Asparagus azerbaijanensis Hamdi & Assadi, 2017

Asparagus azerbaijanensis Hamdi & Assadi View in CoL sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 )

Asparagus azerbaijanensis differs from A. touranensis and A. capitatus in having: just one, terete, thorny apex cladode per fascicle (not 1–3, filiform, acute); a bracteole per pedicel (not a bracteole); larger scale leaf size (10–12 mm long, not 2.5–6 mm long), pedicel size (8–10 mm diameter, not 5–7 mm diameter), flower number per of branch (8–14, not 1–4), and seed size (4–5, not 2–2.5 mm diameter).

Type: — IRAN. Azerbaijan prov.; 62 km Ahar to Tabriz, margin of road of Tabriz , 1400 m, 12 June 1976, Assadi and Maassoumi 20591 (holotype TARI!) .

Usually glaucous, perennial herbs, woody at the base; branched, long of stem, glabrous, suberect; stem 70–130 cm long, between distance of the branches 3–10 cm, between distance of the fascicle 10–30 mm; cladodes 1 in fascicle, 20–25 × 0.3–0.4 mm long, spinose at the apex, subequal, straight, terete, smooth. Leaves, scale like, spurred, 10–12 mm long; spur woody, spinose, 1.5–3 mm long. bracteole 1–2 per pedicel, 12–15 mm long. Pedicels 8–10 mm long, longer of articulate of perigone. Perigone 5.5–6 mm long. Flowers solitary or binary, 8–14 on the branches in the axils. Stamens 6, 3–3.3 mm long; anther 1.8–2 mm long. Berry 4–5 mm long, spherical, reddish; berry stalk 1.5–2 mm long. Seeds single, globose, 4–5 mm diameter.

Additional specimen examined (paratypes): — IRAN. Azerbaijan province, 15 km from main road of Makou-Bazaegan toward Kelisakandi , 1800 m, 16 August 1991, Assadi 70831 ( TARI!) ; 13 km to Makou, on road from Marand , 1200–1400 m, 28 June 1975, Assadi and Mozaffarian 30105 ( TARI!) .

Distribution and habitat: — This new species is found above 1400 m. It has been also found in the region of Ahar toward Tabriz ( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 , 2 View FIGURE 2 ). Its presence seems to be limited to the subalpine (Iran-Touranian province, Eurosiberian region). From a phytosociological point of view, it is part of the communities of grassland (the part of the south slope of gypsum soil).

Phenology: — The new species flowers were collected in June and fruits from June–July.

Taxonomic relationships: — Asparagus azerbaijanensis is a perennial herb, with thorny spur, bracteole and 1 subequal cladode per fascicle. These features, in addition thorny apex of cladode, size of the scale leaf, spur, pedicel and flower number per branch, indicate that the new species differs from A. touranensis Hamdi & Assadi (2013: 44) and A. capitatus Baker (1875: 607) ( Browicz 1990, Davis 1984). The Iranian species in subgen. Asparagopsis can be easily divided into two groups: one with a bracteole subtending each fascicle (including A. azebaijanensis ), a second one lacking bracteoles (including A. touranensis and A. capitatus ). This species is similar to A. touranensis and A. capitatus in having globose shape seed and branched stem.