Adonis vernalis L., Sp. Pl. 1: 547 (1753)

Fig. 7

≡ Adonanthe vernalis (L.) Spach in Hist. Nat. Vég. 7: 228 (1838)

≡ Adoniastrum vernale (L.) Schur in Verh. Naturf. Vereins Brünn 15 (2): 27 (1877)

≡ Chrysocyathus vernalis (L.) Holub in Preslia 70: 103 (1998)

Type.

Sweden. [Adonis] “ 2. vernalis. H [ortus] U [psalensis] ”, cult. Linnaeus 714.4 (lectotype LINN). [designated by Wang 1994 b].

General distribution.

This species is distributed in Europe to Siberia and Caucasus (POWO 2025).

Distribution in Kazakhstan.

Tobol-Ishim, Semipalatinsk pine forest, Kokchetav, Altai.

Habitat and ecology.

This species grows in steppes, along the edges of steppe coppice forests, and in shrubs.

Conservation status.

The estimated EOO is 685,654 km 2 and estimated AOO is 120 km 2. Therefore, the conservation status of A. vernalis has been assessed near threatened. Furthermore, A. vernalis was assessed as a species of least concern in Europe (IUCN 2024). It is included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan under category II (Baitulin 2014). Adonis vernalis, is a rare and protected plant (mentioned in the Convention on International Trade Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna).

Phenology.

Flowering in April – May; fruiting in June – July.

Chromosome number.

2 n = 16 (Shlangena 1976; Mitrenina et al. 2022).

Notes.

A. vernalis was described by Linnaeus in 1753 based on a cultivated specimen from the city of Uppsala. According to Wang (1994 a), A. vernalis belongs to subg. Adonanthe (Spach) W. T. Wang sect. Adonanthe W. T. Wang ser. vernales Bobr. ex Poschk .. A. vernalis has the most extensive range among species of the genus Adonis L. (Poschkurlat 1974). Consequently, it is believed that A. vernalis diverged and evolved into a distinct species after migrating from the western Himalayas to Europe (Wang 1994 a, 1994 b; Son 2015). However, different evidence suggests that modern populations of A. vernalis did not originate in Asia but rather evolved in southern Europe during the Pleistocene. These findings indicate that A. vernalis likely migrated eastward from the sub-Mediterranean forest-steppe of southeastern Europe to the continental forest-steppe zone (Seidl et al. 2022). The results of phylogenetic analysis demonstrate a close relationship between A. vernalis, A. villosa and A. volgensis. These three species differ in their distribution ranges (with partial overlap) and preferred habitats (also with overlaps), suggesting possible speciation mechanisms, including geographic isolation (e. g., due to climatic fluctuations during the Pleistocene) and / or ecological speciation (Seidl et al. 2022). Furthermore, A. vernalis forms a sister clade with a group composed of clade IV (which includes representatives of ser. Amurenses Poschk. found in northeastern China, Korea, and Japan) and clade III (ser. Apenninae Bobr. ex Poschk., distributed in mid-western China, Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan), indicating a direct relationship with these groups (Son et al. 2016). Adonis vernalis is a forest-steppe species. In the Kazakh Uplands, specifically on the Kokchetav Upland, there are isolated occurrences detached from the main range. Its continuous range extends much further north along the Tyumen – Ishim – Petukhovo – Petropavlovsk line and further into the southeastern part of Western Siberia (Poschkurlat 2000). Hybridization with A. volgensis is known to occur, forming the hybrid Adonis × hybrida G. Wolff ex Simonk. The classic habitat of A. × hybrida is Cluj-Napoca (Szénafüvek), Romania (Szabo 1977, 1978). The closest recorded locations of this hybrid to Kazakhstan are in Russia, specifically in the Volga River basin and in Altai Krai (Rakov et al. 2014; Vasjukov and Saksonov 2020; Erst et al. 2022). Given that the ranges of its parent species overlap in Kazakhstan, A. × hybrida may potentially occur in this region. In the zonal steppe region of Eastern Europe and Western Siberia, the distribution range of A. volgensis (characterized by annual precipitation below 300 mm and the formation of kastanozem soils) borders the range of A. vernalis (characterized by annual precipitation above 300 mm and the formation of chernozem soils) to the south (Hoffmann 1998).

Specimens examined.

Altai: Near the surroundings of Bekalka village, Katon-Karagay State National Nature Park, 12 May 2020, Bolbotov (personal observation); surroundings of Altayskaya stanitsa [Qaton-Qaraghay], 1899, Ladygin s. n. (LE!); near Altayskaya station [Katon-Karagay], Narym Range, 13 Jun 1912, Kardakov 33 (LE!). Kokchetav: Near the settlement of Zolotoy Bor, 40 th quarter of Zolotoborskoe forestry, 3 Jun 2011, Kupriyanov s. n. (KAZ 01065!; KAZ 01066!); Burabay State National Nature Park, 7 May 2019, Kubentayev 3049 (NUR!); Burabay State National Nature Park, Mirnoe forestry, quarter 101, 19 May 2021, Idrisova and Zhumagul 6487 (NUR!); beyond Arykpai, Teplaya Gorka, 21 Apr 1943, Olov s. n. (MW 0832013!). Tobol-Ishim: Near Meshchanskaya Grove, 8 Jun 1963, Malyutina s. n. (MW 0832017!); near Lake Pestroe, 8 Jun 1963, Malyutina s. n. (MW 0832018!); near the village of Proletarka, 12 May 2022, Knyazev s. n. (personal observation); 9 km northeast of the village of Penkovskoe, 6 Sep 1955, Borisova 4688 (LE!); 12 km from Konyukhovskiy [Konyukhovo] settlement, 27 Jul 1913, Ziles 390 (LE!); right bank of the Ishim River near Petropavlovsk, 13 May 1913, Drobov 18 (LE!); steppe near Petropavlovsk, 20 May 1913, Drobov 40 (LE!); 8 km northeast of Novonikolskoe, 14 Aug 1954, Borisova et al. 1101 (LE!); south of the village of Krasnoyarka, 25 Jun 1975, Galanina 4459 (NUR!); near Petropavlovsk, ravine slope with clay soil, 11 May 1914, Ganeshin 52 (LE!); near the 27 th km of the Uritzkaya highway, near the “ Energetik ” children’s camp, 18 May 1979, Borodulina s. n. (KSPI!); surroundings of Mikhaylovskoe forestry, 25 Apr 1971, students s. n. (KSPI!); 13 km north of Goncharovka, 13 Sep 2021, Idrisova et Urazalina 6963 (NUR!); between the villages of Goncharovka and Barnevka, 13 Sep 2021, Alibekov et al. 7162 (NUR!). Semipalatinsk Pine Forest. Near the Semipalatinsk district, in the forest, 1931, Dmitrieva s. n. (AA!).