Cousinia sharifii Attar & Amini Rad 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Attar, Farideh
name: Rad, Mohammad Amini
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Asterales
Asteraceae
Cousinia
Cousinia sharifii

description: Cousinia sharifii Attar & Amini Rad, sp. nov. (Figs. 1, 2, 3)
Type: — IRAN. W Azarbaijan: Piranshahr, Silveh, Mashkan, 1890 m, 3 July 2012, Amini Rad & Torabi 58564 (holotype IRAN!).
Planta perennis, monocarpica. Caulis usque ad 45 cm longus, ramosus, floccoso-araneosus. Folia coriacea, sinuato-dentata, spinosa, indistincte discoloria, supra araneoso-tomentosa, subtus dense albido-tomentosa; folia radicalia ignota; folia caulina decurrentia, parte liberi ca. 9 × 6 cm (spinis inclusis); folia summa reducta, triangularia, basi rotundata, 5.5 × 2–2.5 cm. Synflorescentia corymbosa; capitula 25–30 mm longa, ca. 160-flora; pedunculis 5–10 mm longis; involucrum globosum, araneosum, spinis inclusis 43–48 mm diametro, usque ad 30 mm longum; phylla ca. 100, coriacea, appendiculata; appendices triangulares; exteriora patentia; intermedia imbricata, margine supra medium utrinque 1 spinulis; interiora longiora, spinulis nullis; interiora et intima prominentia, exappendiculata; receptaculi setae scabrae. Corolla purpurea, 23–24 mm longa, tubo limbo 11 mm longo. Antherarum tubus concolor, glaber. Achaenia ignota.
Perennial, monocarpic. Stem up to 45 cm long, branched, floccose-arachnoid. Leaves coriaceous, sinuate-dentate, spiny, indistinctly discolored, arachnoid-tomentose above, densely arachnoid-tomentose below; radical leaves unknown; stem leaves decurrent, free part 9 × 6 cm (spines included); upper leaves reduced, triangular, rounded at base, 5.5 × 2–2.5 cm. Synflorescence corymbose; capitulum 25–30 mm long, ca. 160-flowered; peduncle 5–10 mm long; involucre globose, arachnoid, 43–48 mm in diam. (including spines), up to 30 mm long; phyllaries ca. 100, coriaceous, appendiculate; appendages triangular; outer ones spreading; middle ones imbricate, with one spine on each side; inner ones longer, spineless; inner and innermost ones exserted; exappendiculate; receptacle bristles scabrous; corolla purple, 23–24 mm long, tube equaling the limb; anther tube concolored, glabrous. Achene unknown.
Etymology: —The epithet ‘sharifii’ honours Prof. Dr. Ghavamoddin Sharif, a pioneering Iranian mycologist who introduced some fungi and plants to the world and collected a large amount of plants and fungi from Iran.
Distribution, habitat and phenology: — Cousinia sharifii is known from the type locality in W Azarbaijan province of Iran. It was found in mountainous steppes at 1890 m a.s.l. The new species is a narrow endemic (Fig. 3). Flowers appear in July and mature achenes in August.
Relationships: —Taxa of Cousinia sect. Cynaroideae that are distributed in the northwest of Iran include: C. grandis C.A.Mey. in Candolle (1838: 557), C. bobeckii Rechinger (1972: 38), C. cynaroides (Bieberstein 1798: 118) Meyer (1831: 230), C. algurdina Rechinger (1964: 344), C. gilliatii Rechinger (1972: 244), C. shebliensis Attar & Ghahreman in Ghahreman et al. (1999: 19), C. zagrica Attar et al. (2002: 5), C. qaradaghensis Rechinger (1972: 258), C. sahandica Attar & Djavadi (2010: 161) and C. sabalanica Attar et al. (2000: 699), C. eriocephala Boiss. & Hausskn. in Boissier (1875: 504).
Cousinia sharifii is morphologically similar to C. eriocephala and C. zagrica, two rare species of NW Iran and E Turkey, in its habit, densely canescent-arachnoid involucre and globose capitulum. It can be distinguished from the two species by the shape of involucre and phyllaries, and by the number of flowers and phyllaries (Table 1; Figs. 1, 4, 5).
The new species is also related to C. canescens and C. qaradaghensis because of the arachnoid-greyish habit, but differs from these species by some characters (Table 1; Figs. 1 & 6). Cousinia canescens is endemic to Turkey and has not been reported from Iran (Attar & Djavadi 2010).
description: Published as part of Attar, Farideh & Rad, Mohammad Amini, 2019, Cousinia sharifii, a new species of Cousinia sect. Cynaroideae (Asteraceae) from NW Iran, pp. 287-295 in Phytotaxa 395 (4) on pages 287-290, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.395.4.4, http://zenodo.org/record/13717718