A revision of Centaurea sect. Cynaroides (Asteraceae, Cardueae-Centaureinae) Author Negaresh, Kazem Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Khuzestan Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Mollasani, Ahvaz, Iran. (* Corresponding author e-mail: negaresh @ ramin. ac. ir) negaresh@ramin.ac.ir Author Rahiminejad, Mohammad Reza Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Khuzestan Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Mollasani, Ahvaz, Iran. (* Corresponding author e-mail: negaresh @ ramin. ac. ir) & Department of Biology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan 81746 - 73441, Iran. & Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Khuzestan Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Mollasani, Ahvaz, Iran. (* Corresponding author e-mail: negaresh @ ramin. ac. ir) negaresh@ramin.ac.ir text Phytotaxa 2018 2018-08-02 363 1 448 450 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.363.1.1 journal article 10.11646/phytotaxa.363.1.1 1179-3163 13703414 15. Centaurea haussknechtii Boissier (1875: 670) . Type:— TURKEY . C6 Gaziantep : in graminosis calcareis montis Ssoffdagh (So f Da.) Syriae borealis, 1070 m , 27 July 1865 , Haussknecht s.n. ( lectotype G! designated by Wagenitz 1960: 490 , isolectotypes G!, JE!: two sheets, W!). ( Fig. 32 ) FIGURE 32. Centaurea haussknechtii Boissier ( Haussknecht s.n. , G). A. habit. B. close up of capitule. Scale B = 1 cm. Biennial herbs, with long and stout taproot, whole plant usually grayish or green-yellowish, 50–60 cm tall; collar of fibrous petiolar remains present at stem base. Stem erect, simple, 2–5 mm in diam. at base, cylindrical, sparsely leafy throughout, lower part purplish and loosely covered with hirsute-articulate hairs, others ± densely covered with white-tomentose hairs. Leaves firm or rigid (on drying), usually divided, densely covered with white-tomentose hairs, sometimes basal and lower ones sparsely covered with hirsute-articulate hairs, denser along midrib and veins, and mixed with tomentose hairs. Basal and lower cauline leaves petiolate, (7–) 12–30 cm long, lyrate; terminal segments larger, oblong, triangular-ovate or lanceolate, 4–10 × (1.2–) 2–6 cm , entire or shallowly serrulate, obtuse or truncate at base, acute or rounded at apex; lateral segments smaller, 1–2 pairs, lanceolate or ± retrorse. Median and upper cauline leaves sessile, simple, oblong or narrowly oblong, 2–10 × 0.5–1.5 cm , very shortly decurrent, sometimes not decurrent, entire, acuminate or mucronate at apex. Capitula few, 4 to 7, arranged in a spike or raceme, often sessile or subsessile, sometimes with 2–6 cm peduncles. Involucres ovoid, truncate at base, (33–)35–40 × 30–35 mm . Phyllaries multiseriate, yellow-greenish, imbricate, coriaceous-scarious, glabrous.Appendages rigid, totally concealing phyllaries, not decurrent, lanceolate, straw-coloured or pale brown, 3–4(–4.5) mm wide at base (excluding cilia), sometimes squarrose or reflexed; cilia erect, numerous, 7–9 on each side, 5–7 mm long; spines narrowly triangular, (7–) 15–17 mm long, strongly longer than nearest cilia. Flowers pink-purple; central florets hermaphroditic, limb ca. 14 mm long, 5-lobed, lobes ca. 6 mm long; peripheral florets sterile, slightly shorter than central ones, conspicuous, finely dissected, not radiant, 5-lobed, limb lobes linear. Achenes and pappus unknown. Taxonomic and distribution remarks: — Centaurea haussknechtii is a rare endemic of Gaziantep Province , S Turkey ( Fig. 30 ). Centaurea haussknechtii is an Irano-Turanian element, and grows on limestone, grassland and calcareous mountains, at elevations of 1000–1100 m . It closely resembles C. doddsii in its habit. Chromosome numbers: — Askoy et al. (2016) reported the chromosome number 2 n = 2 x = 18 for Centaurea haussknechtii collected from Turkey , Siverek-Kahta ( Adıyaman ). This is the only count for this taxon. Selected specimens examined:— TURKEY . Taurus cataonicus, 1865, Haussknecht s.n. ( G !).