Bolanthus thymoides Hub.-Mor., Bauhinia

Yildizbaş, Avni & Koç, Murat, 2025, The taxonomic revision of genus Bolanthus (Caryophyllaceae) in Türkiye, Phytotaxa 696 (1), pp. 28-54 : 37

Bolanthus thymoides Hub.-Mor., Bauhinia 2(2): 187, t. 3 (1963)

Type: — [ Turkey C 2 Burdur] d. Tefenni, Passhöhe südlich ob Dirmil, auf Serpentinschutt, 1600–1660 m, 28 June 1948, Huber-Morath 8447 (holotype G 00006008, photo!).

Description ( Figs. 6–9 ): — Perennial herbs. Stems cushions, ascending-erect, 5–50, 3–8 cm, base 0.8–1 mm diameter, compact branched, complately glandular hairs, nodes 3–6, internodes 2–5 mm, glandular hairs. Leaves linear-setaceous, 3–6 × 0.5–0.7 mm, glandular hairs, prominent 3-nerved, greenish, not adpressed to stem; terminal acute; sheaths membranous, 0.2–0.3 mm, glandular hairs. Inflorescence in apex, glandular hairs; flowers sessile, 5–10-flowers. Bracts linear-setaceous, 4–5.5 × 0.5–0.7 mm, almost as much as inflorescence or passed 1.2 times, glandular hairs; margin membranous, ciliate, ciliates 0.1–0.15 mm; terminal acute. Not pedicellate. Calyx tubulate, dense glandular hairs, 4–5 × 1–1.3 mm; calyx teeth narrowly triangular, 1–1.3 mm tall, margins ciliate, terminal acute. Petals linear-oblong, 5–6 × 0.7–0.9 mm, almost up to sepals or up to 1.2 times, limb white, petal nerves dark pink; terninal truncate; base cuneate. Stamens 10, filament 3–4 mm tall. Styles 2, 3–4 mm tall. Capsule oblong, 3.5–4.5 × 1–1.3 mm, 2–4-seeded, usually as much as sepals. Seeds comma shaped 0.8–0.9 × 0.6–0.8 mm, brown, side and ridge surface tuberculate, granular.

Phenology: June–July, 605–2000 m, serpentine stony slopes.

General Distribution: Endemic. East Mediterranean element.

Distribution for Türkiye ( Fig. 9 ): Aegean and Mediterranean region.

Notes:— The taxon was firstly defined with the name Bolanthus thymoides by Huber-Morath in 1963 ( Huber-Morath 1963). The taxon has a wide distribution area in Türkiye. The taxon differed from the other taxa in terms of having skewed, ascendant, tick stems branching from the base, tough leaves, short internodes and dense inflorescence with many flowers. Also it has been recommended to be placed in the LC category ( IUCN 2017).

Specimens examined: — TÜRKİYE. C2 Muğla: Sandras mountain, northwestern of Çiçekbaba hill, Serçe crevice, 1850 m, 14 July 1979, Özhatay (ISTO-23928); Burdur: Altınyayla Dirmil Gate, Esenli plateau, roadside, 1610 m, 06 June 1996, Özhataya and Özhatay & Duman (ISTE-72219); Burdur: Dirmil, hills from Dirmil above, 1750–1800 m, 08 July 1993, Bekat & Leblebici (EGE-18864); Denizli: Altınyayla, Dirmil gate down, the open of steppe, 605 m, 20 June 2002, Dönmez 10922 & Dönmez (HUB); Burdur: Çamlı plateau, Dirmil gate protected Pinus nigra and Juniperus sp. forest serpentine master rock, 1650 m, 30 June 1996, Aytaç 7405 (GAZI); Burdur: YeŞilova, Salda lake entry, 1300–1400 m, 09 July 2014, Budak 3179 (Bozok Univ. Herb.); Burdur: between YeŞilova and Salda village, EŞeler mountain, serpentine, stony places, 2000 m, 18 August 2014, Koç 1848 & Hamzaoğlu (Bozok Univ. Herb.); C3 Burdur:Altınyayla, Dirmil gate, 1585 m, 27 July 1996, Özhatay & Özhatay (ISTE-72866); Antalya: Elmalı, Çağlıkara, 1540 m, 28 June 1975, Çetik (KNYA-1238).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Bolanthus thymoides (Koç 1848 &Hamzaoğlu). A—habit, B—inflorescence, C—flower, D—petal, E—capsule.

FIGURE 7. Bolanthus frankenioides var. frankenioides (Koç 2167 & Hamzaoğlu). A—habit, B—inflorescence, C—flower, D—petal, E—capsule.

FIGURE 8. Bolanthus frankenioides var. fasciculatus (Koç 2188 & Hamzaoğlu). A—habit, B—inflorescence, C—flower, D—petal, E—capsule.

FIGURE 9. Distribution of taxa Bolanthus thymoides (D), B. frankenioides var. frankenioides (▲)and B. frankenioides var. fasciculatus (●) in Türkiye.