Limonium hirsuticalyx Pignatti (1971: 361)

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

9. Limonium hirsuticalyx Pignatti (1971: 361) ( Fig. 9 )

Type :― GREECE. Dodecanese : Rodi pr. Lindos, 10 August 1923, Fiori s.n. (holotype FI!)

= Statice gmelinii var. limonioides Wangerin (1911: 442) . Type:―Not designated.

Description: —Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a sub-shrub 30–70 cm tall, with several erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 3–7 cm long, branched, living leaves in rosettes at apices. Leaves fleshy, dark green, verrucate, flat, 5–20 cm long and 1.5–6.0 cm broad, oblong-obovate, apex obtuse to rounded, sometimes mucronate, with 1conspicuous central nerve and many clearly visible pinnately branching lateral nerves, gradually tapering into the petiole. Stems 25–60 cm long, rugose, slightly flexuous to straight, branching begins near the base. Inflorescence broadly obtrullate in outline. Sterile branches absent or few, 1.5–5.0 cm long, straight, unbranched. Fertile branches 5–30 cm long, slightly flexuous, straight to slightly curved, directed obliquely upwards to spreading, forming branching angles of 45°– 60°, in the upper half branched. Spikes 10–30 mm long, curved, directed obliquely upwards or nearly spreading. Spikelets 3.8–4.5 mm long, normally composed of 2–3 flowers, densely arranged with 4–6 per cm. Outer bract 1.4–2.1 mm long and 1.5–2.0 mm broad, triangular-ovate to obovate, acute; bract margin broadly membranous; central part fleshy, sometimes only at the base, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 1.7–2.5 mm long and 1.3–2.1 mm broad, nearly triangular or trapezoid, asymmetrically emarginate. Inner bract 2.9–3.5 mm long and 2.5–3.2 mm broad, broadly elliptic, rounded to obtuse, premorse, often emarginate; bract margin broadly membranous; central part fleshy, 1.8–2.8 mm long and 1.3–1.9 mm broad, oblong, on the upper end premorse or emarginate. Calyx campanulate, 3.0–4.0 (–4.2) mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 0.5–1.3 mm; calyx tube densely, mostly very long hairy, with 5 ribs ending near the base of lobes; calyx lobes ca. 0.5 × 0.8 mm, nearly triangular, alternate with small lobes ca. 0.3 × 0.4 mm, nearly semi-elliptic. Corolla lilac.

Chromosome number: —2n = 18 (Erben, Li-261, unpubl.).

Distribution: —Southeastern Aegean islands of Kos, Naxos, Patmos and Rhodes ( Fig. 91D ).

Habitat: —Calcareous rocky coasts and salt marshes.

Taxonomic remarks: — L. hirsuticalyx belongs to the L. vulgare group, which is characterized by having small spikelets. L. hirsuticalyx shows a particular affinity to L. compactum but is differentiated from the latter by having more remotely arranged spikelets bearing more flowers.

Specimens examined: — GREECE. Cyclades: Naxos, Stelida Peninsula in the SW vic. of the town of Naxos, sandy soil, in one place many together, 9 October 1975, Kramer 5471 (B); Naxos, Prokopios, Ufer eines Salzsees, 0 m, 14 September 1987, Jäth s.n. (B); Naxos, Prokopios, im Saum zwischen Salzsee und Dünen, 1m, 20 October 1991, Böhling 548 (B).— Dodecanese: Insel Kos, Nordküste, SSO von Marmari, Sumpf, 12 April 1974, A. Rommel 73 (Herb. Erben = Li-261); Patmos, Kambos Beach, 23 August 2013, Brullo & Ilardi s.n. (CAT); Patmos, Skala, 24 August 2013, Brullo & Ilardi s.n. (CAT); Rhodos, Lindos, 1979, Buttler 79–903 (Herb. Buttler); Rhodos, E-Küste, Charaki, Kastell Pheraklos, Felshänge zum Meer hin, 12 April 1985, Kalheber 85–713 (Herb. Kalheber); Rodi, Vajia, 21 August 1989, Brullo & Spampinato s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Rodi, Feraklos, 21 August 1989, Brullo & Spampinato s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Rodi, costa rocciosa presso Lindos, 22 August 1989, Brullo & Spampinato s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Rodi, Akra Lardos, 27 August 1989, Brullo & Spampinato (CAT, Herb. Erben); Rhodos: O-Teil der Insel, Charaki, Uferfelsen am Südende des Hafens, 3 m, hinter der Kneipe „Argo“, 12 April 1996, Kalheber 96–504 (Herb. Kalheber); Rodi, Lindos, 1 September 1996, Brullo & Guarino s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben); Rodi, Haraki, 2 September 1996, Brullo & Guarino s.n. (CAT, Herb. Erben).

36 • Phytotaxa 240 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press

BRULLO & ERBEN LIMONIUM (PLUMBAGINACEAE)

Phytotaxa 240 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press • 37

Figures

FIGURE 9. Limonium hirsuticalyx Pignatti. A) Habit; B) Spikelet; C) Outer bract; D) Middle bract; E) Inner bract; F) Calyx; G) Calyx lobes. (Drawn from “Lindos, Brullo & Guarino s.n., Herb. Erben, CAT”).

FIGURE 91. (Map 6) Geographical distribution of Limonium brevipetiolatum (A); L. bellidifolium (B); L. compactum (C); L. hirsuticalyx (D); L. microcycladicum (E); L. oligotrichum (F); L. pagasaeum (G).