Kaszab Zoltán (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 67. (Budapest 1975)

Ujhelyi, J.: New species and new section of the genus Achillea L. (Asteraceae)

ligulae are equal to one quarter of the involuerum, having a length of 0.9 mm, and a width of 1 mm, and lightly erenated. The tubular flowers are actinomorphous, slightly 5-lobed, the char palaeaceuses or 8 mm long, and acute in a width of 0.2 mm, and are palaeaceuted

. The achene has a length of 0.9 mm, a width of 0.4 mm, are compressed, and have the shape of a torted egg, slendering slowly to the base. It is grayish brown with a thick, white carina on the edges. The new species have been recognized by DR. ÁRPÁD DE DEGEN as a special taxon in the collection of K. URUMOV Bulgarian botanist (Jv. K. URUMOV used to sent his collections to Á. DE DEGEN for determination). Á. DE DEGEN and Jv. K. URUMOV have described this as a crithmifolia W. et K. very well both from its locus classicus, as from other Hungarian locations. I have known Achillea crithmifolia W. et K. from all of its Hungarian locations when in 1969 in a Bulgarian location I have met the new species. It was striking at first that is not identical with PÁL KITAIBEL'S species. I have grown this plant in my experimental garden together with Achillea crithmifolia W. et K., and with Achillea tuzsonii Ujh. The comparative study of the three holotypes, and the comparative studies of the very rich living material of our herbarium has resulted in a satisfactory answer to the question of evolutional taxonomic evaluation of the Achillea bulgarica (DEG. et URUM.) UJH. The Achillea crithmifolia W. et K. material of our main collection has been revised by M. BÄSSLER (the DEGEN collection was not lent then). On some specimen of our collection he gave the rank of a subspecies to the plant, but he was not consequent throughout. He regarded the specimens as subspeeieses which had a more profuse haircover (see the list of data). This diploid species cannot, however, be a derivate of the Achillea crithmifolia W. et K., and as seen from the point of wiew of floral evolution the situation is rather the opposite. There is no suggestion in the literature that the Achillae micrantha M. B. would also be a relative to the Achillea crithmifolia W. et K. This might be due to the fact, that E. BOISSIER in following DE CANDOLLE, classifies the species living in Mid-Asia, in the Caucasus and in Mesopotamy to the Filipendulinae subsection, whereas he puts Achillea crithmifolia W. et K. to the subsection Millefoliatae, as did DE CANDOLLE. I do not know why A. HAYEK mentions Achillea biebersteinii AFAN (-A. micrantha M. B.) concerning Bulgaria, but in knowing the Bulgarian specimens I suppose the data of Achillea micrantha M. B. refer to the new species. A. HAYEK mentions in his Prodromus the new species as a variety of the Achillea crithmifolia W. etK. I have not seen the holotype of MARCHALL VON BIEBERSTEIN, but the new species is not the same as the Achillea micrantha M. B. preserved in our collection. The capitula of these are larger, and the ligulae are smaller in relation to the capitulae. The flowers aredark yellow. The criticism of the other Balcan Achillea crithmifolia W. et K. determination is beyond the scope of this paper. These differ (I have seen specimens from Bulgaria to Albania) from the Achillea crithmifolia W. et K. mainly in the whole plant being profusely covered hairs, has a relative large size, and every parts of it being slightly larger than those the Achillea bulgarica (DEG. et URUM.) UJH, I have collected a specimen of it in the summer of 1974 in Bulgaria, this time was however, much too short, so as it would allow the determination of the taxonomical situation of these plants. Achillea sectio Crithmifolia ÚJHELYI sect. n. Plantae perennes, vel suffrutices, astoloniferae, radicibus cormiferis repentibus subterraneis, foliis tripartitis, laciniis integris, obtusis, interdum parum cartilagineis. Ligulae albae-pallidae, vel luteae, acheniae obovatae carinis albis. Following from the above explanations it is hardly necessary to emphasize what has lead me to the description of the new section as a result of evolutional studies and not of classifying activities. The discovery of the radices cormiferi of the Achillea crithmifolia W. et K., the Achillea tuzsonii Ujh. and the Achillea bulgarica (DEG. et URUM.) UJH. has been the result of my observation on a rich material of species and specimens. The collectors could not have discover this special characteristic of the plants, as the plants were torn away from the radices running in the soil. It is hardly believable, however, that it was