Pseudopodospermum baskilense Behçet & Yapar, 2025

Behçet, Lütfi & Yapar, Yakup, 2025, A new species of Pseudopodospermum (Asteraceae-Cichorieae) from Türkiye, Phytotaxa 691 (2), pp. 221-230 : 222-226

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.691.2.8
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E5B16F-FF82-FFFB-FF61-F8AC9F0EB1E3
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Pseudopodospermum baskilense Behçet & Yapar
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Pseudopodospermum baskilense Behçet & Yapar View in CoL , sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 , 4–6 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 )

Type: — TÜRKİYE. B7 Elazığ, Baskil District, Yukarıkuluşağı Village, Tabaklar Hamlet , calcareous area, salty-barren soils on the banks of small streams that do not contain water in summer, 1200 m a.s.l., 30.05.2021, L. Behçet 20393 (holotype: BIN; isotypes: BIN) .

Diagnosis: — Pseudopodospermum baskilense has morphological similarities to P. inaequiscapum ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ) and P. elatum . It differs from P. inaequiscapum by its stem 3–8 cm long (vs. 1–2.5 cm); plant lower parts densely and upper part sparsely branched-hairy (excl. capitulum) (vs. sparsely crisped-pubescent); achene 7.5–8.5 mm long (vs. 7–15(– 17) mm); and pappus pure white, 12–15 mm long, bristles plumose below, scabrous above (vs. dirty white, 15–17 mm, bristles plumose below, barbellate above). It also differs from P. elatum by its stem 3–8 cm long (vs. 30–120 cm); plant lower parts densely and upper part sparsely branched-hairy (excl. capitulum) (vs. glabrous); and achene 7.5–8.5 mm long (vs. 8–10) mm).

Description: —Subcaulescent perennial herb 10–40 cm tall; lower parts are densely branched-hairy, upper parts is sparsely branched-hairy. Rootstock cylindrical or ellipsoid, 5–12 mm in diameter. Stem erect, solid, with branched hairs (glabrescent at fruiting), slightly striate, leafy, mostly branched in the lower part. Basal leaves entire, 9–16 × 5.4–8.5 mm, lanceolate, branched-hairy, sheathing at the base, acute at the apex, margin plane, gradually narrowed towards the base, petiole up to 8 cm long, main veins conspicuous. Cauline leaves very similar to the basal leaves but smaller, decreasing in size towards the capitula, 5–13.5 × 0.5–11 mm. Capitula 1–6 per stem, homogamous, solitary at the end of the branches, 18–25 × 6–10 mm. Outer phyllaries 5, 3.2–10 × 3–6.5 mm, broadly ovate, ovate-oblong, acute, glabrous. Inner phyllaries 13.5–23.5 × 3–6.5 mm, lanceolate, acute, glabrous but margins scarious. Ligules yellow, longer than the inner phyllaries, 16–24 mm long, 5-toothed. Style branches filiform, each branch 2–3 mm long, papillose, obtuse, shorter than the ligules. Achenes 7.5–8.5 mm long, cylindrical, ridged, furrowed, transversely rugulose-tuberculate, glabrous. Pappus pure white, 12–15 mm long, bristles plumose below, scabrous above.

Phenology: —Flowering in May–June and fruiting in June–July.

Etymology: —The epithet was derived from the name of Baskil District.

Vernacular name: —Baskil guzeri ( Menemen et al. 2016).

Conservation status: — Pseudopodospermum baskilense is known only from two localities in Baskil District, with an area of occupancy less than 10 km 2 and the number of mature individuals fewer than 100. In addition to drought and erosion, the species is also threatened by overgrazing since small livestock are raised in the region. Therefore, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (2019), the new species should be regarded as Critically Endangered [CR B2ab(i,ii,iii)].

Distribution and ecology: — Pseudopodospermum baskilense is distributed in a limited area in Yukarıkuşağı and Odabaşı villages within the borders of Baskil District (Elazığ). The new species grows in areas that are moist in spring, dry in summer, and characterized by a thin white salt layer on the soil surface in some places. These habitats are partly stony-rocky and support the development of highly salt-tolerant plants or halophytes. Other plants that grow alongside the new species in areas dominated by Pennisetum orientale Rich. include the following: Agrostis stolonifera L., Allium flavum subsp. tauricum (Besser ex Rchb.) K.Richt. , Allium scabriflorum Boiss. , Bombycilaena erecta (L.) Smoljan., Bupleurum gerardii All. , Chaenorhinum minus subsp. anatolicum P.H.Davis , Euphorbia falcata var. galilaea (Boiss.) Boiss. , Gaudiniopsis macra subsp. macra , Haplophyllum myrtifolium Boiss. , Koeleria pyramidata (Lam.) P.Beauv. , Linum corymbulosum Rchb. , L. tenuifolium L., Melica ciliata L., Minuartia hybrida (Vill.) Schischk. , Plantago lanceolata L., Scirpoides holoschoenus (L.) Soják.

Taxonomical relationships: ― Zaika et al. (2020) gathered some sections of the genus Scorzonera under the genus Pseudopodospermum . In light of their study, 11 species belonging to the genus Scorzonera distributed in Türkiye were transferred to the genus Pseudopodospermum . These species were Pseudopodospermum davisii (Lipsch.) Zaika et al. (2020: 68) , P. elatum , P. inaequiscapum , P. incisum (DC.) Zaika et al. (2020: 69) , P. molle (M.Bieb.) Kuthatheladze (1978: 85) , P. papposum (DC.) Zaika et al. (2020: 69) , P. phaeopappum (Boiss.) Zaika et al. (2020: 69) , P. semicanum (DC.) Zaika et al. (2020: 69) , P. suberosum (K.Koch) Kuthatheladze (1978: 94) , P. szowitzii (DC.) Kuthatheladze (1978: 92) , P. violaceum (Chamberlain) Zaika et al. (2020: 70) .

Pseudopodospermum baskilense exhibits morphological similarities to P. inaequiscapum and P. elatum . However, it differs significantly from these species in its indumentum cover (branched) ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ), stem length, pappus colour, and pollen characteristics ( Fig. 7). Morphological and palynological comparisons between these species are given in Table 1 and Table 2.