Holoparasitic Orobanchaceae in Georgia (Caucasus): taxonomic revision, diversity, distribution, habitats and host range Author Piwowarczyk, Renata 0000-0003-0507-7835 * Center for Research and Conservation of Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Jan Kochanowski University, 7 Uniwersytecka St., 25 - 406 Kielce, Poland; renata. piwowarczyk @ ujk. edu. pl; renka 76 @ wp. pl; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 0507 - 7835 renata.piwowarczyk@ujk.edu.pl Author Pedraja, Óscar Sánchez 0000-0002-4383-4588 E- 39722 Liérganes (Cantabria), Spain; osanchez @ farmalierganes. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 4383 - 4588 osanchez@farmalierganes.com Author Khutsishvili, Manana 0000-0002-7404-9574 National Herbarium of Georgia, Institute of Botany, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia; mananakhuts @ yahoo. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 7404 - 9574 mananakhuts@yahoo.com Author Kharazishvili, Davit 0000-0003-0507-7835 * Center for Research and Conservation of Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Jan Kochanowski University, 7 Uniwersytecka St., 25 - 406 Kielce, Poland; renata. piwowarczyk @ ujk. edu. pl; renka 76 @ wp. pl; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 0507 - 7835 & Batumi Botanical Garden, 6411, Batumi, Mtsvane Kontskhi, Georgia; davit. kharazishvili @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 9254 - 9954 * author for correspondence & * Center for Research and Conservation of Biodiversity, Institute of Biology, Jan Kochanowski University, 7 Uniwersytecka St., 25 - 406 Kielce, Poland; renata. piwowarczyk @ ujk. edu. pl; renka 76 @ wp. pl; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 0507 - 7835 renata.piwowarczyk@ujk.edu.pl text Phytotaxa 2023 2023-07-24 604 1 1 103 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.604.1.1 journal article 10.11646/phytotaxa.604.1.1 1179-3163 8181674 15. Orobanche bartlingii Grisebach (1844: 57) . Type:— GERMANY ( holotype indicated in Carlón et al. 2009: 18 ). “Habitat in fruticetis Hassiae inferioris pr. Allendorf [Bad Sooden-Allendorf, Werra-Meissner-Kreis, Hesse ] (auctore Bartl. [F.G. Bartling] parasit, in Libanotide)” (GOET001913-8666! [https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/1638445650]). Heterotypic synonyms:— O. libanotidis Ruprecht (1845: 70) ; O. alsatica subsp. libanotidis (Rupr.) Tzvelev (1973: 363) ; O. alsatica var. libanotidis (Rupr.) Beck (1890: 177) . Fig. 48 . General distribution: —Eurasian species, occurring from the Pyrenees in Spain through France , Germany , Central Europe, and more frequent in Eastern Europe, the Baltic states ( Estonia ), Russia (European and Asiatic), to Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan and the Caucasus (North and South Caucasus), with the latest report from NE Turkey (Piwowarczyk & Sánchez Pedraja in Nobis et al. 2023). FIGURE 48. Orobanche bartlingii . A–D. General habit. E–I. Flower, side and front view. J, N. Representative habitats (J. Imereti prov., below Nakerala pass. N. Kakheti prov., near Jikurebi Lake). K–M. Representative hosts (K, L. Seseli transcaucasicum . M. Cachrys microcarpa ). Photos by R. Piwowarczyk. Distribution: —Single localities in the western ( Imereti , Samtskhe-Javakheti ), central ( Shida Kartli ) and eastern ( Kakheti ) parts ( Fig. 49 ). Habitat: —Rocky, partially shaded slopes, edges of shrublands and forest, rarely steppe hills, as well as occasionally in a nut orchard with a private farm; usually (500) 850–1300 m . Hosts: —Here, on a new host not mentioned so far, Seseli transcaucasicum (Schischk.) Pimenov & Sdobnina (syn. Libanotis transcaucasica Schischk. ), rarely Cachrys microcarpa M. Bieb. (syn. Bilacunaria microcarpa (M. Bieb.) Pimenov & V. N. Tikhom. ) ( Apiaceae ), the last is a new host genus for this species. Phenology: —Flowering (end of May) June–July, fruiting July–August. Conservation status: —Vulnerable (VU) – B1 ab(iii) + 2 ab(iii). EOO is less than 12,000 km 2 , existing at no more than 10 localities (4 provinces), severely fragmented; AOO is less than 500 km 2 , existing at 5 localities. The main threats are loss/degradation of habitats; however, individuals in subpopulations are usually numerous. Taxonomic note :—One of its synonyms and probably the most used name for this species was O. libanotidis Ruprecht , a name that we now typify and that even today is the priority name for those authors who prefer to treat this taxon as a subspecies or variety of O. alsatica Kirschleger (1836: 109) . FIGURE 49. Distribution of Orobanche bartlingii in Georgia. Lectotype (here designated):—1. “ Orobanche Libanotidis Rupr. / Herb. Dr. a Ķhlewein / Fl. Petrop. [Petropoli / Pretograd / Saint Petersburg ]”. – 2. “ Orobanche libanotidis Rupr. / ... bei Duderhof [place in the SW Saint Petersburg ] / Jul.”. – 3. “Typus!”. – 4. “ Orobanche libanotidis Rupr. / 1954.XII.30 Teste: Tzvelev”. – 5. “ Orobanche alsatica Kirschl. / var. libanotidis (Rupr.) G. Beck / 1955.I.6 Teste: N. Tzvelev” (LE00050361, the sheet contains two specimens with their respective labels (these are different), we choose as lectotype the specimen of Ķhlewein on right side of the sheet; the left specimen (Duderhof) is part of original material, but for its different label we are not sure that it is part of the same gathering, so we prefer to treat it a syntype ). Isolectotypes: LE00050363 - hb. Ķhlewein; P04384459 - hb. Ķhlewein [only the specimen to the right of the sheet], P04384460 - hb. Ķhlewein [only the specimen to the left of the sheet], LY0738328 - hb. G. Rouy in R. Bonaparte, K - hb. Ķhlewein; W - hb. Ķhlewein, etc. Syntypes : LE00050361 [“Duderhof”, only the specimen to the left of the sheet]; P04384459 - hb. Bunge [only the specimen to the left of the sheet], etc. ( Ledebour 1849: 319 , Sanchez Pedraja et al. 2016 +, Piwowarczyk et al. 2019 ). The species had already been collected in the surroundings of Saint Petersburg and determined as O. major ( O. major sensu Gorter (1761: 100, Sobolewski 1799: 151 ) et auct. div., until Ruprecht (1845: 70) ; described it, indicating that it is a different species of the C. scabiosa parasite ( O. major auct., non L. = O. elatior Sutton (1798: 178)) . We choose here the lectotype from the material of “Ruprecht, Ķhlewein pl. exs.” ( Ledebour 1849: 319 ; Reichenbach f. 1862: 97). Specimens examined: — GEORGIA . Imereti prov. : SW of Ambrolauri , between Kharistvala and Tkibuli , below Nakerala pass, steep slopes near serpentine road, landslides and rocky grassland, edges of forest, south exposure, on Seseli , 42°23’01”N , 43°00’46”E , 42°23’11”N , 43°00’47”E , 1030–1125 m , 16 July 2015 , 17 July 2018 , R. Piwowarczyk ( KTC ) ( Piwowarczyk in Nobis et al . 2017) ; Kakheti prov: NW of Udabno , E of Jikurebi Lake , steppe hills, on Bilacunaria , 41°34’12”N , 45°19’53”E , 860 m , 26 May 2014 , R. Piwowarczyk ( KTC ) ; Samtskhe-Javakheti prov. : S of Abastumani , rocky shaded grasslands, on the edge of forest, meadows, on slope with southwestern exposure, on Seseli , 41°43’51.3”N , 42°50’18”E , 1215–1240 m , 12 July 2015 , R. Piwowarczyk ( KTC ) ( Piwowarczyk in Nobis et al . 2017) ; Shida Kartli prov. : Grakali S , near the road to Sasireti , a roadside by an asphalt road, edges of bushes, also behind a fence in a nut orchard with a private farm, on Seseli , 41°56’07.4”N , 44°17’32.6”E , 560 m , 8 June 2022 , R. Piwowarczyk ( KTC ) .