Limonium phitosianum Artelari (1984c: 430)

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

30. Limonium phitosianum Artelari (1984c: 430) ( Fig. 30 )

Type:― GREECE. Ionian Islands: Ins. Zakynthos: ad promontorium Skinari, prope pagum Korinthi ; in saxosis calcareis maritimis, 19 September 1982, Phitos & Kamari 18978 (holotype UPA, isotype C!) .

Description: —Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a sub-shrub 15–40 cm tall, with numerous, ascending to erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 5–15 cm long, branched, living leaves in dense rosettes at apices. Leaves fleshy, rigid, 5–35 mm long and 2.5–7.0 mm broad, oblanceolate-spathulate, apex obtuse, margin revolute, with one central nerve, gradually tapering into the petiole. Stems very slender, 5–18 cm long, slightly flexuous, constricted and fragile at the nodes, branching frequently begins near the base. Inflorescence corymbose. Sterile branches numerous, 0.5–3.0 cm long, constricted and fragile at the nodes, branched. Fertile branches 2–7 cm long, slightly arched, directed obliquely upwards, constricted and fragile at the nodes, forming branching angles of 40°–70°, branched. Spikes 10–55 mm long, straight, erect to inserted obliquely upwards. Spikelets 7.6–8.5 mm long, composed of 2–3 flowers, remotely arranged with 3–4 (–6) per cm, laterally slightly curved near the base. Outer bract 1.1–1.8 mm long and 1.6–1.9 mm broad, triangular-ovate, acute; bract margin narrowly membranous; central part slightly fleshy, sometimes only at the base, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 1.8–2.7 mm long and 1.7–1.9 mm broad, elliptic, obtuse. Inner bract 4.3–5.3 mm long and 3.0– 3.3 mm broad, elliptic, acute to obtuse; bract margin broadly membranous; central part fleshy, 4.1–4.5 mm long and 2.5–2.8 mm broad, oblong-obovate, acuminate, forming a triangular tip, 0.3–0.8 mm long, reaching nearly the upper margin. Calyx 5.0– 5.9 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 0.5–1.0 mm; calyx tube more or less glabrous or very sparsely shortly hairy, with 5 ribs ending above the base of lobes; calyx lobes ca. 0.8 × 1.2 mm, semi-elliptic. Corolla lilac.

Chromosome number: —2n = 18 (Artelari 1984c).

Distribution: —Confined to the Ionian Islands of Stamfani (Strofades Island) and Zakynthos ( Fig. 89G ).

Habitat: —Calcareous rocky coast.

Taxonomic remarks: — L. phitosianum is similar to L. cephalonicum , but is easily distinguish by having completely glabrous stems, and longer spikes and spikelets.

80 • Phytotaxa 240 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press

BRULLO & ERBEN LIMONIUM (PLUMBAGINACEAE)

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Specimens examined: — GREECE. Ionian Islands: Messenien, Insel Stamfani, 14 September 1980, Pieper s.n. (Herb. Greuter); Zakynthos, a Porto Zoro, rupi calcareo-arenacee sul mare, 25 August 1999, Bartolo, Brullo, Guarino & Signorello s.n. (CAT); Zakynthos, ad Agios Nikolaos, rupi calcaree sul mare, 25 August 1999, Bartolo, Brullo, Guarino & Signorello s.n. (CAT); Zakinthos, costa rocciosa calcarea presso Skinari, 18 July 2011, Brullo & Giacalone s.n. (CAT); Zakinthos, Porto Zoro, costa rocciosa calcarea 18 July 2011, Brullo & Giacalone s.n. (CAT); Zakinthos, Porto Roma presso Agios Stefanos, su tufi arenacei costieri, 18 July 2011, Brullo & Giacalone s.n. (CAT).

Figures

FIGURE 30. Limonium phitosianum 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 “Zakinthos, Skinari, Brullo & Giacalone s.n., CAT”, spikelet details from “Insel Stamfani, Pieper s.n., Herb. Greuter”).

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).