The Iranian Journal of Botany
Volume:15 Issue: 2, Summer and Autumn 2009

The species belonging to Nepeta sect. Psilonepeta Benth. recognized by K.H. Rechinger in Flora Iranica are revised. Nepeta bazoftica Jamzad is described as a new species in this section. It is characterized by a broad ovate, petiolate leaf, deeply cordate at base, with shallowly crenate-dentate margins; a lax pedunculate cyme; calyx throat with a ring of hairs inside; corolla long exserted from the calyx. The new species is closely related to N. archibaldii and belongs to a natural group of species partly recognized by Bentham in sect. Psilonepeta, characterized by a straight to slightly curved calyx, throat straight, with an internal ring of hairs; corolla clearly exserted from calyx, with a deflexed lower lip. Nepeta iranshahrii previously recognized in sect. Capituliferae and N. pinetorum of sect. Schizocalyx share the same floral characteristics and are considered in the same group. Furthermore, N. scrophularioides Rech. f. with an oblique calyx throat, without a hairy ring inside is excluded from sect. Psilonepeta and is considered as a synonym of N. fissa C. A. Mey.

Cousinia ghahremanii and C. longibracteata are described and illustrated as new species from southeast and east of Iran. These species belong to the sect. Pugioniferae Bunge based on the habit, shape of capitula and bracts, corolla color, decurrent leaves and subcorymbose synflorescence. The related species to C. ghahremanaii is C. calcitrapa var. calcitrapa which distinguishing characters of the two species are: number of flowers and bracts, size of capitula, length of corolla and shape of basal leaves. C. longibracteata based on morphological characters and geographical distribution is distinct from the other species of sect. Pugioniferae, but the closest species to it is C. macroptera which distinguish it by long cylindric bracts, length of corolla, number of flowers and bracts.

Calligonum spinosetosum is described as a new species from Esfahan province, northern deserts of Aran & Bidgol. The new species is distinguishable from all other Iranian species by having spiny dichotomous ca. 6 mm long fruiting bristles.

During the study and identification of the collected plants from North Khorassan province a new species was found. The new species was described as Astragalus razensis from the studied area. This species belongs to the sect. Ornithopodium and is compared with its closest relative, Astragalus ornithopodioides.

Lonicera microphylla Willd. ex Roem. & Schultes is recorded here for the first time from Iran. This species, in Iranian plateau, was previously known from Afghanistan and Pakistan. With this record the number of Lonicera species in Iran increases to nine.

Lichens form an important part of the biodiversity in some ecosystems, but little attention has been devoted to lichen biodiversity in Iran. The present paper in addition to reviewing lichenological progress in Iran, presents important records, one a new variety for the region. Based on fieldwork in Deraznow in the central Alborz of Golestan province, N Iran, 18 species are reported, of which four species and a subspecies are new to Golestan.

For the preparation of Flora of Iran family Potamogetonaceae, the herbarium plant specimens in (TARI) herbarium were identified. Among them one specimen collected from Ardebil province named Potamogeton trichoides is recorded as a new for the flora of Iran. Also, Potamogeton filiformis collected from Shadegan wetland, Khuzestan province is another new record for Iran.

Three new records, Achillea millefolium subsp. sudetica (Asteraceae), Cardaria draba subsp. draba (Brassicaceae) and Scorzonera kirpicznikovii (Asteraceae) are reported for the first time from Iran. The taxa have been collected from Golestanak Protected Area in central part of Elburz (Alborz) mountains. Each taxon is compared to related taxon and its illustration presented too.

Ogastemma pusillum (Boraginaceae) is recorded here for the flora of Iran. It is the first report of the presence of the monotypic genus, Ogastemma in Iran. It is closely related to the genus Echiochilon.

Astragalus andabadensis (Fabaceae) an endemic to Zanjan province, Iran is described here as a new species. It is placed in the section Incani DC. due to its medifixed hairs, free stipules, and bibracteolate flowers, and it appears to be most closely related to A. latifolius Lam. An illustration of the species is provided.

Cerastium pumilum Curtis (Caryophyllaceae) is reported as new interesting addition to the flora of Iran. This plant is considered as a psammophyte on the sand dunes of south Caspian coastal area in Guilan and Mazandaran provinces. Taxonomic remarks and distribution notes for this species are provided.

The tribe Ononideae (Fabaceae) has been studied in Iran by the author. Ononis spinosa subsp. anthiqourum is recorded from Hamedan, Isfahan and Tehran provinces. This subspecies is compared with the other subspecies leiosperma and spinosa. It differs from subsp. leiosperma only in micro-sculpturing pattern of the seed and differs from subsp. spinosa in indumentum, corolla and legume length.

Calendula karakalensis Vass. which has been collected from Khorassan province is reported as a new species from Iran.

In this study, morphological and anatomical features of Scrophularia chrysantha Jaub.& Spach, Scrophularia scopolii [Hoppe ex] Pers. var. adenocalyx Somm.& Lev., Scrophularia olympica Boiss., Scrophularia sosnowskyi Kem.-Nath., Scrophularia canina L., collected from NE Anatolia, were described and illustrated. Features related to morphologic peculiarities of the leaf, staminod, bracteol, alar pedicel, and corolla were found to be important for separating the taxa morphologically. Presence and distribution of the phloem fibers were seen crucial differences among examined species in terms of stem anatomical properties. All leaves are bifacial and stomata cells are anomocytic. It is determined that distribution of idioblasts is important anatomic character in the examined taxa.

Leaf anatomy of 10 species of the genus Teucrium L. in Iran were studied. Anatomical structure of leaves was compared in species. The most differences among species belong to the layers of palisadic and spongy parenchyma, thickness of leaf, cuticle of upper surface, size of epidermal cells and trichome types. These characters can be used in distinguishing species and infraspecific taxa and therefore have high taxonomical values.

Taxonomy of the genus Lathyrus with 23 species in Iran has been controversial especially at sectional level. This study is based on the morphological and palynological evidences. 28 morphological and 7 palynological characters belonging to 13 Iranian Lathyrus species were examined. Our results showed that L. sect. Nissolia with simple leaves is monotypic and includes only L. nissolia. Lathyrus vinealis, L. sphaericus, L. inconspicuus were transferred from the section Nissolia to the section Linearicarpus based on the flower and pollen morphology. Morphological and palynological evidences were also used for transferring L. gorgoni and L. rotundifolius from the section Gorgoni to the section Lathyrus. In addition, based on the stipule, tendril and pollen morphology, L. pratensis was segregated from L. aphaca and transferred to L. sect. Pratensis.

Morphological and palynological studies were performed in 34 populations of 12 Achillea species belonging to three sections of Santolinoidea, Millefolium and Filipendulinae growing in Iran. Morphological studies were performed on 34 populations of 12 species. In total 33 morphological characters including 13 quantitative and 20 qualitative were scored. ANOVA test showed significant difference for most of quantitative characters among the species and populations studied. UPGMA clustering of the populations and species studied based on merely quantitative morphological characters and also based on both quantitative and qualitative characters separated populations of each species from the others indicating the use of these characters in species delimitation, however no resolved relationship could be obtained and the species from 3 sections stated in Flora Iranica are intermingled. The size of the pollen grains ranged from 22.4-30.0 µm, with similar P/E ratio, trizonocolporate, radially symmetrical, isopolar, spheroidal. The spines are pointed and are dome shaped broad based. The number of spine rows between colpi varies from 3 to 5 among the species. This feature can be determined easily in the polar view by light microscope. The exine thickness varies from 2.4 µm to 4.5 µm among the species and pollen sculpturing is echinate in all. Clustering and ordination of species based on palynological characters also showed mixing of species from 3 sections mentioned in Flora Iranica.

Nutlet micromorphology of 14 taxa of Scutellaria of subgenera Scutellaria (sects. Scutellaria and Anaspis) and Apeltanthus (sect. Lupulinaria) in Iran was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nutlet surface sculpturing varies prominently among species within two subgenera and this is mostly congruent with the latest subgenric classification of the genus. However some differences were observed among species in some sections. Five nutlet types were identified: Type I, papillate with sessile glands among the papillae (subgenus Scutellaria sect. Scutellaria: Sc. galericulata). Type II. papillate, papillae circular with concave apex. (subgenus Scutellaria section Scutellaria: Sc. tournefortii). Type III. Nutlet surface papillate, papillae with obtuse to acute apex, more or less finger like (subgenus Scutellaria, section Anaspis: Scutellaria ariana). Type IV, nutlet surface with flattened or apical depressed papillae, with adpressed and patent hairs partially covering the surface, concentrated near the papillae apices. (subgenus Scutellaria: Sc. condensata subsp. condensata and subsp pycnotricha and Sc. velenovskyi subsp. subsimilis). Type V, surface densely hairy with stellate or long simple hairs (sect. Lupulinaria: Sc. araxensis, Sc. farsistanica, Sc. litwinowii, Sc. luteo-coerulea, Sc. multicaulis, Sc. pinnatifida, Sc. platystegia, Sc. theobromina and Sc. tomentosa.).

The wild D genome-bearing Aegilops L. species. are considered to be sources of useful alleles which can be used in bread wheat improvement. We examined the karyotype asymmetry of the D genome-bearing species and analyzed the data to look for their evolutionary correlations. A total number of eleven accessions belonging to seven D genome species and Triticum aestivum L. were used for this study. The observations of the analyzed factors showed that Ae. vavilovii (Zhuk.) Chen. posses the most symmetric karyotypes and Ae. cylindrica Host. the most asymmetric ones. Both species Ae. crassa Boiss. and Ae. vavilovii carrying a common genomic formula (XD) showed a similar karyotype asymmetry. The results of this study compared with the literature showed that the degree of karyotype asymmetry of the D genome has a correlation with the time of divergence from its ancestral progenitors. Our results suggest that the karyotype asymmetry analysis can be a useful tool to have an overall view over the genomic relationships and modifications and also a good measure to estimate the relative date of the origin of allopolyploidy of the D genome cluster.

Present study is focused on the distribution and taxonomy of moss Racomitrium crispulum from Kumaon hills. R. crispulum have wide range of distribution both attitudinally as well as under microclimate. Distribution of plant with references to density, abundance and frequency implicit their availability for biomonitoring. It is also observed that seasonal environmental changes do not influence distribution and showed their presence also under xeric condition.