Poa bactriana subsp. nevskii Soreng 2026, comb. nov.

2.4.Poa bactriana subsp. nevskii(Roshev. ex Ovcz.) Soreng comb. nov. ≡ Poa nevskii Roshev. ex Ovcz., Izv. Tadzh. Bazy Akad. Nauk. SSSR 1 (1): 10, 14. 1933. ≡ Poa bulbosa subsp. nevskii (Roshev. ex Ovcz.) Tzvelev, Novosti Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 10: 95. 1973. = Poa nevskii fo. subglabra Roshev., Fl. SSSR 2: 377. 1934. Type specimen. Turkmenian SSR, Karlyskii region, rise toward the watershed line of Kugitang, rock screes near the ridge, opposite Khoja-Fil-Ata kishlak, 27 Jul 1931, Nevski 455 (annotated as var. subglabra by Roshevitz) (lectotype, here designated: LE [rjs IMG _ 1997]). Note: No collection cited. Type. Karlyskii region [Kugitang Mts.], • Turkmenian SSR, rise toward the watershed line of Kugitang opposite Khoja-Fil-Ata kishlak, zones of Juniper forests, 27 Jul 1931, S. Nevski 421. (lectotype, designated by Tzvelev 1976, p. 450: LE [rjs IMG _ 1996. jpg]; isolectotype: K [K 000789572], LE {n. v.}). Description. Perennials; tufted, tufts “ loose ”, with bulbs. Culms (Type: Nevski 421) 65–85 cm tall, erect. Leaves basal and 3 cauline; flag-leaf blades to 7 cm long (most broken), flat or involute, scabrous. Panicles 8–11 cm long, loose, with 60–100 spikelets; lower branches 2–3 cm long, scabrous, with 10 + spikelets. Roshevitz’s description (1934, p. 377; English translation 1963): “ Tufts loose. Culms 35–60 cm tall, more or less erect, bulbous at the base, glabrous, smooth. Leaves [blades] narrowly linear, to 2–5 mm broad, flat or more or less folded on sterile shoots much narrower, subsetaceous; ligules 1–4 mm long. Panicles many flowered, 5–10 cm long and 1–3.5 cm broad, more or less oblong, with branches to 3 cm long. Spikelets 4–5 mm long, 3–5 - flowered, green or motley-tinged. Glumes “ rather narrowly lanceolate, the upper somewhat larger than the lower ”; [callus glabrous]; “ lemmas obscurely nerved, glabrous except the ciliolate keel, more rarely glabrescent all over (fo. subglabra Roshev). ” Distribution and ecology. (From the literature) Iran, Iraq? (cited by Chrtek and Hadač 1970), Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Semiarid habitats, on loose sandy to clayey, sometimes stony slopes, including Juniper forests, in the middle to upper mountains. Conservation status. None. Needs further study. Comments. This is a confusing taxon that RJS can confirm only from the Type material examined. Other than the ciliolate lemma keel, which is rarely glabrescent throughout, Poa nevskii hardly differs from his description (Roshevitz 1934, p. 376) of P. bactriana, except that Roshevitz adds that its leaf blades are flat or involute, rather scabrous, and the panicle branches are prominently scabrous and 2–6 cm long. It is doubtful whether P. nevskii is more than a minor variation in the P. bactriana subsp. bactriana. Tzvelev (1976) suggested that it might be of hybrid origin derived from Poa bulbosa s. l. × P. bactriana s. l., and in the key, it is noted as non-bulbiferous, the callus is glabrous, and the lemma hairs are less dense than in subsp. bulbosa, sometimes almost absent. The K duplicate of Nevski 421 (ex LE) is a good match for the LE specimen, but an annotation by Bor notes that the lemmas are glabrous “ f. subglabra Roshev. ” Alternatively, we can interpret the poorly developed lemma keel pubescence as representing genetic variation in P. bactriana. The plants hardly differ from P. bactriana subsp. bactriana. The syntypes cited have not been found at TAD. Shoista Mubalieva (pers. comm., September 2024) noted that the taxon had not yet been discovered in Tajikistan but would likely be found there. It was only known to her from two gatherings: the Type in the Kugitang Mountains and a collection from the Alajskoj doline [Alai Valley], N. A. Desyatova. Chrtek and Hadač (1970) reported P. nevskii from Sarcal, Iraq, 2,200–2,230 m, Hadač 2116 PR; 2391 PR [images!]. These vouchers at PR, with their bulbs and long culm leaves, do resemble P. bactriana subsp. bactriana, but the lemmas are pubescent. These collections possibly represent P. sinaica subsp. reuteriana, the Type of which is from central Iran. Representative specimens. Type.