Cambridge University press, Cambridge. Podlech, D. 1986. Taxonomic and phytogeographical problems in Astrugalus of the Old World and South-West Asia. - Proc. Roy. SOC.Edinburgh 89 B: 37-43. - 2001. Astragalus. - In: Rechinger, K. H. (ed.), Flora Iranica, 175: 8-52. Ranjbar, M. & Karamian, R. 2002. Astrugalus sect. Astragalus (Fabaceae) in Iran, complementary notes with a key to the species. - Nord. J. Bot. 22: 177-181. - , Maassoumi, A. A. & Podlech, D. 2002. Astragalus sect. Alopecuroidei (Fabaceae) in Iran, complementary notes with a key to the species. - Willedenowia 32: 85-91. Nord. J. Bot. 23(5)