Astragalus mario-sousae (Fabaceae: Galegeae), a new species from northeastern Mexico

Astragalus mario-sousae is described from the central part of state of Nuevo León, Mexico. It differs fromAstragalus esperanzae by its habit, peduncles, pedicels, and fruits.

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Resumen   Astragalus mario-sousae (Fabaceae: Galegeae), a new species from northeastern Mexico. Brittonia 57: 314–319. 2005.—Astragalus mario-sousae es propuesta como especie nueva. Se conoce solo de la porción central del estado mexicano de Nuevo León. Se presentan una descripción e ilustración. Difiere deAstragalus esperanzae por su hábito erecto, pedúnculos, pedicelos y frutos más cortos.

     

Astragalus neo-assadianus (Fabaceae), a new species in sect. Alopecuroidei from Iran

Astragalus neo-assadianus (Fabaceae), a new species endemic to Iran, is described and illustrated. This species belongs to A. sect . Alopecuroidei and is distinct and interesting among the Iranian species. It is confined to the north-eastern part of Iran (Khorasan Province) and only known from a single collection close to the Turkmenistan frontier.  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 143 , 197–200.     

The taxonomic status of Astragalus mokiacensis (Fabaceae), a species endemic to the southwestern United States

Astragalus mokiacensis has been a problematic species since it was first described in 1877. Every major revision delimited this taxon differently. A principal components analysis of morphological data from herbarium specimens was used to determine the affinities between type specimens and extant populations ofA. mokiacensis. The taxon recently recognized asA. lentiginosus var.trumbullensis is morphologically similar to the lectotype ofAstragalus mokiacensis. Astragalus lentiginosus var.trumbullensis is herein recognized as a lowelevation minor variant and considered a synonym ofA. mokiacensis. A taxonomic key and complete synonymy are included.     

Astragalus moussavii (Fabaceae), a new species of Astragalus sect. Xiphidium from Iran, with supplementary notes on the section

The new species Astragalus moussavii , endemic to Iran, is described and illustrated. The new species belongs to A. sect. Xiphidium and is related to A. ruscifolius and A. sanctus.     

Astragalus bahcesarayensis (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae), a new species of section Alopecuroidei DC. from Turkey

Astragalus bahcesarayensis H. Akan, M. Fırat & M. Ekici (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) from Turkey is described and illustrated. It is compared with A. dipsaceus Bunge and A. panduratus Bunge. The geographical distributions of the new species and related species are mapped.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 156 , 439–444.     

A new species of Astragalus L. (section Onobrychoidei DC.: Fabaceae) from Turkey

A new species of Astragalus L., A. trabzonicus (section Onobrychoidei DC.), is described and illustrated from north‐east Anatolia in Turkey. The diagnostic, pollen morphological, and chromosomal characteristics are discussed. A distribution map and conservation status are given. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 157 , 741–747.     

Morphometric architecture of the most taxon-rich species in the U.S. flora: Astragalus lentiginosus (Fabaceae)

? Premise of the study: The study of infra-taxa has historically been considered the study of incipient species. Astragalus lentiginosus Douglas ex Hooker (Fabaceae) is the most taxonomically diverse species in the U. S. flora. To gain insight into the nature of infra-taxa, I ask whether an optimal number of groups exists within A. lentiginosus, whether the varieties represent discrete entities, and whether morphological diversity within A. lentiginosus can be explained by climate. ? Methods: Morphometric measurement was made on herbarium specimens. Seasonality was inferred by fitting sine waves to climatic data. Statistical clustering, ordination, and multiple regression analyses were employed to test hypotheses. ? Key results: K-means clustering resulted in no clear optimal number of groups within the species. Principal components analysis demonstrated that taxa occupy contiguous regions of morphospace but do not form distinct clusters. Multiple regression demonstrated significant relations among morphology and climatic parameters, which are generally stronger than geographic relations. ? Conclusions: The bewildering amount of diversity contained within A. lentiginosus begs for decomposition, yet its clinal nature precludes it from division into discrete groups. As a species, A. lentiginosus exists as an array of populations in a delicate balance between homogenizing forces, such as gene flow and retention of ancestral characters, and diversifying forces, such as local adaptation and drift. The effect of these forces has become evident in the phenotype of A. lentiginosus, resulting in more infra-taxa than any other species in the U. S. flora, but has failed to fracture this group into distinct entities.     

Astragalus hakkianus a new species of Astragalus (Fabaceae) from N.W. Iran

A new species of the genus Astragalus, namely A. hakkianus Bagheri, Maassoumi & Rahimin. is described and illustrated from NW Iran. It is most closely related to A. peresh­khoranicus Maassoumi & F. Ghahrem. and A. chehreganii Zarre & Podlech. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Analysis of intraspecific seed diversity in Astragalus aquilanus (Fabaceae), an endemic species of Central Apennine

• This work aims to study seeds of the endemic species Astragalus aquilanus from four different populations of central Italy. We investigated seed morpho‐colorimetric features (shape and size) and chemical differences (through infrared spectroscopy) among populations and between dark and light seeds.
• Seed morpho‐colorimetric quantitative variables, describing shape, size and colour traits, were measured using image analysis techniques. Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy was used to attempt seed chemical characterisation. The measured data were analysed by step‐wise linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Moreover, we analysed the correlation between the four most important traits and six climatic variables extracted from WorldClim 2.0.
• The LDA on seeds traits shows clear differentiation of the four populations, which can be attributed to different chemical composition, as confirmed by Wilk's lambda test (P < 0.001). A strong correlation between morphometric traits and temperature (annual mean temperature, mean temperature of the warmest and coolest quarter), colorimetric traits and precipitation (annual precipitation, precipitation of wettest and driest quarter) was observed.
• The characterisation of A. aquilanus seeds shows large intraspecific plasticity both in morpho‐colorimetric and chemical composition. These results confirm the strong relationship between the type of seed produced and the climatic variables.

     

Astragalus raphaelis (Fabaceae), a critical species from Sicily and taxonomic remarks on A. sect. Sesamei

The taxonomic position of Astragalus raphaelis, a rare and misappreciated species endemic to Sicily, has been examined. In addition, its geographical distribution, ecology and conservation status, diagnostic morphological characters, pod and seed micro‐morphology and relationship with A. stella are provided. Phenetic and phylogenetic trees (based on morphological data) for A. sect Sesamei shows that A. raphaelis is a taxonomically quite isolated species, with some relationships to A. sesamoides.     

Astragalus sect. Astragalus (Fabaceae) in Iran, complementary notes with a key to the species

Astragalus zarreianus. is described and illustrated from Iran. It belongs to section Astragalus. This new species confined to western part of Iran (Prov. Illam) from only one location. A key to the species of the section known from Iran is prepared. Differences between the section and the closely related sections are discussed. On the basis of some important trends, an informal grouping is undertaken for yellow flower Astragali. Moreover, A. pseudo-orthocarpus is considered as a valid species in this treatment and differences with its closest relatives are described.     

Astragalus sect. Astragalus (Fabaceae) in Iran

Astragalus rahiminejadii , a new species endemic to Iran, is described and illustrated. This species, which belongs to section Astragalus , is confined to the western part of Iran (Prov. Kermanshah) and is known only from a single population. Seed testa morphology as viewed under the scanning electron microscope is discussed and photomicrographs are provided. In addition, the geographical distribution and ecology of the species belonging to this section are discussed.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 147 , 363–368.     

Astragalus ansinii sp. nov. (Fabaceae) from Turkey, and a contribution to the sectional taxonomy

Astragalus ansinii A. Uzun, Terzioğlu & S. Palabaş-Uzun, a new species from northeast Anatolia is described and illustrated. It belongs to Astragalus sect. Hypoglottis Bunge, but the characters in combination do not match completely with this section because the legumes, leaves and calyces are glabrous. This local endemic is known from two adjacent localities with several individuals. Astragalus ansinii is morphologically most similar to A. viridissimus but differs mainly by indumentum, numbers of pairs of leaflets and seed shape together with metric data related to calyx, standard and peduncle. Nuclear ITS was analysed in both species and was found to be highly similar. In addition, the seed morphology, distribution, conservation status and ecology of both species are discussed.     

Evidence of population bottleneck in Astragalus michauxii (Fabaceae), a narrow endemic of the southeastern United States

Genetic factors such as decreased genetic diversity and increased homozygosity can have detrimental effects on rare species, and may ultimately limit potential adaptation and exacerbate population declines. The Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain physiographic region has the second highest level of endemism in the continental USA, but habitat fragmentation and land use changes have resulted in catastrophic population declines for many species. Astragalus michauxii (Fabaceae) is an herbaceous plant endemic to the region that is considered vulnerable to extinction, with populations generally consisting of fewer than 20 individuals. We developed eight polymorphic microsatellites and genotyped 355 individuals from 24 populations. We characterized the population genetic diversity and structure, tested for evidence of past bottlenecks, and identified evidence of contemporary gene flow between populations. The mean ratios of the number of alleles to the allelic range (M ratio) across loci for A. michauxii populations were well below the threshold of 0.68 identified as indicative of a past genetic bottleneck. Genetic diversity estimates were similar across regions and populations, and comparable to other long-lived perennial species. Within-population genetic variation accounted for 92 % of the total genetic variation found in the species. Finally, there is evidence for contemporary gene flow among the populations in North Carolina. Although genetic factors can threaten rare species, maintaining habitats through prescribed burning, in concert with other interventions such as population augmentation or (re)introduction, are likely most critical to the long term survival of A. michauxii.     

Centaurea sakariyaensis (Asteraceae), a new species from Turkey

In this paper, a new Centaurea L. (Asteraceae) species from Turkey is described and illustrated. Centaurea sakariyaensis Uysal & Dural grows on rocky crevices in Sakarya province in north-western Anatolia. It belongs to C. sect. Centaurea L. and taxonomically its closest relative is C. wiedemanniana. Diagnostic morphological characters from a very similar taxon are provided, and a key from flora of Turkey is modified that includes related species of sect. Centaurea. The geographical distribution of the new species and species of other related taxa of the same section are mapped. The chromosome number of C. sakariyaensis, 2n = 18, counted in root tips, is also reported and illustrated.