A new Kalidium species (Amaranthaceae s. l.) from northern Central Asia

Abstract

Kalidium juniperinum Sukhor. et Lomon. is described as a species new to science. It is similar to K. foliatum in having a short leaf blade but differs by the presence of numerous slender, prostrate, or ascending stems forming mats vs. the stout main upright stem; acuminate bracts slightly exceeding the flower cyme vs. obtuse bracts equal to the flower cyme; the exserted pericarp looking like a bulge on the one-seeded diaspore vs. not or slightly elevated top of the diaspore; shorter anthers; the geographic range in the highlands and mountainous steppe zone vs. Eurasian lowland (semi-)desert regions. K. juniperinum is recorded in Russia (West Siberia and Sayan Mountains), Eastern and Northern Kazakhstan, the Mongolian Altai, and NW China. The names K. foliatum α [var.] glomeratum Fenzl and Kalidium foliatum β [var.] brevifolium Fenzl are lectotypified and synonymized with K. juniperinum.

Phylogeny and Flow Cytometry of Species of the Genus <em>Kalidium</em> Moq. (Amaranthaceae s. lato) in Kazakhstan

“…Chu [8], and at the end of 2022, an eighth species of this genus, K. juniperinum Sukhor. and Lomon [9], was added. The main range of the genus covers the Irano-Turanian and Central Asian deserts [1,10].…”

Phylogeny and Flow Cytometry of the Genus Kalidium Moq. (Amaranthaceae s.l.) in Kazakhstan

“…Chu [ 8 ], and at the end of 2022, an eighth species of this genus, K. juniperinum Sukhor. and Lomon [ 9 ], was added. The main range of the genus covers the Irano–Turanian and Central Asian deserts [ 1 , 10 ].…”

“…Members of the genus Kalidium are small or dwarf glabrous shrubs, mostly with reduced, semi-amplex leaf laminae. The species K. foliatum , K. wagenitzii , and K. juniperinum are found to have roll-shaped (terete) and succulent leaf laminae, which can measure up to 1.2 cm in length [ 9 ]. The peduncles consist of three submerged flowers with one or two stamens and united segments with four or five teeth.…”

“…The peduncles consist of three submerged flowers with one or two stamens and united segments with four or five teeth. The fruit has a parenchymatous pericarp and a thin, yellow, or brownish seed coat with a fine papillary surface [ 9 ].…”

“…Lomonosova described a new species: K. juniperinum Sukhor. and Lomon., which occur mostly in the central and northern parts of Kazakhstan [ 9 ]. Unfortunately, this work was published after we had conducted our molecular genetic analysis, and as a consequence, we did not analyze K. juniperinum material.…”