Echinops albidus Boiss. & Spruner

Conti, Fabio, Reich, Dieter & Gutermann, Walter, 2020, Notes on the genus Echinops L. (Asteraceae) in SE Europe, Adansonia 42 (3), pp. 95-104 : 98

Echinops albidus Boiss. & Spruner

( Figs 2 , 3 )

In Boissier, Diagnoses Plantarum Orientalium 6: 97 (1846). — Echinops sphaerocephalus subsp. albidus (Boiss. & Spruner) Maire & Petitm., Matériaux pour Servir à l’Étude de la Flore et de la Géographie botanique de l’Orient 4: 120 (1908).

LECTOTYPE [DESIGNATED HERE]. — Hymettus , s.d., Spruner, s.n. (as E. sphaerocephalus ) (lecto-, G-BOIS [ G00765089 , digital photo!, Fig. 2 ]; isolecto-, G-BOIS[G00765089a, digital photo!, Fig. 3 ]).

FURTHER ORIGINAL MATERIAL (SYNTYPES) TRACED. — “ Thebas Spruner, ex Flora Graeca (as E. ruthenicus )” (G-BOIS[ G00765088 digital photo!, G00765088a digital photo!]).

IONIAN MATERIAL SEEN. — Corfu. Ins. Kerkyra: mons Pantokrator, ad cacumen, alt. 850-910 m, in saxosis calc., 27.VII.1982, O. Georgiou 145 (UPA[UPA13187, UPA13188, UPA13189]); mons Pantokrator, in declivibus orientalibus supra pagum Nisaki, alt. 300-500 m; in saxosis calc., 28.VII.1982, O. Georgiou 236 ( UPA [ UPA 13190, UPA 13191]); ad ruinas pagi Palio Chorio, 27.VII.1982, O. Georgiou 239 ( UPA [ UPA 13192]) .

SELECTED MATERIAL USED FOR COMPARISON. — Greece. Vodena Macedoniae [i.e. Edessa] circa Gavaliotissa, 12.VII.1862, Th. Orphanides 83 (WU[WU0095629]); in monte Corydalo Atticae , 28.VII.1849, Th. Orphanides 351 (P[P03744458]; WU [ WU0095630 , WU0103716 ]) ; Attica, in collibus saxosis prope Athenas, in colle Ardetto , 13.VII.1893, Th. Heldreich, Herb. Graec. Norm. no. 1255 (P[P03744445, P03744446]; WU [ WU0103722 , WU0103723 ]) ; Attica, ad radices montis Hymetti [type region!], 6.VII.1888, E. Halácsy s.n. ( WU [ WU0103717 ]) ; Isthmus Corinthiacus: in aridis Acrocorinthi , 9.VII.1888: E. Halácsy s.n. ( WU [ WU0103719 ]) ; Attica in collibus saxosis prope Eleusis , VII.1910, B. Tuntas 866 ( WU [ WU 103718]) ; Flora thessala, in mt. Olympo prope Miluna , 13.VIII.1913, B. Tuntas 1825 ( WU [ WU0103720 ]) ; Thracia occidentalis: in collibus inter Didimotichon et Souflion , 19.IX.1957, K. H. Rechinger 15779 (W[W1960-0006046]) ; Insula Euboea centralis: in saxosis calc. supra pagum Steni , 350-500 m, 27. VI.1958, K. H. Rechinger 19204 (W[W1959-0002832]) ; Epirus, in saxosis calcareis montis Mitzikeli, 5 km a Perama orientem versus prope Joannina , 18.VII.1958, K. H. Rechinger 21602 (W[W1960-0006051]) ; West-Thraziern, Nomarchia Evros, Umgebung von Esimi ( Essimi , Aisymi ), 20 km NNE Alexandroupolis, 1-11.VII.1963, K. Bauer 245 (W[W1965-0004596]) ; Macedonia orientalis: in declivibus maritimis ad sinum Orphani ab ostiis fluvii Strymon c. 10 km occidentem versus, 21.VII.1970, K. H. Rechinger 38643 (W[W1981-0011000]) ; Ioannina, sopra il lago, sulla strada per Tricala , 4.VIII.2009, F. Conti & D. Uzunov s.n. ( APP [ APP 56785]) ; Monastero di Kipinas, presso Kallarites, Pindo sud, 19.VII.2018, F. Conti & V. Giacanelli s.n. ( APP [ APP 60532]) .

Albania. Umgebung von Shkodra, steinige Abhänge beim Kiri-Fluss nächst dem Dorf Tepe , 26.VII.1916, E. Janchen s.n., as E. albidus ( WU [ WU0095628 ]) ; Weideplätze bei Brutti , c. 250 m, 17.VIII.1917, H. Zerny s.n. (W[W1958-24342]) ; presso la Piana di Argirocastro, 10.VII.2012, F. Conti s.n. ( APP [ APP 49072]) ; Nemercka presso Kaluth , 11.VII.2012, F. Conti & M. Manilla s.n. ( APP [ APP 48839]) .

Bulgaria. Ad pedem montis Dschendem tepe pr[ope] u[rbem] Philippopolim [i.e. Plovdiv], VI.1890, Th. Pichler s.n., as E. albidus ( WU [ WU0095627 ]) ; in sterilibus ad Stanimaka [i.e. Asenowgrad], VII.1894, V. Stříbrnýs s.n. (P[P03744442, P03744443, P03745770]; WU [ WU0103724 ]) ; tra Haskovo e Kardzhali, 25°22.207’N, 41°48.842’E, 300 m, 12.VIII.2009, F. Conti & D. Uzunov s.n. ( APP [ APP 60622]) ; Rodopi occidentali, Goce Delčev , 23°57.036’N, 41°33.964’E, 658 m, 12.VIII.2009, F. Conti & D. Uzunov s.n. ( APP [ APP 60549]) .

REMARKS ON THE LECTOTYPE

Boissier & Spruner described E. albidus providing a detailed description, in Boissier (1846) and quoting the following type localities: “Hab. in Hymetto Atticae et prope Thebas Spruner (sub. Ech. ruthenico,)” We were able to trace two herbarium specimens housed in G-BOIS, which can be considered original material (Art. 9.4 of the ICN; Turland et al. 2018). These herbarium specimens are complete, well conserved and agree with the protologue and with the current application of the name. There are two sheets with identical labels: G00765089 and G00765089a. The specimen G00765089 is selected here as lectotype for E. albidus .

DESCRIPTION

Echinops albidus was quoted for the Balkan Peninsula and for SE Italy according to Kožuharov (1976, as E. sphaerocephalus subsp. albidus ). In Italy, it is indicated as doubtful for Abruzzo and Campania though still recorded in Basilicata ( Conti et al. 2018; Bartolucci et al. 2018). Thorough search did not reveal any records of the species from the reported localities in the Majella mountains ( Tammaro 1986). As these are the only findings published for Abruzzo, the species has been excluded from this region ( Conti et al. 2019). Similarly the occurrence in Basilicata and Campania is not supported by any specimens in FI, APP and in HLUC herbaria, thus, at the given point, it is to be excluded from Italy at all.

From the Ionian Islands, the species was first reported by Georgiou (1988, as E. sphaerocephalus subsp. albidus ). Ac- cording to relevant literature ( Kožuharov 1976), it is said to differ from typical E. sphaerocephalus by its smaller capitula (with involucres less than 18(-20) mm long) and accordingly smaller synflorescences, and by its glabrous involucral bracts. However, based on comparison with collections present in WU (from Greece, Albania, Bulgaria) this has to be corrected: with exception of young synflorescences, the material shows involucre lengths between (16-)18-22(-25) mm, and usually at least some of the (outer) phyllaries are furnished, so often sparse, with minute glandular papillae (of only c. 0.05- 0.1 mm) or subsessile glandular hairs at the tips (seen also in material from the type region). In the Ionian collections measurements of involucre length slightly exceed this with 19-25 (-27) mm and are more or less congruent with those of C European E. sphaerocephalus . The latter differs from the Ionian (Corfu) plants by glandular hairs of the phyllaries up to 0.2 mm long, and present in abundance abaxially on the apical part of outer and middle phyllaries. In E. albidus , leaves are more deeply divided and spines are longer than in typical E. sphaerocephalus . We think that given the characteristic combination of features it is adequate to consider this taxon at the species level.

Figures

FIG. 2. — Lectotype of Echinops albidus Boiss. & Spruner. (G-BOISS[G00765089]).

FIG. 3. — Isolectotype of Echinops albidus Boiss. & Spruner (G-BOIS[G00765089a]).