5
НОВЫЕ ТАКСОНЫ
NEW TAXA
УДК 582.734 (571)
J. Danihelka 										 И. Данигэлка
J. Soják										 И. Сояк
Potentilla ×nebulosa (Rosaceae), A NEW INTERSECTIONAL NOTHOSPECIES
FROM THE ALTAI MOUNTAINS
Potentilla ×nebulosa (Rosaceae) – новый для науки
межсекционнЫЙ ГИБРИД ЛАПЧАТКИ с Алтая
Summary. Potentilla ×nebulosa nothosp. nova from the Dzhazator River valley in the Altai Mts. (Russian
Federation) is described and illustrated. We suggest that it is a result of hybridization between P. chrysantha and
P. pensylvanica.
Key words: Altai Republic, floristic records, hybridization, Dzhazator River valley, Russian Federation.
Аннотация. Описивается и изображается новый для науки гибрид Potentilla ×nebulosa по растению,
которое было собрано в дол. р. Джазатор в Юго-Восточном Алтае (Республика Алтай, Россия). Предпологается,
что он возник в результате скрещивания между P. chrysantha и P. pensylvanica.
Ключевые слова: флористические находки, долина Джазатора, гибридизация, Республика Алтай,
Российская Федерация.
Introduction
In summer 2011, the first author explored
the vegetation of the south-eastern Altai in the Altai
Republic of the Russian Federation as a member
of a research team from Masaryk University, Brno
(Czech Republic), accompanied by scientists from
the Altai State University, Barnaul. The research
was focused on the Ukok mountain plateau and
the adjacent valley of the Dzhazator (Džazator)
River where the team described the vegetation and
measured environmental factors in 71 vegetation
plots in a cold steppe, a tundra, alluvial and alpine
meadows, saline vegetation and a light taiga. During
this work, about 890 herbarium specimens were
collected for subsequent identification, including
some critical genera such as Potentilla. This genus,
whose members are widespread in mountain steppes
and tundra communities, is represented in the
collections by 66 specimens. These were revised or
identified by the second author.
The collections comprise 14 species of
Potentilla (taxonomy and nomenclature follow
Soják [2004], names used by Kurbatsky [1988] are
given if different), including P. acaulis L., P. agrimonoides
M. Bieb. (syn. P. lydiae Kurbatski),
P. al­taica Bunge, P. bifurca L., P. ×chionea Soják,
P. chrysantha Trevir., P. crebridens Juz., P. evestita
Th. Wolf, P. gelida C.A. Mey., P. multifida L.,
P. nivea L., P. ornithopoda Tausch, P. pensylvanica
L. (syn. P. nudicaulis Willd. ex D.F.K. Schltdl.), and
P. sericea L. In a local flora compiled by Dyachenko
(2000), 9 further species are reported from the
Ukok plateau and the adjacent Dzhazator River
valley. They are P. approximata Bunge, P. inclinata
Vill. (syn. P. canescens Bess.), P. conferta Bunge,
P.  crantzii (Crantz) Fritsch, P. desertorum Bunge,
P. kryloviana Th. Wolf, P. rigidula Th. Wolf,
1
Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2; CZ-61137, Brno and
Institute of Botany, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Lidická 25/27; CZ-65720, Brno, both Czech Republic;
e-mail: danihel@sci.muni.cz
2
National Museum in Prague, CZ-19300, Praha-Horní Počernice, Czech Republic
1
Институт ботаники и зоологии, Университет им. Масарика, ул. Котларжска, 2; 61137, Брно, и
Ботанический институт АН Чешской Республики, ул. Лидицка, 25/27; 65720, Брно, Чехия
2
Национальный музей в Праге, 19300, Горни Почернице, Прага, Чехия
Поступило в редакцию 19.08.2012							 Submitted 19.08.2012
Turczaninowia 2012, 15 (4) : 5–8
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P. turczaninowiana Stschegl. (syn. P. saposhnikovii
Kurbatski), and P. tergemina Soják. The occurrence
of P. crantzii and P. inclinata requires confirmation,
however. With 21 species recorded with certainty
so far, Potentilla seems to be the second richest
vascular plant genus (after Carex) of the Ukok
plateau (Dyachenko 2000).
The collections include a plant somewhat
resembling the widespread species Potentilla
pensylvanica. Its characters, however, clearly
indicate its hybrid origin. This hybrid cannot be
assigned to any previously described nothotaxon
(Baikov, 2005; Kurbatsky, 1988; Li et al., 2003;
Soják, 2004, 2007), and is therefore described here
as new to science.
Potentilla ×nebulosa Danihelka & Soják,
nothosp. nova
Descriptio. Caules laterales, 15–35 cm alti,
superne insigniter laxe ramosi. Pili petiolorum
patentes, 1,5 mm longi (nonnuli item glandulis
parvis, dispersis vel pilis brevibus, curvatis induti).
Folia approximatim pinnata 2(3)-juga, jugis 1,5–4
mm remotis, nonnula fere digitata (jugis 0.5–1 mm
remotis). Foliola dentibus utrinque 7–11, ad 2
/5
usque
1
/2
versus costam attingentibus, subtus cana vel canoviridula,
inter nervos pilis brevibus, irregulariter
flexuosis vel curvatis numerosis obtecta. Pedicelli
longi, insigniter tenues. Episepala sepalis breviora.
Petala ignota. Stylus 1,4–1,5 mm longus, basi parum
incrassatus et ± papillatus.
Holotype (preserved in the Herbarium of
Masaryk University, Brno): “Russian Federation,
Altai Republic, Altai Mts., distr. Kosh-Agach.
Belyashi (Dzhazator): right side of the Dzhazator
river valley ca 39.5 km E–ESE of the village. Steppe
with Potentilla acaulis and Spiraea hypericifolia on
a steep S-facing slope, slightly grazed. 49°38`59.7``
N, 87°57`59.8`` E. 2010 m a. s. l. Vegetation plot
JD508. Leg. Jiří Danihelka 27 July 2011, BRNU
622680”.
Description. Rootstock simple or littlebranched,
densely covered with blackish or dark
brown dead stipules. Stems lateral, 15–35 cm tall,
± erect, with ± one small leaf, from 2
/3
very loosely
branched, 2–10-flowered, covered with flexuose,
shorter, subappressed and also long, ± patent hairs.
Adult basal leaves 6–15 cm long, pinnate, with 2(3)
approximate pairs of leaflets, some leaves almost
digitate (outer and inner leaflets 0.5–4 mm apart).
Stipular auricles acute, ca. 4–6 ± 1.5–2 mm large.
Petioles with 1.5–2 mm long, straight, patent hairs
borne on minute tubercles; some petioles also with
dispersed minute glands or with short curved hairs.
Terminal (middle) leaflet (2)4–4.5 cm long, oblong,
at base cuneate, on both sides with 7–11 teeth,
reaching up to 2
/5
–1
/2
way to the midrib; uppermost
lateral (inner) leaflets shortly or longly decurrent.
Leaflets green, with straight, long, subpatent,
moderately dense hairs above, beneath grey or
grey-greenish, between veins with numerous not
very long, conspicuously soft, patent, irregularly
flexuous, hairs (without straight or crisped hairs).
Pedicels long, very thin. Episepals 2.5–3 mm long,
linear, shorter than sepals. Sepals 4–4.5 mm long.
Petals unknown. Anthers 0.5–0.9 mm long. Style
1.4–1.5 mm long, at base slightly thickened and
papillate. Achenes 1.6–1.8 mm long, with only
slightly prominent, pale nervation.
Discussion and concluding remarks
Potentilla×nebulosa(Fig.1)isaconspicuous
plant. Its leaves are of a characteristic shape and
have a distinctive indumentum. The leaves are
intermediate between palmate and pinnate, and their
leaflets (including young ones) are grey or greygreen
on the underside, never white-tomentose. This
character combination is typical for hybrids and
hybrid species that have arisen from hybridization
of a species with palmate leaves and leaflets with
straight hairs (Orthotrichae group) and a species
with pinnate leaves and leaflets white-tomentose
beneath (Eriotrichae group) with crisped hairs.
Several such taxa have been discovered in the
mountains of south Siberia. They are a result of
intersectional hybridization between P. sect. Niveae
and P. sect. Pensylvanicae. These taxa differ from
P. ×nebulosa in having the underside of at least some
leaflets covered with a white or whitish tomentum
composed of crisped hairs and leaflets usually with
a smaller number of deeper indents.
In its leaf shape and indumentum, the newly
discovered nothospecies is also approached by
Potentilla subpalmata, which is derived from the
parental combination P. gelida (sect. Aureae) × P.
pamirica (sect. Pensylvanicae). This rare, low plant
has leaflets with 3–5 pairs of blunt teeth and only
sparse straight, not patent hairs between veins on the
underside of leaflets. At the base, the rootstock is
mostly covered by two rows of dead stipules.
Certain taxa of the Potentilla mollissima
complex can sometimes have somewhat similar
leaves and leaflets, but they have longer styles with
an unbroadened stigma that is morphologically
undifferentiated from the apex of the style. This
Danihelka J., Sojak J. Potentilla ×nebulosa (Rosaceae), a new intersectional nothospecies
from the Altai mountains
7
is a taxonomically significant character which
characterizes the section Lipskyanae.
Potentilla ×nebulosa has originated, in our
opinion,throughhybridizationbetweenP. chrysantha
(sect. Chrysanthae) and P.  pensylvanica (sect.
Pensylvanicae).The participation of P. chrysantha in
its origin is evidenced by its long, conspicuously thin
pedicels and elongated leaflets with a large number
of shallow teeth. The participation of P. pensylvanica
is attested by the short petiolar indumentum and the
indumentum on the leaflet underside, which lacks
crisped hairs. In P. ×nebulosa, the bottom side of
leaflets has the same or similar indumentum as that
of P. pensylvanica, i.e., with rather dense, irregularly
patent, slightly flexuous or bent hairs between veins.
Numerous sessile glands on the surface between
hairs (visible especially on less hairy leaflets) are
not present in P. ×nebulosa. The shape of leaflets in
P. ×nebulosa corresponds to the presumed parents.
Theparticipationof Potentillaconferta in the
origin of P. ×nebulosa is ruled out mainly because
of the short petiolar indumentum of the hybrid. The
participation of P. tergemina is untenable due to the
indumentum of the leaflet underside and also the
shallowly toothed leaflets. We can summarize that
P.  ×nebulosa resembles P.  chrysantha, mainly in
the dentation of its leaflets and in the character of
its pedicels. Potentilla pensylvanica is close to the
Fig. 1. Potentilla ×nebulosa (drawn after specimen BRNU 622680 by J. Soják). Right below: indumentum of
the petiole, scale bar 1 mm.
Turczaninowia 2012, 15 (4) : 5–8
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new hybrid species especially in the indumentum
of its leaflet underside. The petiolar indumentum
of P.  ×nebulosa is either identical to that of
P. chrysantha or it is intermediate between that of
the two parental species.
Though the assumed parental species are
quite common in the area, the newly described
nothospecies is known to us only from the
type collection. The mountain landscape of the
Dzhazator River valley, where it was discovered,
is covered by a mosaic of different types of
steppes, a tundra steppe and shrubberies of Betula
rotundifolia, while open Larix sibirica forests are
found mainly on north-facing slopes. The new
Potentilla was collected on a south-facing slope
next to the vegetation plot JD508 set up to record
steppe vegetation, which included (taxonomy and
nomenclature follow Czerepanov [1995]) Artemisia
dracunculus, Carex obtusata, Festuca valesiaca,
Potentilla acaulis, Spiraea hypericifolia, and Stipa
pennata. Two polycormons were confined to a
strip of more mesophilous vegetation protected
from direct insolation by scattered trees of Larix
sibirica. Potentila pensylvanica was also found
there. The other assumed parent grew nearby in
more mesophilous vegetation. We collected it,
for instance, from a meadow steppe plot (JD509)
situated about 200 m north of JD508. Based on the
frequent co-occurrence of the parental species in
the area, we believe that further research into the
local flora will yield more records of this easily
recognizable hybridogenous Potentilla.
Acknowledgements.WethankD.A. German
for useful comments on an earlier version of the
manuscript and S.A. Dyachenko (both Barnaul) for
making the unpublished manuscript of his Ph. D.
theses available to us. The English was revised by
F. Rooks (Prague). This study was supported by the
Czech Science Foundation (P504/11/0454).
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Danihelka J., Sojak J. Potentilla ×nebulosa (Rosaceae), a new intersectional nothospecies
from the Altai mountains