A New Species of the Genus Psephellus - Ozean Publications

Ozean Journal of Applied Sciences 2(1), 2009
genus Psephellus (Greuter 2003a, Greuter & Raab-Straube 2006). P. turcicus A.Duran & E.Hamzaoğlu was
described according to new revised system by Wagenitz and Hellwig (2000) from the genus Psephellus
(Duran & Hamzaoğlu 2005).
In Wagenitz & Hellwig (2000), 12 sections that had been included in the genus Centaurea were transferred
to the genus Psephellus. The former sections of the genus Centaurea were: Sect. Psephelloideae,
Psephellus, Hyalinella, Aetheopappus, Odontolophus, Xanthopsis, Amblyopogon, Heterolophus,
Czerniakovskya, Odontolophoideae, Uralepis and Sosnovskya. New combinations under the genus
Psephellus are provided for these sections and 35 species, especially from Turkey and Iran. Some of these
species occur only in Turkey. In this article, we have preferred the latest system in generic classification.
Psephellus specimen did not have flowers when it was first collected in 2002. The specimens with flowers
were collected from the same locality in 2003. The specimens were not referable to any known Psephellus
species. Studying the specific descriptions of Psephellus in Wagenitz (1975), Dostal (1976), Davis et al.
(1988), Wagenitz et al. (1998), Wagenitz & Hellwig (2000), Güner (2000), Türkoğlu et al. (2003) and
Duran & Hamzaoğlu (2005) as well as comparison with specimens in the Herbaria KNYA, ANK, GAZI,
GOET, HUB, E, K and BM, showed that the specimens represent a species new to science. The specimens
of P. coruhensis were examined and compared with specimens of the related species P. simplicicaulis in
Turkey. Examined representative specimens of P. simplicicaulis from two localities and P. aucherianus
(DC.) Boiss. five localities are cited below. The authors of plant names were checked from Brummitt &
Powell (1992).
The molecular studies were made on the genus Centaurea (Psephellus, Cyanus, Rhaponticoides incl.).
There is not yet a very clear picture of the evolution of the tribe Cardueae. Formal cladistic analyses
published so far are based on few molecular markers Font et al. (2002) and Hellwig (2004). According to
the new molecular technologies the taxonomic complexity of genus Centaurea is trying to solve, but needs
further study. Only P. dealbatus (Willd.) C.Koch (Susanna et al. 1995), P. hedgei Wagenitz, P. bellus
(Trautv.) Wagenitz and P. trinervius (Willd.) Wagenitz (Hellwig, 1996) have been included in phylogenetic
analyses using molecular markers (Wagenitz & Hellwig, 2000). In these studies the ITS regions of the
nuclear ribosomal repeat were sequenced. P. hedgei and P. bellus were also included in RFLP analysis of
the chloroplast DNA (Hellwig, 1996). In both cases Psephellus proved to be monophyletic (Hellwig, 1996;
Wagenitz & Hellwig, 2000).
Description of the New Species
Psephellus coruhensis A.Duran & M.Öztürk sp. nov. (Figs. 1 and 2)
Sect. Hyalinella (Tzvelev) Wagenitz & Hellwig
Affinis P. simplicicaulis, sed caulibus saturate ramosis (nec simplicibus), foliis terminalibus segmentatis 2–
8 mm latis (nec 7–15 mm latis), involucris 9–12 x 5–8 mm (nec 14–19 x 9–14 mm), appendicibus
marginatis 5–8 ciliatis ac 0.8–1.3 mm longis (nec marginatis hyalinis dilute dentatis, dentibus usque 0.5
mm longis), pappis 1.5–2 mm longis (nec 5–10 mm longis) differt.
Type: Turkey. A8 Artvin: between Yusufeli-Sarıgöl, 2 th km, 630 m, 31.v.2003, stony slopes, 40°50.820'N,
41°32.339'E, A.Duran 6174 (holotype: KNYA, isotypes: GAZI, ANK, HUB, E).
Perennial with woody rootstock, many-stemmed, forming tufts. Stem slightly ascending to erect, remains of
stems and basal leaves of the previous year present, ± sparsely floccose-tomentose, 5-striate, 25–35(–40)
cm tall, 0.7–1.5 mm diameter at base, very rich branched in lower ¼ part of the stem, branches mostly
fertile, some branches sterile or undeveloped, branches subequal to equal. Leaves mostly half of the stem,
distinctly bi-coloured, green and sparsely tomentose above, densely adpressed grey-tomentose below,
decreasing in number and size to capitula; basal and lower cauline leaves pinnatisect to lyrate with 1–2(–3)
pairs of oblong to lanceolate lateral segments and conspicuously larger lanceolate or oblanceolate terminal
segment, or rarely entire, oblanceolate or ± linear, variable in outline, terminal segment 2–8 mm wide,
leaves to 7 x 1(–1.6) cm (incl. petiole), apex obtuse or acute; median and upper cauline leaves linear to
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