Salvia insignis Kudr. (Lamiaceae): current status, rarity, and prospects for conservation in situ

Abstract

Salvia insignis Kudr. is a rare local endemic growing on the Babatag ridge of Southern Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, between 600 and 1100 m a.s.l. It is an element of specific original flora of variegated outcrops, a typical flora of mountainous Middle Asia. Described in 1937 from the collections of 1887, it was reported as presented in several localities, and only with very few occurrences. Since then, despite the searches by botanists, there have been no collections of herbarium specimens from those sites mentioned in the literature, most likely due to strong environmental human-induced alterations in the landscape. The obtained new data on the distribution and morphology of this species will allow us to develop strategies for its protection in situ and preservation of the gene pool ex situ.