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Issue: Vol. 752 No. 4: 29 Apr. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-04-29
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.752.4.2
Page range: 268-280
Abstract views: 0
PDF downloaded: 0

Discovery of Comarum palustre L. (Rosaceae) in Iranian alpine refugia highlights conservation needs of mountain wetlands

Department of Biology Education, Farhangian University, P.O. Box 14665-889, Tehran, Iran
School of Biology and Center of Excellence in Phylogeny of Living Organisms, College of Science, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 14155-6455, Tehran, Iran
Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie - IMBE (Aix Marseille Univ, Avignon Univ, CNRS, IRD), Europôle de l’Arbois, 13545 Aix-en-Provence, France; Gobabeb-Namib Research Institute, Walvis Bay, Namibia
Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Science and Engineering, University of Derby, Kedleston Road, Derby, DE22 1GB, United Kingdom; Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Mazandaran, P.O. Box 47416-95447, Babolsar, Iran
Lake Almalou New record Iran Palaeoecological indicator Potentilla Sahand Mts Eudicots

Abstract

Comarum palustre, a circumpolar boreo-temperate helophytic species of the monotypic genus, is recorded here for the first time from continental Southwest Asia (Iranian Plateau). The species was collected from a peat bog developed within Lake Almalou, a volcanic crater lake situated in the northwest of Iran. Despite extensive explorations of wetlands and mire vegetation across Iran, no other populations of C. palustre have been detected, underlining its extreme rarity in the region. The discovery of this species in an isolated wetland at the southernmost edge of its distribution range highlights the role of Quaternary climatic oscillations in shaping its distribution, as well as the importance of such interglacial refugia for conserving isolated populations of cold-adapted plant species in low-latitude mountain systems. This finding underscores the need for careful taxonomic work in low-latitude biodiversity hotspots to uncover hidden diversity and to inform conservation of vulnerable aquatic ecosystems. A comprehensive description, with taxonomic and ecological notes, illustrations, and a conservation assessment following IUCN guidelines, is provided. Furthermore, distribution maps of C. palustre are also presented here, along with key differences from its closest relative.

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How to Cite

Khorasani, M., Talebi, A., Djamali, M. & Naqinezhad, A. (2026) Discovery of Comarum palustre L. (Rosaceae) in Iranian alpine refugia highlights conservation needs of mountain wetlands. Phytotaxa 752 (4): 268–280. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.752.4.2