Aubrieta birolmutlui
Aubrieta birolmutlui Dönmez, Uğurlu & Yüzb.
Aubrieta birolmutlui is a newly described species of the Brassicaceae family, native to Eastern Turkey. It is a low-growing, densely caespitose chasmophytic herb, reaching 6–10 cm in height. The species is distinguished by its basal leaves, which are entire, elliptic, and larger in the middle. It flowers from April to May, with violet petals and a fruit that is narrowly oblong and pubescent. The species is closely related to A. macrostyla, A. libanotica, and A. canescens, but differs in leaf morphology, indumentum density, and fruit and style length. It is named in honor of Birol Mutlu, a prominent Turkish plant taxonomist.
Description
Aubrieta birolmutlui is a herbaceous plant with a rosette growth form, characterized by aggregated basal leaves that are elliptic, entire, and sessile. The stems are covered with a mixture of short and long hairs, including dendroid hairs in the inflorescence. The flowers have violet petals, 12–15 mm long, with a widely obovate limb and linear claw. The fruit is narrowly oblong, 10–12 mm long, with a straight or slightly curved shape and a terete cross-section. The species is distinguished from related Aubrieta species by the presence of only basal leaves, sparsely hairy indumentum, and longer fruit with a shorter style. It is named after Birol Mutlu, a taxonomist who has significantly contributed to the study of Turkish Brassicaceae.
