LIMONIUM STENOTATUM
1. Limonium stenotatum (Rech. fil.) Erben & Brullo, comb. et stat. nov. (Fig. 63)
Basionym:-Limonium graecum (Poir.) Rechinger fil. var. stenotatum Rechinger fil. (1943b: 105). Type (lectotype, designated here): GREECE. Crete: Creta, Distr. Sitia: In saxosis calc. litoreis promontorii Sidero, 5 May 1942, Rechinger 12637 (W!, isotype BM !, M!).
Description:-Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a sub-shrub 10-30 cm tall, with few to numerous ascending to erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 3-18 cm long, branched, densely spirally leafy in the upper two thirds or half. Leaves fleshy, green to glaucous, tuberculate with many crateriform glands, 13-40 mm long and 1.5-5.0 mm broad, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, apex acute, retuse, v-shaped in cross-section, with one central nerve, gradually tapering into the petiole. Stems green to glaucous, tuberculate with many crateriform glands or sometimes more or less verrucate, 10-28 cm long, more or less flexuous, constricted at the nodes, branching frequently begins near the base, some times proliferating in axils. Inflorescence trullate or obtrullate in outline. Sterile branches mostly numerous, 1-3 cm long, straight, tuberculate with many crateriform glands, unbranched. Fertile branches 3-9 cm long, tuberculate with many crateriform glands, slightly arched, constricted at nodes, directed obliquely upwards, forming branching angles of 45°-80°, sometimes branched in the lower half. Spikes 40-110 mm long, straight to slightly curved, erect to directed obliquely upwards; axis of spike with many crateriform glands. Spikelets 9.0-10.0 mm long, composed of 1-5 flowers, very remotely arranged with 1-4 per 2 cm. Outer bract 2.6-3.0 mm long and 2.1-2.6 mm broad, triangular-ovate, obtuse; bract margin broadly membranous, central part slightly fleshy, occasionally with some crateriform glands, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 2.8-3.1 mm long and 1.8-2.2 mm broad, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, rounded. Inner bract 7.8-8.2 mm long and 4.3-4.8 mm broad, obovate to elliptic, obtuse to rounded; bract margin more or less broadly membranous, central part fleshy, 5.8-6.4 mm long and 2.6-3.5 mm broad, oblong to oblong-obovate, acuminate, forming a triangular tip, 1.0-1.3 mm long, not reaching the upper margin. Calyx 6.5-7.2 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 0.5-1.5 mm; calyx tube glabrous or covered with few short hairs, with 5 ribs ending at the base of lobes; calyx lobes ca. 0.6 × 0.9 mm, semi-elliptic. Corolla lilac.
Chromosome number:-2n = 42 (Erben Li-256, unpubl.).
Distribution:-Widespread on Crete, Karpathos and Kasos (Fig. 89E).
Habitat:-Rocky coasts on different substrates and salt marshes.
Taxonomic remarks:-L. stenotatum material was previously wrongly named as L. hyssopifolium. Revision of the type material has identified the latter binomial as a synonym of L. roridum. The taxon at issue was described by Rechinger (1943b) from Crete on specimens by himself collected in 1942 at Cap Sideros, who consided it as var. stenantum of L. graecum. Morphologically, L. stenotatum is similar to L. proliferum, from which it differs by having more narrow leaves, longer and very remotely arranged spikelets, and broader inner bracts.
Basionym:-Limonium graecum (Poir.) Rechinger fil. var. stenotatum Rechinger fil. (1943b: 105). Type (lectotype, designated here): GREECE. Crete: Creta, Distr. Sitia: In saxosis calc. litoreis promontorii Sidero, 5 May 1942, Rechinger 12637 (W!, isotype BM !, M!).
Description:-Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a sub-shrub 10-30 cm tall, with few to numerous ascending to erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 3-18 cm long, branched, densely spirally leafy in the upper two thirds or half. Leaves fleshy, green to glaucous, tuberculate with many crateriform glands, 13-40 mm long and 1.5-5.0 mm broad, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, apex acute, retuse, v-shaped in cross-section, with one central nerve, gradually tapering into the petiole. Stems green to glaucous, tuberculate with many crateriform glands or sometimes more or less verrucate, 10-28 cm long, more or less flexuous, constricted at the nodes, branching frequently begins near the base, some times proliferating in axils. Inflorescence trullate or obtrullate in outline. Sterile branches mostly numerous, 1-3 cm long, straight, tuberculate with many crateriform glands, unbranched. Fertile branches 3-9 cm long, tuberculate with many crateriform glands, slightly arched, constricted at nodes, directed obliquely upwards, forming branching angles of 45°-80°, sometimes branched in the lower half. Spikes 40-110 mm long, straight to slightly curved, erect to directed obliquely upwards; axis of spike with many crateriform glands. Spikelets 9.0-10.0 mm long, composed of 1-5 flowers, very remotely arranged with 1-4 per 2 cm. Outer bract 2.6-3.0 mm long and 2.1-2.6 mm broad, triangular-ovate, obtuse; bract margin broadly membranous, central part slightly fleshy, occasionally with some crateriform glands, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 2.8-3.1 mm long and 1.8-2.2 mm broad, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, rounded. Inner bract 7.8-8.2 mm long and 4.3-4.8 mm broad, obovate to elliptic, obtuse to rounded; bract margin more or less broadly membranous, central part fleshy, 5.8-6.4 mm long and 2.6-3.5 mm broad, oblong to oblong-obovate, acuminate, forming a triangular tip, 1.0-1.3 mm long, not reaching the upper margin. Calyx 6.5-7.2 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 0.5-1.5 mm; calyx tube glabrous or covered with few short hairs, with 5 ribs ending at the base of lobes; calyx lobes ca. 0.6 × 0.9 mm, semi-elliptic. Corolla lilac.
Chromosome number:-2n = 42 (Erben Li-256, unpubl.).
Distribution:-Widespread on Crete, Karpathos and Kasos (Fig. 89E).
Habitat:-Rocky coasts on different substrates and salt marshes.
Taxonomic remarks:-L. stenotatum material was previously wrongly named as L. hyssopifolium. Revision of the type material has identified the latter binomial as a synonym of L. roridum. The taxon at issue was described by Rechinger (1943b) from Crete on specimens by himself collected in 1942 at Cap Sideros, who consided it as var. stenantum of L. graecum. Morphologically, L. stenotatum is similar to L. proliferum, from which it differs by having more narrow leaves, longer and very remotely arranged spikelets, and broader inner bracts.
FIGURE 63. Limonium stenotatum (Rechinger fil.) Erben & Brullo. 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 “Creta, costa scistosa ad Est di Sitia, Brullo & Giusso s.n., CAT”, spikelet details from “K.H. Rechinger 12637, M”).