Limonium arcuatum Artelari, 1984

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

32. Limonium arcuatum Artelari (1984a: 27 et 1984b: 20) ( Fig. 32 )

Type:― GREECE. Ionian Islands: Ins. Kerkyra, ad sinum Palaeokastritsa ; in saxosis calcareis, maritimis, 9 August 1978, Artelari 222 (holotype UPA, isotype Herb. Erben!) .

Description: —Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a sub-shrub 15–45 cm tall, with numerous ascending to erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 5–20 cm long, branched, living leaves in rosettes at apices. Leaves fleshy, rigid, 25–50 mm long and 6–16 mm broad, spathulate, apex rounded or emarginate, margin revolute, with one

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BRULLO & ERBEN central nerve, gradually tapering into the petiole. Stems 5–40 cm long, very flexuous, slightly scabrous, articulate, very fragile at the nodes, branching frequently begins near the base. Inflorescence corymbose or trullate in outline. Sterile branches very numerous, slender, slightly articulate, straight to arched or repeatedly curved, 1–3 cm long, branched. Fertile branches very numerous, 1–8 cm long, slender, slightly articulate, arched to straight or repeatedly

LIMONIUM (PLUMBAGINACEAE)

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BRULLO & ERBEN curved, reflexed, forming branching angles of 90°–165°, very branched. Spikes 10–55 mm long, straight to arched, inserted reflexed to obliquely. Spikelets 5.0– 6.5 mm long, composed of 1–2 flowers, remotely arranged with 2–4 per cm, often laterally slightly curved near the base. Outer bract 1.0– 1.5 mm long and 1.6–1.8 mm broad, broadly triangular-ovate, acute; bract margin narrowly membranous; central part slightly fleshy, sometimes only at the base, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 1.3–1.8 mm long and 1.0– 1.2 mm broad, elliptic, rounded or emarginate. Inner bract 3.2–4.3 mm long and 2.3–2.8 mm broad, elliptic, obtuse; bract margin broadly membranous; central part fleshy, 2.5–3.1 mm long and 1.4–1.8 mm broad, oblong, acuminate, forming a narrowly triangular tip, 0.7–1.0 mm long, reaching nearly the upper margin. Calyx 4.1–5.2 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 1.5–2.0 mm; calyx tube more or less sparsely shortly hairy, with 5 ribs ending above the base of lobes; calyx lobes ca. 0.8 × 0.7 mm, semi-elliptic. Corolla lilac.

Chromosome number: —2n = 18 (Artelari 1984a, b; Erben Li–805, unpubl.).

Distribution: —Along the western coast of Kerkyra (Corfù) ( Fig. 89A ).

Habitat: —Cliffs and rocky coast, characterized by limestone and various types of sandstone.

Taxonomic remarks: — L. arcuatum is related to L. dictyophorum Tausch , from which it can be distinguished by its leaves with strongly revolute margins, branches repeatedly curved and reflexed, and by having smaller spikelets.

Specimens examined: — GREECE. Ionian Islands: Korfu, Paleokastritza, in Ritzen am Klosterfelsen, ca. 4–5 m, senkrechte Felswand, 2 June 1968, Kuhbier s.n. (B); Korfu: Palaeokastritza, beim Restaurant “O Bpaxo” auf den Küstenfelsen, ca. 3 m, 20 June 1977, Kuhbier s.n. (Herb. Erben); Ins. Kerkyra, Palaeokastritsa, in rupestribus maritimis, 17 September 1977, G. Kamari 13782 (M, Herb. Erben); Ins. Kerkyra: ad loco Agios Gordios, in rupestribus maritimis, 13 August 1978, R. Artelari 223 (M, Herb. Erben); Ins. Kerkyra, ad sinum Glyfada, in salsosis calcareis maritimis, 8 September 1978, R. Artelari 229 (M); Ins. Kerkyra: Palaeokastritsa, in ditione Grotta Club, in rupestribus maritimis, 2 August 1978, R. Artelari 231 (Herb. Erben); Ins. Kerkyra, in loco Kontós Yalos, in rupestribus maritimis, 14 August 1978, R. Artelari 232 (M, Herb. Erben); Corfù a Paleokastritsa, rupi calcaree sul mare, 19 August 1999, Bartolo, Brullo, Guarino & Signorello s.n. (CAT); Grecia, Isole ioniche, Corfù a Ermones, rupi calcaree sul mare, 19 August 1999, Bartolo, Brullo, Guarino & Signorello s.n. (CAT); Corfù a Glifada, rupi calcarenitiche sul mare, 19 August 1999, Bartolo, Brullo, Guarino & Signorello s.n. (CAT); Corfù a Paleokastritsa, costra rocciosa calcarea, 13 July 2011, Brullo & Giacalone s.n. (CAT).

Figures

FIGURE 32. Limonium arcuatum Artelari. 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 “Corfù a Paleokastritsa, Brullo & Giacalone s.n., CAT”, spikelet details from “R. Artelari 222, Herb. Erben”).

FIGURE 89. (Map 4) Geographical distribution of Limonium arcuatum (A); L. antipaxorum (B); L. cephalonicum (C); L. coronense (D); L. stenotatum (E); L. ithacense (F); L. phitosianum (G); L. parosicum (H); L. palmare (I).