Gonocytisus graecus Senturk & Yildirim 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Şentürk, Ozan
name: Kenicer, Gregory J.
name: Yildirim, Hasan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Fabales
Fabaceae
Gonocytisus
Gonocytisus graecus

description: Gonocytisus graecus Şentürk & Yıldırım, sp. nov. (Figs. 1–3).
Type:— GREECE, Evritanias: 2 km from the village of Mikro Chorio along the road to Prousos. Gravelly slopes and damp places by the river. 38°49ˈN, 21°44 ˈE, 30 July 1992, Strid no. 33809 (holotype UPA!; isotype: G! (457263)).
Diagnosis: The indehiscent fruit of Gonocytisus graecus is similar to G.dirmilensis. It is distinguished by the larger flowers, with standard petal 11.0–11.5 x 7–8 mm (vs. 9.5‒10.2 x 5.5‒7.0 mm), claw 2.3–2.5 mm long (vs. claw 2.1‒2.5 mm); wing 10.2–10.5 x 3.1–3.5 mm (vs. 7.5‒9.9 x 1.5‒2.25 mm), claw 3.6–3.7 mm (claw 2.5‒2.8 mm); lower edge of keel ciliate for a third from the tip (vs. ciliate on all lower edge), 11.5–12.0 x 3.2–3.4 mm (vs. 9.9‒11.3 x 2.6‒3.1 mm), claw 3.5–3.8 mm (claw 2.95‒3.75 mm); filament tube 5.5–6.0 mm (vs. 6.5‒7.0 mm); style 7–8 mm long (vs. 10‒12 mm); fruit indehiscent 13–23 x 7.5–8.55 mm (vs. 8.6‒15.8 x 4.25‒6.85 mm), outer surface densely to sparsely strigillose (vs. very rarely strigillose); seeds orbicular-reniform (vs. oblong‒reniform).
Description:— Ascending or few-stemmed virgate shrub to 1– 2 m. New branches (shoots of the 1 st year) erect, triangular, quadrangular or cylindrical in cross-section; sparsely to densely long-strigillose. Old branches (shoots of 2 nd year or more) cylindrical, slightly ridged, rarely long-strigillose. Leaves trifoliolate, linear, linear-elliptic, elliptic towards the tips, oblong-elliptic at the base, apex acute, acute-acuminate, caducous when legumes mature. Terminal leaflets 1.9–45 x 0.75–4.8 mm, lateral leaflets 1.2–41.0 x 0.4–4.0 mm, lamina sparsely long-strigillose on the midrib and lower surface. Stipules early caducous or vestigial; petiole minute to 1.8 mm densely long- strigillose. Inflorescence 14–35 flowered racemose, rarely paniculate, on leafless branches or rarely with leaves below the flowers. Bracts solitary, generally caducous leaving a scar when shed up to 1.6 mm long, close to the pedicel strigillose. Bracteoles 2, close to receptacle, ca. 0.65 mm long, sometimes early cadacous leaving a scar, long-strigillose. Pedicel 0.1–0.3 mm long, sparsely strigillose and patent-hairy. Calyx 3.5–3.9 x 2.0– 2.3 mm, campanulate, mouth oblique, with two upper and three lower teeth, upper and lower lips fused ⅔ or more from the base; outer surface sparsely strigillose; inner surface glabrous; lower teeth ciliate. Corolla golden yellow; standard 11.0–11.5 x 7–8 mm (inc. claw 2.1–2.5 mm long) oval, oblong-oval, glabrous, tips retuse-obtuse, shorter than the keel; wing 10.2–10.5 x 3.1–3.5 mm (inc. claw 3.6–3.7 mm long), glabrous; carina 11.5–12.0 x 3.2–3.4 (inc. claw 3.5–3.8 long), outer surface softly crisped-hairy; keel pubescent along the lower margin for ⅓ from the claw, remaining ⅔ fused to the other keel petal. Stamen monadelphous, with 5 basifixed and 5 dorsifixed anthers; basifixed anthers 0.7–0.9 mm long; dorsifixed anthers 0.4–0.5 mm long, extrorse dehiscent; theca ciliate at the tip and base; filament tube 5.5–6 mm. Style 7–8 mm long, ciliate at the base. Ovary densely strigillose; ovules 4–5. Legume indehiscent 13–23 x 7.5–8.55 mm; margin thicken; rhombic-elliptic to rhombic-oval; tip mucronulate rarely apiculate; outer surface rarely strigillose. Seeds 1(2), orbicular-reniform, 3.3–4.1 x 3.0– 3.75 mm, polished army green, surface smooth.
Phenology:— Flowering June to July, fruiting July to August.
Etymology:— The species epithet was chosen as “graecus ”, referring to Greece, the country where the plant is distributed and apparently endemic.
Distribution and Habitat:— This species is currently known only from the type locality near the village Megalo Chorio, Evrytania and near the village Athanasios Diakos, Fokida in Greece (Fig. 4). The species grows in stony and gravelly soils, in open areas surrounded by mixed woodlands on steep slopes between 650 to 1000 m.
The other record of Gonocytisus species which is given as G. dirmilensis is from Ileias (Flora of Greece Web, 2024), recorded by Giannopoulos Konstantinos. The verification of the presence of this collection which may be subject to revision to G. graecus, is required. Since all shown locations are derived from herbarium data, this record is excluded from the distribution map (Fig. 4).
Conservation Status:— The conservation status of Gonocytisus graecus is uncertain. The population we found was small at the type locality. The herbarium sample collected from Phocis is held at Patra Herbarium, approximately 40 kilometres from the type locality. The record from Ileias (see the distribution and habitat) that may be revised upon confirmation is approximately 150 km as the crow flies from the type locality. As the distribution area of the species is fragmented, the area of occupancy (AOO) cannot be predicted using the available information. Therefore more detailed observations and explorations are needed. So, the new species should be nominated Data Deficient (DD) based on IUCN Red List Guidelines Version 16 (IUCN 2024).
Specimens examined (paratypes):— GREECE: Evrytania, between Gavros and Kato Karista, along the roadsides in the valley, Lat. 38.817150° N, Long. 21.731330° E, 644 m, 03.07.2023, O. Senturk Ozn-23-7-01 & H. Yıldırım (EGE! 44068; UPA!); 02.08.2023, O. Senturk Ozn-23-8-01 (EGE 44067!; UPA!).—PHOCİS: Fokidos: Parnassidos, near the village of Athanasios Diakos. Roadside in Abies woodland, shrub c. 1 m tall, Corolla golden yellow, 950 m, 38º42ˈN 22º11ˈE, 06.07.2018, Strid & P. Hartvig 59506 (UPA 16231!).
The selected specimens examined are listed in Appendix 1, while coordinated records are displayed on the map (Fig. 4).
description: Published as part of Şentürk, Ozan, Kenicer, Gregory J. & Yildirim, Hasan, 2024, A new broom Gonocytisus graecus (Genisteae, Leguminosae / Fabaceae), from Greece, pp. 277-290 in Phytotaxa 666 (4) on pages 278-283, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.666.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/14518968