Taxonomic analysis of the Cirsium mill. genus in flora of Azerbaijan

Бюллетень науки и практики / Bulletin of Science and Practice

Asteraceae represented by about 1,300 genera (20,000 species) in worldwide. In flora of Azerbaijan this family represented by 125 genera belonging to 584 species. Representatives of the family, in terms of life forms, are herbs, subshrubs, shrubs, sometimes trees. In temperate climates, members of this family are primarily perennial herbs and shrubs.

Cirsium Mill., numbering 250-300 perennial, biennial or annual species in Eurasia and North America. This genus are members of the Cardueae tribe, one of the largest tribes in Asteraceae. The name of Cirsium comes from the Greek “khirsos” (swollen vein) which given for the medicinal use of plants of this genus.

The first study of this genus was carried out in out in Prodromus Sytematis Naturalis by Candolle (1838). In Flora of Orientalis the species (74) of this genus was divided into 4 sections by E. Boisser (1875). In addition, 32 species ( C. elodes M. Bieb., C. incanum (S. G. Gmel.) Fisch., C. szovitsii (K. Koch) Boiss., Cirsium tomentosum C. A. Mey., C. cosmelii (Ad) Petr., C. lappaceum (M. Bieb.) Fisch.), C. anatolicum (Petr.) Petr. ex Grossh., C. congestum Fisch. & C. A. Mey. ex DC., C. bracteosum DC., C. ciliatum (Murray) Moench, C. echinus (M. Bieb.) Hand.-Mazz., C.

hygrophilum Boiss., C. macrobotrys (K. Koch) Boiss., C. osseticum (Adams) Petr., C. schelkownikowii Petr., C. strigosum (M. Bieb.) Fisch., 1812, C. subinerme Fisch. & C. A. Mey., C. vulgare (Savi) Ten., C. aduncum Fisch. & C. A. Mey. ex DC., C. arvense var. horridum Wimm. & Grab.) were given by A. L. Charadze (1961) in Flora of Azerbaijan and 31 species were given by A. M. Asgarov (2016) Flora of Azerbaijan (Table).

Table

Herbarium Fund of the Institute of Botany of the Ministry of Science and Education, Republic of Azerbaijan	Flora of Azerbaijan V. 8, 1961	Synopsis flora of the Caucasus V. 3(2), 2012	A. M. Asgarov Flora of Azerbaijan 2016
C. aduncum Fisch. & C. A. Mey. ex DC.	+	+	+
C. alatum (S. G. Gmel.) Bobrov (= C. elodes M. Bieb.)	C. elodes
C. arvense (L.) Scop. (= C. incanum (S. G. Gmel.) Fisch.)	C. incanum	+	+
C. arvense (L.) Scop. (= C. arvense var. mite Wimm. & Grab.)
C. arvense (L.) Scop. (= C. arvense var. horridum Wimm. & Grab.)	+	-	-
C. bracteosum DC.	+	+	+
C. canum (L.) All.	-	+	-
C. ciliatum (Murray) Moench	+	+	+
C. ciliatum (Murray) Moench (= C. szovitsii (K. Koch) Boiss.)	C. szovitsii	C. szovitsii	C. szovitsii
C. echinus (M. Bieb.) Hand.-Mazz.	+	+	+
C. isophyllum (Petr.) Grossh. (= C. horridum (Adams) Petr. var. hypopolia Trautv.)		-	-
C. isophyllum (Petr.) Grossh. (= Cirsium tomentosum C. A. Mey.)	C. tomentosum	C. tomentosum	C. tomentosum
C. hygrophilum Boiss.	+	+	+
C. kosmelii (Adams) Fisch. ex Hohen. (= C. cosmelii (Ad) Petr.)	C. cosmelii	C. cosmelii	C. cosmelii
C. leucocephalum subsp. penicillatum (K. Koch) Greuter ( = C. lappaceum (M. Bieb.) Fisch.)	C. lappaceum	C. lappaceum	C. lappaceum
C. leucocephalum (Willd.) Spreng. (= C. anatolicum (Petr.) Petr. ex Grossh.)	C. anatolicum	C. anatolicum	C. anatolicum
C. macrobotrys (K. Koch) Boiss.	+	+	+
C. obvallatum (M. Bieb.) Fisch.		+	+
C. osseticum (Adams) Petr.	+	+	+
C. schelkownikowii Petr.	+	+	+
C. sorocephalum Fisch. & C. A. Mey. ( = C. congestum Fisch. & C. A. Mey. ex DC.)	C. congestum	+	+
C. strigosum (M. Bieb.) Fisch., 1812	+	+	+
C. subinerme Fisch. & C. A. Mey.	+	+	+
C. vulgare (Savi) Ten.	+	+	+

In flora of Azerbaijan the genus of Cirsium is commonly known as the ‘gangal’. These species grow in different regions of the country and contain several geographical populations with great morphological and genetic variability. Cirsium (gangal) are one of the most taxonomically challenging groups of Asteraceae family in Azerbaijan. These taxonomic difficulties have been hypothesized to be the result of limited morphological differentiation, incipient speciation among taxa. Classification of the genus Cirsium Mill. according to the angiosperm phylogenetic groups (APG IV):

Regnum Plantae

Division Tracheophyta

Class Magnoliopsida

Ordo Asterales

Superordo Asteranae

Familia Asteraceae

Tribe Cardueae

Genus Cirsium Mill.

Cirsium Mill. Stems are erect, tall, branched. The leaves are glabrous or pubescent, usually covered with small spines or bristles on top. Flowers hermaphrodite, bisexual or unisexual, red, purple, pink, sometimes yellowish or almost white. The corolla is tubular-funnel-shaped, straight, deeply five-incised or dissected into five narrow segments. Stamens with pubescent filaments. Achenes obovoid-oblong, smooth, glabrous. Pappus plumose, usually deciduous bristles. Blooms in July-September. In the different botanical-geographical regions of Azerbaijan (mainly Guba, Shabran, Nakhchivan), this genus can be found from lowland to high-mountain zones, open forests, wet, damp places, river valleys and meadows.

Material and Methods

Plant materials were collected (2021-2022), during expeditions to the different regions of Azerbaijan. Also, the herbarium specimens stored in the Herbarium fond of the Institute of Botany, Ministry of Science and Education Republic of Azerbaijan were used in this study. Classic comparative morphological methods were used for identification of species [1-7].

Result and Discussion

• C.    alatum (S. G. Gmel.) Bobrov (= C. elodes M. Bieb.);

• C.    arvense (L.) Scop. (= C. incanum (S. G. Gmel.) Fisch.);

• C.    arvense (L.) Scop. (= C. arvense var. mite Wimm. & Grab.);

• C.    ciliatum (Murray) Moench (= C. szovitsii (K. Koch) Boiss.);

• C.    isophyllum (Petr.) Grossh. (= C. horridum (Adams) Petr. var. hypopolia Trautv.);

• C.    isophyllum (Petr.) Grossh. (= Cirsium tomentosum C. A. Mey.);

• C.    kosmelii (Adams) Fisch. ex Hohen. (= C. cosmelii (Ad) Petr.);

• C.    leucocephalum subsp. penicillatum (K. Koch) Greuter (= C. lappaceum (M. Bieb.) Fisch.);

• C.    leucocephalum (Willd.) Spreng. (= C. anatolicum (Petr.) Petr. ex Grossh.);

• C.    sorocephalum Fisch. & C. A. Mey. (= C. congestum Fisch. & C. A. Mey. ex DC.).

Cirsium Mill. (gangal) is widely used in both folk and traditional medicine as a plant that improves liver function and cleanses it. In addition, Cirsium cleanses the body of harmful substances and toxins, removes excess fluid, accelerates the breakdown of fats, and reduces appetite. This plant is used as a remedy for heart disease, joint disease, atherosclerosis, hepatitis, cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, colitis, haemorrhoids, gastric ulcer, skin diseases (such as psoriasis, eczema, acne), gynecological diseases, otitis, rectal fissures. An infusion, oil, and healing powder are prepared from Cirsium Mill. which are used for various skin wounds, burns and rectal fissures.

In addition, thistles are sources of food for bumblebees, hawk moths, flies, beetles, butterflies, and even hummingbirds. Thistles also provide important nesting resources for cavity — nesting bees, and their seeds are sources of food for songbirds and small mammals.