Echinops siculus Strobl

Conti, Fabio, Reich, Dieter & Gutermann, Walter, 2020, Notes on the genus Echinops L. (Asteraceae) in SE Europe, Adansonia 42 (3), pp. 95-104 : 96-98

Echinops siculus Strobl ( Fig. 1 )

In Flora 65: 505 (1882). — Echinops ritro subsp. siculus (Strobl)

Greuter, Willdenowia 33: 58 (2003).

LECTOTYPE (DESIGNATED HERE). — [ Italy, Sicily:] “Flora Nebrodensis, Echinops siculus mihi/ [ Echinops ] ruthenicus Gss. , non MB. In regione nemorosa montium Madoniarum 600-1000 m, solo calc.”, 18.VII.1874, P. Gabriel Strobl s.n. (lecto-, W [ W0022366 ]!, Fig. 1 ; isolecto-, JE[JE00009438 digital photo!]; isolecto-, ADMONT [digital photo!]).

FURTHER ORIGINAL MATERIAL (SYNTYPES) TRACED. — Echinops siculus mihi/[ Echinops ] ruthenicus Guss. , aber nicht MB. Bei Castelbuono am

Fuss der Nebroden. VII.1873, P.G. Strobl s.n. ( WU [ WU 0103727]!; ADMONT [digital photo!]);

E. ruthenicus, In sylvaticis montosis, Piana dei Greci [Piana degli Albanesi], VII., Plantae Siculae s.n., Todaro (W[W0078544]!); Flora Sicula Exsiccata n. 1225 ( WU [ WU 0095633]!; ADMONT[digital photo!]);

Echinops siculus P. G. Strobl. Italia (media) austral. in nemoribus et collibus apricis circa Vico in Gargano sol. calcar. 15. VI.1874, Porta et Rigo s.n. ex Itinere I italico (P[P03745561], W[W1889-0099501]!; WU [ WU 0103726!]);

Echinops siculus mihi. Gargano. a Porta [...] Strobl s.n. (ADMONT [digital photo!]);

E. siculus Strobl. Italia austral. Apulia. Gargano, in sylvis circa Vico et Giovanni Rotondo, sol. calcar. 1-2000 ft, 15. VI.1875, Porta et Rigo 186 ex Itinere II italico (P[P03745560, P03745562, P03745563, digital photo!]; W[W1889-0058885, W1889-0058886, W1889- 0154815]!; WU [ WU 0095635]!; JE[JE00009440, digital photo!]).

IONIAN MATERIAL SEEN. — Corfu. In Insula Corcyra [Corfù] prope Varypatades l[oco] d[icto] Magioru, VI.1912, B.Tunta, as E. albidus , Plantae exsic. Florae Hellenicae 1595 ( WU [ WU 0095636]); ibidem, l. d. Kyperi, VI.1912, B. Tunta, as E. albidus , Plantae exsic. Florae Hellenicae 1596 ( WU [ WU 0095637]); Santa, Sinies, Corfu, Greece, 39.754323 19.910913, 387 m, 4.VIII.2016, M. Nikolouzou s.n., as Echinops ; erroneously registered as E. sphaerocephalus subsp. albidus by W. Gutermann in 2016 ( WU [ WU 0088904]).

SELECTED MATERIAL USED FOR COMPARISON. — Italia. Abruzzo: Valle dell’Orta, presso Musellaro (Bolognano, Pescara), 19. IX.2009, F. Conti & D. Tinti s.n. (APP[APP59348]); Lecceta di Torino di Sangro, presso il centro visite, 18. VI.2009, F. Conti & A. Manzi s.n. (APP[APP41304]); Basilicata: Savoia di Lucania, V. del Tuorno, 40°34’52”N, 15°32’15”E, 500 m, margine boschivo, 7. VI.2013, F. Conti & F. Bartolucci s.n. (APP[APP52410]); Calabria: Torre Ruggiero, 400-600 m, s.d., Zwierlein s.n., as E. ritro ( WU [ WU 0103729, WU 0103730]); Prov. Cosenza, S. Donato, in pascuis nemorosis, calc., 500-600 m, 5.VIII.1989, G. Rigo, Iter Ital. quartum no. 602, as E. siculus (W[W1898- 0008636]; WU [ WU 0095632]); [ Sicily:] In sylvaticis/sylvis arenosis in montosis Ficuzza, VII.1878, M. Lo Jacono s.n., as E. ritro ( WU [ WU 0103728, WU 0095631]); in sylvaticis montosis Palermo, VI.1901, H. Ross, Herb. Sic. no. 348 as E. ritro ( WU [ WU 0095638, WU 0095639]); Madonie, Mongerrati, 18. VI.2010, Domina, Scafidi, Schimmenti & Dillenberger s.n. (APP[APP43256]).

REMARKS ON THE LECTOTYPE

Strobl described E. siculus providing a detailed description, and quoting the following type localities ( Strobl 1882): “An steinigen, buschigen Abhängen der Kastanien- und Eichenregion der Nebroden von 600 bis 1100 m, ziemlich häufig: Ob Castelbuono gegen den Bosco, besonders beim Abbeveratojo di Monticelli, um Ferro, Gonato!, Castelbuono, Polizzi, Collesano (Guss. Syn. et Herb.!), San Guglielmo (Mina in Guss.) S. Add. et Hb. Mina!). Fehlt in Bert. Fl. Ital. und DC. Prodr. Findet sich auch an einigen anderen Waldorten Siziliens und am Gargano in Apulien (Porta & Rigo!).” We were able to trace several herbarium specimens housed in ADMONT, JE, P, W and WU which can be considered original material (Art. 9.4 of the ICN; Turland et al. 2018). These herbarium specimens are complete, well conserved and agree with the protologue and with the current application of the name. The specimen W0022366 is selected here as lectotype for E. siculus .

DESCRIPTION

Echinops siculus can be recognized by the slightly bluish colour of capitula (that are more dark-coloured in E. ritro and usually paler in E. sphaerocephalus and E. albidus ). Plants of E. siculus lack glandular hairs on involucral bracts, a feature shared with E. albidus . However, in the latter as well as in E. sphaerocephalus the leaves are adaxially densely covered by short glandular hairs which are at least 0.2 mm (up to 0.6 mm) long, while these hairs are extremely short (up to 0.1 mm) and very sparse or even absent in E. siculus . Furthermore from E. ritro (with leaves eglandular, adaxially loosely arachnoidtomentose, becoming glabrescent) the plants differ by its less deeply divided leaves.

Echinops siculus was considered endemic to Italy ( Peruzzi et al. 2014) where it is known from Emilia-Romagna and Toscana to Calabria and Sicily, in Marche it is doubtfully present ( Bartolucci et al. 2018). Kožuharov (1976) included it as synonym in E. ritro subsp. ritro , while Greuter (2003, 2006) separated it as “doubtful subspecies” within E. ritro .

However, we could clearly identify three gatherings deposited as “ E. sphaerocephalus subsp. albidus ” in WU and originating from Corfu ( Ionian Islands, Greece) as E. siculus . The identification is based on comprehensive examination of morphological features following the relevant literature ( Pignatti 1982) as well as comparison with the original material of this species (at ADMONT, JE, W and WU) and additional exsiccata (APP, WU).

Figures

FIG. 1. — Lectotype of Echinops siculus Strobl (W0022366).