LIMONIUM SITIACUM
1. Limonium sitiacum Rechinger fil. (1943b: 103) (Fig. 21)
Type (lectotype, designated here):-GREECE. Crete: Creta. Disr. Sitia. Strandfelsen am Kap Sidero, Kalk, blühend am 5 May 1942, Rechinger 12638 (lectotype G!, isolectotypes K!, W!).
Description:-Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a sub-shrub 15-55 cm tall, with several erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 4-15 cm long, branched, more or less densely spirally leafy in the upper half. Leaves fleshy, rigid, rugose to slightly verrucate, glaucous, 15-55 mm long and 5.5-8.0 mm broad, oblong-spathulate, apex rounded, mucronate, often canaliculated, with one central nerve, gradually tapering into the petiole. Stems 15-30 cm long, tuberculate with many crateriform glands or verrucate with many crescent-shaped glands, glaucous, straight to lightly flexuous, branching frequently begins upper lower quarter, sometimes proliferating in axils. Inflorescence obtrullate in outline. Sterile branches absent or only 1-3 per stem, 1-4 cm long, unbranched. Fertile branches 3-25 cm long, straight to slightly curved, directed obliquely upwards, forming branching angles of 40°-60°, branched. Spikes 15-110 mm long, straight to curved, inserted erect to obliquely upwards; axis of spike with many crateriform glands. Spikelets 8.5-10.0 mm long, composed of 1-5 flowers, remotely arranged with 2-3 per cm, laterally slightly curved near the base. Outer bract 3.0-4.5 mm long and 2.2-2.7 mm broad, more or less narrowly triangular-ovate, acute; bract margin broadly membranous; central part slightly fleshy, sometimes only at the base, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 3.2-3.6 mm long and 2.0-2.6 mm broad, oblong-elliptic, rounded. Inner bract 8.6-9.5 mm long and 3.8-4.2 mm broad, oblong-elliptic to oblong-obovate, rounded; bract margin narrowly membranous; central part fleshy, 6.5-7.5 mm long and 2.3-3.5 mm broad, oblong, acuminate, forming a narrowly triangular tip, 1.0-1.5 mm long, not reaching the upper margin. Calyx 6.3-7.3 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 0.5-1.0 mm; calyx tube glabrous or sparsely shortly hairy, with 5 ribs ending at the base of lobes; calyx lobes ca. 0.7 × 1.2 mm, broadly semi-elliptic; margin of calyx often lacerate after anthesis. Corolla lilac.
Chromosome number:-2n = 43 (Erben Li-264, Li-1728, unpubl.).
Distribution:-A frequently occurring species confined to the northeastern coast of Crete and the neighbouring islets of Dragonada, Elasa, Gianysada, Mochlos and Psira. There is an isolated locality on the islet of Plati, near Kasos (Fig. 94F).
Habitat:-Calcareous and marly rocky coast.
Taxonomic remarks:-L. sitiacum is related to L. monolithicum, from which it is well distinguished by having rigid to slightly verrucate broader leaves, longer bracts and shorter calyces, from L. oligotrichum and L. amopicum by having broader leaves, from L. calliopsium, L. vanandense und L. samium by having longer bracts.
Type (lectotype, designated here):-GREECE. Crete: Creta. Disr. Sitia. Strandfelsen am Kap Sidero, Kalk, blühend am 5 May 1942, Rechinger 12638 (lectotype G!, isolectotypes K!, W!).
Description:-Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a sub-shrub 15-55 cm tall, with several erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 4-15 cm long, branched, more or less densely spirally leafy in the upper half. Leaves fleshy, rigid, rugose to slightly verrucate, glaucous, 15-55 mm long and 5.5-8.0 mm broad, oblong-spathulate, apex rounded, mucronate, often canaliculated, with one central nerve, gradually tapering into the petiole. Stems 15-30 cm long, tuberculate with many crateriform glands or verrucate with many crescent-shaped glands, glaucous, straight to lightly flexuous, branching frequently begins upper lower quarter, sometimes proliferating in axils. Inflorescence obtrullate in outline. Sterile branches absent or only 1-3 per stem, 1-4 cm long, unbranched. Fertile branches 3-25 cm long, straight to slightly curved, directed obliquely upwards, forming branching angles of 40°-60°, branched. Spikes 15-110 mm long, straight to curved, inserted erect to obliquely upwards; axis of spike with many crateriform glands. Spikelets 8.5-10.0 mm long, composed of 1-5 flowers, remotely arranged with 2-3 per cm, laterally slightly curved near the base. Outer bract 3.0-4.5 mm long and 2.2-2.7 mm broad, more or less narrowly triangular-ovate, acute; bract margin broadly membranous; central part slightly fleshy, sometimes only at the base, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 3.2-3.6 mm long and 2.0-2.6 mm broad, oblong-elliptic, rounded. Inner bract 8.6-9.5 mm long and 3.8-4.2 mm broad, oblong-elliptic to oblong-obovate, rounded; bract margin narrowly membranous; central part fleshy, 6.5-7.5 mm long and 2.3-3.5 mm broad, oblong, acuminate, forming a narrowly triangular tip, 1.0-1.5 mm long, not reaching the upper margin. Calyx 6.3-7.3 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 0.5-1.0 mm; calyx tube glabrous or sparsely shortly hairy, with 5 ribs ending at the base of lobes; calyx lobes ca. 0.7 × 1.2 mm, broadly semi-elliptic; margin of calyx often lacerate after anthesis. Corolla lilac.
Chromosome number:-2n = 43 (Erben Li-264, Li-1728, unpubl.).
Distribution:-A frequently occurring species confined to the northeastern coast of Crete and the neighbouring islets of Dragonada, Elasa, Gianysada, Mochlos and Psira. There is an isolated locality on the islet of Plati, near Kasos (Fig. 94F).
Habitat:-Calcareous and marly rocky coast.
Taxonomic remarks:-L. sitiacum is related to L. monolithicum, from which it is well distinguished by having rigid to slightly verrucate broader leaves, longer bracts and shorter calyces, from L. oligotrichum and L. amopicum by having broader leaves, from L. calliopsium, L. vanandense und L. samium by having longer bracts.
FIGURE 21. Limonium sitiacum Rechinger fil.. 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, Est di Sitia, Brullo & Pavone s.n., CAT”, spikelet details from “K.H. Rechinger 12905a, M”).