New Species of Veronica Subgen. Pseudolysimachium (Plantaginaceae Juss.)

Altai Mountains – cradle of hybrids and introgressants: A case study in Veronica subg. Pseudolysimachium (Plantaginaceae)

“…Our results inferred F1 hybrids as the most dominant group of hybrids. Based on the first-level analysis in STRUCTURE, we retrieved different combinations of admixed individuals involving different species (V. spicata × V. pinnata; V. longifolia × V. incana; V. longifolia × V. porphyriana; V. pinnata × V. porphyriana), which supported previous hypotheses based on morphology (Kosachev, 2003;Kosachev & al., 2013). The results recovered some individuals with inconclusive support and suggesting a range of F1 to later-generation hybrids.…”

“…Although we do not have evidence for V. incana being a long-time resident of the Altai Mountainsit is widespread from eastern Europe to eastern Asia, V. porphyriana is a subalpine species, restricted to the Altai Mountains and certainly originated from V. spicata as a form adapted to subalpine habitat (Elenevsky, 1971). In fact, V. porphyriana differs from V. spicata mainly in the strongly glandular indumentum (Kosachev & al., 2013), which is a general phenomenon in alpine plants (Wu & al., 2021). Thus, after the ice ages it is easily imaginable that V. porphyriana extended its range upwards followed by the widespread, lowland V. longifolia, V. pinnata and V. spicata migrating to the Pleistocene refugia of V. porphyriana and then crossing with it.…”

“…Pseudolysimachium in the Altai Mountains, a center of diversity in the group. We have included individuals from 10 species (following the taxonomy of Kosachev & al., 2013 and 2015; not considering hybrids inferred based on morphology). The results of Bayesian modelling (STRUCTURE) were not conclusive at first but with the second‐level analysis and exclusion of admixed individuals, the results led to five separate clusters, i.e., V. incana , V. longifolia , V. pinnata , V. porphyriana and V. spicata corresponding to the ribotype groups identified by Kosachev & al.…”

“…Hosting 10 different species of V. subg. Pseudolysimachium and numerous hybrids of intermediate morphology, the Altai Mountains are the most species-rich region for the subgenus (Kosachev, 2003(Kosachev, , 2017Kosachev & German, 2004;Kosachev & Ebel, 2010;Kosachev & al., 2013). Hypotheses of frequent hybridization in V. subg.…”

Floristic novelties of Veronica subgenus Pseudolysimachium (W. D. J. Koch) Buchenau of the Altai Mountain Country and adjacent territories

“…P. Kosachev, P. Ryzhkova". -In 2021, we attempted to find this rarest species described by us from herbarium material and known only from one location in the Republic of Tuva (Kosachev et al, 2013). We have almost reached the classic location of the species and managed to collect non-flowering specimens (Fig.…”