Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 141 , 477–482. With 4 figures © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 141 , 477–482 477 Original Article A NEW VIOLA SPECIES FROM ANATOLIA MUH TT N D NÇ, YAVUZ BA CI and NAS YILDIRIMLI *Corresponding author. E-mail: muhdinc@yahoo.com A new species of Viola L. (Violaceae) from South Anatolia MUH TT N D NÇ 1, *, YAVUZ BA CI 2 and NAS YILDIRIMLI 3 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, Selçuk University, 42090 Meram Yeni Yol, Konya, Turkey 2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Art, Selçuk University, 42031 Kampüs, Konya, Turkey 3 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hacettepe University, 06532 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey Received June 2002; accepted for publication November 2002 A new species of Viola L., Viola yildirimlii M. Dinç & Y. Ba cı sp. nov. from South Anatolia is described and illus- trated. It is found on the rocky slopes of Alada National Park, in the county of Adana, south Turkey, at an elevation of 1800 m. It belongs to Viola , subsect. Viola , and is similar to the Turkish endemics Viola isaurica Contandr. & Qué- zel and V. kizildaghensis M. Dinç & . Yıldırımlı. Diagnostic morphologic characters for a detailed discrimination from two similar taxa and other Turkish Eflagellatae species are discussed. © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 141 , 477–482. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: systematics – taxonomy – Turkey – Viola. İ İ İ Ğ Şİ İ ğ ğ Ş INTRODUCTION Viola L., the type genus of Violaceae , has about 400 species (Heywood, 1993). Becker (1925) divided Viola into 14 sections. Of these two sections, Viola and Mel- anium , occur in Turkey (Coode & Cullen, 1965; Davis, Mill & Tan, 1988; Yıldırımlı, 2000). The original delim- itation of section Viola proposed by Becker (1925) includes 18 subsections. Two subsections of these, Viola L. and Rostratae Kuppfer, occur in Turkey. Sub- sect. Viola ser. Eflagellatae consists of four species in Turkey (Coode & Cullen, 1965; Davis et al ., 1988; Yıldırımlı, 2000; Dinç & Yıldırımlı, 2002). In 2001, we collected fruiting material of a violet in the mountainous region of Alada National Park in Adana Province in southern Anatolia in Turkey. This violet species was of interest on account of its very restricted, steep and rocky distribution area. Further- more, the plant exhibited characteristics of Viola sect. Viola subsect. Viola series Eflagellatae and its close relatives in the series are all relictual with narrow endemic or disjunct distributions (Melchior, 1939; Contandriopoulos & Quézel, 1976; Yıldırımlı, 1994; Marcussen, 1998; Dinç & Yıldırımlı, 2002). Therefore, we collected flowering material of the same plant from the same locality in 2002. The result of comparative ğ studies in close species of subsect. Viola , led us to our decision that the plants from Alada National Park represent a new species, V. yildirimlii . SPECIES DESCRIPTION V IOLA YILDIRIMLII M. D INÇ & Y. B A CI SP . NOV . ( FIGS 1–3) Planta herbacea, perennis, acaulis, estolonifera, ad 8 cm alta. Rhizoma crassiusculum lignescens, plus minusve verticale et ramosissimum. Folia juvenilia ovata et basi subcordata, adulta triangulari-ovata et basi truncata, lamina 6–30 mm longa, 10–20 mm lata, crassiuscula, crenato-serrata, pubescentia in petiolum 15–60 mm longum, alatum angustata. Stipulae lan- ceolatae vel late lanceolatae, aliquando anguste ova- tae, 4–12 mm longae, 1–2.5 mm latae, membranaceae, breviter glandulo-fimbriatae. Pedunculi 25–35 mm longi, paullo supra medium bibracteolati. Bracteolae 4–5 mm longae, infra medium glandulo-fimbriatae. Flores in vivo inodorati, 8–10 mm longi. Sepala anguste oblonga, 3–4 mm longa, 1–1.1 mm lata, pubescentia; appendix 0.8–1 mm longa. Petala glabra, violacea, usque ad medium fere albida. Calcar viola- ceum, sursum curvatum. Stylus 1.5–1.6 mm longus, basi geniculatus, apice in rostellum elongatum et por- rectus; cavus stigmaticus ad marginem fuscus. Cap- ğ Ğ D ow nloaded from https://academ ic.oup.com /botlinnean/article-abstract/141/4/477/2433541 by H acettepe U niversity Library (H U ) user on 02 M arch 2020 478 M. D NÇ ET AL.İ © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 141 , 477–482 sula globosa, 8–10 mm diametro, dense pubescens. Pedunculi fructiferi prostrati. Semina 3 mm longa, 1.5 mm lata, elaiosomatibus conspicuis. Type: Turkey. C5 Adana: Alada National Park, Alada , above Ulup nar village, rocky slopes, 1800 m, 22.iv. 2002, Dinç 1162 & Ba cı (Holotypes: KNYA); Ibid., 30.iv. 2001, Dinç 985 & Ba cı (paratypus, KNYA; Hb. Yıldırımlı). Acaulous perennial herb up to 8 cm high, lacking stolons. Rootstock 5 mm thick, woody and more or less branched, vertical, clothed with withered petioles. Leaves erect or suberect, ovate and very shallowly cordate at base when young; prostrate, narrowly triangular-ovate and truncate at base when mature; blade 6–30 mm long, 10–20 mm wide, pubescent, thick, crenate-serrate. Petioles 15–60 mm, narrowly winged, pubescent. Stipules lanceolate to widely lanceolate, sometimes narrowly ovate, 4–12 mm long, ğ ğ y¢ ğ ğ 1–2.5 mm wide, membraneous, shortly glandular- fimbriate. Stalks (of chasmogamous flowers) 25–35 mm long, pubescent; bracteoles 4–5 mm long, borne just above the middle of the stalk, glandular- fimbriate below the middle; stalks of the cleistoga- mous flowers much shorter. Flowers not fragrant, 8–10 mm long, violet with a white throat. Sepals nar- rowly oblong, 3–4 mm long, 1–1.1 mm wide, pubes- cent; sepal appendages 0.8–1 mm long. Petals hairless, lower petal 8–10 mm, lateral and upper pet- als 8–9 mm; spur pale violet, 2–3 mm, curved upwards. Style 1.5–1.6 mm, geniculate at base, apex curved downwards, shortly beaked; stigmatic cavity brown at circumference. Capsules borne on stalks which are procumbent at maturity, globose, com- pressed at apex, 8–10 mm in diameter, densely pubes- cent. Seeds 3 ¥ 1.5 mm with distinctive elaisomes. DISCUSSION Subsect. Viola is composed of the perennial acaules- cent species with lateral leafy shoots (stolons), which may be reduced or absent (Okamoto, Okada & Ueda, 1993). The species of subsection Viola produce chas- mogamous flowers opening in early spring and cleis- togamous flowers opening during favourable periods throughout the rest of the growing season (Redbo- Torstensson & Berg, 1995). Characteristic of sub- section Viola are globose, nonballistic capsules born on decumbent stalks at maturity (Okamoto et al ., 1993). The seeds have conspicuous elaiosomes and are dis- persed by ants (Beattie & Lyon, 1975). The new spe- cies exhibits these features clearly. Species without stolons of the subsection Viola are, traditionally, con- sidered as series Eflagellatae (Okamoto et al ., 1993; Marcussen & Borgen, 2000). V. yildirimlii is, natu- rally, included in series Eflagellatae , since it is without stolons. Series Eflagellatae consists of 11 species. Seven rel- ative species of V. yildirimlii in the series, V. chelmea Boiss. & Heldr., V. libanotica Boiss., V. pyrenaica Ramond, V. isaurica Contandr. & Quézel, V. bocquetiana Yıldırımlı, V. sandrasea Melchior and V. kizildaghensis M. Dinç & . Yıldırımlı, are all relictual with narrow endemic or disjunct distribu- tions and native to the high montane and alpine regions of Central Europe, North Africa, and the Mid- dle East (Melchior, 1939; Contandriopoulos & Quézel, 1976; Yıldırımlı, 1994; Marcussen, 1998; Dinç & Yıldırımlı, 2002). Four of the 11 species, V. sandrasea, V. bocquetiana , V. kizildaghensis and V. isaurica are from Turkey (Melchior, 1939; Contandriopoulos & Quézel, 1976; Yıldırımlı, 1994; Dinç & Yıldırımlı, 2002), and they are known from their type collections, except V. isaurica, which grows on calcareous rocks in the mountainous region of Ermenek and its Ş Figure 1. Habit of Viola yildirimlii M. Dinç & Y. Ba cı sp. nov. (depicted from holotype, natural size) ğ D ow nloaded from https://academ ic.oup.com /botlinnean/article-abstract/141/4/477/2433541 by H acettepe U niversity Library (H U ) user on 02 M arch 2020 A NEW VIOLA SPECIES FROM ANATOLIA 479 © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 141 , 477–482 Figure 2. Viola yildirimli in the wild – in flower. Figure 3. Viola yildirimli in the wild – fruiting. D ow nloaded from https://academ ic.oup.com /botlinnean/article-abstract/141/4/477/2433541 by H acettepe U niversity Library (H U ) user on 02 M arch 2020 480 M. D NÇ ET AL.İ © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 141 , 477–482 environment (Dinç, 2002). The new species is clearly similar to the series Eflagellatae species in Turkey. The most important characters distinguishing the species in subsection Viola are stipule shape and fim- brication, corolla colour, lamina shape, shape of styles and stigmas, and quality of pubescence (Becker, 1925; Okamoto et al., 1993; Marcussen & Nordal, 1998). Considering these distinguishing characters, our spec- imens differ clearly from its relatives. Although V. yildirimlii is reminiscent of V. isaurica on the point of external morphology, it seems to be the closest rel- ative to V. kizildaghensis (Table 1). In subsection Viola, styles are more or less hooked and beaked (Okamoto et al., 1993). V. yildirimlii and V. kizildaghensis have shorter stigmatic beaks than does V. isaurica. Styles of V. yildirimlii are geniculate and those of V. kizildaghensis are sigmoid at base. Those of V. isaurica, on the contrary, are nearly straight at base. Although stigmatic beaks of V. isaurica are gradually thinned to the apex, V. yildirimlii and V. kizildaghensis are gradually thickened. Stigmatic cavity is brown at circumference only in V. yildirimlii (Fig. 4). This feature is the most distinguishing character of the new species which dif- fer both from two of its close allies and the other spe- cies in series Eflagellatae. Lateral petals are beardless in V. yildirimlii as in V. isaurica and V. kizildaghensis. Among these, V. isaurica and V. yildirimlii have violet corolla, whereas V. kizildaghensis has pinkish-violet corolla. Leaves of V. isaurica and V. yildirimlii are ovate and shallowly cordate to truncate at base. However, the mature leaves of V. yildirimlii are narrowly triangu- lar-ovate. The same characters of V. kizildaghensis are lanceolate and cuneate at base (Fig. 4). Stipules are glandular-fimbriate in all three species, but stipule shape and fimbria length are different. Stipules are lanceolatae and shortly fimbriate in V. kizildaghensis and V. yildirimlii. Moreover, fimbria length is not more than half the width of the stipule in these species. V. isaurica has linear to linear- lanceolate stipule and its fimbria are longer than half the width of the stipule, sometimes about as long as stipule width. There are two further endemic species, V. sandrasea and V. bocquetiana belonging to subsect. Viola series Eflagellatae in Turkey. The new species differs from V. bocquetiana in its shallowly cordate to truncate leaves (not only cordate), violet petals (not white), pubescent capsules and vegetative parts (not sca- brous), bracteoles borne just above the middle of the peduncle (not borne just below the flowers) and brown circumference of stigmatic cavities. V. yildirimlii dif- fers from V. sandrasea in its shortly glandular-fimbri- ate and hairy stipules (not long fimbriate, eglandular and glabrous), leaves with very shallowly cordate to truncate bases (not with to cuneate bases), pubescent ovary and vegetative parts (not glabrous), narrowly oblong sepals (not lanceolate-elliptic) and style geniculate at base (not sigmoid-curved) and brown circumference of stigmatic cavities. Furthermore, the distribution altitude of the new species is 1800 m (not 3000 m) and its flowering time is in April (not in July). Contandriopoulos & Quézel (1976) described V. sandrasea Melchior ssp. cilicica Contandr. & Quézel as a new taxon in South Anatolia and this taxon has not been recorded to date. Since its type collection lacked flowers, its description was incomplete. There- fore, the systematic position of V. sandrasea ssp. cil- icica is uncertain (Davis et al., 1988). Davis et al. (1988) suggested that V. sandrasea ssp. cilicica was the same as V. alba Besser ssp. dehnhardtii (Ten) Becker rather than to be a new, very disjunt subspe- cies of V. sandrasea. Table 1. Comparison of the characteristics of V. yildirimlii sp. nov., V. kizildaghensis and V. isaurica Viola yildirimlii Viola kizildaghensis Viola isaurica Lamina shape Ovate to narrowly triangular-ovate, often truncate, sometimes shallowly cordate at base Lanceolate, narrowly or sometimes widely cuneate at base Ovate, cordate to truncate at base Stipule shape and fimbrication Lanceolate to narrowly ovate, shortly glandular-fimbriate Linear-lanceolate to lanceolate shortly glandular-fimbriate Linear to linear-lanceolate, long glandular fimbriate Corolla colour and pubescence Violet, glabrous Pinkish-purple, glabrous Violet, glabrous Style shape Shortly beaked at apex, geniculate at base, stigmatic cavity is brown at circumference Shortly beaked at apex, sigmoid at base, stigmatic cavity is transparent at circumference Long beaked at apex, nearly straight at base, stigmatic cavity is transparent at circumference Distribution C5 Adana, Alada National Park, endemic B3 Isparta, Kızılda National Park, endemic C4 Karaman, Ermenek and its environs, endemic ğ ğ D ow nloaded from https://academ ic.oup.com /botlinnean/article-abstract/141/4/477/2433541 by H acettepe U niversity Library (H U ) user on 02 M arch 2020 A NEW VIOLA SPECIES FROM ANATOLIA 481 © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 141, 477–482 ECOLOGY, DISTRIBUTION AND STATE Endemic, Mediterranean element. We collected the new species from only one locality in Alada National Park in Adana province in South Anatolia. V. yildirimlii grows on rocky slopes near melting snow, together with Corydalis rutifolia (Sibth. & Sm.) DC. ssp. erdelii (Zucc.) Cullen & Davis, Primula vulgaris L. ssp. vulgaris, Anemone blanda Schott & Kotschy, Ornithogalum lanceolatum Labill., Muscari azureum Fenzl (endemic), Gladiolus atroviolaceus Boiss. at an altitude of 1800 m. The range of the new species is restricted to only one locality. The population include approximately 30–40 individuals. Its area is approxi- mately 100 m2. Therefore, we suggest that Viola yildi- rimlii should be placed under the IUCN category Critically Endangered (CR) (IUCN, 2001). OTHER EXAMINED MATERIAL V. isaurica C4 Karaman, between Ermenek and Balkusan village, Balkusan valley, calcerous rocks, 1550–1600 m, 16.iv. 2000, M. Dinç 620 (Yıldırımlı Herb., KNYA). Ermenek, Kazancı, calcerous rocks, ğ rock crevices, 1400 m, 15.iv. 2000, M. Dinç 616 (KNYA). C4 Konya: border of Ta kent-Alanya, foot of Sütsüz mountain, rock crevices, 1450 m, 25.v. 1999, M. Dinç 603 & . Yıldırımlı (Yıldırımlı Herb.) – V. kizildaghensis B3 Isparta: arkikaraa aç, Kızılda National Park, Kızılda , stony slopes, 1350–1600 m, 04.iv. 2001, Dinç 964 & . Yıldırımlı (Yıldırımlı Herb., KNYA, HUB), 12.v. 1999, Dinç 592 (KNYA). PHENOLOGY In the wild, flowering occurs in second half of April near melting snow. We have observed that the flower- ing begins in the middle of April and we collect the fruiting specimens at the end of April. This suggests that flowering time is very short. The new species grows on rocky slopes at an altitude 1800 m. REFERENCES Beattie AJ, Lyon N. 1975. Seed dispersal in Viola (Violaceae): Adaptations and strategies. American Journal of Botany 62: 714–722. ş Ş Ş ğ ğ ğ Ş Figure 4. Styles, leaves and stipules of V. isaurica, V. yildirimli and V. kizildaghensis. 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