Species conservation profile and revision of Salvia korolkowii (Lamiaceae, Lamiales), a narrow endemic of the Western Tian-Shan

Abstract

Salvia korolkowii (Lamiaceae) has been considered a species of highest conservation priority due to its narrow distribution and isolated taxonomic position. The species has been known from Uzbekistan and, questionably, Kyrgyzstan and treated as endemic to the Western Tian-Shan. Its modern conservation status according to the IUCN Criteria has not been established. The taxonomic position of Salvia korolkowii is evaluated; the species is treated as the sole member of S. sect. Odontochilus (Pobed.) Sennikov, comb. nov. because of its morphological differences and phylogenetic isolation. The herbarium collections are completely revised and the species is proven to occur mainly in Uzbekistan with a single locality (new country record) in Kazakhstan; its former report from Kyrgyzstan (one locality) is confirmed and documented by herbarium specimens. The species occurrences are mapped and its conservation status is assessed as Vulnerable due to the restricted size and continuous decline of its populations because of the ongoing degradation and destruction of its primary habitat (variegated outcrops) at lower elevations. This study highlights the importance of a thorough revision of herbarium collections in Central Asia for conservation purposes.