ИСТИНА

The genus Semenovia includes about 30 species distributed only in Asia (from Iran in the west to China in the east). The center of genus diversity is situated in the mountains of Middle Asia. 15 species of Semenovia can be observed in the Pamir-Alay mountain system. Among them, Semenovia dasycarpa is widely distributed in Middle Asia mountains whereas three species S. zaprjagaevii, S. alaica and S. vaginata can be found, in Kirghizia and Tadzhikistan on the Alay and Turkestan mountain ridges in the Northern Pamir-Alay,. The ranges of two endemic species Semenovia zaprjagaevii and S. alaica are represented by few isolated populations. As for Semenovia vaginata, only samples from its typical location can be regarded, based on the incomplete herbarium material collected at early flowering stage . All these species are very similar in their habitus and leaf dissection . Besides, the distribution ranges of these species are overlapping, that makes them difficult to distinguish. The objective of our study was a detailed revision of Semenovia species in the Northern Pamir-Alay using morphological and molecular methods.