Limonium coronense Artelari, 1984

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

34. Limonium coronense Artelari (1984a: 71 et 1984b: 31) ( Fig. 34 )

Type:― GREECE. Peloponnese: Prov. Messinia: ad castrum oppidi Coroni ; in saxosis calcareis, maritimis, 28 July 1982, Artelari 356 (holotype UPA) .

Description: —Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a sub-shrub 25–60 cm tall, with some ascending to erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 2–7 cm long, branched, densely spirally leafy, living leaves in rosettes at apices. Leaves fleshy, 15–70 mm long and 3–12 mm broad, narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly spathulate, apex obtuse to rounded, margin revolute, with one central nerve, gradually tapering into the petiole; leaves usually withered and often completely absent at anthesis. Stems slightly hard, 10–50 cm long, very flexuous, slightly scabrous, branching begins near the base. Inflorescence narrowly trullate in outline. Sterile branches numerous, 0.5–3 cm long, straight to slightly curved, only longer branches divided and slightly articulate. Fertile branches confined to the upper fourth of the stems, slightly articulate, 1–5 cm long, slightly arched to straight, mostly erect, forming branching angles of 40°–80°, branched. Spikes 20–85 mm long, straight to bowed, inserted erect to obliquely. Spikelets very fine, 6–7 mm long, composed of 1–2 (–3) flowers, remotely arranged with 3–4 per cm, mostly biseriately disposed. Outer bract 1.2–1.5 mm long and 1.6–2.1 mm broad, triangular-ovate, obtuse; bract margin narrowly membranous; central part fleshy, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 1.3–1.8 mm long and 1.2–1.5 mm broad, elliptic, rounded. Inner bract 3.6–4.1 mm long and 2.3–2.7mm broad, obovate-elliptic, obtuse to rounded; bract margin narrowly membranous; central part fleshy, 2.8–3.4 mm long and 1.6–2.0 mm broad, oblong, forming a triangular tip, 0.6–0.8 mm long, nearly reaching the upper margin. Calyx 4.8–5.4 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 2.2–2.5 mm; calyx tube more or less sparsely shortly hairy, with 5 ribs, sometimes with some short hairs, ending shortly above the base of lobes; calyx lobes ca. 0.6 × 0.8 mm, semi–elliptic. Corolla pale violet.

Chromosome number: —2n = 18 (Artelari 1984a, b).

Distribution: —Restricted to Koroni, SW Peloponnese ( Fig. 89D ).

Habitat: —Calcareous rocky coast.

Taxonomic remarks: — L. coronense belongs to the diploid L. cancellatum-dictyophorum group occurring on the Ionian Islands. The other species of this group are L. arcuatum , L. saracinatum , L. ithacense , L. pylium , L. zakynthium and L. kardamylii .

Specimens examined: — GREECE. Peloponnese: A Coron sur des rochers puisque dans la mer, 1840, Pignant s.n. (G-BOISS); De Heldreich Herbarium Graecum Normale no. 1475, Messenia : in rupestribus ad littora maris prope Corone , 12 August 1897, Zahn (G, M, PC); Messenia, Koron, s.d., De Heldreich 1470 (PC); Koroni, rupi calcareo-arenacee sul mare, 26 August 1999, Bartolo, Brullo, Guarino & Signorello s.n. (CAT); Koroni, costa rocciosa calcarea, 19 July 2011, Brullo & Giacalone s.n. (CAT) .

Figures

FIGURE 34. Limonium coronense 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 “Koroni, Brullo & Giacalone s.n., CAT”, spikelet details from“Messenia, Corone, Zahn s.n., M”).

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).