NEW TAXA AND OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TAXONOMY OF ALLIUM L. (ALLIACEAE) IN IRAN

The type plant of Allium akaka S.G. Gmelin ex Roem. & Schult. was probably collected in the mountains west of Bandar Anzali. Here plants fitting the original description are extant, and one was selected as epitype. This taxon in the strict sense is not conspecific with A. latifolium Jaub. & Spach, and is morphologically well separable from topo-typical plants of A. haemanthoides Boiss. & Reut. ex Regel. Therefore, A. haemanthoides and A. shelkovnikovii Grossh. were excluded fromthe A. akaka alliance. Only the minor part of the very diverse material subsumed under A. haemanthoides sensu Wendelbo belongs to this species in the strict sense. The majority of material differs conspicuously and was affiliated to three newly described species, Allium zagricum R.M. Fritsch, A. ubipetrense R.M. Fritsch, and A. austroiranicum R.M. Fritsch. Differing leaf color, length and shape of tepals, as well as relative length, shape and color of filaments were used as key characters.