A NEW SPECIES OF ASTRAGALUS L. SECT. ORNITHOPODIUM (FABACEAE) FROM NORTHEAST OF IRAN

In the genus ;/stragalus the sect. Ornithopodium Bun ge belongs to the subgenus Cerc idothrix with bifurcate hairs. The species of this se ction based on Flora of the USSR (Gontscharov 1946) occur in Central Asia, Iran and ra rely in Asi a Minor and Arabia (Ghahremaninejad 2004 , Cham berla in & Matthews 1982 & Maassoumi 2005). Seven species nam ely A. brachydontus Boiss., A. glochideus Boriss., A. jodostachys Boiss. & Buhse, A. lunatus Pal. , A. ornithopo dioides Lam ., A. sh elkovnikovii Grossh . and A. stevenianus DC. have been described fro m different parts of Iran, especially from northw est and we st. The speci es of th is sec tion have been co vered with symmetrical to asymmetrical medifixed to basifi xed hairs.