Two new species of Allium L. sect. Allium (Amaryllidaceae) from Turkey

Abstract

Allium aybukeae H.Duman & Eksi sp. nov. and A. bilgilii H.Duman & Eksi sp. nov. (Amaryllidaceae) are described and illustrated as new species. Allium aybukeae grows in Nigde (Anti-Taurus, Turkey) and A. bilgilii in Antalya provinces (South Anatolia). They belong to Allium sect. Allium, but clearly differentiated from the other related species due to important characters such as filaments, inner and outer tepal, leaf, seed and pollen characteristics. Allium aybukeae and A. bilgilii are closely related to A. enginii, A. antalyense, A. reuterianum and A. stylosum. The seeds are ovate to elliptic and irregularly more or less shrivelled in shape among the investigated taxa. The largest seeds occur in A. enginii and the smallest in A. bilgilii. The smallest length/width ratio is found in A. stylosum and the largest in A. reuterianum. Seeds show the most variations in anticlinal walls with different undulation types: S-, U- and Omega-like undulated (A. bilgilii, A. reuterianum and A. antalyense), S- and U-like undulated (A. enginii), S-, U- and V-like undulated (A. aybukeae), U- and Omega-like undulated (A. stylosum). The pollen grains of the studied Allium taxa are monad, monosulcate and heteropolar. Their dimensions are smaller in A. enginii and larger in A. bilgilii. The smallest LA/SA ratio is in A. aybukeae, and the largest LA/SA ratio is observed in A. stylosum. In this study, seed and pollen morphologies, comprehensive descriptions, a distribution map, detailed illustrations and comparison of the new species and the related taxa are provided.