Rubus ser. Discolores

Salahi, Razieh, Afsharzadeh, Saeed & Sochor, Michal, 2025, Taxonomic and nomenclatural revision of Rubus L. (Rosaceae) in Iran, Phytotaxa 700 (1), pp. 1-17 : 11-13

Rubus ser. Discolores (polyploid accessions)

Included species names reported from Iran, but probably of low taxonomic value (singular or local genotypes):

R. persicus Boiss. in Fl. Orient. 2: 693 (1872). Type: In dumosis et syvaticis littoris Persici Caspii, 1847, Buhse s.n. (G00795301, holotype —image!).

R. raddeanus Focke in Abh. Naturwiss. Vereins Bremen 4: 182 (1874). Loc. typ. cit.: In regionibus transcaucasicis maris Caspii litoribus adjacentibus; abundat in dumetis sepibus et silvis prope Lenkoran. Types: [locality uncertain], 1830, Eichwald 1480 ( LE?, not located; syntype) ; [locality uncertain], 1870, Radde s.n. ( LE?, not located; syntype) .

R. hyrcanus Juz. in Bull. Appl. Bot. Pl. Breed. 14 (3): 149 (1925). Type: Lenkoran, May 1870, Radde 326 (LE?, holotype –image! in Gilli 1969).

Shrub, usually up to 2 m tall. Primocanes arching; stems ± 6–8(–10) mm in diameter, distinctly angular with flat to furrowed sides, green or vinaceous, glabrous or sparsely hairy with short stellate hairs, without stalked glands, with 2 to 7 prickles per 50 mm of stem length arranged along stem angles; prickles almost uniform, straight, erect or slightly declining, large, strong and broad-based, ± (5–)6–10(–12) mm long and ± (2–)7–10(–12) mm wide at base, usually concolourous with stem, with yellowish tip. Stipules linear, ± 10–15 × ca. 1 mm, hairy with stellate and long simple hairs, without stalked glands. Leaves on primocanes palmate, 5-foliolate, coriaceous, usually dark green, mostly glossy and glabrous/subglabrous above, white/greyish tomentose beneath with many short stellate and sparse long simple hairs; petiole as long as basal leaflets, sparsely hairy with stellate hairs and 8 to 12 curved prickles; terminal leaflet usually broadly obovate or elliptic to suborbicular, base round or subcordate, apex shortly acuminate or submucronate, with ± 5–20 mm long tip, margins almost flat, regularly to periodically dentate, incisions 1–3 mm deep, petiolule (23–)32–44% of lamina length; lateral leaflets obovate or elliptic-obovate, with petiolules 15–20 mm long; basal leaflets mostly elliptic, with petiolules 2(–10) mm long (± 4–12% of the lamina length). Inflorescence widely pyramidal, racemose; inflorescence axis angular, hairy with dense subadpressed stellate hairs and longer patent hairs; prickles 3 to 5 per 50 mm of axis length, mostly slightly curved, ± 4–6 mm long, ± 4–8 mm wide at base; pedicels 5–12 mm long, tomentose with adpressed stellate hairs and with dense long patent simple hairs, with 2–6 very small, somewhat curved prickles ± 1–2 mm long. Flowers large, ± 30–35 mm in diameter; sepals greyish tomentose with short stellate hairs and dense long simple hairs, distinctly reflexed during and after anthesis, ± 5–10 mm long; petals pale pink to magenta or sometimes white, much longer than sepals, ± 12 mm long, elliptic to suborbicular. Stamens much longer than styles; filaments white; anthers glabrous. Carpels glabrous or hairy. Flower receptacle hairy. Aggregate fruit large, with ± 20–40 drupelets, somewhat longer than wide or globose, green turning red and finally black at maturity, shiny, juicy and sweet ( Fig. 6 ).

Ecology: The polyploids of Rubus ser. Discolores prefer disturbed habitats in sunny situations, typically along roads, less commonly also in forest margins and along rivers or water lines.

Diagnostic characters: primocane stem glabrous to sparsely hairy, not pruinose; primocane leaves leathery, dark green and glossy above, white-felted beneath; prickles strong, large, erect or slightly declining; stem and inflorescence without stalked glands; petals mostly pink.

Distribution: In Iran, polyploids of R. ser. Discolores occur mostly in northern regions ( Fig. 7 ). General distribution includes most of the temperate and submediterranean regions of Europe ( Kurtto et al. 2010) and through the Caucasus and Iran extends up to Central Asia ( Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan; Kasalkheh et al. 2024).

Published records from Iran: Three species of this series were described from Iran, but none of them can be confirmed now as an acceptable apomictic species. Zieliński (1978) also reported on the occurrence of R. procerus P.J.Müll. ex Boulay , a species described from eastern France, but more data is needed for identification and characterization of that species at this moment.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Rubus ser. Discolores. A: habit; B: primocane leaves; C, D: primocane stems; E, F: inflorescences, J: detail of flower with carpels, H: infructescence with unripe fruits.

FIGURE 7. Distribution of Rubus ser. Discolores in Iran.