Geranium rectum Trautv., Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes

Geranium rectum Trautv., Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes View in CoL Moscou. 33(1): 459. 1860.

Lectotype (designated by Novoselova 1996: 87):

KAZAKHSTAN, Alatau, Baskan , 46º14’N, 78º56’E, 29 June 1840, A GoogleMaps . Schrenk s.n. ( LE

[ LE 01304214 digital image!], isolecto K [K-

729476 digital image!]). Figs. 4– 6 View Fig View Fig View Fig

Perennial, herbs. Root stocks elongated, 8–10 mm diam.; roots vertical, woody, rough, thickened not rhizomatous. Stems 30–60 cm long, sparsely pubescent with 0.1–0.5 mm long, retrose, shiny, eglandular hair and sparingly 0.4–1 mm glandular hairs. Stipules lanceolate–subulate, 5–12 × 1.4–3.1 mm, papery, distinct, acuminate at apex, margins with c. 0.2 mm long cilia, abaxial surface with short, antrorse, eglandular hairs and sparsely c. 1.5 mm long, glandular hairs, adaxial surface glabrous. Petioles up to 10 cm long, with 0.2–0.5 mm long, retrose, eglandular hairs, sparingly glandular hairs. Basal leaves deciduous, cauline leaves opposite; lamina pentagonal, 3.0–6.2 × 3.8– 7.5 cm, palmatipartite, ratio of main sinus length/ middle segment length 0.50–0.65; segments 3–5, middle segment 5–9 mm wide at the base, trullate-rhombic, margins deeply incised, ratio of second sinus length / middle segment length; lobes 7–18 in distal half, as long as broad, acute; hairs sericeous, eglandular 0.2–0.5 mm long on adaxial surface, prominently along with veins on abaxial surface. Cymes dichasial with monochasial branches; cymules solitary with two flowers; peduncle 4.2–7.8 cm with 0.1–0.3 mm uncinate, retrorse, eglandular and 9–11 mm long glandular hairy; bracteoles lanceolate, 2.6–4.3 mm long, ciliate along margins, cilia 0.1–0.2 mm long, adaxial surface sparsely hairy, abaxial surface sometime glandular hairy, hairs 0.9–1.2 mm long; pedicels 2–5 cm long, retrorse, uncinated eglandular hairy, hairs 0.21–0.38 mm long. Flowers 2 per cymule, actinomorphic. Sepals elliptic-lanceolate or oblong, 6–9 × 2.3–3.4 mm long, mucronate, mucro 1.2–1.7 mm long bear eglandular, glandular hairs and a mesh of hairs on inner side at the base, margins ciliate, adaxial surface glabrous, abaxial surface pubescent with 0.13–0.40 mm long eglandular hairs and 1.3–2.1 mm long dense glandular hairs. Petals wedgeshaped, 11–17 × 6.5–10.2 mm, light-dark pink, 5-veined, round or shallow wide notched or sometime flat apex, tapering towards base, both surface glabrous except base with ciliate margins and sparsely eglandular hairy at adaxial base. Stamens 10 in two whorls; filaments lanceolatenearly linear, 5–7.1 × 0.6–0.9 mm, slightly dilated base, gradually tapering towards apex, adaxially glabrous, abaxial surface glabrous-sparsely hariy, 0.1–0.4 mm long cilia along the margins upto one-half length in inner whorl and upto dialated part in outer whorl; anthers pale indigo, 1.3–1.5 mm. Nectaries glabrous. Fruit 25–30 mm long;

mericarps 3.8–4.0 mm long, surface smooth with

0.2–0.5 mm long eglandular hairs and a few c. 1.5

mm long glandular hairs at apex; rostrum 16–8

mm long with 0.16–0.30 mm long eglandular hairs and few c. 1.5 mm long glandular hairs at lower portion; awn hairy at inner surfaces; apex narrow, 3.3–3.6 mm long; stigmatic remains c. 3.5

mm long. Flowering & Fruiting: Flowering from July to

August and fruiting from August to September.

Habitat & ecology: This species thrives in treeline ecotones along north-facing slopes of mountains,

growing in loamy soil under the canopies of Abies pindrow (Royle ex D.Don) Royle , Betula utilis D.Don , Cedrus deodara (Roxb. ex D.Don) G.Don ,

and Pinus wallichiana A.B. Jackson. It is found at elevations of 2900–3000 m a.s.l. Distribution: This species ranges from India to Kazakhstan through Northwestern China,

Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzsthan.

Specimen examined: KAZAKHSTAN, Songarei, 1867, A. G. von Schrenk s.n. ( G, K [ K 000729476 digital image!]). INDIA, Himalaya Borealis Occidentalis, s.d., T. Thomson s.n. ( K [ K 004316409, K 004316403

digital image!]); Jammu & Kashmir, Ganderbal, Baltal, Amarnath base camp, 34.253N, 75.414E,

2929 m, 25.07.2023, I. A . Hurrah 343584, 343585, 343586 ( LWG); Sind Valley, Sonmarg , near Tajwas nallah, 18.08.1893, J. F . Duthie 13630 ( DD,

CAL); Siran Valley , Hazara, 03.07.1896, Inayat 19266 ( DD) ; near Gurez , 07.09.1892 , J. F. Duthie s.n.

( DD); Kargeh Valley , 30.08.1893, J. F. Duthie 13895

( DD, CAL); Sind Valley near Baltal , 18.08.1892 ,

J. F. Duthie 11602 ( CAL, DD); Kargeh Valley, Tilail,

30.08.1893, J. F . Duthie 13895 ( CAL); 09.1874, C. B.

Clarke 24251 ( CAL); Sonmarg, 10.08.1913, Capt .

F. E. Koebel 83 ( CAL); Sind valley, Ganderbal,

25.07.1891, G. A . Gammie s.n. ( CAL).

Notes: Geranium rectum is native to Northwest China (Dzungaria~Soongaria), Kazakistan, Uzbakistan, Kyrgyzsthan, Pakistan and India (Trautvetter, 1860; Edgworth & Hooker, 1874; Nasir, 1983; Xu & Aedo, 2008). It differentiates from its allied taxa G. nodosum L. and G. versicolor L. by its leaves with 5–7 rhombic–trullate segments, petals with a hairy adaxial base and a flat or shallowly notched apex, and short staminal filaments short that are glabrous to sparsely pilose at the abaxial base.

In the Himalayas, G. rectum is often confused with G. rubifolium Lindl. & G. wallichianum D.Don ex Sweet. However , it differs by its sparsely leafy habitat with eglandular, scanty and appressed hairs; leaves with 5–7 segments; staminal filaments that are lanceolate to nearly linear; glabrous nectaries, and glandular hairs that are scanty but long with a narrow apical cell.

In India this species is poorly represented in both literature and herbaria. The earliest report is that of Edgworth & Hooker (1874), based on collections by Falconar (declared doubtful by the authors themselves) and T. Thomson from Baltal Kashmir. Subsequent mentions, such as those by Blatter (1928), Stewart (1972), Chowdhery and Wadhwa (1984), and Malhotra (1997), rely heavily on the Flora of British India records, and the cited specimens are not accessible in the referenced herbaria.

Several taxonomists have questioned the presence of G. rectum in the Indian Himalayas. Falconer’s specimen ( Falconer 324, P-05124324) was misidentified as G. rectum and is actually G. rubifolium . Additionally, T. Thomson’s specimen may have been inaccessible to them. However, after communicating with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, we obtained T. Thomson’s specimens from the Western Himalayas, as cited by Edgeworth & Hooker (1874). Furthermore, the specimens collected by the authors from hill slopes along the Indus River at Baltal, the precise locality mentioned in the FBI, confirm the presence of G. rectum .

Regional herbarium consultations reveal its extended occurrence in Gurez, Kargeh, and Ganderbal areas of Jammu & Kashmir (see Specimens Examined section). The last traced collection of G. rectum was made by Capt. E. F. Koebel from Sonamarg, Kashmir, in 1910. Additionally, specimens collected by Rich., cited by Stewart, though not located, were likely collected on or before 1918 ( Stewart, 1972). Consequently, our collection from Baltal represents the first confirmed recollection of G. rectum from the Indian Himalayas after more than 100 years.