Thursday, May 23, 2024

[Botany • 2022] Centaurea lovricii (Asteraceae: Cardueae) • A New Species of Centaurea sect. Centaurea from Croatia


  Centaurea lovricii Bogdanović, Boršić, Ljubičić, Brullo & Giusso, 

in Bogdanović, Boršić, Ljubičić, Brullo et Giusso del Galdo, 2022.

Abstract
A new species, Centaurea lovricii, is described and illustrated from the island of Vis (Dalmatia, Croatia). It occurs on northwest-facing calcareous cliffs near the sea, where it grows with several other rare endemic species. Centaurea lovricii is morphologically similar to C. glaberrima and C. divergens of C. sect. Centaurea, from which it differs in having more succulent leaves with larger and less incised leaflets, bigger capitula, larger phyllaries with more developed appendages and denser and undulate fimbriae, larger florets, bigger achenes, and longer pappus. Its morphological features, distribution, ecology, conservation status and taxonomic affinities are examined. In addition, a new iconography and lectotypification for C. glaberrima and C. divergens is provided.

Keywords: Adriatic region, Balkan flora, Centaurea, Croatia, morphology, new species, taxonomy
 

Centaurea lovricii sp. nov. A habitat B plant growing in natural habitat C capitulum D basal leaves;
C. glaberrima E plant growing in natural habitat F capitula G basal leaves;
C. divergens H plant growing in natural habitat I capitulum. 
Photographed by Sandro Bogdanović.


  Centaurea lovricii Bogdanović, Boršić, Ljubičić, Brullo & Giusso, sp. nov.

Etymology: This species is dedicated to the Croatian botanist Andrija–Željko Lovrić (1943–2018), who was the first to collect it and consider it as a new species.


Sandro Bogdanović, Igor Boršić, Ivica Ljubičić, Salvatore Brullo and Gianpietro Giusso del Galdo. 2022. Centaurea lovricii, A New Species of C. sect. Centaurea (Asteraceae) from Croatia. PhytoKeys. 214: 97-114. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.214.89404