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Issue: Vol. 744 No. 2: 5 Mar. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-03-05
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.744.2.1
Page range: 103-122
Abstract views: 61
PDF downloaded: 3

Biogeographical and taxonomic insights into Iranian Thymus (Lamiaceae): Thymus coriifolius, and T. jankae and T. syriacus

Central Herbarium of Tehran University, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Central Herbarium of Tehran University, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Central Herbarium of Tehran University, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Department of Biology, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Caucasus ecoregion flora of Iran Lamiaceae new record taxonomy Thymus Eudicots

Abstract

Following extensive botanical fieldwork and herbarium studies, Thymus coriifolius and T. jankae (both in northwestern Iran), and Thymus syriacus (in western Iran), are reported as new records for the flora of Iran. These species are described in detail, with emphasis on their taxonomic, ecological, phenological, and biogeographical characteristics. The documentation of T. syriacus extends the known distribution of Thymus sect. Hyphodromii subsect. Thymbropsis from Morocco to Iran, suggesting a floristic connection between the Irano-Turanian (West Asia) and Mediterranean (North Africa) phytogeographical regions. The Caucasian endemic T. coriifolius and the submediterranean element T. jankae are reported from the Arasbaran Biosphere Reserve in northwestern Iran, a region biogeographically integral to the Iranian highlands of the Caucasus ecoregion. These findings underscore the biogeographical homogeneity of the Caucasus ecoregion. Furthermore, the newly discovered population of T. jankae indicates a disjunction in its distribution range, a pattern discussed in the context of potential biogeographical events. Notably, northwestern Iran is recognized for containing the highest diversity of the genus Thymus in Iran. This study provides an updated distribution map for the studied species.

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How to Cite

Bahadori, S., Attar, F., Osaloo, S.K., Mehdigholi, K. & Sonboli, A. (2026) Biogeographical and taxonomic insights into Iranian Thymus (Lamiaceae): Thymus coriifolius, and T. jankae and T. syriacus. Phytotaxa 744 (2): 103–122. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.744.2.1