Ricotia candiriana A. Ozcandir, Aykurt & Ozudogru 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Özçandir, Ayşen
name: Aykurt, Candan
name: Özüdoğru, Bariş
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Brassicales
Brassicaceae
Ricotia
Ricotia candiriana

description: Ricotia candiriana A.Özçandır, Aykurt & Özüdoğru sp. nov. (Figs. 2–4)   
 Type:— TURKEY. Antalya: Kumluca, upper part of Alakır Valley, close to the Dibek Nature Conservation Area, screes, 1160 m elevation, 15 June 2017, A. Özçandır1885 & C. Aykurt (holotype: AKDU; isotype: HUB).   
 Diagnosis:— Ricotia candiriana differs from the related R. davisiana by its pinnate (vs trifoliate) basal leaves and pinnate, trifoliate or simple stem leaves with segments 1–2-mm wide (vs trifoliate stem leaves with segments(2) 4–6 mm wide).   
Perennial, glaucous herbs up to 6.5–18 cm, pilose, especially towards the base. Stem 6–13.5 cm, simply branched, ascending. Leaves decreasing in size from the base to the upper part of the stem; basal leaves pinnate, 26–60 × 7.0– 24 mm, generally with 3–5 obovate-lanceolate to lanceolate segments, glabrescent to sparsely pilose, fleshy, green or reddish tinged; terminal segment 9.0–17.0 × 3.0– 4.5 mm, entire or 2–3 lobed; lateral segments 7.0–11.0 × 1.5–3.0 mm, usually entire, sometimes upper lateral segments 2-lobed; petiole 15–35 mm. Stem leaves usually pinnate with 3–5 lanceolate to linear-lanceolate segments, sometimes simple, 6–25 × 2.3–14 mm, pilose, segments entire or 2- lobed; terminal segment 4–10 × 1–2 mm, linear-lanceolate to linear; lateral segments 3–9 × 1–2 mm, linear-lanceolate to linear; petiole 3–13 mm. Inflorescence usually with 5–10 flowers, elongating in fruit, pedunculate (peduncle up to 2.5 cm). Flowers pedicellate; pedicels 2–10 mm long; fruiting pedicels much thicker and recurved. Sepals 4.5–5.7 × 0.7–1.3 mm, green or purple tinged, closed, outer sepals slightly saccate at the base, membranous at margins; teeth triangular, 0.75–0.9 × 0.7–0.8 mm, generally purple tinged at the apex, obtuse. Petal claws 3.8–5.4 × 0.35–0.6 mm; lamina 1.4–3.5 × 1.2–2.5 mm, emarginate, mauve, yellowish at the base. Filaments 1.0–3.0 × 0.15–0.32 mm, widened at the base; anthers 1.1–2.7 × 0.2–0.3 mm. Pistil 2.24–2.69 mm long; ovary densely pubescent; stigma capitate. Siliqua 25–60 × 4.0–9.0 mm, sparsely pilose, with marginal veins; septum membranous. Seeds 9–17, winged, broadly elliptic to orbicular, 4.0–6.0 × 3.0–4.0 mm (including wings), light brown, with reticulate ornamentation; wings membranous, 0.4–1.2 mm wide.  
 Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— TURKEY. C3 Antalya: Kumluca, upper part of Alakır Valley, close to the Dibek Nature Conservation Area, screes, 1160 m elevation, 30 May 2016, A. Özçandır 1406, M. H. Özçandır (AKDU); ibid., 17 May 2018, A. Özçandır 2000 (AKDU).   
 Distribution, habitat and ecology:— Ricotia candiriana is known only from the type locality, where it grows on screes. Within this area, the new species is associated with plants such as Glaucium alakirensis Aykurt, Yıldız & Özçandır in Aykurt et al. (2017: 258), Heldreichia bourgaei Boissier (1867: 320), Cicer incisum (Willdenow 1802: 1017) K. Malı in Ascherson & Graebner (1909: 900), Andrachne telephioides Linnaeus (1753: 1014), and Allium flavum Linnaeus (1753: 298) subsp. tauricum (Besser ex Rchb.) K.Richt. (1890: 206).   
 Phenology:— Ricotia candiriana was observed to flower in May and June, with mature fruit in June.   
 Eponymy:— The first specimens of the new species were collected by the first author and her late father, Mehmet Hayri Özçandır, to whom the specific epithet honours.   
 Suggested conservation status:— The new species should be regarded as Critically Endangered (CR) according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN 2016). The species is known from a single location. Both the quarries which are planned to be implemented in the near future and the increasing overgrazing nearby the distribution area of the new species are among the most important threats for Ricotia candiriana [criterion C2a(i,ii,iii)]. Furthermore, the number of mature individuals in the location was counted between 45 and 50 [criterion D]. Therefore, R. candiariana should be considered CR [C2a(i,ii,iii); D].
description: Published as part of Özçandir, Ayşen, Aykurt, Candan & Özüdoğru, Bariş, 2019, Ricotia candiriana (Brassicaceae), a new species from southern Anatolia, Turkey, pp. 287-294 in Phytotaxa 388 (4) on pages 291-292, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.388.4.4, http://zenodo.org/record/13724945