Biosystematic study of the genus Limonium (Plumbaginaceae) in the Aegean area, Greece. EO. Limonium on the islands Kithira and Antikithira and the surrounding islets

The genus Limonium is represented on Kithira, Antikithira and the surrounding islets by the following nine species: L. aphroditae and L. cythereum , recently described from Kithira; L. runemarkii and L. ocymifolium , endemic to Greece; L. graecum and L. sieberi , distributed in E Mediterranean; L. virgatum, L. sinuatum and L. echioides , having a wider Mediterranean distribution. For L. runemarkii , considered so far as endemic to SE Ewia, a new extended distribution range is given from Ewia to NW Kriti, through Peloponnisos and Kithira, showing the phytogeographic relationship of these areas. Moreover, the treatment of L. pigadiense as synonym of L. ocymifolium is proposed. Key and diagnostic characters for the species studied are given, while their affinities to related Aegean and Mediterranean Limonium taxa are discussed. Data on the cytology and breeding system are given. The following chromosome numbers were found: 2n=3x=27 for L. aphroditae and L. virgatum , 2n=6x=52 for L. cythereum , 2n=6x=51 for L. sieberi (firstly reported), 2n=5x=43 for L. runemarkii (firstly reported), L. ocymifolium and L. graecum , 2n=2x=16 for L. sinuatum and 2n=2x=18 for L. echoides. Concerning pollen-stigma combination, L. aphroditae, L. ocymifolium and L. virgatum are monomorphic with the self-incompatible combination B, while L. cythereum and L. runemarkii are also monomorphic with the self-incompatible combination A. According to these data the above species can be considered as apomictic. The facultative apomictic L. graecum was found monomorphic with the combination A, while L. sieberi , has the combination A or B within different populations. The autogamous species L. echioides has the self-compatible combination C, while the allogamous L. sinuatum is dimorphic having both combinations A and B in each population.