Turkish herbarium gains fruited version of Peucedanum urbanii endemic plant

By Serhat Zafer

SIVAS, Turkey (AA) - The endemic plant Peucedanum urbanii from the parsley family was found again in Turkey's Kaz Dagi (Mt. Ida) after more than 100 years.

The endemic plant, which is stated to be located only in Kaz Dagi in the world, was found by two scientists as a result of the project carried out by Sivas Cumhuriyet University and Balıkesir University.

Peucedanum urbanii was first collected in the Kaz Dagi in 1883. Biology experts Huseyin Askın Akpulat and Tuncay Dirmenci found the fruited endemic plant --which dried samples of it exhibited in European herbariums but could not be found again -- on Sept 10.

The plant will be turned into a material in the herbarium of the Faculty of Science of Cumhuriyet University and will be made available to all researchers.

"We collected fruit samples for the first time, and thanks to this fruity sample, we will complete the missing parts in the flora of Turkey," Akpulat told Anadolu Agency. We will publish our sample as an article as soon as possible."

"There are 11 herbariums abroad which have this sample. There was a suspicion because none of these specimens had fruit. We collected this specimen again after 138 years and revealed that it is real," he continued.

* Writing by Beyza Binnur Donmez