Cistanche mimii Ben-Natan & Thorogood, 2025

Ben-Natan, Dar & Thorogood, Chris, 2025, A revision of the genus Cistanche (Orobanchaceae) in Israel, and considerations for its taxonomic circumscription in the Middle East, PhytoKeys 260, pp. 213-236 : 213-236

Cistanche mimii Ben-Natan & Thorogood sp. nov.

Type materials.

Holotype: Israel • central Negev desert, upper Nahal Zin, SW of Avdat, loess terraces at the side of rout 40 , coor 30°46'59.0"N, 34°46'06.1"E, 570 m, parasitic on Haloxylon scoparium Pomel , 31. Mar. 2023. Dar Ben-Natan ( HUJ 135080 !)

Isotypes: Israel • central Negev desert, upper Nahal Zin, SW of Avdat, loess terraces at the side of rout 40 , coor 30°46'59.0"N, 34°46'06.1"E, 570 m, parasitic on Haloxylon scoparium Pomel , 31. Mar. 2023. Dar Ben-Natan ( HUJ 135077 !, HUJ 135081 !, HUJ 135079 !, HUJ 135078 !, HUJ 135076 !, TELA 4908 !)

Description.

A holoparasitic (achlorophyllous) herb, with a thick, glabrous stem, often lanuginose in the lower part of the inflorescence and immediately beneath, swollen and fleshy at the base. Plant short, up to 30 cm, conspicuously floccose-lanuginose to arachnoid-hairy in bud. Lower scales dense, imbricate, fleshy ovate-triangular, brown to purplish, weakly villous on margins or completely glabrous. Middle and upper scales ovate-triangular, shortly villous on the margins or completely glabrous. Floral bracts lanceolate, entire, non-scarious, non-serrulate, grey-brown to pink or dark purple, covered at least partially on outer side and on the margins with floccose-lanuginose, partly caducous hairs, often matted and capturing loess particles in between them, more rarely glabrescent and lanate only on the margins, 5–10 × 7–15 mm. Inflorescence an obtuse to broadly lanceolate raceme, up to 25 cm long and 8 cm in diameter. Floral bracts longer than calyx. Floral bracteoles 2, linear, 1–3 × 10–20 mm, grey-brown to purple, entire, non-scarious, sparsely floccose-lanuginose to glabrescent on outer side, lanate at margins, attached to the base of the calyx and usually more or less as long as the calyx. Calyx campanulate or tubular-campanulate, zygomorphic, 10–20 mm. Calyx lobes 4–5, unequal, oblong-lanceolate, entire, sometimes slightly serrulate at the margin, sparsely floccose-lanuginose to glabrescent on the exterior, lanate along the margins. The upper lobe, if present, 1–4 × 1–7, much shorter than the rest (4–5 × 6–13) or entirely missing. Corolla infundibuliform, pentamerous, almost regular, 25–35 mm. Corolla tube externally cream to flesh-coloured, sometimes tinged lilac or mauve, and internally yellow, suffused with small dark purple or black dots, with two well-pronounced yellow folds at the throat. Corolla tube arched beneath the middle. Inner tube glabrescent to slightly pubescent. Limb pale cream to fleshy pink-brown, sometimes tinged lilac, pink or mauve, especially externally (more visible in bud), 15–30 mm in diameter. Corolla lobes 5, rounded, sparsely lanuginose on the inner side, lanate at the margins, the upper ones slightly smaller than the other 3, usually wider than long. Stamens 4, inserted near the base of the tube, included. Filaments 10–17 mm, densely villous-lanate at the base, glabrous elsewhere. Anthers 2–3.5 × 4–5.5 mm, densely pilose, narrowly acuminate. Stigma lobes whitish to yellowish. Ovary elliptic, white or purplish-white with a yellow ring at base, 4–10 × 9–13 mm. Capsules globose, dark brown, 10–13 × 13–18 mm, always dehiscent with 2 valves. Fl. March-April.

Habitat and prevalence.

Found in Israel on loess plateaus and rocky slopes in the central Negev ridges from Yeruham to Mt. Sagi. Blooming time varies with annual rainfall, but generally falls between February to May. Collected in the 1920 s by Eig, Zohary and Feinbrun-Dothan in the eastern Gilead in N Jordan as well. In the Negev it is rare, known from only 10 localities, most of which comprise small, highly local populations.

Hosts.

Parasitic on Haloxylon scoparium Pomel and possibly on other chamaephytes in the Amaranthaceae , such as Haloxylon negevensis (Iljin & Zihary) Boulos 1995 and Agathophora alopecuroides (Delile) Fenzl ex Bunge 1862 .

Etymology.

The species is named in honour of Mimi (Miriam) Ron, an accomplished field botanist and surveyor and dear friend and teacher to the first author, who was a helpful companion to the field observations and collections presented in this paper.

Notes.

In bloom, the plants were found by the authors to emit a strong, pleasant odour, somewhat similar to that of a citron ( Citrus medica L. 1753.)

Specimens examined.

C. mimii (Paratypes): Israel • central Negev desert, Wadi Nafah near Avdat , 1. April. 1945. Daniel Zohary ( HUJ 123605 !) ; Israel • central Negev desert, Wadi Murra . Yoav Waisel ( HUJ 123608 !) ; Israel • central Negev, South of Avdat , 17. May. 1979. Prusbul L. ( HUJ 123667 !) ; Israel • central Negev desert, near Avdat, Nabatean loess terrace at the banks of upper Nahal Zin, west of road 40 , coor 30°46'57.2"N, 34°45'59.9"E, 560 m, Parasite on Haloxylon scoparium Pomel , 7. March. 2018. Dar Ben-Natan ( HUJ 133783 !) ; Israel • central Negev desert, south-western Makhtesh Ramon, Maavar Arod , coor 30°29'59.2"N, 34°39'22.4"E, 85 m, 5. May. 2019. Yedidya Shmuel ( HUJ 1006363 !) ; Israel • central Negev desert, south of Yeruham, Loess platform at the bank of upper Nahal Revivim , coor 30°57'59.6"N, 34°53'39.3"E, 490 m, Parasitic on Haloxylon scoparium Pomel , 12. April. 2020. Dar Ben-Natan ( HUJ 133782 !) ; Israel • central Negev desert, near Avdat, side of road 40 , coor 30°47'01.0"N, 34°46'07.4"E, 570 m, parasitic on Haloxylon scoparium Pomel , 14. April. 2020. Dar Ben-Natan ( TELA 2070 !) ; Israel • central Negev desert, near Avdat, sides of road 40 , coor 30°47'01.0"N, 34°46'07.4"E, 570 m, parasitic on Haloxylon scoparium Pomel , 18. April. 2021. Dar Ben-Natan ( HUJ 133785 !) ; Israel • Negev, rout 40, 1 km S of Avdat, sides of road . 19. Mar. 2022, Yael Orgad ( HUJ 133359 !) ; Israel • Central Negev desert, SW of Yeruham , coor: 30°57'59.8"N, 34°53'39.4"E, alt: 480 m. Loess slopes above upper Nahal Revivim, at the foots of Yeruham anticline. 31. 3. 2023. Dar Ben-Natan ( HUJ 135074 !, HUJ 135075 !) ; Israel • Avdat , loess, 24. 4. 2023, A. Singer and T. Faraj ( TELA 4747 !) ; JORDAN, E. Gilead, ascent to Yabok River (Zarqa River) , 8. May. 1927, Eig A., Zohary M. & Feinbrun N. ( HUJ 123609 !, HUJ 123611 !) .

C. fissa : Azerbaijan • prov. Gandzha , distr. Kazach , inter pontem, Krasny-Most, et. p. Kazach-Begly, 2. May. 1927. A. Kolakowsky ( HUJ 133396 !).

C. salsa : Turkey • Env. of Chihanbeyli , 25. May. 1953. B. Kasapligil ( HUJ 123619 !).