A new subspecies of Salsola canescens (Chenopodiaceae) from SW Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract

Salsola canescens subsp. serpentinicola from the Sandras Dagi and adjacent mountains is described as a subspecies new to science and illustrated, and its ecology as well as phytogeography is considered. The new subspecies differs from subsp. canescens by longer anther appendages, glabrous tepals, and subulate, glaucous leaves with sparse ciliate indumentum. It is restricted to open plant communities on serpentinic rocks at altitudes fo 1500-2000m. The new taxon is the first true serpentinophyte in the genus Salsola, and has, probably, derived from subsp. canescens during the Pleistocene.