ASTRAGALUS ANDABADENSIS (FABACEAE), A NEW SPECIES OF ASTRAGALUS SECT. INCANI FROM ZANJAN PROVINCE, IRAN F. Ghahremaninejad & A. Bagheri Received 19.08.2009. Accepted for publication 02.12.2009 Ghahremaninejad, F. & Bagheri, A. 2009 12 31: Astragalus andabadensis (Fabaceae), a new species of Astragalus sect. Incani from Zanjan province, Iran. - Iran. J. Bot. 15 (2):175-177. Tehran. Astragalus andabadensis (Fabaceae) an endemic to Zanjan province, Iran is described here as a new species. It is placed in the section Incani DC. due to its medifixed hairs, free stipules, and bibracteolate flowers, and it appears to be most closely related to A. latifolius Lam. An illustration of the species is provided. Ali Bagheri and Farrokh Ghahremaninejad (correspondence), Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Tarbiat Moallem University, 49 Dr. Mofatteh Avenue, 15614 Tehran, Iran, emails: bagheri@tmu.ac.ir and ghahremaninejad@tmu.ac.ir. Key words. Astragalus andabadensis, Fabaceae, new species, Iran, sect. Incani DC., subgenus Cercidothrix. ﺟﺪﻳﺪ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ) Fabaceae ( Astragalus andabadensis از ﺑﺨﺶIncani اﻳﺮان زﻧﺠﺎن، اﺳﺘﺎن از ﻧﮋاد، ﻗﻬﺮﻣﺎﻧﻲ ﻓﺮخ داﻧﺸﻴﺎر ﮔﺮوه زﻳﺴﺖ ﺷﻨﺎﺳﻲ داﻧﺸﮕﺎه ﺗﺮﺑﻴﺖ ﻣﻌﻠﻢ. ﺑﺎﻗﺮي، ﻋﻠﻲ داﻧﺸﺠﻮي ﻛﺎرﺷﻨﺎﺳﻲ ارﺷﺪ ﮔﺮوه زﻳﺴﺖ ﺷﻨﺎﺳﻲ داﻧﺸﮕﺎه ﺗﺮﺑﻴﺖ ﻣﻌﻠﻢ. ﮔﻮﻧﻪAstragalus andabadensis (Fabaceae), ﻣﻲ داده ﺷﺮح ﺟﺪﻳﺪ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﻋﻨﻮان ﺑﻪ زﻧﺠﺎن اﺳﺘﺎن اﻧﺤﺼﺎري ﺷﻮد. دارا واﺳﻄﻪ ﺑﻪ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ اﻳﻦ ﺑﺮاﻛﺘﺌﻮل دو ﺑﺎ ﻫﺎﻳﻲ ﮔﻞ و آزاد ﮔﻮﺷﻮارك ﭼﺴﺐ، ﻣﻴﺎن ﻫﺎي ﻛﺮك ﺑﻮدن ﺳﻜﺴﻴﻮن درsect. Incani DC. ﻣﻲ ﻗﺮار ﮔ ﻴﺮ د. ارﺗﺒﺎط ﮔﻮﻧﻪ اﻳﻦ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺑﺎ ﻧﺰدﻳﻜﻲA. latifolius Lam. دارد. اﺳﺖ ﺷﺪه اراﻳﻪ ﻧﻴﺰ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺗﺼﻮﻳﺮ. Introduction The genus Astragalus L. (GAVAN in Persian) with nearly 3000 species is probably the largest genus of flowering plants (Lock & Simpson 1991). Iran, with nearly 800 species, is one of the most important of its center of diversity (Maassoumi 1998). As we know bifurcating hair Astragalus species are located in subgenus Cercidothrix Bunge (Bunge 1868). This subgenus includes nearly 900 species in the Old World. It is characterized by perennial habit and presence of bifurcate hairs. In this paper a new bifurcated hair species is introduced from Astragalus section Incani DC. from Zanjan province, Iran. This section originally established by Aug. Pyramo De Candolle (1825). The centre of diversity of this section is the Armeno-Iranian floristic province of the Irano-Turanian region (Takhtajan, 1986). Sect. Incani, among subgenus Cercidothrix in Iran, is the largest section with the highest endemism. Astragalus andabaddensis Maassoumi, Bagheri & Ghahremaninejad., sp. nov. e sect Incai DC. (Fig. 1). Similis ab A. latifolius Lam. sed differt floribus violaceis vel purpureis (nec luteis), foliis ad superficiem dense symetrice appresse pilosis (nec sparse pilosis), calyce purpurascenti (nec lutscenti), legumine c. 30 mm longo, arcuato (nec 40-80 mm longo), bracteis c. 10 mm longis (nec 2-5 mm), bracteolis pedicellis adnatis (nec calyce adnatis). Plant c. 23 cm tall, covered with appressed symmetric medifixed hairs up to 0.7 mm long. Caudex c. 10-20 mm in diameter, unbranched, densely covered with remnants of old leaves. Stipules triangular, c. 10 mm long, adnate to the petiole for 4 mm, densely appressed hairy. Leaves 8 cm long; petiole c. 3.5 cm long, loosely to rather densely hairy, articulated below the lime; leaflet only 1, ovate to orbicular, cuneate at the base, rounded at the apex, 60-70 x 65 mm, on both sides densely hairy. Peduncle 5-11 mm long, loosely to densely white hairy, upper part glabrescent; racemes densely many flowered, c. 25 flowered, later elongated to 12 cm long. Bracts whitish, broadly triangular, c. 10 mm long, sparsely with white cilia or glabrous.