Limonium frederici (W.Barbey) Rechinger

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

81. Limonium frederici (W.Barbey) Rechinger fil. (1943a: 427) ( Fig. 81 )

Basionym:― Statice frederici W.Barbey in Stefani & al. (1895: 127). Type (lectotype, designated here):— GREECE. Dodecanese: Karpathos, 27 Majo 1886, Forsyth Major 254 (P!, isolectotypes G!, FI!, K!).

Description: —Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a pulvinate sub-shrub 10–40 cm tall, with ascending to erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 5–30 cm long, loosely branched and densely spirally leafy. Leaves fleshy to coriaceous, green to glaucous, rugose, often with undulate margins, 15–50 mm long and 10–20 mm broad, obcordate to broadly spathulate, emarginate, retuse, flat, with one central nerve or additionally with 2 lateral nerves. Stems slender 5–30 cm long, rugose, green to glaucous, straight to slightly flexuous, branched in the upper half. Inflorescence obtrullate in outline. Sterile branches absent. Fertile branches 0.5–3.0 cm long, curved to straight, directed obliquely upwards, forming branching angles of 30°–50°, undivided. Spikes 20–100 mm long, straight to curved, inserted erect to obliquely. Spikelets slender, 8.5–9.5 mm long, composed of 1–4 flowers, arranged mostly bi-serially, remotely to densely with 1–5 per cm. Outer bract 2.3–3.0 mm long and 2.4–3.0 mm broad, triangular-ovate, obtuse to acute; bract margin broadly membranous; central part slightly fleshy, sometimes only at the base, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 2.8–3.3 mm long and 1.9–2.2 mm broad, oblong-elliptic, rounded. Inner bract 6.2–7.2 mm long and 3.5–4.3 mm broad, elliptical, obtuse; bract margin broadly membranous;

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BRULLO & ERBEN LIMONIUM (PLUMBAGINACEAE)

Phytotaxa 240 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press • 173 174 • Phytotaxa 240 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press

BRULLO & ERBEN central part slightly fleshy, oblong, 5.0–6.0 mm long and 2.2–3.0 mm broad, acuminate, forming a very narrowly triangular tip, 1.1–1.8 mm long, not reaching the upper margin. Calyx 6.4–7.0 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 1.5–2.5 mm; calyx tube glabrous or sparsely shortly hairy, with 5 ribs ending in the middle of lobes; calyx lobes c. 0.7 × 0.7 mm, nearly triangular. Corolla pink.

Distribution: — Dodecanese Islands of Karpathos, Ofidoussa, Saria, Tria Nisia, Zaforas and the northern Cretan Islands of Dragonada, Gramvousa, Paximada and Psira ( Fig. 87D ).

Habitat: — L. frederici usually grows on the cliffs near the sea, but can also be found in localities distant from the sea or sometimes along the rocky coast, but always on limestone.

Taxonomic remarks: —The species was described by Barbey (cfr. Stefani & al. 1895) sub Statice frederici on material collected in 1886 at Karpathos by Forsyth Major . Taxonomically, L. frederici is an isolated species, belonging to the L. albidum (Guss.) Pignatti group. Among the species of Limonium occurring in Greece, L. frederici shows more relations with L. heraionense , but it differs from the latter by having broader leaves and longer spikelets, inner bracts and calyces.

Specimens examined: — GREECE: Crete: Creta, Distr. Sitia, Insulae Dionysades: In saxosis calc. litoreis insulae Dragonara, 13 May 1942, K. H. Rechinger 12905 (M); Creta, Distr. Kissamos, Peninsula Titiron: in faucibus Akrophorango ad promontorium Spatha, in saxosis calc, ca. 50 m, 22 April 1942, K. H. Rechinger 12206 (W); Creta, Distr. Kissamos, Insulae Grabusa: Agia, in saxosis calc. litoreis, 20 April 1942, K. H. Rechinger 12108 (BM, G, W); SW-Teil der Insel Grabùssa, 30 m, Kalk, Ritzen und Absätze ost-exponierter, felsiger Steilhänge, hie und da, 7 June 1962, Greuter 4683 (Herb. Greuter); Ins. Dionysades (Kreta): Ins. Paximada, 27 September 1987, G. Iatrou, Christodoulakis & Georgiadis 3183 (B); Insula Creta, Distr. Kissamos: Insula Grabusa, substr. calc., 25 July 1973, K. H. Rechinger 45777 (B).— Dodecanese: Karpathos, ad rupes Amoi, 27 May 1886, Forsyth Major 548 (G); Ins. Karpathos, 18 July 1886, Barbey 490 (G); Karpathos, Vargunda near cliff called Akrotico, 30 m, 27 April 1950, Davis 1801a (K); Karpathos, Küste gegenüber der Stomata-Nordinsel, 4 May 1981, Pleger & Risse 130 (B, Herb. Greuter); Ammoi: Nordteil des nordöstlich von Karpathos liegenden Inselchens, 7 May 1981, Pleger 163b (B); Karpathos, Küste gegenüber Ammoi, 7 May 1981, Pleger & Risse 184 (B); Ammoi, Südteil des nordöstlich von Karpathos liegenden Inselchens, 9 May 1981, Pleger 214 (B, Herb. Greuter); Stomata-Südinsel, in der Mündung der Tristomonbucht von Karpathos, 10 May 1981, Pleger 270 (B, Herb. Greuter); Ammoi, Mittelteil des nordöstlich von Karpathos liegenden Inselchens, 11 May 1981, Pleger 234 (B); Karpathos, Insel Sokastro (vor der W-Küste von Karpathos). Küstenfelsen und Salsola aegaea -Gebüsch mit Felsdurchragungen und offenen Feinerdestellen, 20–70 m, 11 May 1982, W. Greuter 18980, Pleger & Raus 6292 (Herb. Greuter); Karpathos, Küste gegenüber der Stomata-Südinsel, 12 May 1981, Pleger 385 (B, Herb. Greuter); Karpathos, Stomata-Nordinsel, 19 m, 22 May 1982, Pleger 853 (B); Karpathos, Stomata-Südinsel, 5 m, 23 May 1982, Pleger 872 (B, Herb. Greuter); Karpathos, Ammui, 43 m, 10 June 1982, Pleger 935b (B); Karpathos, Insel Sokastro, Steilküste und Salsola carpatha -Gebüsch, 40–70 m, 24 May 1983, Raus 8383 (B, C); Karpathos, Ausgang der Bucht von Tristamon, Südufer, Küstenfelsen, Kalkgestein, 15 m, 25 April 1984, Raus 9331 (B, C); Karpathos, 4 km SW Olimbos, alt. 250 m, nearly vertical coastal cliff, calcareous rock, in crevices, 27 May 1984, Raus 10020 (C, G, M, MSB 87974); Karpathos, ca. 1–2 km südl. Olympos Winges des Profitis Ilias, Weg gegen das Meer, ca. 200–300 m, 14 May 1990, Burri & Krendl s.n, (W); Karpathos, Achata, 29 August 1996, Brullo & Guarino s.n. (CAT); Karpathos, Evgonimos (SW Olymbos), 4 July 2002, Brullo & Giusso s.n, sheet 2 (CAT, Herb. Erben); Karpathos, W-Küste, bei Lefkos vorgelagertes Inselchen Sokastro, Felsphrygana im Ruinenbereich des Plateaus, 10 June 1998, Kalheber 98–1160 (Herb. Kalheber); Ophidousa, in saxosis litoreis substr. calc., May 1931, K. H. & F. Rechinger 7772 (BM, G, W); Saria, 18 July 1886, Forsyth Major 490 (K); Saria (Egeo), 18 June 1886, Barbey 490 (K); Saria, insul. ad rupestr. calcar. faucis Endi pr. Palatia. Insula Saria, 18 July 1886, Forsyth Major 490 (G); Regio aegaea austr., insula Saria, in latere boriali sinus Palatia, alt. 5–10 m; in rupestribus calcareis litoreis meridiem spectantibus, 2 June 1963, Greuter 5714 (W, Herb. Greuter); Tria Nisia (Tre Scogli), Cycladum, in saxosis calc. litoreis insulae australis, 20 May 1935, K. H. & F. Rechinger 7720 (B, BM, G, M, W); Ins. Saphronia (Zafora), in saxosis litorei sustrat. calc., 27 May 1935, K. H. & F. Rechinger 7649 (BM, G, W).

Figures

FIGURE 81. Limonium frederici (W. Barbey) Rechinger fil. A) Habit; B) Spikelet; C) Outer bract; D) Middle bract; E) Inner bract; F) Calyx; G) Calyx lobes; H) Leaves. (Habit and leaves drawn from “Karpathos, Evgonimos, Brullo & Giusso s.n., Herb. Erben, CAT”, spikelet details from “K.H. & F. Rechinger 7720, M”).

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).