A morphological re-evaluation of the taxonomic status of Satureja L. (Lamiaceae, Nepetoideae, Mentheae) from flora of Iran Author Bordbar, Firouzeh Author Mirtadzadini, Mansour Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman (Iran) bordbar @ uk. ac. ir, fbordbar 2000 @ yahoo. com (corresponding author) mirtadz @ uk. ac. ir bordbar@uk.ac.ir text Adansonia 2024 3 2024-04-23 46 7 45 63 https://sciencepress.mnhn.fr/sites/default/files/articles/pdf/adansonia2024v46a7.pdf journal article 10.5252/adansonia2024v46a7 1639-4798 11058077 Satureja mutica Fisch. & Mey. ( Fig. 2 I-J) Index seminum, quae Hortus Botanicus Imperialis Petropolitanus pro mutua commutatione offert: accedunt Animadversiones botanicae nonnullae 2: 49 ( Meyer 1846 ). — Type : Iran , Azerbaijan • Common in the area between Iran and Azerbaijan , Talisch; C.A.Meyer s.n. ; holo- , G-BOIS [ G00786050 image!]; iso- , LE [ LE01204662 image!], W [ W0033023 image!] ). Satureja intermedia sensu Benth. , in Prodromus Systematis Universalis Regni Vegetabilis 12: 210 ( Bentham 1848 ) . Satureja spicigera (C.Koch) Boiss. , Flora Orientalis 4 (2): 566 ( Boissier 1879 ) . — Type : Georgia • Radscha ; Ruprecht s.n .; ( holo- , G, G-BOIS [ G00786074 image!]) , syn. nov. PHENOLOGY . — Flowering September to October, fruiting October to November. DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY . — N and NE of Iran ( Fig. 5D ), S of Turkmenistan , E of Georgia , NE of Turkey . Crevices of the rocky slopes of the Irano-Turanian as well as Euro-Siberian regions. SPECIMENS EXAMINED . — Iran • NE Iran, N Khorasan Prov. , Ashkhana , NW of Darkash ; 37°27’18.0”N , 56°42’59.1”E ; alt. 982 m ; 31.X.2019 ; Mirtadzadini 3822 ( MIR ) • SW of Ashkhana , S of Jauzak ; 37°25’16.7”N , 56°40’49.3”E ; alt. 1333 m ; 30.X.2019 ; Mirtadzadini 3829 ( MIR ) • 26 km from Tangrah to Bojnurd ; 37°20’04.5”N , 56°00’12.3”E ; alt. 930 m ; 29.X.2019 ; Mirtadzadini 3832 ( MIR ) • 17 km from Tangrah to Bojnurd ; 37°22’07.5”N , 55°57’38.5”E ; alt. 753 m ; 29.X.2019 ; Mirtadzadini 3831 ( MIR ) • 5 km from Tangrah to Bojnurd ; 37°23’18.2”N , 55°50’13.0”E ; alt. 529 m ; 29.X.2019 ; Mirtadzadini 3830 ( MIR ) • W of Bojnurd , near to Darkash ; alt. 1200 m ; 06.VIII.2000 ; Joharchi & Zangooei 33158 ( FUMH ) • Jangal-e Golestan , Tang-e Gol ; alt. 600-700 m ; 13-14.X.1976 ; Terme & Matin 25027 ( IRAN ) • N Iran, Gilan Prov. , 45 km Punel to Khalkhal ; alt. 700 m ; 29.IX.2016 ; Eskandari & Ghamghami 75703 ( IRAN ) • Manjil ; alt. 900 m ; 07.XI.1937 ; Gauba 25033 ( IRAN ) • Near to Astara , Mt. Ashin ; 26.VII.1941 ; Gauba 25034 ( IRAN ) • Harzevil , near Manjil ; 01.XII.1937 ; Gauba 25032 ( IRAN ) • South of Rasht , Ganja toward Rudbar ; 36°51’53.0”N , 49°29’04.2”E ; alt. 180 m ; 13.IX.2019 ; Mirtadzadini 3821 ( MIR ) • Between Ardabil and Astara ; 38°23’44.6”N , 48°36’02.5”E ; alt. 976 m ; 11.IX.2019 ; Mirtadzadini 3819 ( MIR ) . DESCRIPTION Aromatic perennial, 30-50 cm high, stems erect-procumbent, covered with white short retrorse hairs and sessile glands. Leaves sessile, often conduplicate, linear-oblanceolate, 8-15(-20) mm long, 2-3 mm wide, attenuate at base, apex rounded or acutiusculate, covered with short scattered scabrous retrorse hairs and sessile glands. Verticillasters distant or approximate, (1-)2-6(-8) flowers in verticillaster, cymes one- or two-sided, peduncle up to 5 mm , flowers sessile or with a short pedicel up to 1-2 mm . Calyx green, manifestly 2- labiate, campanulate-tubular, covered with short hairs and sessile glands on the outside, 4-6(-7) mm, teeth narrow linear to subulate, inferior teeth 2.5-3 mm , superior teeth 1-2 mm . Corolla white, rarely lilac, (7-) 8-10 mm long, covered with hirsute indumentum. Stamens exserted from the tube. Style usually as long as posterior stamens Nutlets elliptic, 1.3-1.5 mm , 0.8-1 mm wide, brown to dark brown. REMARKS Satureja mutica was first described from Talisch, a common area between N of Iran and south of Azerbaijan in first description, and later from NE of Iran and south of Turkmenistan ( Rechinger 1982 ; Borissova 1977 ). Satureja spicigera was reported under the name Micromeria spicigera C. Koch (1843) from Radscha, E of Georgia . This species was later transferred to Satureja by Boissier (1879) . Satureja spicigera is distributed in Talisch, N of Iran as well as in NE of Turkey ( Davis 1982 ; Rechinger 1982 ; Borissova 1977 ). Therefore, the two species overlap in their distribution range. These species are mainly distinguished by the inflorescence elongated, secund, many-flowered and the stamens and style prominently exserted from the corolla in S. spicigera vs inflorescence axillary, loosely racemose, few-flowered and the stamens and style not exserted from the corolla in S. mutica , but these distinctive characters are of low taxonomic importance. In addition, no morphological differences were found by the study of their types deposited in LE, G and W. There are some minor differences between the individuals of different populations in the number of flowers, length of calyx and corolla. Some individuals have stems more lignified, and some individuals of the same population have second inflorescence ( Fig. 2J ). But no morphological discontinuity has been observed among the populations from Iran . S. spicigera is distributed in Turkey and Georgia as well. By the observation of some herbarium images belonging to S. spicigera from Turkey and Georgia , we can not find any differences with the specimens from Iran . S. spicigera is reduced here to synonymy under S. mutica by the name priority.