New bulb species described in IRG 147 of March 2022

[Maggi Young]

Another exciting issue of IRG, which introduces new species to teach us more about the tremendous diversity of plants.  This month we learn about a new Leopoldia sp. from the Latvian Dr Janis Ruksans and the famous  Swedish plantsman, Henrik Zetterlund. New names are also proposed for seven Muscari as Leopoldia.
For the second article this month Jānis works with his Ukranian colleague, Dimitri Zubov, to bring us a new Colchicum species. This is Colchicum kackarense, a new autumn-blooming species from the Kaçkar Mountains in north-eastern Turkey.  Dr Zubov, as well as his work at the State Institute of Genetic and Regenerative Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, is a passionate and knowledgeable plantsman, especially famous for his work with bulbous plants.
So, a typically international issue of IRG – with cooperation around the world to bring this to our readers.  We hope you enjoy it!

https://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2022Mar241648143669IRG_147.pdf


Cover image; Hummocks of sandy tufa in Cappadocia, Turkey, where Leopoldia parvipoldia grows: photo by Jānis Rukšāns.

[Karaba]

It's so "clearly visible" that Leopoldia is paraphyletic (Muscari mirum is sister of Leopoldia clade) that it shouldn't be split from Muscari.
From http://2020.botanyconference.org/engine/search/index.php?func=detail&aid=373 :

The results support the conclusions of Dizkirici et al. (2019) in showing that the two species in Muscarimia form a distinct clade, as do the core species of Pseudomuscari. The remainder of Pseudomuscari cluster with species in Muscari s.str together with Leopoldia which is not monophyletic. Our phylogeny is best used to support the recognition of a broadly circumscribed Muscari that could be split into subgenera although some of these are difficult to define using morphological characters.