Limonium graecum (Poir.) Rechinger

Brullo, Salvatore & Erben, Matthias, 2016, The genus Limonium (Plumbaginaceae) in Greece, Phytotaxa 240 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

58. Limonium graecum (Poir.) Rechinger fil. (1943a: 427) ( Fig. 58 )

Basionym:― Statice graeca Poiret in Lamarck (1817: 237). Type (lectotype designated here):― GREECE. Cyclades: Limonium graecum , bellidis, fol. menori et lanceolato, ex insula Stenosa, Tournefort (P-Tourn.!, isotypes BM!, C!, LD!, M! P! OXF-SH!).

Description: —Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a sub-shrub 7–20 cm tall, with several ascending to erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 3–12 cm long, densely branched, densely, spirally leafy in the upper half. Leaves fleshy, rigid, green to slightly glaucous, verrucate to tuberculate with crateriform glands, 10–40 mm long and 2–5 mm broad, spathulate to oblanceolate, apex obtuse to rounded, sometimes retuse, flat, with one central nerve, gradually tapering into the petiole. Stems slender, 3–13 cm long, verrucate to rugose, sometimes glaucous, slightly flexuous, branching begins near the base. Inflorescence broadly obtrullate in outline. Sterile branches absent or only 1–2 per stem, 5–20 mm long, unbranched. Fertile branches 1–8 cm long, slightly curved, directed obliquely upwards, forming branching angles of 30°–60°, undivided or branched in the upper half. Spikes 10–35 mm long, straight, erect to inserted obliquely; axis of spike with crateriform glands. Spikelets 7.3–9.5 mm long, composed of 1–3 flowers, remotely arranged with 2–4 per cm. Outer bract 2.0– 3.2 mm long and 2.0–3.0 mm broad, triangular-ovate, obtuse to acute; bract margin broadly membranous; central part slightly fleshy, sometimes only at the base, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 2.6–3.6 mm long and 1.8–2.3 mm broad, oblong to oblong-obovate, rounded. Inner bract 6.0–8.0 mm long and 3.2–4.3 mm broad, oblong-obovate to elliptical, rounded to obtuse; bract margin membranous; central part fleshy, 4.8–6.5 mm long and 2.5–3.5 mm broad, oblong, acuminate, forming a narrowly triangular tip, 0.8–1.1 mm long, not reaching the upper margin. Calyx 5.7–7.1 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by ca. 1.0 mm; calyx tube sparsely to densely shortly to long hairy, with 5 ribs ending above the base of lobes; calyx lobes ca. 0.8 × 1.0 mm, narrowly semi-elliptic to triangular-ovate. Corolla pale violet, diameter 7.0 mm.

LIMONIUM (PLUMBAGINACEAE)

Phytotaxa 240 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press • 129 130 • Phytotaxa 240 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press

BRULLO & ERBEN

Chromosome number:― 2n = 52 ( Georgakopoulou et al. 2006, Erben Li-1596, unpubl.).

Distribution: —Cycladic Islands of Amorgos, Andros, Donousa, Ios, Iraklia, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Tria Nisia ( Fig. 87J ).

Habitat: —Calcareous rocky coast.

Taxonomic remarks: ― L. graecum is a taxonomically quite isolated species. It was described by Lamarck (1817) as Statice graeca on a specimen collected by J. P. de Tournefort from Stenosa (today’s Donousa), an islet near Naxos. The examination of many herbarium specimens has shown that in the past this taxon has been frequently mistaken with several other Greek species of Limonium . A proper, detailed illustration of this critical plant species, based on original material from Tournefort’s herbarium, was published by Jaubert & Spach (1853: tab. 389). L. graecum differs from L. spreitzenhoferi by having shorter stems, spikes and more densely arranged spikelets, from L. sougiae by having broader inner bracts, mostly shortes spikes and smaller outer bract, and from L. grabusae by having smaller leaves, more densely arranged spikelets and longer inner bracts.

Specimens examined: — GREECE. Cyclades: Insula Amorgos ad monasterium Panagia Chozoviotissa, in rupestribus calc., 30 June/ 6 July 1932, K. H. Rechinger 2316 (G); Amorgos, Monasterio Hozoviotissa, 28 August 1994, Brullo & Scelsi s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Amorgos, rupi calcaree del Monastero di Chozovitsia (Chora), 31 August 2003, Brullo & Bacchetta s.n. (CAT); Amorgos, Aghia Anna, rupi calcare, 1 September 2003, Brullo & Bacchetta s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Andros, costa Nord, Ormos Atheni, 31 August 2002, Brullo & Sciandrello s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Denousa, innermost part of Ormos Rousa, litoral rocks, 23 May 1958, Runemark & Snogerup 9365 (LD); Denousa, SW of Akr. Moskonar, calcareous rocks, c. 180 m, 24 May 1958, Runemark & Snogerup 9395 (LD); Denousa, 2 km ESE of Akr. Aspron, in N-exposed screes near the sea, 25 May 1958, Runemark & Snogerup 9620 (LD); Denousa, Ormos Rousa (= Kalotaritissa), litoral rocks, 25 May 1958, Runemark & Snogerup 9589 (LD); Donoussa, tra Stravos e Aspros Kavos, 28 August 1998, Bartolo & Brullo s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben = Li–1596); Donoussa, Kavos Panagias, 29 August 1998, Bartolo & Brullo s.n., sheet 4 (CAT, M, Herb. Erben); Ios, Koumbara, 25 August 1994, Brullo & Scelsi s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Iraklia, Livadi, 1 September 1998, Bartolo & Brullo s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Isle of Stapodia, E of Mykonos, 14 May 1968, Hansen s.n. (C); Myconos, Super Paradise Bay, 3 September 2003, Brullo & Bacchetta s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Naxos, Lionas, 26 August 1994, Brullo & Scelsi s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Naxos, Klidhas, litorale calcareo, 2 September 2003, Brullo & Bacchetta s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Paros, Glyfa, litorale calcareo, 28 August 2003, Brullo & Bacchetta s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Insula Tria Nisia (Tre Scogli) Cycladum, in saxosis calc. litoreis insula orientalis, 29 May 1935, K. H.& F. Rechinger 7742 (G).

Figures

FIGURE 58. Limonium graecum (Poiret) Rechinger fil. A) Habit; B) Spikelet; C) Outer bract; D) Middle bract; E) Inner bract; F) Calyx; G) Calyx lobes; H) Leaf. (Habit and leaf drawn from “Donoussa, Kavos Panagias, Bartolo & Brullo s.n., CAT”, spikelet details from “Runemark & R.& S. Snogerup 9365, LD”).

FIGURE 87. (Map 2) Geographical distribution of Limonium corinthiacum (A); L. atticum (B); L. athinense (C); L. frederici (D); L. archaeothirae (E); L. saracinatum (F); L. pylium (G); L. xiliense (H); L. recticaule (I); L. graecum (J); L. pusillum (K).