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\begin{document}

\title{A new species of Veronica (Plantaginaceae) from Western Iran}



\author[1]{Mahfooz Advay}%
\author[2]{Dirk Albach}%
\author[3]{Moslem Doostmohammadi}%
\affil[1]{Shahrekord University}%
\affil[2]{Carl von Ossietzky-University Oldenburg}%
\affil[3]{Affiliation not available}%


\vspace{-1em}



  
  \date{June 14, 2024}


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\selectlanguage{english}
\begin{abstract}
Veronica kurdistanica is described and illustrated as a new species. It
grows on calcareous rocks in a few sites in an alpine area in western
Iran (Kurdistan province). The new species belongs to V. kurdica species
group and is putatively closely related to V. daranica, with which it is
com-pared. Veronica kurdistanica is distinguished from V. daranica
particularly by its glandular in-dumentum. Molecular phylogenetic
analysis of nrDNA (ITS) region confirms this relationship as it is
assembled in a sub-clade including V. daranica, V. khorassanica and V.
kurdica.%
\end{abstract}%



\sloppy


\textbf{Introduction}

\emph{Veronica} L. is the largest genus within the family Plantaginaceae
with cosmopolitan distribution in the world and includes ca. 450 species
(Albach et al. 2004, Fischer 2004). Species of \emph{Veronica} have high
ecological diversity and they are found in many different habitats that
range from arid steppe to aquatic habitats, from the sea level to high
alpine regions (Albach et al. 2008).

Our knowledge of the species diversity of the genus in Iran was
summarized in the Flora Iranica by Fischer (1981). He recognized 56
species. However, several new taxa were added afterwards and according
to the Flora of Iran the genus now includes 61 species with 18 endemics
among them (Saeidi-Mehrvarz 2005; Saeidi-Mehrvarz \& Assadi 2005;
Saeidi-Mehrvarz et al. 2001, 2011). At least two species have since been
added to the flora of Iran (Doostmohammadi et al. 2021, 2022).Among
these, most species occur in the Zagros and Alborz Mountains of Iran,
which are important centers of diversity of \emph{Veronica} .

Among the recent collections from northern Zagros Mountains we
identified a small casmophytic species of \emph{Veronica} which
resembled \emph{V. daranica} from central Zagros. Further morphological
comparisons and molecular investigations revealed that new collection
belongs to a yet unknown species which is described below.

\textbf{Materials and Methods}

During a scientific field survey on the western slope of the Zagros
Mountains in Western Iran, the first author collected specimens of
a\emph{Veronica} from Schahu Mountain in the Hawraman region, Kurdistan
province in 2015. These specimens were compared with diagnostic keys
reported in Floras (Fischer 1981; Saeidi-Mehrvarz et al\emph{.} 2011)
and recent new records and species (Saeidi-Mehrvarz, Ghahreman \& Assadi
2002; Saeidi-Mehrvarz \& Assadi 2003; Saeidi-Mehrvarz 2005). After
careful examination with the different floras, we inspected images of
type specimens from various online herbaria (BM, K, MPU, P), as well as
related taxa in TUH, TARI, HKS and IRAN (herbarium acronyms according to
Thiers continuously updated). Subsequently, we measured several
important quantitative and qualitative morphological key traits of our
specimens and related species (table 1).

In order to determine the systematic position of the taxon, a
phylogenetic analysis was carried out based on the nuclear ITS region.
One new sequence of ITS region of the gathering (NO. 12808 HKS) was
generated using ITS1 and ITS4 primers. The new sequence was added to a
sequence matrix which was retrieved from GenBank, mostly following
Doostmohammadi et al. (2022). All sequences were then aligned using
MAFFT v. 6.0 (Katoh \& Toh 2008), and edited manually using PhyDE v.
0.9971 (Muller et al. 2010). Insertions and deletions (indels) were
coded as binary characters using the simple indel coding approach, as
implemented in SeqState v. 1.4.1 (Muller 2005). Bayesian inference (BI)
was conducted using MrBayes v.3.2.6 (Ronquist et al. 2012) under GTR+G+I
nucleotide substitution model. Two parallel runs of four MCMC chains
including three heated and one cold chain were run simultaneously for 4
million generations, sampling every 200 generations. After removing 25\%
of the sampled trees as burn-in, a 50\% majority-rule consensus tree was
constructed.

\textbf{Results and discussion}

Veronica kurdistanica \textbf{M. Advay sp. nov\emph{.}(Fig. 1 A--F;
Table 1)}

\textbf{Type:} IRAN, Kurdistan province, Kamyaran, Schahu mountain N
34\selectlanguage{ngerman}º53´48, E 46º33´43, 2700 m, 7 May 2015, Advay 12808. (holotype HKS!,
isotype HKS!).

Diagnosis

\emph{Veronica kurdistanica} is similar to \emph{V. daranica} (Fig. 2
A--D) based on simple stems (branched only at the bottom), entire,
elliptic leaves, racemes terminal and rarely axillary; petals purple.
However, it is distinguished from \emph{V. daranica} by stem height and
indumentum; length of leaves; inflorescence long and seed size (Table
1).

\emph{\textbf{Description}}

Perennial herb. Rhizome stout, plant 4\textbf{--} 8 cm tall; stems
woody, ascending at base, erect, ± densely glandular. Leaves
8\textbf{--} 10 pairs, fleshy, lower with petiole 8\textbf{--} 10 mm
long, 4\textbf{--} 8 mm wide, upper sessile, gradually attenuate at
base, narrowly elliptic, elliptic to spathulate, 4\textbf{--} 6 mm long,
1\textbf{--} 2 mm wide, entire, ± glandular, upper side more than lower
side. Racemes 1\textbf{--} 2, often terminal, 4\textbf{--} 14 flowered,
0.5\textbf{--} 1 cm length in flowering, elongated to 1\textbf{--} 1.5
cm length in fruiting stage; hairs with 0.3\textbf{--} 0.5 mm length,
glandular; bracts spathulate, 2\textbf{--} 2.5 mm long, shorter than
leaves, entire, densely glandular hairy on the upper surface, less so on
the lower side; Flowers with pedicel 1\textbf{--} 1.5 mm long at
anthesis, 1.5\textbf{--} 2 mm in fruit, pubescent with spreading
yellowish glandular hairs. Calyx 1.5\textbf{--} 2 mm long and
0.7\textbf{--} 1 mm wide at anthesis, 2\textbf{--} 2.5 mm long and
1\textbf{--} 1.2 mm wide in fruit; lobes oblong, 0.4\textbf{--} 0.8 mm
united at base. Corolla purple, 2.5\textbf{--} 3 mm long, 4\textbf{--} 5
mm in diameter, adaxial and lateral lobes elliptic, obtuse and abaxial
lobe oblong, subacuminate, corolla tube white and internally densely
pubescent; Stamens with filaments 1.5\textbf{--} 2 mm long, white;
anthers ca. 1 mm, purplish to white; style 1.6\textbf{--} 2.7 mm long,
purplish, whitish at base. Capsule obcordate, 1.2\textbf{--} 2.2 mm long
and 2\textbf{--} 2.1 mm wide, equalling or slightly overtopping the
calyx, glandular hairs sparsely spreading. Seeds flat, oblong-elliptic,
0.8\textbf{--} 1.2 mm long, 0.3\textbf{--} 0.5 mm wide, brown-yellowish,
surface reticulate.

Etymology

Referring to Kurdistan Province (Western Iran), where the new species
was discovered.

Distribution, habitat, and phenology

Known from a few populations in Schahu mountain, Hawraman region,
Kurdistan Province, western Iran. It is an Irano-Turanian
phytogeographical element and grows on limestone cliffs of mountainous
slopes of Schahu mountains, 2500--3100 m (Fig. 3 \& 4). Flowering April
to May, fruiting June.

\emph{\textbf{Conservation status}}

\emph{V. kurdistanica} is observed in a restricted area of the Avroman
(Hawraman) region in the province of Kurdistan. The estimated area of
occupancy is less than 5000 km\textsuperscript{2}. The species is
proposed to be classified as critically endangered (CR) following the
IUCN criteria (2022).

Taxonomic notes

\emph{Veronica kurdistanica} belongs to \emph{V} .
subgenus\emph{Pentasepalae} (Benth.) M. M. Mart. Ort., Albach \& M. A.
Fisch. (Fig. 5), by far the most species rich subgenus in Iran. with
many perennial, mountainous species. It has been demonstrated that this
subgenus has originated in the Iranian plateau, with several relict and
morphologicaly isolated species distributed along the Zagros and Alborz
Mountains (Doostmohammadi et al. 2022).

\emph{Veronica kurdistanica} belongs to \emph{V. kurdica} species group
and is morphologically closest to \emph{V. daranica} (Fig. 2) but occurs
more than 500 km apart (Fig. 4). Members of this group are all endemic,
perennial, arid adapted species and are important constituents of the
alpine flora of Iran. Species delimitation is sometimes difficult among
the members of \emph{V. kurdica} species complex. For instance, \emph{V.
daranica} differs from \emph{V. kurdica} subsp. \emph{filicaulis} only
by its dense, compact habit and thinner petals, but the molecular
studies confirmed that it is a distinct species (Doostmohammadi et al.
2022). For the case of \emph{V. kurdistanica} , however, it is a unique
species within \emph{V. kurdica} complex by its glandular indumentum.
Other species are either glabrous or with non-glandular indumentums. In
the molecular phylogenetic tree it is assembled in a polytomy
including\emph{V. daranica} , \emph{V. khorassanica} and two subspecies
of\emph{V. kurdica} (Fig. 5). A comprehensive morpho-molecular study is
required to delimitate the species of this complex both morphologically
and geographically. The finding of this new species is noteworthy since
it emphasizes that the Kurdistan region is an important center of
diversity despite being under-investigated. Thus, future field work may
further increase the species number of the region.

\textbf{References}

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