The Iranian Journal of Botany
Volume:27 Issue: 1, Spring and Summer 2021

Astragalus malaviensis Sect. Caprini is described as a new species from Lorestan Province, Iran. It will be compared with its close relatives. Furthermore, an illustration of the new species will be provided.

The genera Rhamnus and Atadinus have been dealt as a sigle genus, namely Rhamnus or two distinct genera. The genus Atadinus, includesunarmed (not spiny) species with 6 or more pairs of lateral veins on leaves. Moreover, relationship of the species and subspecific taxa needed further studies. In order to delimit and elucidate the taxonomic relationships of Rhamnus L. and Atadinus Raf. taxa (Rhamnaceae) in Iran, morphometric data analyses were performed. Studies were based on 30 morphological characters (8 quantitative and 22 qualitative) potentially belonging to two genera, 14 taxa, 52 populations and 749 individuals. Data analyses were performed using SPSS, Past and Excel softwares. ClusteringandOrdination Analyses illustrated similarities and differences among the populations and taxa.The species referred to any of the genera Rhamnus and Atadinus were separated in clustering and ordination. Morphometric studies more or less confirmed former classification of the taxa in Iran. Some of the specimens having characters of 2 or more taxa supposed to be hybrids. Also, some of the collections seemed to be new subspecies.

Lindelofia stylosa (Boraginaceae) is reported for the first time from Iran. The specimen of this species has been collected from Kuh-e Karkasi (Dibaj, N Damghan, Semnan province) during ongoing floristic studies and research journeys to the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains. Molecular evidence obtained from DNA extraction and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequence analysis confirm this new record. Description, photographs of living plant and some associated species are provided.

Sternbergia colchiciflora (Amaryllidaceea) is recorded for the flora of Iran from Kurdistan province (West Iran). The species has been collected from rocky oak forests around Bandol Village in Marivan.The geographical distribution of the new record and its distinguishing characters are discussed.

Three species of Tripleurospermum Sch. Bip., are reported for the first time for the flora of Iran, including T. conoclinium (Boiss. & Balansa) Hayek from Ardabil province in North West Iran, T. rosellum var. album (Boiss. & Orph.) Hayek and T. callosum (Boiss. & Heldr.) E. Hossain from West Azarbayejan province. The micromorphology of fruit of these species have also been investigated by SEM. Furthermore, geographical distribution of the new records is discussed.

In this research pollen morphology of ten taxa (5 of them endemics) that belong to the genus Saponaria L. in Iran were investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM). In order to study the pollen morphology of Saponaria and find its significance in taxonomy of the group, qualitative and quantitative variables of pollen characters related to the shape, size, ornamentation and pores were studied. Cluster and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of qualitative and quantitative data were used to demonstrate the pollen grains similarities among the species. According to the results, pollen type of Saponaria species is polyporate and displays either peroblate, polyhederal and spheroidal pollen shapes. Pollen size also varies among different species. The longest polar axis length belongs to S. officinalis L. (51.03 µm) and the smallest one to S. floribnuda (Kir. & Kar.) Boiss. (22.82 µm). Pore ornamentation differs from prominent granular to slightly protuberant or distinctly sunken granular (deeply excavated). The pollen ornamentation is microechinate-punctate in all species except in S. esfandiarii which has microechinate ornamentation and lacks puncta. Based on the results, the morphological characters of the studied pollen grains have taxonomic value in distinguishing taxa at the species level.

Original meiotic or mitotic chromosome numbers are reported for the nine species of Acanthophyllum, viz: A. acerosum Sosn. (n=28), A. crassinodum Yukhan. & Edmondson (2n=90), A. elatius Bunge (n=15+1B, 2n=30+1B), A. glandolusum Bunge ex Boiss. (n=90), A. gracile Bunge ex Boiss. (2n=30), A. korshinskyi Schischk. (2n=30), A. microcephalum Boiss. (2n=60), A. pachycephalum Schiman - Czeika (2n=30), A. sordidum Bunge ex Boiss. (2n=60). Mitotic counts for all species (except A. microcephalum and A. glandolusum), meiotic count for A. acerosum and presence of B chromosomes in A. elatius is reported here for the first time.

Somatic chromosome numbers of 6 species from Lamiaceae family were studied. The chromosome numbers for 5 taxa includingLavandula sublepidota 2n=18, Phlomis anisodonta 2n=20, Phlomis pachyphylla 2n=20, Eremostachys laevigata 2n=22and Otostegia michauxii 2n=82 are new reports. ThechromosomenumberofNepeta depauperata is 2n=18.Ideograms are depicted for all studied species.

Sargassum is one of the morphologically most complicated phaeophycean genera and represents the most speciesrich genus of the brown algal order Fucales (Phaeophyceae). Sargassum is one of economically important brown algae in the Gulf of Oman. In this study, 23 characters were studied in 15 populations of 6 species of Sargassum. Unweight paired groups using average mean (UPGMA), ward clustering methods, principal components analysis (PCA) and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) were performed to group the species based on morphological characters. Statistical analyses indicated that characters such as branches of receptacle, leaf apex and receptacles are the most important diagnostic characters in intera-generic variation. In general, two major clusters were formed. The species were well separated in these clusters and the UPGMA tree was able to show the relationships among the species. The species relationships in these clusters were mostly in consistent of the current classifications of this genus.