Bolanthus aziz-sancarii Koç & Hamzaoğlu, Systematic Botany

Yildizbaş, Avni & Koç, Murat, 2025, The taxonomic revision of genus Bolanthus (Caryophyllaceae) in Türkiye, Phytotaxa 696 (1), pp. 28-54 : 49

Bolanthus aziz-sancarii Koç & Hamzaoğlu, Systematic Botany 44(1): 189–196 (2019).

Type:— [ Turkey B3 Afyonkarahisar]. Afyonkarahisar: between Bayat and Iscehisar, 1500m, fissures of tuffaceous volcanic rocks, 02 Jul 2010, Koç 1209 & Hamzaoğlu (holotype GAZI!; isotypes: GAZI!, ANK!, HUB!) .

Description ( Figs. 15–16 ): — Perennial herb. Stems forming lax cushions, 4.5–15 cm in diam, ascendant-erect, base 0.8–1.2 mm diam, entirely covered with eglandular and glandular hairs. Stems short, 8–12-noded, internodes 4–8 mm, glandular-hairy. Leaves linear-setaceous, 4–5.5 × 0.5–0.7 mm, glandular-hairy, 3—nerved, greenish, rigid, apex acute; sheath membranous, 0.2–0.3 mm, glandular-hairy. Inflorescence terminal, densely glandular-hairy, 1–3-flowered, flowers pedicellate. Bracts lanceolate, 5.5–7 × 0.9–1.2 mm, as long as calyx; edge with ciliae 0.1–0.15 mm long; apex acute. Pedicels 1–2 mm long, densely glandular-hairy. Calyx tubular, densely glandularhairy, 5.5–7 × 1.3–1.7 mm, with 5 projecting ribs; teeth lanceolate, 1–1.5 mm long, apex acute. Petals linear-oblong, 7–8.5 × 0.8–1.2 mm, 1.5 times longer than calyx, entirely white, without purple veins; apex emarginate; base cuneate. Stamens 10, filaments 4–6 mm. Styles 2, 4–6 mm long. Capsule oblong, 5–6.5 × 1.3–1.7 mm, 2–4-seeded, usually as long as calyx. Seeds comma-shaped, with prominent radicle, 0.9–1.1 × 0.6–0.8 mm, brown.

Phenology: May–July, 1500 m, tuffaceous volcanic rocks.

General Distribution: Endemic. Irano Turanian element.

Distribution for Türkiye: Aegean region.

Notes:— The taxon was firstly defined with the name Bolanthus aziz-sancarii by Koç, Hamzaoğlu and Büyük in 2019 ( Koç et al. 2019). It was collected in Afyonkarahisar province is similar to B. thymoides Hub.-Mor. in having stems completely covered with eglandular and glandular hairs, lax cushions, leaves that are 3–6 mm long, and linear-oblong petals. However, it differs from this taxon by having an imbricate leaf arrangement, calyx 5.5–7 mm long, petals 7–8.5 mm long, entirely white petals, and an inflorescence with 1–3 pedicellate flowers (versus calyx 4–5 mm long, petals 5– 6 mm long, petals white with purple veins, and an inflorescence with 4–8 sessile or subsessile flowers in B. thymoides ). In addition, while B. thymoides occurs in serpentinized stony fields of the Mediterranean phytogeographical region, the new species is found in fissures in tuffaceous volcanic rocks in the IranoTuranian phytogeographical region. Also, due to overgrazing, the habitat of this speciesis is under threat, it has been recommended to be placed in the EN B1a category ( IUCN 2017). Its distribution in Türkiye was given in Figure 16 .

Specimens examined:— Bolanthus thymoides Hub.-Mor. Türkiye. Bilecik: Bozüyük , 740 m, 07 Jun 1975, Çetik (KNYA, No: 1239); Muğla Sandras mountain, NW of Çiçekbaba hill, Serçegediği site, 1850 m, 14 July 1979, Özhatay ( ISTO, No: 23928) ; Burdur: Altınyayla, Dirmil pass, Esenli plateau, 1610 m, 06 Jun 1996, Özhatay & Özhatay, Duman ¨ ( ISTE, No: 72219) ; Dirmil, hills above Dirmil , 1750–1800 m, 08 Jul 1993, Bekat & Leblebici ( EGE, No: 18864) ; Altınyayla, Dirmil pass, 605 m, 20 Jun 2002, Dönmez 10922 & Dönmez ( HUB) ; Çamlıyayla, Dirmil pass, 1650 m, 30 Jun 1996, Aytaç 7405 ( GAZI) ; YeŞilova, Salda town , EŞeler mountain, 2000 m, 18 Aug 2014, Koç 1848 & Hamzaoğlu (Bozok Univ. Herb.) ; Antalya: Elmalı, Çağlıkara , 1540 m, 28 Jun 1975, Çetik ( KNYA, No: 1238) .

Figures

FIGURE 15. Bolanthus aziz-sancarii (Koç 1209 & Hamzaoğlu). A—habit, B—inflorescence, C—flower, D—petal, E—capsule.

FIGURE 16. Distribution of taxa Bolanthus sandracicus (▲) and Bolanthus aziz-sancarii (D) in Türkiye.