A new species of Centaurea (sect. Phalolepis, Compositae: Cardueae) from eastern Peloponnisos, Greece |
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| Authors: | E KALPOUTZAKIS TH CONSTANTINIDIS |
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| Institution: | Division of Pharmacognosy –Chemistry of Natural Products, School of Pharmacy, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, GR-157 71 Athens, Greece; Laboratory of Systematic Botany, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, GR-118 55 Athens, Greece |
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| Abstract: | A new species of Centaurea L. , Centaurea leonidia Kalpoutz. & Constantin. , from two localities west and south-west of the town of Leonidio in eastern Peloponnisos, Greece, is described and illustrated. It belongs to C . sect. Phalolepis , and taxonomically its closest relatives are C. heldreichii Halácsy , a very localized species from south-west Sterea Ellas (Greece) and, surprisingly, C. niederi Heldr., which belongs to sect. Acrolophus. The new species is currently known from two populations of less than 100 individuals each, growing on almost inaccessible cliffs close to the convent of Agios Nikolaos Sintzas (St. Nicolas of Sintza) and the slopes of Poundes summit. Several other Greek endemic species are found in the same areas. Centaurea leonidia is scientifically important as it belongs to a small group of taxa, which, although they are members of sect. Phalolepis , have close allies in sect. Acrolophus. The chromosome number of C. leonidia , 2 n = 18, counted in root tips, is also reported and illustrated. © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 146 , 375–383. |
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| Keywords: | Asteraceae chromosome number conservation endemic species Flora Hellenica morphology taxonomy |
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