Armeria alliacea, (Cav.) Hoffmanns. & Link

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1972, Flora Europaea. Volume 3. Diapensiacea to Myoporaceae, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press : 34

8. A. alliacea (Cav.) Hoffmanns. & Link , FI. Port. 1: 441 (1813-1820)

( A. allioides Boiss. , A. bupleuroides Gren. & Godron , A. castellana Boiss. & Reuter ex Leresche , A. plantaginea Willd. ,? Statice plantaginea All. ).

Herb; stock with few branches. Leaves 5O-13O(-2OO) x (1—)3—14 mm, usually few, sometimes unequal, lanceolate to linear-spathulate, acute or subacute, usually muticous, usually with narrow scarious margins. Scapes 20-50(-70) cm. Sheath 20-60 mm. Capitula 10-20(-30) mm wide; involucral bracts brownish or reddish; outer usually longer than the inner, acuminate, cuspidate or rarely mucronate, with narrow scarious margins; inner emarginate, with wide scarious margins. Spikelets usually subsessile; bract slightly shorter than calyx. Calyx 5-9 mm; tube usually hirsute only on ribs; awns 0-7-1-5(-2) mm. Corolla purplish to white. 2« =18. Dry grassland, mainly in the mountains. 9 W. Europe, extending to S. W. Germany and N. Italy. Ga Ge He Hs It Lu.

A polymorphic species within which many populations have been given specific, subspecific or varietal status. They do not seem consistently separable and further investigation is required.

Plants from C. Spain described as A. alliacea subsp. matritensis (Pau) Borja , Rivas Goday & Rivas Martinez, Anal. Inst. Bot. Cavanilles 25: 154 (1969), sometimes have shorter leaves (20 mm or more) and sheath (17 mm or more) and the outer involucral bracts are shorter than the inner, are usually mucronate, and have wide scarious margins.