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.     

A new species of Centaurea (Asteraceae) from Calabria (S Italy)

A new species is described here from the Presila in Calabria (S Italy) and named Centaurea calabra. It belongs to Centaurea sect. Phalolepis and is related to the C. deusta group, namely to C. sarfattiana. Taxonomical characteristics, distribution, and ecology of the new Centaurea are also provided.     

Bufonia yildirimhanii sp. nov. (Caryophyllaceae) from Turkey

Bufonia yildirimhanii?lçim & Behçet sp. nov. (Caryophyllaceae) is described and illustrated from Turkey. This new species is confined to C7 Sanl?urfa‐Birecik where it grows on calcarous slopes. The species is compared with the closely related Bufonia calyculata and B. kotschyana subsp. kotschyana. Notes on its ecology and conservation status are provided. A distribution map of the new and related species is also included.     

Seed morphology and its systematic implications for genus Oxytropis DC. (Fabaceae)

In the present study, seeds of 13 Oxytropis DC. species (including two latest synonyms) classified in subg. Oxytropis (sect. Dolichocarpon, sect. Chrysantha and sect. Eumorpha), subg. Euoxytropis (sect. Orobia) and subg. Phacoxytropis (sect. Protoxytropis, sect. Janthina and sect. Mesogaea) from Turkey were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy to evaluate the taxonomic relevance of macro- and micro-morphological seed characters. As a result of the study, species-specific characters have been determined. Seeds exhibit variation in size, shape, surface sculpturing pattern, hilum position and weight. Seeds ranged from 1.61 to 4.04 mm in length and from 1.02 to 2.56 mm in width. Five different seed shapes were recognised, as prolonged semielliptic, reniform, prolonged reniform, quadratic and cardiform, with a length to width ratio ranging from 1.02 ± 0.08 to 1.75 ± 0.27. Rugulate, rugulate–reticulate and lophate sculpturing patterns were observed in the studied species. According to the results, seed characters, such as the size (length, width and the length/width ratio), the shape, the surface sculpturing and the weight appear to have low taxonomic value in distinguishing subgenera, sections and species.     

Allium aetnense (Amaryllidaceae), a new species from Sicily

A new species from Mt Etna (Sicily), Allium aetenense of A. sect. Codonoprasum, is described and illustrated. It is a diploid species (2n = 16) that grows on basaltic rocks in the mountain belt and shows close relationships with A. tenuiflorum of the Italian peninsula. Its morphology, karyology, leaf anatomy, seed coat microsculpturing, ecology and taxonomic position are examined.     

Bellevalia juliana (Asparagaceae), a new hexaploid species from E Kriti (Greece)

A new species, Bellevalia juliana Bareka, Turland & Kamari (Asparagaceae) is described from E Kriti (Greece) and compared with other related taxa from Greece and the Mediterranean area. It is a member of B. sect. Bellevalia and a karyological study revealed a hexaploid karyotype with 2n = 6x = 24 chromosomes, illustrated here. The conservation status of the new species is assessed as Vulnerable (VU), according to IUCN criteria.     

Silene demirizii sp. nov. and S.marschallii subsp. anamasi subsp. nov. (Caryophyllaceae) from Turkey

Two new taxa of Silene L. (Caryophyllaceae) from Turkey, Silene demirizii K. Y?ld?z & Ç?rp?c? sp. nov. and Silene marschallii C. A. Meyer subsp. anamasi K. Y?ld?z & Dadand? subsp. nov. are described and illustrated. Their taxonomic positions are discussed and they are compared with allied taxa. The distributions of the new and closely related species are mapped. Pollen grain and seed coat ultrastructure of the new and allied taxa were examined by SEM.     

Morphological studies on the nutlet of Turkish Cyclotrichium Manden. & Scheng. (Lamiaceae)

Morphological characters of the nutlets of Cyclotrichium Manden. & Scheng. in Turkey were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The genus Cyclotrichium is represented by six species in Turkey, of which two are endemic for Turkey. Nutlet morphology of the species was studied using stereoscopic microscopy and SEM, and the features were described and illustrated. Nutlet morphology of the examined specimens exhibits some variation in size, shape and sculpture. Nutlets range from 1.1 to 2.0 mm in length and 0.5 to 1.0 mm in width and are elliptic, oblong to ovoid and trigonous in shape. Nutlet sculpture can be divided into two main types: distinctly or weakly reticulate pattern in C. niveum, C. origanifolium, C. longiflorum and rounded cell arrangement in the remaining species. Micromorphological characters could be useful in solving taxonomic problems of Cyclotrichium.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hyptis kramerioides</Emphasis> (Lamiaceae), a new species from central Brazil with notes on subsect. Passerinae

A new species of Hyptis sect. Eriosphaeria (Lamiaceae) from Goiás (Brazil) is described, illustrated and compared with related species in sect. Eriosphaeria subsect. Passerinae. An evaluation of the species of the group and a key to identification is provided.     

A new Centaurea species (Asteraceae) from Mt Sakar,South-eastern Bulgaria

A new species of Centaurea, C. sakarensis, known from a single locality north-east of the village of Lessovo on Mt Sakar, is described and illustrated. It belongs to C. sect. Acrolophus, and its morphologically closest relative is C. cariensis Boiss., a Turkish endemic from western and south-western Anatolia. The new species is currently known from a single population of about 1000 individuals, growing on open stony calcareous places, at 475 m a.s.l., and should be classified as Critically Endangered, (B1ab[i, ii, iii]+2ab [i, ii, iii]).     

Centaurea subsect. Phalolepis in Southern Italy: ongoing speciation or species overestimation? Genetic evidence based on SSRs analyses

In this paper, we investigated a set of narrow endemics of Centaurea subsect. Phalolepis from the mountains of South Italy (mainly Calabria and Salento), segregated from the widespread species Centaurea deusta, using microsatellite (SSR) markers. The goal was to analyse the genetic makeup (levels and structure) of C. deusta and the segregated species and verify whether genetic clusters were in agreement with current classification of the species. With C. deusta, we also carried out an ecological niche modelling (ENM) analysis to check its potential distribution under present climatic conditions and to project it to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). As also found in former studies with subsect. Phalolepis in Greece and Turkey using the same set of SSRs, genetic diversity for the segregated Italian species was higher than expected for narrow endemics with small populations. Genetic clusters, however, were not correlated with the described species and did not support the segregation of the purported narrow endemics from a widely defined C. deusta. The results of the ENM indicate that the Adriatic Sea was a migration corridor for C. deusta at the LGM.     

Curcuma pygmaea sp. nov. (Zingiberaceae) from Vietnam and notes on two related species C. parviflora and C. thorelii.

Curcuma pygmaea?korni?k. & ?ída f. (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Vietnam, is described and illustrated. Notes on its closest allies in Curcuma subgenus Hitcheniopsis, C. parviflora Wall. and C. thorelii Gagnep., are provided and a lectotype of C. thorelii is designated.