1.Limonium proliferum (Dum.-Urv.) Erben & Brullo, comb. nov. (Fig. 62)
Basionym:-Statice prolifera D’Urville (1822: 291). Type (lectotype, designated here):-GREECE. Cyclades: Limonium fruticosum, bellidis folio, proliferum insularum Cycladum, herb. Tournefort no. 27 (M!, isotype: P- Tourn.-3117!).
Description:-Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a sub-shrub 15-60 cm tall, with several to many ascending to erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 2-10 cm long, densely branched, densely spirally leafy in the upper third; living leaves in rosettes at apices of caudices. Leaves coriaceous, glaucous, rigid, tuberculate with many crateriform glands, 10-45 mm long and 5-10 mm broad, spathulate to oblong-spathulate, apex obtuse to round, sometimes retuse, v-shaped in cross-section, with one central nerve, gradually tapering into the petiole. Stems robust, 10-55 cm long, glaucous, flexuous, articulate, constricted and fragile at nodes, tuberculate with many crateriform glands or sometimes verrucate with crescent-shaped glands, branching begins near the base, very branched, often repeatedly proliferous. Inflorescence trullate or obtrullate in outline. Sterile branches several to numerous, 1-8 cm long, flexuous, branched. Fertile branches numerous, 2-12 cm long, glaucous, tuberculate with many crateriform glands, arranged in the upper half of the stems, straight to curved, directed obliquely upwards to spreading, forming branching angles of 40°-65°, unbranched or branched. Spikes 10-80 mm long, straight to curved, erect to directed obliquely upwards; axis of the spike with many crateriform glands. Spikelets 7.2-9.0 mm long, composed of 1-6 flowers, remotely arranged with 1-3 (-5) per cm. Outer bract 2.2-3.0 mm long and 2.0-2.6 mm broad, more or less narrowly triangular-ovate, obtuse; bract margin broadly membranous; central part slightly fleshy, sometime only at the base, with some crateriform glands, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 2.8-3.5 mm long and 1.8-2.6 mm broad, oblong-obovate to oblong-elliptic, rounded. Inner bract 6.0-8.1 mm long and 3.8-4.2 mm broad, oblong-obovate, rounded; bract margin broadly membranous; central part slightly fleshy, with many crateriform glands, 5.0-6.4 mm long and 2.3-3.5 mm broad, oblong to oblong-obovate, acuminate, forming a narrowly triangular tip, 0.8-1.4 mm long, not reaching the upper margin. Calyx slender, 5.8-7.0 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 1-2 mm; calyx tube glabrous or sparsely shortly hairy, with 5 ribs ending in the middle of lobes; calyx lobes ca. 0.6 × 0.9 mm, semi-circular. Corolla pale violet.
Chromosome number:-2n = 34 (Erben Li-257, Li-1744, Li-1757; unpubl.).
Distribution:-Central and southern Aegean region: Attika and the islands of Amorgos, Andros, Antiparos, Chios, Chrysi, Crete, Donousa, Euboea, Folegandros, Ios, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kasos, Koufonisia, Milos, Naxos, Paros, Prasonissi, Rhodes, Schinousa, Sifnos, Sikinos, Syros, Telendos, Thira, Tinos (Fig. 95B).
Habitat:-Rocky coast on various substrates and sandy places.
Taxonomic remarks:-This species was described by D’Urville (1822) on material collected by Tournefort in the Cyclades (see Type). L. proliferum is rather similar to L. stenotatum, but it can be distinguished from L. stenotatum by its broader leaves, shorter and more densely arranged spikelets, and smaller inner bracts. A good illustration of this species, based on original material from Tournefort’s herbarium, was provided by Jaubert & Spack (1853: tab 390).
Basionym:-Statice prolifera D’Urville (1822: 291). Type (lectotype, designated here):-GREECE. Cyclades: Limonium fruticosum, bellidis folio, proliferum insularum Cycladum, herb. Tournefort no. 27 (M!, isotype: P- Tourn.-3117!).
Description:-Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a sub-shrub 15-60 cm tall, with several to many ascending to erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 2-10 cm long, densely branched, densely spirally leafy in the upper third; living leaves in rosettes at apices of caudices. Leaves coriaceous, glaucous, rigid, tuberculate with many crateriform glands, 10-45 mm long and 5-10 mm broad, spathulate to oblong-spathulate, apex obtuse to round, sometimes retuse, v-shaped in cross-section, with one central nerve, gradually tapering into the petiole. Stems robust, 10-55 cm long, glaucous, flexuous, articulate, constricted and fragile at nodes, tuberculate with many crateriform glands or sometimes verrucate with crescent-shaped glands, branching begins near the base, very branched, often repeatedly proliferous. Inflorescence trullate or obtrullate in outline. Sterile branches several to numerous, 1-8 cm long, flexuous, branched. Fertile branches numerous, 2-12 cm long, glaucous, tuberculate with many crateriform glands, arranged in the upper half of the stems, straight to curved, directed obliquely upwards to spreading, forming branching angles of 40°-65°, unbranched or branched. Spikes 10-80 mm long, straight to curved, erect to directed obliquely upwards; axis of the spike with many crateriform glands. Spikelets 7.2-9.0 mm long, composed of 1-6 flowers, remotely arranged with 1-3 (-5) per cm. Outer bract 2.2-3.0 mm long and 2.0-2.6 mm broad, more or less narrowly triangular-ovate, obtuse; bract margin broadly membranous; central part slightly fleshy, sometime only at the base, with some crateriform glands, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 2.8-3.5 mm long and 1.8-2.6 mm broad, oblong-obovate to oblong-elliptic, rounded. Inner bract 6.0-8.1 mm long and 3.8-4.2 mm broad, oblong-obovate, rounded; bract margin broadly membranous; central part slightly fleshy, with many crateriform glands, 5.0-6.4 mm long and 2.3-3.5 mm broad, oblong to oblong-obovate, acuminate, forming a narrowly triangular tip, 0.8-1.4 mm long, not reaching the upper margin. Calyx slender, 5.8-7.0 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 1-2 mm; calyx tube glabrous or sparsely shortly hairy, with 5 ribs ending in the middle of lobes; calyx lobes ca. 0.6 × 0.9 mm, semi-circular. Corolla pale violet.
Chromosome number:-2n = 34 (Erben Li-257, Li-1744, Li-1757; unpubl.).
Distribution:-Central and southern Aegean region: Attika and the islands of Amorgos, Andros, Antiparos, Chios, Chrysi, Crete, Donousa, Euboea, Folegandros, Ios, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kasos, Koufonisia, Milos, Naxos, Paros, Prasonissi, Rhodes, Schinousa, Sifnos, Sikinos, Syros, Telendos, Thira, Tinos (Fig. 95B).
Habitat:-Rocky coast on various substrates and sandy places.
Taxonomic remarks:-This species was described by D’Urville (1822) on material collected by Tournefort in the Cyclades (see Type). L. proliferum is rather similar to L. stenotatum, but it can be distinguished from L. stenotatum by its broader leaves, shorter and more densely arranged spikelets, and smaller inner bracts. A good illustration of this species, based on original material from Tournefort’s herbarium, was provided by Jaubert & Spack (1853: tab 390).
FIGURE 62. Limonium proliferum (D’Urvill) Erben & Brullo. A) Habit; B) Spikelet; C) Outer bract; D) Middle bract; E) Inner bract; Calyx; G) Calyx lobes; H) Leaf. (Drawn from “Tinos, Ormous Panormou, Brullo & Minissale s.n.,CAT, Herb. Erben).
