Crocus heuffelianus Herbert (1847: 273)

Peruzzi, Lorenzo, 2016, Crocus heuffelianus (Iridaceae), a new record for the Italian flora, Phytotaxa 261 (3), pp. 291-294 : 291-292

Crocus heuffelianus Herbert (1847: 273)

Herbarium specimens seen:— ITALY: Friuli Venezia Giulia. Alpi Giulie, Caporetto M. Matajur , 29 May 1889, Marchesetti s.n. ( FI!, lacking identification on the original label) ; pr. San Pietro , January 1897, Minio s.n. ( FI!, under the name C. vernus ) ; pr. San Pietro , 27 February 1898, Minio s.n. ( FI!, under the name C. vernus ) ; prati pr. San Pietro , 4 March 1898, Minio s.n. ( FI!, under the name C. vernus ) ; pr. San Pietro, destra del Natisone , 12 March 1898, Minio s.n. ( FI!, under the name C. vernus ) ; pr. San Pietro al Natisone , 29 March 1901, Minio s.n. ( FI!, under the name C. vernus ) ; San Pietro al Natisone , March 1903, Minio s.n. ( FI!, under the name C. vernus ) ; Leonacco ( Friuli ), m. 150 sul mare, 13 March 1907, De Gasperi s.n. ( FI!, under the name C. vernus ) ; Buttrio ( Udine ), m. 90 sul mare, 22 March 1908, De Gasperi s.n. ( FI!, under the name C. vernus ) ; Moruzzo ( Friuli ), m. 225 sul mare, 18 March 1909, De Gasperi s.n. ( FI!, under the name C. vernus var. albiflorus ) ; Travagnacco—Leonacco ( Friuli ), m. 152 sul mare, 18 March 1909, De Gasperi s.n. ( FI!, under the name C. vernus ) ; Gorizia (Italia, prov. Di Gorizia ), Piuma , alt. 160 m, solo marnoso arenaceo, in silvis radis [...], 18 March 1979, L. Feoli-Chiapella s.n. ( FI!, lacking identification on the original label) ; Friuli Venezia Giulia, Prepotto, nei pressi del Santuario di Castelmonte ( WGS84 : 46.09287 N, 13.51400 E), 580–590 m, 24 March 2016, L. Peruzzi & K. F. Caparelli s.n. ( FI!, PI!) . Veneto. Vignole di Sedico ( Belluno ), bosco ceduo, 380 m, 5 March 2010, Argenti s.n. ( FI!, under the name C. vernus subsp. vernus ) .

Notes on Italian distribution:— Crocus heuffelianus was never recorded before for the Italian flora. The records for Italy ( Fig. 1 ) also mark the new western limit of the geographic range of this species. Plants like those recorded here have never been quoted before for Veneto, whereas they were previously referred either to C. neapolitanus ( Ker Gawler 1805: 860) Loiseleur-Deslongchamps (1817: 101) or to C. vernus ( Linnaeus 1753: 36) Hill (1765: 1) subsp. vernus in regional floristic literature of Friuli Venezia Giulia (see i.e. Lokar & Poldini 1977, Poldini & Coassini Lokar 1979, Poldini 1991, Conti et al. 2005). Accordingly, whilst C. vernus s.str. is indeed very common in the mountains of these two regions, C. neapolitanus should be excluded from the flora of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Notes on taxonomy, karyology and phylogeny:—On macromorphological grounds, C. heuffelianus is marked by a peculiar, darker, heart-shaped spot near the tip of the perigone segments ( Herbert 1847, Harpke et al. 2015). In a field survey in the population of Castelmonte, 90–95% of individuals (several hundred observed) were clearly showing this feature, albeit the spots resulted highly variable in size and colour intensity among individuals, as well as among inner and outer whorl of tepals ( Fig. 2 ). The remaining individuals lack this spot, and can be regarded mostly as true albino variants (see also Lokar & Poldini 1977, Poldini & Coassini Lokar 1979 for data about flower pigments). Other morphological features of the Italian plants (e.g. corm fibres width, stigma sublobes length etc.) fully agree with the data presented by Harpke et al. (2015) for this species. Crocus heuffelianus s.l. is exceptionally variable concerning chromosome number, with the following cytotypes known: 2n = 10, 12, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23 ( Brighton 1976). No information is currently available concerning the chromosome number of the Italian populations. However, it is likely that they show 2n = 18, a chromosome number reported for Slovenian plants by Brighton (1976). Indeed, 2n = 18 is the only chromosome number reported so far for “ C. vittatus Schloss. & Vuk. ” nom. illeg. Following Mosolygó-l et al. (2016), this name should apply to those plants, belonging to C. heuffelianus s.l., showing hairy tube and typically growing at low elevations, as the Italian populations recorded here. According to the same authors, these plants would be allotetraploids, possibly originating from a cross between C. heuffelianus s.str. (cytotype 2n = 10) and C. vernus (2n = 8), followed by chromosome doubling.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map showing the Extent of Occurrence (EOO) of Crocus heuffelianus Herb. in NE Italy (polygon in red). The polygon was built based on herbarium specimens studied (yellow stars) and data published by Poldini & Coassini Lokar (1979) and Poldini (1991) under the name Crocus neapolitanus.

FIGURE 2. Flowering plants of Crocus heuffelianus from the surroundings of Santuario di Castelmonte. Pictures shot 23 March 2016 by L. Peruzzi.