Astragalus nallihanicus (sect. Caprini, Fabaceae), a new species from Türkiye

Abstract

Some interesting Astragalus L. (Fabaceae) specimens that have short stems, long stipules and short yellow petals were collected from Nallıhan, Ankara. In the careful examination made, it was seen that the specimens resemble Astragalus ovinus Boiss., A. fabaceus M.Bieb. and A. angustiflorus K.Koch belonging to the section Caprini, but it was determined that there is a difference due especially to some generative characters. After comparison with the closest taxa, it was decided that it is new for science and was named Astragalus nallihanicus. It grows at altitudes between about 850-1050 meters a.s.l. in a pine forest clearing. The size of some morphological features such as stipules (lower ones 17-22 mm long), calyx teeth (8-9 mm long), standards (19-22 mm long), wings (16-18 mm long), legumes (8.3-10.5 mm wide) and the dimensions of the seeds (3.5-4.1 x 2.1-2.5 mm), allow Astragalus nallihanicus to be distinguished from the closest taxa. Here, a description of the new species, comparison with similar taxa, informative photographs, and some ecological preferences have been given.