Liliaceae

A. tauricola Boiss., Diagn. ser. 2(4):118 (1859), sphalm. 'tauricolum'. Syn: A. chlorurum Boiss. & Hausskn. in Boiss., Fl. Or. 5:264 (1882)! A. sub-quinqueflorum Boiss., loc. cit. (1882) p.p.! Figure 4. Map 17.
Bulb ovoid, 1-2 cm diam., growing in tufts; outer tunics black, thinly many-striate, prolonged upon stem. Stem 5-25(-30) cm. Leaves 2-3, filiform, 1-2 mm broad, semiterete, channelled, sheaths and lamina scabrous. Valves of spathe long, linear-filiform from a slightly broadened base, usually longer than umbel. Umbel fastigiate, 1.5-2.5 cm diam., few-flowered. Pedicels subequal, ± as long as perianth. Perianth campanulate; segments purplish-pink, purple or violet with white margin and darker midvein, elliptic-linear, 5-6(-7) mm, acute, strongly carinate, recurved, inner obtuse, cucullate. Filaments subulate, as long as perianth or slightly longer. Anthers purple. Capsule ovoid-trigonous, c. 5 mm, shorter than perianth. Fl. (7-)8-9. Upper montane and alpine windswept habitats, limestone cliffs and ledges, often growing through spiny Astragalus, alpine pastures, scree, 1200-2900 m.
Lectotype designated here: [Turkey C5 Niğde] in regione montana superiori et alpina Tauri Cilicici, [2400 m, 1836], Kotschy [497], as A. moschatum (G! K!P!).
N.E., C.&S. Anatolia. A5 Amasya: Ak Da., 2050 m, Alpinar(ISTE 36188)! A6 Sivas: Sivas to Suşehri, 1200 m, Buttler 15653! A7 Gümü^an»: Tempede (Tembeda), Sint. 1894:7462! A8 Gümüşane: nr Baibout (Bayburt), 1862, Bourgeau (type of A. subquinqueflorum)! B5 Kayseri: Erciyas Da., 2000 m, Siehe 1898:273! B6 Maraş: Berit Da. above Siileymanii, 2450 m, Watson et al. 2139! B7 Malatya: mt. Begdagh (Bey Da.), 17 ix 1865, Hausskn.! B8 Erzurum: Karakaya Da., 15 km N. of Hinis,2450 m,MacPhail&Watson 5807! B9 Van: Kavuşşahap Da., S. of Pisvanik, N. side above Arpit, 2200-2850 m, Watson et al. 3549! C2 Antalya: d. Elmalı, Bey Da., 2500m, Khanetal. 293! C3 Antalya: Geyik Da., 2591 m, D. 14544! C4 lçel: Sara nr Ermenek, viii 1872, Peronin! C5 lçel: descent from Sarubey to El-Maia, 22 viii 1931, Eig & M. Zohary! C6 Maraş: Berit Da., 2500 m, Yildiz 1567!
Endemic. Ir.-Tur. element. Very distinct on account of the black outer bulb tunics which are prolonged on low stems, and the purple, white-margined perianth segments, the outer recurved. Variable in stem height and number of flowers. Specimens from NJE. Anatolia usually have extremely low steins and 3-5-flowered umbels; similar low plants also occur in C. Anatolia. Many of the N.E. Anatolian specimens have been identified as A. subquinqueflorum but they hardly differ from A. tauricola in bulb and perianth characters. Of the two sheets of A. subquinqueflorum cited by Boissier (Fl.Or.5:264, 1882), that from Bayburt is here identified as A. tauricola, while the other, from Pon-tus Lazicus, may belong to A. rupestre. Thus A. subquinqueflorum is partly synonymous with A. tauricola. A. chlorurum Boiss., with somewhat larger perianth segments, recorded from Berit. Da., is also here considered conspecific with A. tauricola, which is also allied to A. sibthorpianum and A. frigidum.