Taxonomic revision confirms eight Adonis taxa in Kazakhstan and revises conservation recommendations

A taxonomic revision of the genus Adonis in Kazakhstan confirmed seven species represented by eight taxa and assessed regional conservation status for seven of those taxa. The study also recommended adding Adonis apennina to the next edition of the Red Data Book of Kazakhstan and excluding Adonis volgensis, while reporting no endemic Adonis species in the country.

This was a countrywide floristic and taxonomic review rather than a controlled biological experiment. The researchers sought to expand knowledge of morphology and distribution, address taxonomic issues through type identification, and provide a taxonomic treatment of Adonis in Kazakhstan with descriptions and illustrations. The revision covered the genus within the country and did not directly measure abundance trends across Kazakhstan.

Occurrence information came from field surveys conducted from 2020 through 2025, published literature, herbarium collections at AA, KG, KSPI, KUZ, LE, MW and NUR, and records from iNaturalist and Plantarium. The authors also examined material at Kazakh National University. Approximately 12 specimens collected during fieldwork were deposited at NUR, and distribution maps were compiled in ArcGIS 10.3.

Regional conservation status was evaluated under criterion B of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s national Red List guidelines. The researchers estimated extent of occurrence and area of occupancy with the GeoCAT tool, using a user-defined grid cell size of 2 km² for the area of occupancy calculation, following the 2024 IUCN guidance cited in the study. These were range-based assessments informed by occurrence data, rather than model-based predictions of population trends.

The revision recognized Adonis apennina, A. chrysocyathus, A. tianschanica, A. vernalis, A. villosa, A. volgensis and A. aestivalis. The last species was represented by two subspecies: A. aestivalis subsp. aestivalis and A. aestivalis subsp. parviflora. Taxonomic richness was highest in the Altai and Trans-Ili Kungey Alatau floristic regions, each with four taxa. Three species occurred in both the Betpak-Dala and Dzungarian Alatau, while the remaining regions contained one or two taxa.

Among the seven taxa receiving conservation assessments, one was categorized as endangered, two as vulnerable, two as near threatened and two as least concern. Adonis chrysocyathus was assessed as endangered under EN B2a(ii), with an estimated extent of occurrence of 7,271 km² and area of occupancy of 32 km². Adonis apennina and A. villosa were assessed as vulnerable under VU B2a(ii); their estimated extents of occurrence were 62,605 km² and 21,204 km², while their areas of occupancy were 84 km² and 32 km², respectively.

Adonis tianschanica and A. vernalis were assessed as near threatened. The corresponding extent-of-occurrence and area-of-occupancy estimates were 32,636 km² and 64 km² for A. tianschanica, and 685,654 km² and 120 km² for A. vernalis. Adonis volgensis and A. aestivalis subsp. parviflora were assessed as least concern, with estimated extents of occurrence of 1,405,740 km² and 2,210,152 km² and areas of occupancy of 844 km² and 476 km², respectively. The status of A. aestivalis subsp. aestivalis was not assessed because the study treated this subspecies as non-native in Central Asia.

The taxonomic treatment included descriptions, illustrations, distribution information, habitat notes, phenology and chromosome counts for the recognized taxa. Diagnostic characters included annual or perennial growth form, leaf division and pubescence, flower size and color, pedicel position, and the form and surface of the achenes. The authors designated a lectotype for A. chrysocyathus from a Kew specimen collected by Falconer in Kashmir on 16 July 1838. They treated A. sibirica as a synonym of A. apennina because of overlapping morphology, and concluded that a reported A. villosa occurrence in the Tobol-Ishim floristic region was based on a misidentified specimen.

The proposed Red Data Book changes followed the revision’s taxonomic and geographic findings. Adonis apennina was not among the five species previously included in the Red Data Book and was recommended for inclusion. Adonis volgensis was already listed under category III, but the authors recommended its exclusion because of its wide distribution and high frequency of occurrence. A. chrysocyathus and A. tianschanica remained under category III, while A. vernalis and A. villosa remained under category II. Overall, the work provides an updated identification framework, mapped distributions and regional conservation assessments for seven of the eight recognized Adonis taxa in Kazakhstan, with its conclusions bounded by the scope and data available for this countrywide taxonomic review.

Subject of Research: Taxonomy, distribution and regional conservation status of Adonis species in Kazakhstan

Article Title: A taxonomic revision of Adonis ( Ranunculaceae ) in Kazakhstan

Article References: Kubentayev, S., Baasanmunkh, S., Alibekov, D., Son, D. C., Tsegmed, Z., Myrzagaliyeva, A., Zhumagul, M., Rustemova, A., Mukhtubayeva, S., Kubentayeva, B., & Choi, H. J. (2025). A taxonomic revision of Adonis (Ranunculaceae) in Kazakhstan. Italian Botanist, 20, 45-76. https://doi.org/10.3897/italianbotanist.20.159425

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/italianbotanist.20.159425

Keywords: Adonis, Ranunculaceae, taxonomic revision, plant taxonomy, Kazakhstan, floristics, species distribution, conservation status, Red Data Book, botanical collections, taxonomic, revision