THE IRANIAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
Year:2003 | Volume:10 | Issue:1|Papers Count:24

Specimens of Psilotum nudum (L.) P. Beauv. were collected in a natural habitat in a program for the collecting of plants and establishment of a herbarium in Mazandaran. These specimens were found as epiphyte in the cavities on old trees of Parrotia persica (DC.) C.A. Meyer. (Iron tree) which filled with decomposing plant residues. Then available books and flora about the Ptredophytes of Iran were revised but the species had not been reported. These specimens were later on named Psilotum nudum, which is a new record for the flora of Iran. The species is a perennial herb and has branched rhizome and aerial stems with dichotomous branches. Foliar appendages are scale-like and once-forked. Sporangia are 3-locular and 3-lobed, occur above the base of forked sporophylls and each lobe exhibits loculicidal dehiscence at maturity.      

Chromosome number and karyotype analysis of five monocot mangrove associates from Dhamra and Paradeep coast of Orissa revealed 2n=48 in Porteresia coarctata; 2n=22 in Crinum defixum and Cryptocoryne ciliata and 2n=20 in Asparagus racemosus var. javanica and Cyperus cephalotes. Total chromosome length varied from 42.44mm in A. racemosus var. javanica to 93.86mm in C. defixum. Significant variations of chromosome volumes were also recorded among the species. The 4C DNA content varied significantly from 47.15pg in C. defixum to 6.31pg in C. cephalotes. A positive significant correlation between the chromosome volume and 4C nuclear DNA content among five different species was revealed. The genome size was around 1,545mbp in C. cephalotes to 4,074mbp in P. coarctata with a highest size (11,551mbp) in C. defixum that suggests the high repetitive DNA sequences in the Crinum with highest chromosome length and volume of this species.

By morphological and geographical evidences, it is showed that Hesperis leucoclada Boiss. and Pseudofortuynia esfandiarii Hedge are the same species. The new combination Pseudofortuynia leucoclada (Boiss.) Khosravi is the correct name. The affinities of Pseudofortuynia are discussed.

Acantholimon bakhtiaricum and A. mirtadzadinii are described as new species from Iran. A. bakhtiaricum belongs to the section Microstegia and seems to be most closely related to A. austro-iranicum. A. mirtadzadinii is from the section Acantholimon and is similar to A. demawendicum. The new species are compared with close affinities. Acantholimon sect. Dracogyna Mobayen is regarded as a synonym of Acantholimon sect. Microstegia Bornm., the name Dracogyna is a superfuous name.

Carex kukkonenii and Bolboschoenus glaucus are reported as new records from Iran, including Tehran and Gilan provinces. Geographical distributions are discussed and localities are presented.

The pollen morphology of two species belonging to the genus Diplotaenia Boiss. have been investigated by SEM and LM. The results confirm the stenopalynous character of the family Apiaceae. The palynological observations reveal that pollen grains of the genus Diplotaenia are prolate in shape and posses tri-colporate aperture with costae. The sculpturing of both species are rugulate. Therefore D. cachrydifolia and D.damavandica are similar in palynological characters, and show the type of Cerceau-Larrival’s classification as sub-rectangular.

Oenothera sinuata specimens which were collected from N Iran (8-11 km from Chalus to Kelar -Abad, Namak-Abrud) is reported as a new record from Iran.        

Corydalis integra is reported for the first time for the flora of Iran. It has been collected from Marivan area in Kurdistan province. The plant is rather characteristic by having undivided tuber, entire bracts, pale purplish flowers, etc.           

Seed storage protein analysis was carried out on twelve Iranian species of Linum with the aim to illustrate species inter-relationships and to evaluate the taxonomic treatments proposed for the genus. Placement of species in different sections according to cluster analysis of protein data was highly in agreement with previous phenetic morphological based studies. Grouping of species supported the proposed memberships of Linum species in Iran, and SDS-PAGE profile of seed proteins proved to be useful to be included together with other molecular markers in biosystematics of genus Linum at sub-generic level.

Sida rhombifolia which was collected from N Iran (Lowland of Noor to Chalus and Miyankaleh biosphere reserved) is reported as a new record from Iran.

Astagalus ciceropsis as a remarkable new species is described from Kermanshah, Iran. Systematic position of the new species is not clear within all known basifixed hairy sections of the genus Astragalus.

In this study, moss flora in Golestan province has been compared with Iranian moss flora. Thirty nine locations in the province were used for the research and collection of the plants. Hundred and seventeen species were gathered constituting a high percentage (nearly one third) of the total number of moss species found throughout the country. The list of moss flora of Iran is presented in this paper. The species occurring in Golestan province are signed by an asterisk. Localities of the new collections are given.