New plant species Anthemis marcotis recorded for the first time to the flora of Syria

1. American Journal of Life Science
Researches
www.worldofresearches.com
249
October, 2015
© 2015, World of Researches Publication
Am. J. Life. Sci. Res.
Vol. 3, Issue 4, 249-253, 2015
ISSN: 2332-0206 (Online) ISSN: 2375-7485 (Print)
A New Record Anthemis marcotis. (Asteraceae)
For the Flora of Syria
Mohammed H. Mahklouf
Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tripoli University. Tripoli. Libya
INTRODUCTION
Anthmis marcotis is east Mediterranean element, endemic to Turkey (South west Anatolia)
according to 1
who classified it under the genus Matricaria as M. marcotis based on plant
material collected by him on Mt Attaviros on the Greek island of Rhodes .
The species was presumably observed already near Lindos on Rhodes by 2
, who mentioned it
as a “Matricaria trèscurieux” because of its characteristic achenes. Referring to this first
mention and presumably taking into account the diagnostic lack of pales.
Described it as a new species of Matricaria without further discussion on the generic
classification1
. He only stated that the new species seems to be not closely related to any other
known (Matricaria) species and provide some different characters between the new species and
M. chamomilla L. (= M. recutita L.). This statement was echoed by 3
, who treated it also under
the genus Matricaria.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Plant specimens were collected from waste place in Lattakia city during the study Flora of
Lattakia in 2009 (Fig 1). Morphological description is provided to facilitate further
identification of this species and to warrant its future detection as well. The specimens were
deposited in the herbarium of the Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, Tripoli
University, Tripoli - Libya .
Description of species
Family: Asteraceae
Anthemis macrotis (Rech. f.) Oberprieler& Vogt 4
.
Matricaria macrotis Rech.f. in Denkschr. Akad.Wiss.Wien, Math.-Naturw. Kl. 105(1):
634. 1943 Chamomilla macrotis (Rech. f.) Rauschert in Folia Geobot.Phytotax.9: 255. 1974. –
Lectotype (designated here): “IterAegaeum 1935, Insula Rhodos (Rodi): In saxosis calc.
MontisAttairo [= Mt Attaviros], c. 1000 m”, 16.5.1935, K. H. & F. Rechinger 7383 (W 1936-
01083, isolectotype: B) 1
.
Abstract: A new species, Anthemis marcotis. (Asteraceae) is reported for the first time for the flora of
Syria. The specimens were collected from waste place in Lattakia city during the study flora of Lattakia in 2009.
Morphological description is provided to facilitate further identification of this species and to warrant its future
detection as well. The specimens were deposited in the herbarium of the Department of Botany, Faculty of
Sciences, Tripoli University, Tripoli - Libya .

2. Mahklouf, 2015
250October, 2015
Annual herbs with tap-roots, 15 – 25 cm tall branched from base with many defuse or
ascending branches. Stems longitudinally grooved, cobwebby or silky hairy to adpressed
pubescent. leaves alternate, with sheathing petioles, sheaths with linear lateral lobes, blabes
obovate in outline, 1 – 3 cm, 2 – ( 3) pinnatisect, with linear – lanceolate, altimate lobes 0.5
mm broad, acute. Capitula terminal, solitary on long peduncle 5 – 15 cm, peduncle slightly
thickened above especially at fruiting. Heads 0.8 – 1 cm broad, radiate, become conical at
maturity, involucral bracts 2 – 3 seriate, obovate – oblong, 2 – 3.5 x 1.2 – 2 mm, obtuse,
membranous, pale brown at margins, palea absent. Ray flowers white, 12 – 15 mm, ligules 5 –
12 mm. disc flowers tubular, 2 – 3 mm, yellow, 5 lobed. Achenes dimorphic, those of rays
sterile, ecoronate, those of disc flowers 1.5 – 2mm, curved, ± terete, brown, obscurely 10 –
ribbed, tubercled along the ribs, outer achenes bearing long coronal auricles on posterior
margin 1.5 – 2 mm, inner achenes bearing shorter auricles. (Fig 2, 3, 4, 5).
Flowering time: April – May. Fruiting time: June – July.
Figue 1: Anthemis marcotis. Site of collection.

3. A new Record Anthemismarcotis. (Asteraceae) for the Flora of Syria
Figure 2: Habit of Anthemis marcotis.
Figure 3: Achenes. Figure 4: Achene enlarged.

4. Mahklouf, 2015
252October, 2015
Figure 5: Achene from Raus 8360, B.Scale bar in A-D = 1 mm
RESULTS AND DISSCUSSION
The species under study is identified on the bases of (1, 3, and 4) who characterized and described it
as an annual appressed-pubescent herb with 5-25 cm long ascending stems bearing 2-
pinnatisect leaves and solitary, radiate capitula with obovate involucral bracts, furnished with pale
brown scarious margins. The receptacle is conical and devoid of receptacular scales (pales). While
the white ray florets are sterile, the 5-lobed, yellow disc florets are hermaphrodite and produce
1.5-2 mm long achenes that are circular in cross-section, inconspicuously 10-ribbed and slightly
verrucose. Achenes of the peripheral disc florets are found to bear 2-2.5 mm long adaxial auricle,
while those of the central disc florets show shorter auricles or are completely ecoronate.
1&3 Identified it as Matricaria marcotis based on the absence of a receptacular bracts (pales) and
hollow receptacle, while the revision of this species conducted by 4
showed that the phylogenetic
reconstruction using Maximum Likelihood (ML) method 5, 6
indicates that M. macrotis is nested
within the genus Anthemis s.str. next to members of A. sect. Maruta. This result is supported by
morphological features of achene characters which favour the position of Matricaria
macrotis within Anthemis.
Taxonomy
Anthemis macrotis (Rech. f.) Oberprieler& Vogt 4
.
Matricaria macrotis Rech.f. Akad.Wiss.Wien, Math.-Naturw. Kl. 105(1): 634. 1943 Chamomilla
macrotis (Rech. f.) Rauschert in Folia Geobot. Phytotax.9: 255. 1974. – Lectotype (designated here):
“IterAegaeum 1935, Insula Rhodos (Rodi): In saxosis calc. MontisAttairo [= Mt Attaviros], c. 1000
m”, 16.5.1935, K. H. & F. Rechinger 7383 (W 1936-01083, isolectotype: B).
Distribution:
The species is endemic East Mediterranean element 3,4
. Our collection is the third collection of this
species from Lattakia - Syria, the two previous collection are Turkey (SW Anatolia and islands) and
Greece (Rhodes, Saria). The report from Saria near Karpathos (Greek) is the first for Europe. 3
reported the species from Simi in Turkey (Yavalides, Islet of Plati, Runemark&Nordenstam 16753).

5. A new Record Anthemismarcotis. (Asteraceae) for the Flora of Syria
REFERENCES
1. Rechinger KH. Flora aegaea.Denkschr. Akad.Wiss.Wien, Mat- Naturwiss. Klasse .
1943: 105 (1).
2. Boissieu M. Quelques notes sur la flore d’Orient. – Bull. Soc. Bot. France. 1896; (43):
283- 290.
3. Davis PH. Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands 5. – Edinburgh. (ed.) 1975.
4. Oberprieler C,Vogt R. The taxonomic positionof Matricariamacrotis (Compositae-
Anthe-mideae).Willdenowia 2006; (36): 329 – 338.
5. Felsenstein J. Evolutionary trees from DNA sequences: a maximum likelihood
approach. J. Mol. Evol. 1981: (17): 368-376.
6. Kishino H, Hasegawa M. Evaluation of the maximum likelihood estimate of the
evolutionarytree topology from DNA sequence data, and the branching order of
Hominoideae. J. Mol. Evol. 1989; (29): 170-179.