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| Ornithogalum christiniae in Kypriotakis, Tzanoudakis et Antaloudaki. 2024. |
Abstract
Ornithogalum christiniae sp. nov., collected from the offshore islet of Agria Gramvousa (northwestern Crete, Greece), is described and illustrated as a locally endemic species. It is related to Ornithogalum montanum, O. atticum and O. pumilum, however, it differs from these in having wrinkled and corrugated leaf surface, fruiting pedicels thickened at base, flexuose rachis of infructescence and winged capsules. The relationships between the new species and the aforementioned are discussed, while information regarding its ecology, conservation status and karyotype is also given.
Keywords: Aegean Flora, island specialists, karyotypes, new species, Ornithogalum, taxonomy
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| Ornithogalum christiniae sp. nov. (Asparagaceae). (A) Plant habit at the stage of anthesis. (B) plant habit at the stage of fruit, (C) flower shape (apical and bottom view), (D) leaf surface structure showing the differences between O. montanum leaf (left) and O. christiniae leaf (right). |
Ornithogalum christiniae sp. nov.
Diagnosis: A species showing some similarities with O. montanum, and to a lesser extent with O. atticum and O. pumilum, in having bulbs with concrescent scales, leaves more than 5 mm wide without a white stripe, a short raceme that is corymbiform at anthesis, entire filaments and hypogeal germination, however, it differs from these three species in having spherical to sub-spherical bulbs, wrinkled and corrugated leaf surface, basally thickened fruiting pedicel and winged capsules.
Etymology: The species epithet is dedicated to Dr Christini Fournaraki, Mediterranean Agronomical Institute of Chania (CIHEAM-MAICh), a well-known botanist and fellow in fieldwork.
Zacharias Kypriotakis, Dimitrios Tzanoudakis and Eleftheria Antaloudaki. 2024. Ornithogalum christiniae (Asparagaceae): A New Species from an offshore islet on the Cretan Area (S. Aegean, Greece). Nordic Journal of Botany.DOI: doi.org/10.1111/njb.04485
