Centaurium anatolicum

Discussion of the taxon / Таксоны / Forum

Notes. The species occurs occasionally in southern regions of continental Ukraine and in the Crimea. Tzvelev considered Erythraea turcica Velen. as a later synonym of E. anatolica Koch (Linnaea, 19: 27. 1846) and used the first name as the basionym of Centaurium anatolicum (Koch) Tzvelev (Tzvelev 1993). However, in the original description, Koch considered E. anatolica as a species closely related to E. caspica Fisch.: ‘‘E. caspica Fisch. unterscheidet sich durch die dem Kelche gleiche Kronröhre’’. In Beiträge zu einer Flora des Orientes (1850), Koch provided the second and more detailed description of the species and pointed out that the cyme and calyx are ‘‘puberulo-canescens.’’ In the article, the author first indicated the type of species, specifically, ‘‘Von Dr. Thirke aus der Umgebung von Brussa erhalten’’ (Anatolia, Turkey). Consequently, the names E. turcica and E. anatolica are most probably not conspecific, and the plants occurring in the Southern part of Ukraine are not identical with Centaurium anatolicum. Probably the (holo) type and other authentic materials of Koch (collections of 1836–1844) are incorporated in the Herbarium Berolinense (B). Grossheim (1952), Schiman-Czeika (1967), Jacobsen, (1978) and others treated C. anatolica and C. caspica as synonyms of C. pulchellum (Sw.) Druce.