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Alpine habitats are characterized by a high rate of range restricted species compared to those of lower elevations. This is also the case for the Irano-Anatolian global biodiversity hotspot in South-West Asia, which is a mountainous area harbouring a high amount of endemic species. Using two quantitative approaches, Endemicity Analysis and Network-Clustering, we want to identify areas of concordant species distribution patterns in the alpine zone of this region as well as to test the hypothesis that, given the high proportion of endemics among alpine species, delimitation of these areas is determined mainly by endemic alpine species, i.e., areas of concordant species distribution patterns are congruent with areas of endemism. Endemicity Analysis identified six areas of concordant species distribution patterns irrespective of dataset (total alpine species versus endemic alpine species), whereas the Network-Clustering approach identified five and four Bioregions from total alpine species and endemic alpine species, respectively. Most of these areas have been previously identified using the endemic flora of different elevational zones. The identified units using both methods and both datasets are strongly congruent, proposing that they reveal meaningful distribution patterns. Bioregionalization in the Irano-Anatolian biodiversity hotspot appears to be strongly influenced by the endemic alpine species, a pattern likely to hold in alpine regions outside the Irano-Anatolian hotspot. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00035-021-00266-7.

In this paper we present an updated checklist, key and maps for all the currently known Carex taxa present in Armenia. The present work is based on the revision of the vouchers in herbaria ERE, W and MW, extensive literature search, and field research carried out in 2015–2019. As a result, 71 species of Carex are known from Armenia. Besides, the first Carex hybrid in Armenia has been found and provided here with a binomial name.

The lectotypes for 30 entities described by the German botanist Johann Vetter within the genus Festuca are here designated: F. ×biformis, F. ×calcigena, F. ×diluta, F. ×duernsteinensis, F. dura var...

Anthracoidea melanostachyae, previously known from Iran and Tajikistan on Carex melanostachya, is reported from Armenia and Azerbaijan on the same host plant, and from a new Tajik locality, on a new host plant, C. songorica.

Endemism in mountain ranges is considered to be the result of a number of factors, including restriction to refugia during Pleistocene climate fluctuations. However, isolation in glacial refugia cannot explain the origin of narrowly endemic taxa restricted to formerly heavily glaciated areas. Here, we investigate the phylogeny of two narrowly endemic species, Euphrasia inopinata and E. sinuata (Orobanchaceae), found exclusively in formerly heavily glaciated areas of the eastern European Alps. As both species are diploid and very similar to the widespread (allo)polyploid E. minima, we test whether the restricted distributions of E. inopinata and E. sinuata are relictual, i.e. the two species are ancestral diploid remnants of a polyploid complex, or whether they are derived, i.e. the two species are peripheral segregates of a more widespread diploid. Based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprint data it is shown that E. inopinata and E. sinuata, whose diploid ploidy level is confirmed for all analysed individuals via flow cytometry, are phylogenetically closely related to diploid E. alpina s. l. (series Alpinae) instead of E. minima (series Parviflorae). In addition, there is no evidence that these two diploid species participated in the formation of allotetraploid E. minima. Thus, E. inopinata and E. sinuata are interpreted as peripheral segregates of the widespread E. alpina s. l. Shifts in pollination system from allogamy in E. alpina s. l. to autogamy in E. inopinata and E. sinuata, genetic drift in small populations and geographic isolation at the periphery of the range of E. alpina s. str. probably contributed to the morphological and ecological differentiation of E. inopinata and E. sinuata.

Endemism in mountain ranges is considered to be the result of a number of factors, including restriction to refugia during Pleistocene climate fluctuations. However, isolation in glacial refugia cannot explain the origin of narrowly endemic taxa restricted to formerly heavily glaciated areas. Here, we investigate the phylogeny of two narrowly endemic species, Euphrasia inopinata and E. sinuata (Orobanchaceae), found exclusively in formerly heavily glaciated areas of the eastern European Alps. As both species are diploid and very similar to the widespread (allo)polyploid E. minima, we test whether the restricted distributions of E. inopinata and E. sinuata are relictual, i.e. the two species are ancestral diploid remnants of a polyploid complex, or whether they are derived, i.e. the two species are peripheral segregates of a more widespread diploid. Based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprint data it is shown that E. inopinata and E. sinuata, whose diploid ploidy level is confirmed for all analysed individuals via flow cytometry, are phylogenetically closely related to diploid E. alpina s. l. (series Alpinae) instead of E. minima (series Parviflorae). In addition, there is no evidence that these two diploid species participated in the formation of allotetraploid E. minima. Thus, E. inopinata and E. sinuata are interpreted as peripheral segregates of the widespread E. alpina s. l. Shifts in pollination system from allogamy in E. alpina s. l. to autogamy in E. inopinata and E. sinuata, genetic drift in small populations and geographic isolation at the periphery of the range of E. alpina s. str. probably contributed to the morphological and ecological differentiation of E. inopinata and E. sinuata., The origin of range-restricted diploid species confined to formerly heavily glaciated areas is little understood. A suitable system to address this question is a group of two autogamous eyebright species, Euphrasia inopinata and E. sinuata, each known only from a few sites in the eastern European Alps. Previous hypotheses suggested these species to be either remnants of the diploid ancestor of the equally autogamous but widespread and polyploid E. minima or as peripheral segregates of a more widespread allogamous diploid species.

Metherell C. & Rumsey F. J. [illustrated by Rumsey F. J.; edited by Edmondson J.], Eyebrights (Euphrasia) of the UK and Ireland. – BSBI Handbook No. 18. – Bristol: Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, 2018. – ISBN 978-0-901158-53-6. – 14.8 × 21 cm, 220 pp., colour photographs & black/white line drawings, softback. – Price: GBP 17.50.

During work on a new synopsis on the genus Bromus L. for the ‘Flora Iranica’ region, an Afghan perennial brome grass previously identified as the Caucasian B. biebersteinii Roem. & Schult., was found to be a new species. It is described here as B. salangensis sp. nov. This discovery rejected the record of B. biebersteinii for Afghanistan.

Jurinea giviensis sp. nov. (sect. Corymbosae Benth.) is described from northwestern Iran. The new species is morphologically compared with the closely related species J. tzar-ferdinandii Davidov and J. multiflora (L.) B. Fedtsch., and the sympatric J. heterophylla (Jaub. et Spach) Boiss. Relevant description, a diagnostic table and illustrations are provided.

Onobrychis bakuensis Ranjbar, Vitek & Karamian sp. nova (Fabaceae), endemic to Azerbaijan, is described and illustrated. It belongs to the subgenus Sisyrosema section Hymenobrychis. It is distributed in northwestern Iran, and west of the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan. It is morphologically close to O. kachetica, but is easily distinguished by the black indumentum of its rachis, leaflets, peduncle, calyx and standard.

Astragalus Linnaeus (1753: 755) (Fabaceae), with about 240 sections and 3000 species, is the largest genus of flowering plants (Podlech & Zarre 2013). Sect. Hypoglottidei De Candolle (1825: 281) with 46 species is one of the taxonomically most problematic sections. The majority of these species grow in Turkey and Iran (Chamberlain & Matthews 1970; Podlech et al. 2010; Podlech & Zarre 2013). Astragalus saganlugensis Trautvetter (1858: 323) is common in both countries, but also in Armenia and Azerbaijan. Trautvetter (1858) described this species as a member of section Hypoglottidei, but did not designate type material for the species. Podlech and Sytin (1996) were the first to choose a lectotype for this species.

The genus Carlina, with its 28 currently accepted species, ranks among the most thoroughly studied plant genera in Europe. Previous evolutionary hypotheses rested on a priori assumptions of character change, but for this study, DNA sequence data from nuclear ETS and three chloroplast regions obtained from all but one species of Carlina were used to produce a phylogenetic hypothesis. The results reveal that early branching lineages were morphologically divergent and that growth form shifts occurred more often and in different directions than previously thought, rendering a reconstruction of character states for the common ancestor of Carlina difficult to achieve. Nonetheless, results indicate that treelets were not plesiomorphic and that they most likely evolved in parallel in two island lineages growing in Macaronesia and in the Aegean. In addition, an independent evolution of two annual species in Carlina was revealed and most of the 50 morphological, biochemical, and karyological characters plotted on the tree proved to be homoplasic. Twenty-three anatomical characters from the stem-base/hypocotyl region provided no clear evidence for secondary woodiness and only the length of libriform fibers was clearly associated with plant height, but not without exceptions.

Onobrychis dushanbensis Ranjbar, Vitek & Karamian, a new Fabaceae species endemic to Tajikistan, is described and illustrated. The new species belongs to Onobrychis Miller subgen. Sisyrosema (Bunge) Grossheim sect. Hymenobrychis DC. It is closely related to O. chorassanica Bunge and O. seravschanica B. Fedtsch., but is easily distinguished by its purple flowers with darker venation (vs yellowish with purple venation), with wings 9–10 mm long (vs wings 4–5 mm long) and bracts 14–15 mm long (vs bracts 4–5 mm long). The relationships between the new and closely related species are discussed.

The lectotype for Euphrasia hirtella var. ramosa is selected. This taxon and E. hirtella var. karoiana are compared with E. amurensis and confirmed as synonyms, corroborating Juzepcuk (1955). © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 154, 215–223.

Problems and difficulties in the taxonomy ofEuphrasia (Scrophulariaceae) are discussed. They are partly due to autogamous breeding systems, but also due to patterns of ecological convergences. The use of taxonomic approaches to agamospermous complexes within autogamous groups in the genusEuphrasia is discussed and rejected because of producing unnecessary taxa for ephemeral variants. Also for the taxonomic treatment of agamospermous complexes in general the existence of a broad set of populations with stable morphological, ecological and/or geographical integrities should be the inevitable basis for describing of new taxa.

The Marchfeld, north-east of the river Danube between the cities of Vienna and Hainburg (Austria) is known for its special geological and climatic conditions, including water shortage. Water is heavily used for agricultural purposes and for domestic use due to the proximity of Vienna, Austria's capital. An artificial channel resembling a natural river of 18.8 km was built to carry up to 15 m3/s of water diverted from the Danube. It is supposed to increase the groundwater level, supply sufficient water for irrigation and supplement flows in two small rivers, the Russbach and the Stempfelbach. In 1992 the channel was finally filled. This project review describes the development of the fluvial ecosystem. The research encompassed limnology (nutrients, algae, macrophytes, invertebrates), fish-ecology (colonisation, migration, habitat preference, fish pass function), hydrology (current patterns, current model), sedimentology (surveys, types of structures, quality and quantity of the sediment) and bioclimatology (bioclimate, physical limnology). Main differences between the newly created watercourse and a natural river are highlighted. From an ecological point of view, the Marchfeld Canal could be regarded more like an artificial branch of the river Danube than an independent river system. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vitek, Ernst, Yüce, Ebru, Ergin, Cemil (2014): Gundelia dersim and Gundelia munzuriensis (Compositae), two new species from Turkey. Phytotaxa 161 (2): 130-138, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.161.2.4, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.161.2.4

This paper selects lectotypes for several names proposed by Hackel and Wiesbaur belonging to Schedonorus aggr. " arundinaceus ": Festuca elatior subvar. conferta , F. elatior subvar. orientalis Hack., F. elatior subvar. strictior , F. elatior subvar. subalpina , and F. uechtritziana . The holotype of F. elatior subvar. longiglumis and F. elatior subvar. spuria are here established. All types are conserved at W and BRNU. Links to type scans are provided.

Summary The chromosome number of Euphrasia rostkoviana H ayne is n = 11 bzw. 2 n = 22. No irregularities in meiosis (as observed in a sterile hybrid plant of E. x trikoviana V itek or in artificial hybrids between E. alpina and E. rostkoviana or E. picta by Y eo ]976) could be found in mixed populations of E. rostkoviana s. str. and the alpine E. picta W immer (sensu Y eo 1979). Therefore it seems to be better to include the alpine „E. picta‟ in E. rostkoviana s. lat. Relationships within the group, ecological positions, and historical changes in distribution are discussed.

Euphrasia includes perennial or annual green parasitic plants, and has a disjunct bipolar distribution except for one transtropical connection across the high mountains of Oceania. The disjunction is coupled with strikingly contrasting patterns of morphological diversity between the southern and northern hemispheres, making it an exciting model to study processes of evolutionary diversification which shaped present floras. We inferred the relationships among 51 species representing 14 of the 15 sections of the genus based on nrDNA ITS and cpDNA trnL intron, trnL-trnF and atpB-rbcL intergenic spacers. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference support monophyly of the genus and of several intrageneric groups characterized by morphology, ploidy level, and geographic range. Molecular phylogenetic dating using Bayesian "relaxed" clock methods suggests that the earliest Euphrasia radiations occurred minimum 11-8 Mya with bipolarity being achieved 7-5 Mya. Biogeographic analyses using explicit model-based approach inferred Eurasia as an ancestral area for the genus. The most parsimonious reconstruction found by a dispersal-vicariance analysis requires 17 dispersals to account for the current biogeographic pattern and supports Eurasian origin for Euphrasia. Both long-distance dispersal and across land vicariance can be invoked to explain the diversification in the genus, which experienced rapid radiations driven by new ecological opportunities of the late Pliocene and Pleistocene but also retained a set of local endemic or relict species of an earlier origin.

Chromosome counts are reported for several E. Alpine taxa ofEuphrasia sect.Euphrasia. First records of diploidy for small-flowered taxa are 2n = 22 forE. inopinata andE. sinuata, related toE. minima (4 x). Aberrant E. AlpineE. hirtella is 2 x, just as the typical W. Alpine populations of this species. Tetraploidy, 2n = 44, has been found inE. pumila, close toE. stricta (also 4 x). The limitation of ploidy levels within sect.Euphrasia to 2 x and 4 x on the chromosome base number x = 11 is confirmed.

The following new hybrids are described:Euphrasia ×dilata = E. hirtella Jordan exReuter ×alpina Lam.;Euphrasia ×trikoviana = E. tricuspidata L. ×rostkoviana Hayne. The chromosome number ofEuphrasia tricuspidata L. has been established for the first time: 2n = 22.

The taxonomic affinities, circumsciription and racial differentiation ofE. alpina and its infraspecific synonymy are considered. Its diploid nature is confirmed. The yellow-floweringE. christii is also diploid (2n = 22, first account). A detailed comparison withE. alpina (Figs. 1–2) suggests the rank of subspecies only, and gives no hints as to its suggested hybrid origin. The distribution of the two taxa is documented in maps (Figs. 3–5).

Chromosome numbers for six Australian taxa ofEuphrasia have been determined. Improved staining techniques have shown that numbers for four of the taxa published previously by the first author were incorrect. The investigated taxa show high ploidy levels with an apparent base number of x = 11, the same as for the genus outside Australia.

A more precise taxonomic concept ofE. hirtella and its infraspecific synonymy is presented. Its diploid nature (2n = 22) is confirmed. Within the European area ofE. hirtella five different races may be recognised: “typical”, “brandisii”, “capitulata”, “Rofan” and “Bretagne”. Taxonomic rank is not yet attributed to these races. The heterogeneous taxonomic assembly “E. drosocalyx” is disentangled. The type refers to products of hybrid introgression ofE. rostkoviana-characters (long glandular hairs) intoE. minima.

A systematic analysis of the variable and probably allotetraploidE. minima is presented, its infraspecific taxonomy is discussed.E. tatrae is provisionally included intoE. minima although some differences may exist;E. mendoncae may be a relic of a formerly wider distribution ofE. minima; E. willkommii seems to be closer toE. stricta s. lat. than toE. minima. 4x-E. minima is supposed to be derived from phylogenetic lines close to extant dwarf alpine forms of 2x-E. alpina (including its yellow flowering subsp.christii;Vitek 1985b) and 2x-E. hirtella (vgl.Vitek 1985a). Some characteristics (e.g., its small flowers) could have been introduced through hybrid introgression from other 2x-species, particularlyE. inopinata and/orE. sinuata (vgl.Ehrendorfer & Vitek 1984).

T. marconae is described as a new species from the Peruvian coastal desert. Its systematic position betweenT. paleaceaPresl em.L. B. Smith andT. purpureaRuiz & Pavon is discussed.

Within the holarctic ser.Parviflorae ofEuphrasia so far only tetraploid taxa (2n = 44) have been recorded. Now, from the European alpineE. minima group, two diploid representatives (2n = 22) have been discovered in the Tyrolean Alps (Upper Otztal and Sonnwendgebirge [= Rofan Mts.]). The study of large populations of these two diploids in comparison with the tetraploidE. minima and other partly sympatric taxa ofEuphrasia has revealed sufficient morphological (Figs. 1–3, Tab. 1) and ecological differences, so that their description as two new species:E. inopinata andE. sinuata, appears justified. From their morphology, habitats, and accompanying flora it is possible to interpret these two diploids as pre-Wurm nunatak relics which apparently have participated in the origin ofEuphrasia ser.Parviflorae (and subsect.Angustifoliae) tetraploids (Fig. 4).