Taxonomical revision and typification species of Allium L.

Abstract

This article is dedicated to taxonomy of small desert onions in Turan floristical provinces within largest subgenera Allium s. l. Alliance of poorly known species Allium lehmannianum Mercklin. was studied. Lectotype of this species was designated with locus classicus in the western part of its distribution nearby Aral Lake. Map of distribution of this rare species was created on the base of studied herbarium samples stored in AA, TASH, MW. It is recommended to include it in the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan (3 edition). Historical information about A. Lehmann’s botanical research in Central Asia is presented. Conspectus of sections of Multicaulea F. O. Khass. (4 species) and Unicaulea F. O. Khass. (3 species) are given. A key has been compiled to identify all species of these sections, indicating the types, synonyms cited in the main floristic revisions and distribution. The article provides quantitative data on the richness of onions in the flora of Eurasia. Sections Unicaulea and Multicaulea are endemic Turanian ancestral taxa, whose species grow exclusively on rocky habitats, while another more progressive desert section is Eremoprasum (Kamelin) F. O. Khass., R. M. Fritsch et Friesen with the type species Allium sabulosum Stev. ex C. Claus grow on sands from the Caspian deserts to Mongolia and China.