Three New Species from Palas Valley, District Kohistan, North West Frontier Province, Pakistan

Abstract

Delphinium palasianum, Jasminum leptophyllum, and Pseudomertensia flavescens are described from Palas Valley, District Kohistan, North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan. Their taxonomic relationships are discussed. Three new species were discovered during identification of plants collected from Palas Valley. Palas is among those remote areas of the northwestern Himalaya whose botany has been little studied, and no plant inventory of the valley exists. Botanical surveys in the Palas Valley were initiated under the auspices of the BirdLife/WWF, Himalayan Jungle Project. A first survey and plant collections were made in late summer 1992, followed by more collections in 1993 and 1994. Palas Valley, a large watershed of over 1000 km2, lies east of the River Indus in District Kohistan, Hazara Division, NWFP, among the front ranges of the westernmost extension of the Himalayas-the Kohistan Arc. Altitudes range from ca. 1000 m to 5151 m. The topography is rugged and precipitous, with a number of narrow gorges. The main river, the Musha'ga, is about 75 km long and joins the River Indus at 73005'E, 35008'N. Palas has warm to hot summers, and cold winters. Climatic figures are not available, but the estimated mean annual precipitation is 900 mm to 1350 mm. Precipitation falls mostly as winter snow. Palas receives summer rains, but is somewhat sheltered from the monsoon by mountains to the south. Delphinium palasianum Rubina Rafiq, sp. nov. TYPE: Pakistan. Kohistan: Ilobek, ca. 2400 m, Palas valley, 19 Aug. 1993, Rubina Rafiq 13908 (holotype, RAW; isotypes, RAW, W). Species maxime affinis Delphinio denudato Wallich foliorum florumque forma sed differt inflorescentiis ramosissimis paniculatis multifloris, floribus luteis et folliculis majoribus, 1.5-1.8 cm longis. Erect perennial. Rootstock woody, slender rhizome-like, covered with fibrous bases of old leaves. Stems erect, terete, ca. 1 m tall, divaricately branched above; branches spreading, subglabrous below, white retrorsely strigulose above. Radical leaves withered at anthesis; petioles up to 20 cm long; lamina 3-5-partite, segments divided to base, coarsely toothed; upper cauline leaves with shorter petioles, lamina divided almost to base into 3-5 linear entire segments. Inflorescences divaricately branched paniculate; bracteoles linear, attached near middle of pedicel. Flowers yellow, 2.5-3 cm long. Pedicels 3-8 cm long, retorsely white pubescent. Sepals yellow, slightly pubescent; spur 1.31.5 cm long, longer than sepals, pilose, cylindric, gibberulate below apex. Petals yellow; upper petal obliquely bidentate, pilose; lower petal ovate-elliptic, bearded below middle, deeply cleft. Stamens glabrous; filaments widened below; anthers yellow. Carpels densely strigose hairy. Follicles 3, 1.5-1.8 cm long; style ca. 3 mm long, suberect, divergent at tips, slightly to densely strigose with yellow h irs. Seeds dark brown, scales longer than broad, irregularly arranged. Habitat. Exposed dry stony slopes at 24002700 m. Not very common in the area but occasionally seen growing among small shrubs on avalanche scree slopes in open kind of shrubby vegetation or on the margin of dry temperate coniferous forest with little undergrowth. Delphinium palasianum resembles D. denudatum Wallich ex Hooker f. & Thomson in the shape of leaf and flowers. It can be easily distinguished by its many-flowered, profusely branched paniculate inflorescence, yellow flowers, and larger follicles. This is similar to an undescribed yellow-flowering species mentioned by H. Riedl (1991). Jasminumn leptophyllum Rubina Rafiq, sp. nov. TYPE: Pakistan. Kohistan: above Ban-gah, ca. 1900 m, Palas Valley, 23 Aug. 1993, Rubina Rafiq 14091 (holotype, RAW). Species nova e sectione Alternifolia foliis alternantibus corolla lutea, maxime affinis Jasmino florido Bunge et J. fruticanti L. calycis dentibus lineari-subulatis tubo calycis longioribus, sed differt ab his speciebus foliis sessilibus, indivisis, anguste linearibus, corolla majore 3 cm fere longa, floribus paucioribus. Profusely branched erect shrub ca. 1 m tall. Shoots dark gray, angled or ribbed, glabrous. NovoN 6: 295-297. 1996. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.160 on Mon, 17 Oct 2016 04:45:11 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms