A contribution on genus Gelasia (Scorzonerinae, Cichorieae, Asteraceae) from flora of Iran, based on morphological and molecular data

Gelasia, as one of segregated lineages of subtribe Scorzonerinae based on molecular and morphological data, included a considerable number of species belonging to some former sections of Scorzonera subg. Scorzonera (sect. Anatolia, sect. Infrarosulares, sect. Nervosae, sect. Pulvinares, sect. Subaphyllae, sect. Trachyactis, sect. Tuberosae, sect. Vierhapperia). Morphologically, Gelasia is composed of scapigerous or caulescent perennial herbs with taproot, rarely with underground tuber, having entire leaves, phyllaries with pubescent or tomentose indumentum, achenes often covered with long lanate hairs, or glabrous, without carpopodium, and pappus with entirely scabrid bristles or plumose in the lower portion and scabrid in the upper portion. Geographically, these species are widespread in N Africa, S and E Europe, and SW to Central Asia. As far as Gelasia was resurrected as a separate genus in Zaika et al. (2020) and confirmed in subsequent contributions, forty-three species have been listed as members of this genus. Meanwhile, Iranian Plateau with approximately fifteen Gelasia species is considered a region with a high species diversity of this genus in SW Asia. In this research, a taxonomic revision of genus Gelasia in Iran is presented. We conducted an extensive literature review, a comprehensive morphological examination on plant material collected in the field or herbarium specimens and phylogenetic analyses based on the nuclear Internal Transcribed Spacer (nrITS). Molecular evidences represented that Scorzonera ispahanica Boiss., Scorzonera joharchii Safavi and Scorzonera pseudolanata Grossh. were placed in Gelasia clade, subsequently, morphological characteristics of the mentioned species were consistent with diagnostic morphological characters of this genus. Therefore, morphological and molecular data confirmed that these species would belong to genus Gelasia and the new combinations “Gelasia ispahanica (Boiss.) Ebrahimi & Hatami”, “Gelasia joharchii (Safavi) Ebrahimi & Hatami” and “Gelasia pseudolanata (Grossh.) Ebrahimi & Hatami” were generated, thereby, the number of Gelasia species increased to eighteen by adding the aforementioned new combinations.