Centaurea aytugiana (Asteraceae), a New Species from North Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract

A new species in Centaurea L. (Asteraceae) from Turkey is described and illustrated. Centaurea aytugiana Bancheva, Kaya & Binzet grows in Karabiik Province, North Anatolia, Turkey, and its morphologically allied species are C. stenolepis A. Kern. and C. salicifolia M. Bieb. ex Wild. The chromosome number of C. aytugiana, 2n = 30 + 1B, counted in root tips, is reported and illustrated. Pollen is described, using both light and scanning electron microscopy, and the pollen grains correspond to Wagenitz's Jacea-type. The new species is currently known from a single locality in Karabiik Province and is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR), according to IUCN criteria.