<i>Iris anvarbekii</i> (Iridaceae), a new species of <i>I.</i> subg. <i>Scorpiris</i> from the southern Pamir‐Alay in Uzbekistan

Iris anvarbekii , a new juno iris from the alliance of I. narbutii , is described from gypsaceous mountains of the southern Pamir‐Alay in Central Asia. Only one population was found in the vicinity of Shurab village, Surkhandarya region, southern Uzbekistan. Morphologically, I. anvarbekii is most similar to I. narbutii and its allies ( I. narynensis, I. rodionenkoi and I. rudolphii ), but it can be easily distinguished by the absence of a dark violet velvety blotch on the outer tepals (falls) from I. narbutii, I. narynensis, I. rodionenkoi and I. rudolphii, by the undissected crest from I. narynensis, and by the petaloid shape and violet colour of the inner tepals (standards) from I. narynensis and I. rodionenkoi. Phylogenetic analysis based on matK and trnL–trnF concatenation confirmed that I. anvarbekii belongs to I. subg. Scorpiris and is clearly separate from the other members of the I. narbutii alliance.