The Iranian Journal of Botany
Volume:26 Issue: 2, Summer and Autumn 2020

A new species of Scorzonera (subgen. Scorzonera sect. Nervosae Lipsch.) is described and illustrated. Scorzonera alborzensis Safavi & Amini Rad collected from Siah Sang mountain in Central Alborz. It is related to the Scorzonera cinerea Boiss., in which it can be distinguished by the stems form and size, leaves size and arrangement, involucral bracts size, and achene size. An illustration and a scanned image of the type specimen of the new species are provided.

Based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic data, here we describe Astragalus sect. Irania Maassoumi, Mahmoodi & Bagheri as a new section in the immense genus Astragalus. Description and diagnosis are given. Morphologically, the new section is closely related to sect. Stereothrix Bunge, which is widely, distributed in Elburz and Zagros Mountains ranges. The new section differs from sect. Stereothrix in characters of the inflorescence, color of petals and stipules. But in the molecular phylogenetic analysis, it is surprisingly placed among the thorny Astragalus species. Type of the new section is A. issatissensis Maassoumi, Mahmoodi, which is so far known only from the highest elevations of Shirkuh Mt. above 3800 m a.s.l in Yazd province.

Once only limited to Eurasia, the worldwide distributed Plantago major L. is now considered as invasive. Its significant distributional range in Iran requires molecular scientific efforts to reliably elucidate its genetic diversity and population structure. Therefore, analysis of genetic diversity of 17 different populations of P. major by ISSR markers was carried out and revealed the presence of a relatively high genetic diversity, in which, means of genetic diversity statistics for populations including number of different alleles (Na), number of effective alleles (Ne), Shannon’s information index (I) and Nei gene diversity (H) were 1.12, 1.32, 0.271 and 0.184, respectively. Population of Damavand had the maximum Na (1.51) while population from Meshkinshahr indicated superior values for Ne (1.466), I (0.386), H (0.262), and UHe (0.291). Analyzing the genetic diversity distribution by AMOVA exhibited that a major portion of total genetic diversity is within-population (77%), and less among-populations (19%) and among-regions (4%). Neighbor Joining trees display gene flow/shared alleles among studied populations. Populations genetic stratification showed a mixture of two groups with different dominance from northwest to the northeast of Iran. Assessing the genetic structure indicated existence of a relatively strong genetic structure among populations. Mating system, invasiveness characters and seed dispersal are suggested to be effective factors for a high rate of gene flow and simultaneous presence of genetic differentiation among populations of P. major in Iran.

Tamarix L. is a problematic genus in taxonomy of Tamaricaceae due to the uncertainty of species number, distribution, and ecological conditions in Iran. In this study, we investigated the genetic diversity and taxonomic relationships of 34 individuals from 8 populations including 3 species of Tamarix in Isfahan province, Iran. Ten primers using CDDP molecular marker were used to survey the genetic diversity of the genus. One hundred and twenty-five bands were created from ten primers, of which 102 (80.16%) were polymorphic. Cluster analysis classified individuals into three distinct groups. High gene flow among Tamarix species using PCoA analysis showed high variability among the three Tamarix species, so that samples from different species were grouped together. Molecular analysis of variance showed that intra-population genetic diversity (90%) was greater than inter-population genetic diversity (10%). The highest mean Neiʼs genetic diversity (H) and Shannon diversity index (I) was observed in the Habib Abad population. Data analysis showed that morphological traits and DNA sequencing data in the genus Tamarix were not fully correlated, which could be justified by the large number of hybrids between species and the lack of genetic differentiation between the studied species.

During a revision of the genus Cerastium L. in Iran, Cerastium ponticum Albov was identified and is reported as a new record from Iran and Flora Iranica area. Morphological characteristics, as well as a full description and distribution of the new record are provided. This taxon is also compared with its close relative species.

Salvia reuteriana Boiss. (Lamiaceae), a new record for the flora of Turkey, is described. It is collected in Şırnak province, southeastern Anatolia. Salvia reuteriana was previously known from Iraq and Iran, with the type specimen of the species from Iran. Morphological description, photographs and distribution map of the new record are presented.

Iran is a country that serves as the spot for diverse landscapes and aquatic ecosystems. Zagros Mountains, as one of its main ranges and the important segment of Alpine-Himalayan orogenic system are known as the biodervisity hotspots for plants and animals worldwide. Despite the numerous rivers flowing in the area, little survey has been conducted about the diatom flora of its rivers. Diatoms are the most diverse microalgae that have great contribution to the primary production in the aquatic ecosystems. Due to importance of diatoms in the aquatic ecosystems and the ecological and geological importance of the Zagros in the world, we aim to study the diatom flora in the Kashkan River flowing in the Zagros Mountains. In this research, 48 epipelic and epilithic samples were collected along the Kashkan River in Spring 2019. A total of 91 taxa was identified from which four species were recorded as new for the diatom flora of Iran. Furthermore, identification of 10 taxa are provisional which are designated as cf., when finalized, these may also be recognized as new records. Meanwhile, twenty unidentified taxa which are marked as sp., are potetilly new species, in need of furthere investigations. These novel taxa are highlights and prominence of this study. Our results serves as a baseline for the diatoms biodiversity in the Zagros Mountain.

Pottiaceae are a world-widely distributed in characteristic harsh habitats. Based on the survey of mosses in Khouzestan province (SW of Iran), a new species, namely, Dialytirchia mucronata (Brid.) Broth. is found from Sheyvand waterfall of Izeh. Illustrations, characteristics, locality and habitat of the species are explained as a new record for Iranian bryoflora herewith.

Samples of Lichen were collected in North-East (NE) of Iran (Khorasan Razavi Province, Torghabeh city) and studied with morphological, anatomical and ecological characteristics. Accordingly, Anema prodigulum (Nyl.) Henssen (Lichinaceae) and Pyrenodesmia microstepposa (Frolov, Nadyeina, Khodos. & Vondrák) Hafellner & Türk (Teloschistaceae) are reported for the first time from Iran.

Karyomorphological study was carried out on 11 accessions from 6 sections belonging to 7 species of Astragalus growing in Iran. Chromosome numbers and karyotypes of two species (A. cephalanthus DC. and A. jacobsii Podlech) are new records. Two ploidy levels 2n = 2x = 16 and 2n = 4x = 32 were determined, the chromosomes size varied from 2.51 in A. cyclophyllos to 3.79 μm in A. fasciculifolius Boiss. in two accessions of A. cyclophyllos , a single pair satellite chromosomes were observed.