A taxonomic revision of Rhamnus L. and Atadinus Raf. (Rhamnaceae) in Iran Author Alijanpoor, Behnaz 0000-0002-9698-2592 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Lorestan University, 5 Km Khorramabad toward Tehran, P. O. Box 6815144316 - 465 Khorramabad, Iran. & alijanpour. be @ fs. lu. ac. ir; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 9698 - 2592 alijanpour.be@fs.lu.ac.ir Author Khodayari, Hamed 0000-0003-0614-2600 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Lorestan University, 5 Km Khorramabad toward Tehran, P. O. Box 6815144316 - 465 Khorramabad, Iran. & khodayari. h @ lu. ac. ir; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 0614 - 2600 khodayari.h@lu.ac.ir Author Assadi, Mostafa 0000-0001-9014-585X Department of Botany, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), P. O. Box 13185 - 116, Tehran, Iran. & assadi @ rifr-ac. ir; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 9014 - 585 X assadi@rifr-ac.ir Author Rahiminejad, Mohammadreza 0000-0003-2459-482X Department of Biology, University of Isfahan, 81746 - 73441, Isfahan, Iran. & mrr @ sci. ui. ac. ir; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 2459 - 482 X mrr@sci.ui.ac.ir Author Mehregan, Iraj 0000-0002-5108-2558 Department of Biology, Science and Research branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. & iraj @ daad-alumni. de; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 5108 - 2558 iraj@daad-alumni.de text Phytotaxa 2021 2021-09-30 521 3 127 158 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.521.3.1 journal article 10.11646/phytotaxa.521.3.1 1179-3163 5540457 1. Rhamnus cathartica Linnaeus (1753: 193) . Typus —Europa ( L 262-1 image!) . Description— Trees or shrubs, erect, 2–4 or rarely 1.5 m high. Branches dark grey or greyish brown, pubescent when young, spiny and rarely not spiny, spiny branches mostly alternate and rarely opposite. Leaves green, thin, herbaceous, sometimes pubescent, (1–) 1.5–7.5 cm × (1–) 1.5–3.5 cm , ovate or obovate to elliptic, orbicular or lanceolate, dimorphic or rarely monomorphic in each specimen, fasciculate on scaly branches and alternate on long branches with numerous teeth on margin; base of leaves mostly roundish, cuneate; apex obtuse or rarely acute; lateral nerves curved, alternate, opposite, conspicuous, 3–5 pairs (mostly 3 pairs); petioles 5-16 (-20) mm long. Inflorescence fasciculate. Flowers 4- merous, mostly unisexual, sometimes bisexual, (3–) 4–5 mm long, with 2–4 styles; calyx campanulate, rarely ligulate, with 3 veins, acute, (1–) 1.5–4 mm long, lobes 1–3 mm long; petals 4, sometimes absent, linear and rarely broad, opposite to filament; disk very small; ovary with (2–)3–4 locular and with (2–)3–4 styls; peduncles 3–10 mm long, sometimes pubescent. Fruits a fleshy drupe, mainly spherical, 4–5 mm long, with (2–)3–4 seeds, with (2–)2–4 furrows. Habitat and distribution — R. cathartica grows in a wide variety of habitats. In Iran , it grows at an altitude of 980–2400 m , between 49° and 54° E and between 36° and 38° N . The species occurs in N to C & W Iran on E , W and S slopes in the forests or shrublands, sometime along the rivers in valleies on rocks and pasture lands. There are different companion species in different habitats, but one species of Crateagus L . and Berberis vulgaris L . are common in all of their distribution . Phenology —Flowering is in late April to early May, fruits and seeds maturie in late August to September. Key to the varieties of R. cathartica (in N & W Iran ) 1. Leaves glabrous, ovate to obovate and orbicular; shrubland in forest habitat ............................................................. var. cathartica - Leaves pubescent, orbicular, ovate to elliptic or lanceolate; along rivers in forests, rocks and pasture; rocky forest habitat ............. ....................................................................................................................................................................................... var. caucasica