Abstrakt: |
Gagea trinervia and G. graeca, both diploid (2n = 24), share several features that appear unusual in the genus: white flowers, relatively late flowering, and red bulb tunics. They are genetically rather close but can be distinguished with karyology and molecular markers (nrlTS-region). They were indeed thought to be conspecific by many authors, however, exhibit major ontogenetic, morphological and anatomical differences which indicates a strongly divergent evolution. Gagea trinervia differs from G. graeca in having bulbils with stolon-like hypopodium, a regular sister bulbil at the immature stage, an unifacial, juvenile-like basal leaf to adult stage, few cauline leaves, few flowers and a low level of sexual reproduction. These two species make up Gagea sect. Anthericoides, the most early-branching clade of the genus, endemic to the Mediterranean. The closest species phylogenetically is Gagea serotina, that is referred to the separate section Lloydia (Salisb.) Peruzzi & al. comb. & stat. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |