Acis ionica

Acis ionica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Monocots
Order:Asparagales
Family:Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily:Amaryllidoideae
Genus:Acis
Species: A. ionica
Binomial name
Acis ionica
Bareka, Kamari & Phitos[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Leucojum ionicum Kit Tan, Mullaj, Sfikas & Strid

Acis ionica is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, native from south-western Albania to western Greece.[1]

Description

Acis ionica is a bulbous plant with narrow leaves, 12–22 cm long but only 2–3 mm wide. The leaves appear after flowering, which is in the autumn. The flowering stalk (scape) is usually 8–20 cm tall, with an inflorescence composed of two to four flowers, occasionally only one or as many as six. The inflorescence is subtended by two spathes, usually extending to below the level of the highest flower. Each flower opens widely and is borne on a stem (pedicel) about 16–28 mm long. The six tepals are white, generally 9–13 mm long. The outer three tepals have pointed tips. The pedicel lengthens after flowering. The black seeds are about 3 mm long.[2]

Taxonomy

Acis ionica was initially confused with Acis valentina, a species found in Spain near Valencia.[3] Doubts over this identification began around 1990, and both morphological and molecular evidence began to suggest that it was a distinct species.[2] It was only formally described in 2006 by Pepy Bareka, Georgia Kamari and Dimitrios Phitos.[1] Although similar in appearance to A. valentina, genetically it is as distinct as any other species of Acis. Compared to A. valentina, it has a thinner scape (flower stalk), broader inner tepals, and its flowers open more widely.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Acis ionica is found in western Greece, on the islands of Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Lefkas, with populations on the nearby mainland of Greece and further north in coastal Albania (close to the city of Vlorë).[1][2] It is found on calcareous soils, in open, stony or rocky ground and on hillsides, usually not far from the sea and at altitudes below 350 m.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Acis ionica", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2017-11-30
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Bareka, Pepy; Kamari, Georgia & Phitos, Dimitrios (2006), "Acis ionica (Amaryllidaceae), a new species from the Ionian area (W Greece, S Albania)", Willdenowia, 36 (1): 357–366, doi:10.3372/wi.36.36131
  3. ↑ Mathew, Brian (1987), The Smaller Bulbs, London: B.T. Batsford, ISBN 978-0-7134-4922-8 , p. 121 (as Leucojum valentinum)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.