Stachys cretica subsp. gulendamiana Akcicek 2022, subsp. nov.
Creators: name: Akçiçek, Ekrem
name: Güner, Özal
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Lamiales
Lamiaceae
Stachys
Stachys cretica

description: Stachys cretica L. subsp. gulendamiana Akçiçek, subsp. nov. (Figs. 1–3)
Diagnosis: — Stachys cretica subsp. gulendamiana is similar to S. cretica subsp. anatolica, but it differs mainly by its marine sandy habitat, indumentum adpressed white lanate- tomentose, flowering stems decumbent, basal leaves undulate, nutlets dull, greyish-brown.
Type:— Turkey. B1 Balıkesir: Ayvalık, Badavut district, maritime sands, 1 May 2018, Akçiçek 5897 (holotype GAZI, isotypes ISTE, Hb. Akçiçek).
Description:— Perennial herb with basal sterile rosettes. Flowering stems 15–45(–50) cm, decumbent, simple, sometimes branched, adpressed white lanate-tomentose, eglandular. Cauline leaves oblong-spathulate or rarely oblong-elliptic, 15–50 × 4–13 mm, obscurely crenulate at margin, obtuse, sometimes subacute at apex, attenuate or rounded at base, adpressed white lanate-tomentose, sessile to subsessile or petiolate to 2 cm. Basal leaves similar to cauline, but larger, margin undulate and longer petiolated (to 4.5 cm). Floral leaves oblong-lanceolate or ovatelanceolate to ovate, sessile, as long as or longer than verticillasters. Verticillasters 5–8(–10), remote below (4–8), 1–5 cm distant, approximate above (2–3), 10–14 flowered. Bracteoles oblong-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 3–10 mm, tip not spinescent. Pedicels 1–3.5 mm. Calyx subbilabiate, subcampanulate, 9‒12 mm, white tomentose-villous, mixed with sessile glands, mouth with dense hair ring; teeth subequal, ovate-lanceolate to triangular-lanceolate, 2–2.5 mm, c. 1/3 × tube, slightly recurved in fruit, short glandular hairy, mucronate at tip, mucro 0.5‒1 mm. Corolla pinkish-purple, 13–18 mm; tube subexserted, annulate; limb bilabiate, upper lip 6–8 mm, lower lip 3-lobed, middle lobe largest, 7–10 mm, upper lip densely sericeous-tomentose on outside, hairs usually exceeding the lip. Stamens 4, exserted more than half-way along upper corolla lip. Nutlets broadly obovoid, faintly trigonous, apex rounded, slightly winged near base, 2–2.5 × 1.5–1.8 mm, minutely reticulate, tuberculate, dull, greyish-brown.
Phenology: ―Flowering from mid-April to June, fruiting June.
Distribution and ecology: ―Endemic to Turkey. East Mediterranean element. Maritime sands, a.s.l. Dune vegetation of this area consists mainly of plants that include Centaurea spinosa Linnaeus (1753: 912), Limonium sinuatum [Linnaeus (1753: 276)] Miller (1768: 6), Helictotrichon pubescens [Hudson (1762: 42)] Schultes & Schultes (1827: 256), Anthoxanthum odoratum Linnaeus (1753: 28) subsp. odoratum, Lavandula stoechas Linnaeus (1753: 573) subsp. stoechas, Matthiola tricuspidata [Linnaeus (1753: 663)] Brown (1812: 120), Sideritis lanata Linnaeus (1756: 22), Rumex bucephalophorus Linnaeus (1753: 336) subsp. bucephalophorus, Orobanche caryophyllacea Smith (1798: 169), Papaver rhoeas Linnaeus (1753: 507), Muscari comosum [Linnaeus (1753: 318)] Mill. (1768: 2), Hypecoum procumbens Linnaeus (1753: 124) subsp. procumbens and Glaucium flavum Crantz (1763: 133).
Etymology:— The subspecies is named in honour of the eminent Turkish botanist Prof. Dr. Gülendam Tümen (Biology Dept. Balıkesir Univ.), who is an expert on the phytochemistry and ethnobotanical studies.
Conservation status: ―Critically Endangered - CR [B1ab(i,ii,iii)+2ab(i,ii,iii)]. Stachys cretica subsp. gulendamiana is known only from the type locality. This subspecies grows in a narrow area isolated on sandy soil in the coastal area. The area of occupancy is less than 10 km ², where the number of mature individuals is approximately 100 (IUCN 2017). Badavut region is one of the important tourism centres of Turkey and is used as a public beach. Badavut beach faces intense human pressure, especially in summer. Therefore, the population of the subspecies is threatened. The new subspecies grows in the front coastal part of the coastal dunes. This place is under the influence of dynamic movements such as waves, coastal movements, and winds (Turoğlu, 2009). The low amount of plant nutrients in the dunes, high permeability, direct sunlight exposure and high temperatures, wind being very effective, surface mobility and salt fallout from the sea limit the development of vegetation (Reel et al. 2009; Davidson-Arnott 2010). Therefore, these factors are thought to restrict the expansion of the population of the new subspecies.
Taxonomic relationships:— Stachys cretica subsp. gulendamiana belongs to S. sect. Eriostomum (Hoffmanns. & Link) Dumort. With the new subspecies, the number of Turkish Stachys taxa amount to 120 (93 species). Stachys cretica is an extremely widespread and polymorphic taxon. It has a wide distribution through southern Europe, the Mediterranean area, Anatolia, Crimea, northern Iraq, western Iran, and Caucasia. Stachys cretica is highly variable with respect to hair density, calyx shape, tube/teeth proportion, length of calyx mucro, and leaf width/length proportion. Due to the numerous variations, it is divided into 13 subspecies, all of which grow in Turkey and 5 of them are endemic to Turkey.
Stachys cretica subsp. gulendamiana is morphologically similar to S. cretica subsp. anatolica, but distinctly differs in having decumbent flowering stems, 15–45(–50) cm, adpressed white lanate-tomentose (not erect, 20–90 cm, adpressed greyish-tomentose), cauline leaves 15–50 × 4–13 mm, adpressed white lanate-tomentose, sessile or petiolate to 2 cm (not 20–95 × 5–30 mm, adpressed tomentose to villous, subsessile or petiolate to 5 cm), basal leaves with undulate margin (not entire), nutlets dull, greyish-brown (not blackish-brown) (Table 1). S. cretica subsp. gulendamiana differs from S. cretica subsp. anatolica in its habitat and elevation as well. The new subspecies grows at sea level and on sandy soil in coastal areas, while subspecies anatolica grows at 5–2300 m a.s.l. and in rocky slopes, forest openings, steppe, fallow fields and meadows.
Decumbent flowering stems are characteristic of the new subspecies Stachys cretica subsp. gulendamiana and this character clearly distinguishes the new taxon from other subspecies of S. cretica (Fig. 4). Moreover, the new subspecies is well adapted to live in maritime sands unlike other subspecies of Stachys cretica.
description: Published as part of Akçiçek, Ekrem & Güner, Özal, 2022, A new subspecies of Stachys cretica (Lamiaceae) from western Turkey, pp. 257-264 in Phytotaxa 539 (3) on pages 258-261, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.539.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/6364136