Two new hybrid species of salvia (S. × karamanensis and s. × doganii) from turkey: Evidence from molecular and morphological studies

Abstract

Salvia L. is an ideal exemplar to demonstrate prezygotic isolation mechanisms in sympatric populations due to their wellknown staminal lever mechanism. Mechanical, phenological, and ethological isolation mechanisms have been reported among sympatric species of Salvia. However, it has been shown that if closely related species are sympatric and flower at the same time, they can potentially hybridize. In this study, we describe two new hybrid species of Salvia (S. × karamanensis Celep & B.T.Drew, and S. × doganii Celep & B.T.Drew) from Turkey based on morphological and molecular evidence. Salvia × karamanensis (S. aucheri Benth. subsp. canescens (Boiss. & Heldr.) Celep, Kahraman & Doğan × S. heldreichiana Boiss. ex Benth.) is known from near Karaman city in the central Mediterranean region of Turkey, and S. × doganii (S. cyanescens Boiss. & Bal. × S. vermifolia Hedge & Hub.-Mor.) occurs near Sivas in central Anatolia, Turkey. Morphological comparisons between the hybrid species and their putative parents are given with notes on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list categories, biogeography and ecology of the two hybrid species.