Loncomelos, Rafinesque, 1837

Martínez-Azorín, Mario, Dold, Anthony P., Crespo, Manuel B. & Alonso- Vargas, María Á., 2021, New combinations in Hyacinthaceae subfam. Ornithogaloideae, Phytotaxa 524 (1), pp. 59-64 : 61

New combinations in Loncomelos

Species traditionally included in Ornithogalum subgenus Beryllis ( Salisbury 1866: 33) Baker (1873: 260) are currently accepted as Loncomelos (cf. Martínez-Azorín et al. 2011). They are characterised by their long and tapering, concolourous leaves; long racemose inflorescence; white or yellowish tepals with a longitudinal green band on the abaxial side; filaments expanded in the lower half; ovoid capsule, trigonous with obtuse angles; and seeds biseriate, irregularly compressed, with papillate, rugose testa (cf. Baker 1873, Zahariadi 1980, Wittmann 1985, Speta 1998a, Martínez-Azorín et al. 2009). As shown by Martínez-Azorín et al. (2011), two species of Loncomelos form a clade that is sister to several samples of Ornithogalum sensu stricto and Honorius Gray (1821: 177) . The latter two genera are clearly differentiated by the morphology of inflorescences and six lobed capsules and globose seeds with reticulate testa. Therefore, we here accept Loncomelos , following the concept of Wittmann (1985) and Speta (1998a), as a valid generic concept on the basis of clear morphological and phylogenetic evidence. Similarly, Loncomelos has been accepted increasingly in recent times (cf. Speta 1998a, b, 2000, 2006, Spies 2004, Peruzzi et al. 2007, Ravenna 2007, Garbari et al. 2008, Riahi Rad et al. 2019, Bogdanović et al. 2021).

In the last decade, two new species of Ornithogalum sensu lato (yet fitting the morphology of Loncomelos ), namely Ornithogalum khuzestanicum Heydarian, Hamdi & Assadi in Heydarian et al. (2012: 48), and Ornithogalum sanandajense Maroofi (2010: 76) , were described from Iran and the Kurdistan region respectively. Further, the phylogenetic analyses by Riahi Rad et al. (2019) show that Ornithogalum bungei Boissier (1882: 213) and O. kurdicum Bornmüller (1908: 135) fall within a large clade including several Loncomelos samples, and their morphology share the diagnostic characters of Loncomelos . This observation is also supported by their morphological studies. The clade assimilated to Loncomelos in Riahi Rad et al. (2019) contains three samples of Melomphis persica (Hausskn. ex Bornmüller 1908: 102) Mart. - Azorín, M.B. Crespo & Juan in Martínez-Azorín et al. (2011: 33), whilst M. arabica ( Linnaeus 1753: 307) Rafinesque (1837: 22) ―the type of Melomphis Rafinesque (1837: 21) ―remains as an independent linage at the base of all Eurasian samples in Ornithogaloideae . As commented by Riahi Rad et al. (2019), Melomphis persica clearly approaches M. arabica based on flower morphology, but resembles Loncomelos in plant height, leaf number, leaf length, flower number, perigone length and width, therefore suggesting a possible hybrid origin between M. arabica and some eastern Loncomelos species , which would explain its phylogenetic placement. We prefer not to include Ornithogalum persicum Hausskn. ex Bornmüller (1908: 102) in Loncomelos until further data become available. Finally, Ornithogalum pycnanthum Wendelbo (1967: 97) was described from Iran and included later by Rechinger (1990) in O. subgen. Beryllis . Based on morphology, we present the combination of the following species in Loncomelos . We accept the gender of Loncomelos as masculine following Stearn (1992) and Speta (2001).