Cryptic Colchicum in the central and Eastern Mediterranean

[Carlos]

Another hard topic...

As it is known, the centre of diversity of Colchicum (including Merendera and Bulbocodium) is the eastern Mediterranean to Iran, with a secondary centre in Corsica and Sardinia, with some new species having been proposed a few years ago.

In Spain we don't have many taxa and some had been taken for "autumnale" or even "bivonae" for many years, then multiflorum and lusitanum were splitted off. They are not at all common in collections.

As I have to give many geographical details, I will include some maps.

True autumnale is only knon for sure from some locations in the Spanish Pyrenees, where it is considere dan introduced plant. Tetraploid, 2n=36 (basic number x=18).

Multiflorum occurs mainly in the central Iberian plateau and it has recently been reported as such from what we call the Cantabrian ledge, maybe better understood as the Cantabrian watershed, with one isolated population in Jaén province (Andalusia). It can reach 1200 metres and gets freezing and snow. Flowers are mostly light pink, not chequered. It often occurs with Colchicum autumnale, with which it gives the rare hybrid C. x beltranii, a sterile plant. Multiflorum is a polyploid with 2n=144 (reports vary from 138 to 148).

https://delmanzanaresalguadarrama.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/colchicum-multiflorum-3.jpg?w=294&h=440

https://delmanzanaresalguadarrama.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/colchicum-multiflorum-2.jpg?w=640

https://www.florandalucia.es/images/Galerias/Colchicum_multiflora/Colchicum_multiflora.11.jpg

https://www.florandalucia.es/images/Galerias/Colchicum_multiflora/Colchicum_multiflora.07.jpg

https://www.florandalucia.es/images/Galerias/Colchicum_multiflora/Colchicum_multiflora.15.jpg

Colchicum lusitanum is more termophilous, being found near sea level to about 800 m, also in central and Northern Italian peninsula. It produces up to 10-15 flowers per corm, typically with not very wide petals, which are usually chequered. Flora Iberica gives two distinct chromosome numbers: 2n=108 (which is consistent with Italian reports) and 2n=165 (162 to 165).

Here some habitat photographs  (lusitanum J series) and a map taken from gbif.org

Then Alain Fridlender, a French botanist, described Colchicum fharii from the high Atlas in Morocco, and later he said that some populations in Andalusia (Malaga province and probably eastern Algarve, especialy around Faro) belong in this taxon but would probably represent an European subspecies, which had been published as Colchicum autumnale var. gibraltaricum in an obscure publication by Kelaart. Fridlender left it as Colchiucm fharii subsp, gibraltaricum (Kelaart) Fridl.

These populations feature plants with quite wide chequered tepals, shorter stamens, bigger anthers and longer style, leaves held upright by a "stipe", up to 30 cm long (longer in multiflorum), and the corms produce up to three or four flowers only, one at a time. Here some potos of cultivaded plants I was sent from a location in Antequera (Málaga, lusitanum Ma series).

Very similar plants can be found in central Italy (L'Aquila) and Eastern Algeria (near Skikda), all are regarded as lusitanum...

I tend to agree with Fridlender in that we ahve two species here, I haven't studied material of his C. fharii and he did not report the chromosome number, but I think these plants can account for the 2n=162 reports, which would probably be enough to justify their promoting to species rank, either as fharii or other previous names.

I wonder if anyone has Italian lusitanum, I would like to compare the vegetative traits with ours.

Carlos

[janemcgary]

Can you tell us the typical size of the tepals of Colchicum multiflorum? The photo immediately reminded me of one I have under the name C. laetum.

[Carlos]

Hi, yes

According to Flora Iberica: external tepals 30-55(60) × (5)7-14 mm; perianth tube (6)10-30 cm.