Fritillaria behcetiana Yapar & Tekşen, 2025

Yapar, Yakup & Tekşen, Mehtap, 2025, Fritillaria behcetiana (Liliaceae), a new species from eastern Anatolia (Türkiye), Phytotaxa 706 (1), pp. 74-80 : 75-78

Fritillaria behcetiana Yapar & Tekşen , sp. nov. ( Figs 1 , 2 )

Type: TÜRKİYE. Bingöl: Genç district, after passing Yeniçevre village junction, 38°35’24.44”N, 40°21’23.48”E, 1070 m a.s.l., roadside, oak openings, rocky slopes, 30 Mar 2024, Yapar 6203 (holotype: BIN; isotype: BIN)

Fritillaria behcetiana is morphologically similar to F. shehbazii , F. chlororhabdota , and F. pinardii , but differs from these species in leaf size and colour, perianth segment size and colour, anther colour and length, filament length, style length and branching ( Figs 2–3 ; Table 1).

Perennial, bulbous plants. Bulbs 8‒14 × 10‒20 mm, globose to ovoid, with 1‒3 bulblets, sometimes also a stolon. Stem 10‒18 cm long, usually papillose or smooth at the base. Leaves 3‒6, usually shorter than inflorescence, glaucous. The lowest leaves 4.1‒10.5 × 0.5‒2.4 cm, narrowly or broadly lanceolate, sometimes canaliculate, subopposite or alternate, acute; middle leaves 3.0‒5.5 × 0.3‒0.6 cm, linear to linear lanceolate acuminate; uppermost leaves 1 or 2, 0.9–5.0 × 0.1–0.3 cm, linear, acuminate. Flowers 1 or 2. Perigon narrowly campanulate, usually slightly recurved, dark purplish-brown and glaucous outside with a narrow greenish stripe, yellow to yellowish orange inside; outer tepals 16.0–28.0 × 4.0– 6.1 mm, lanceolate, acute or obtuse; inner tepal 16.0–28.0 × 5.0–7.0 mm, oblanceolate, obtuse. Nectaries 2.5‒5.0 × 1.0‒ 1.2 mm, linear-lanceolate, green, 1 mm above the base of tepals. Filaments 10‒12 mm long, yellow, sometimes purplish apically, enlarged at base, glabrous to sparsely papillose at base, densely papillose in upper part; anthers 5‒13 mm long, oblong, ellipsoid, blackish. Style 10.0‒12.0 × 1.0‒ 1.6 mm, slender, unbranched or trilobed, lobes 0.5–1.5 mm long, minutely or coarsely papillose, stigma entire. Capsule 22‒33 × 14‒20 mm, obovoid, obtuse, not winged; seeds obovate, 4.0‒6.0 × 5.5–7.0 mm, flat, light brown, reticulate ( Fig. 2 ).

Etymology:— Named in honour of Lütfi Behçet for his valuable research in plant systematics in the region. The Turkish name for this new species is suggested to be bingöl lâlesi ( Menemen et al. 2016).

Distribution, habitat and phenology:— Known from a single locality in Genç District of Bingöl Province ( Fig. 1 ). This species is distributed on rocky slopes in Quercus and Juniperus openings among Aethionema armenum Boiss. , Alyssum strictum Willd. , Anthemis tricornis Eig , Astragalus lineatus Lam. , Briza humilis M.Bieb. , Corydalis oppositifolia DC. subsp. oppositifolia , Cruciata taurica (Pall. ex Willd.) Ehrend. , Dracocephalum ibericum M.Bieb. , Gagea luteoides Stapf , Holosteum umbellatum L. var. umbellatum , Iris persica L., Minuartia hamata ((Hausskn. & Bornm.)) Mattf., Muscari neglectum Guss. in Ten. & Sangiov., Myosotis refracta Boiss. , Ornithogalum sphaerocarpum A.Kern., Phyllocara aucheri (A.DC.) Guşul., Poa bulbosa L., Quercus infectoria G.Olivier , Saxifraga tridactylites L., Scilla leepii Speta , Trifolium boissieri Guss. Flowering March–April, fruiting April–May.

Conservation assessment: ―Known only from the type locality (Bingöl), with an area of occupancy (AOO) of approximately 2 km ² (well below the 10 km ² threshold), and an estimated population of around 250 mature individuals. Therefore, according to IUCN (2024), the new species should be regarded as critically endangered, CR B2ab(i,ii,iii). Notes:— The new species is like F. shehbazii , F. chlororhabdota and F. pinardii , and the species in the F. caucasica group are also similar ( Fig. 3 , Table 1). Because members of the F. caucasica group have similar flowers, vegetative characters are key to distinguishing species. In the F. caucasica group, vegetative characters such as plant height, leaf count, size, colour, and arrangement of the lowest leaves are as important as reproductive characters. In this group, flowers are primarily purple, often with contrasting colours apically or on inner tepals. The F. caucasica group are relatively small, narrow, bell-shaped flowers without mosaic patterns, small nectaries 0.5–1.0 mm above the tepal base and a style that is typically undivided and papillate ( Rix 1977, Khaniki 1997, Eker & Tekşen 2023). Although the habit differences among species of the group are distinguishable in live plants and photographs, identification becomes challenging in herbarium specimens due to their similar overall appearance. Diagnostic characters to assess in herbarium specimens (including to all species of the genus) include the presence of bulblets and stolons, plant height, leaf count, leaf shape (length-to-width ratio, canaliculate or flat), surface texture (green, glossy), the position of uppermost leaves relative to the flower (above or below) and the number and arrangement of the uppermost leaves (Kiani et al. 2018, Tekşen 2022). Fritillaria behcetiana is distributed in the eastern part of Türkiye within the Iran-Turan phytogeographic region at 900–1000 m a.s.l. Fritillaria shehbazii and F. chlororhabdota occur in the northern part of Iran on the Turkish border at 1700–1900 m a.s.l. Fritillaria behcetiana prefers rocky areas in Quercus and Juniperus forests. On the other hand, F. shehbazii is distributed in alpine pasture and grassy ledges, and F. chlororhabdota is distributed in rocky hills with Euphorbia L. and Thymus L.

Other specimens examined:— TÜRKİYE Bingöl: Genç district, after passing Yeniçevre village junction, 38°35’24.44”N, 40°21’23.48”E, 1070 m a.s.l., roadside, oak openings, rocky slopes, 30 Apr 2024, Yapar 6220 (BIN).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of Fritillaria behcetiana (red square), F. shehbazii (blue square), F. chlororhabdota (purple squares), and F. pinardii (black squares).

FIGURE 2. Fritillaria behcetiana. A–C. Habit and flower. D. Bulb, bulblets and stolon. E. Outer tepals. F. Inner tepals. G. Pistil and stamen. H,I. Seeds. J. Immature capsule. K,L. Capsule. (Photos by Y.Yapar).

FIGURE 3. Fritillaria behcetiana. A1. Habit. A2. Flower. A3. Stem. B. Fritillaria shehbazii. B1. Habit. B2. Flower. C. Fritillaria chlororhabdota. C1. habit, C2. flower (photo by). D. Fritillaria pinardii. D1. Habit. D2. Flower. (photos by Y.Yapar, A; M.Advay, B; J.Nilsson, C; H.Öztürk, D)