Sarhad J. Agric. Vol.29, No.1, 2013 DRABA ISHKOMANIA (BRASSICACEAE), A NEW ADDITION TO FLORA OF PAKISTAN ZARQA NAWAZ 1 *, KALEEM ULLAH KAKAR 2 , and RIZWANA ALEEM QURESHI 1 1. Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid- i-Azam University, Islamabad – Pakistan. 2. State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou –China. *Email: zerqa.knawaz@gmail.com ABSTRACT Draba ishkomania Zarqa is a new taxon from Ishkoman, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. The morphological characters of the nova species are compared with closely related taxa to support its position as a new taxon. The relationship and distinguishing characters from its nearest relative D. oreades and D. korschinskyi are discussed. Keywords: Brassicaceae, Draba, Gilgit, Pakistan. Citation: Nawaz, Z., K.U. Kakar and R.A. Qureshi. 2013. Draba ishkomania (Brassicaceae), A new addition to flora of Pakistan. Sarhad J. Agic. 29(2): 195-198 INTRODUCTION Draba is a natural group of family Brassicaceae, with rich species diversity (Thaden and Koch, 2008). It is the largest and taxonomically the most complex genus of the family bearing more than 950 binomials and several infra specific taxa. These diversified taxa are classified on the basis of vague characters like glabrous or pubescent siliculae (Cheo et al., 2001). It is distinctly separated from other genera of the family Brassicaceae by: indumentum type, latiseptate siliculae, biseriate seeds, accumbent dicotyledons etc. (Schulz, 1927; Hitchcock, 1941; Al-Shehbaz, 1988; Appel and Al-Shehbaz, 2003; Thaden et al., 2010). Schulz (1927) recognized about 210 species of the genus Draba world over which have increased upto 400 species by now. The genus is distributed in the Arctic, subarctic, alpine and most mountainous regions of the world. About 90 species of Draba occur in Russia, 70 species in South America, 43 species in Europe, 48 species in China, 37 species in India, 24 species in Nepal, 17 species in Turkey, and 10 species in Afghanistan (Kitamura, 1960). Hooker (1875) described 12 species of the genus Draba in British Indian region. Jafri (1973) mentioned about 23 species of Draba from Pakistan and Kashmir. In a recent taxonomic revision of the said genus, Zarqa (2010) reported 30 species which include 5 new species from the area taking account the one under discussion. MATERIALS AND METHODS The recent taxonomic study was mainly based on morphological characters of herbarium specimen of the new taxon under discussion. These specimens were collected by Bowes Lyon (48539/ 8229 (National Herbarium of Islamabad /RAW) in an expedition to unexplored areas of Ishkoman district, Gilgit, Pakistan in 1976. Plant specimens of the taxon were borrowed from National Herbarium (RAW) and observed at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan herbarium. In studying morphological characters, all visible characters both vegetative and reproductive (including habit, vegetative parts, floral and reproductive parts, fruit and seed morphology, indumentums etc.) were recorded. For a critical observation of morphological characters a ZEISS microscope was used which gives a magnification of 10x x 0.7 – 3x, thus enlarging the image by 7 – 30 times. For studying minute details of the shape and indumentum of various vegetative and reproductive parts Motic 1.3 2000 microscope was used. In citation, herbarium label data is used. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Draba ishkomania Zarqa (Brassicaceae) Caespitose herb, 8 cm tall, same shoots end into flowering; stem erect or suberect, cylindrical, woody, covered with leaves, branched near base; roots about 6 cm thick and woody. Basal leaves in rosettes, numerous, sessile, lamina 1.0 – 1.2 x 0.25 – 0.5 cm, oblanceolate, obovate – oblong, spathulate, apex obtuse, base attenuate, cuneate, margins entire or 1- 2 toothed, ciliated with small soft, variably branched stellate hairs, abaxially and adaxially glabrous or sparsely pubescent with mostly forked hairs, some with secondary branching, mixed with stellate hairs. Sometimes hairs are present more frequently near or at apex; cauline leaf bract -1 , one in number, lamina 0.6 x 0.5 cm, lanceolate, margins entire, ciliated as basal leaves, apex acute, base cuneate, abaxially and adaxially pubescent as basal leaves. Inflorescence has compact raceme, bracteate below; scapes 3 – 6 cm long, pubescent with minute, soft subsessile stellate hairs. Flowers pedicellate; pedicel 0.5 – 0.9 cm long, straight, ascending, glabrous; 0.7 x 0.6 cm, pinky white drying whitish, pubescent; sepals 0.3 – 0.35 x 0.15 – 0.16 cm, ovate, apex acute, base obtuse, base of lateral pair not saccate, margins narrowly membranous, dark green, pubescent with soft, whitish small, subsessile 2 -