Confirmation of the presence of Ornithogalum umbellatum (Hyacinthaceae) in the Iberian Peninsula ; Confirmación de la presencia de Ornithogalum umbellatum (Hyacinthaceae) en la Península Ibérica

Mercadal, G., Martínez Azorín, M. & Crespo, M.B. 2017. Confirmation of the presence of Ornithogalum umbellatum (Hyacinthaceae) in the Iberian Peninsula. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 74(1): e049. The study of plant material from three populations in northeastern Spain and southern France revealed the presence of O. umbellatum as a new record for the Iberian flora. Although this species had been cited in the Iberian Peninsula by various authors within the last two centuries, its presence in this territory could not been confirmed in recent years. A complete description is presented for O. umbellatum and an identification key is included to cover all species of Ornithogalum s. str. (O. subgen. Ornithogalum) of the Iberian Peninsula, as an amendment for their taxonomic treatment in Flora iberica.


INTRODUCTION
The taxonomy of Ornithogalum L. s. str. (i.e., according to Martínez-Azorín & al., 2011) in the Iberian Peninsula within the last two centuries can be considered diverse and confusing.The concept of taxa in this group were used in different ways in the Iberian and western European floras (Zahariadi, 1980;Pignatti, 1982;Aeschimann & al., 2004;Martínez Azorín & al., 2010;Lambinon & Verloove, 2012;Lauber & al., 2012;Stace, 2014;Tison & Foucault, 2014;Tison & al., 2014).Moreover, identification of plants in this group is usually complicated, especially when the subterranean parts or fruits are not available.This led for a complex taxonomy in the group in which up to 11 species, among them O. umbellatum L., were cited in the Iberian Peninsula, most of them being initially described from other territories (Martínez Azorín & al., 2010).
Recently three populations of O. umbellatum s. str.were found in northeastern Spain and southern France by G. Mercadal in the frame of his PhD thesis, in the meadows of the Mediterranean areas of Catalonia.They are the first full-checked records of this species in the Iberian flora.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We studied 17 populations of Ornithogalum s. str. in northeastern Spain and south eastern France, of which 7 belong to O. bourgaeanum, 7 to O. divergens, and 3 to O. umbellatum.One herbarium voucher from each population was prepared and deposited in the Herbari de la Universitat de Girona (HGI; see Appendix 1).Morphological characters were studied on both fresh and dry specimens (Table 1, Figs. 1-3).The identification key was build up exclusively with data from Iberian and French plants.

Geographic distribution, habitat, phenology, and curiosities
Ornithogalum umbellatum inhabits crops, grasslands, gardens, meadows, and disturbed grounds; altitude: from 0 to 100 m.It blooms from April to May.In the Iberian Peninsula we have only found O. umbellatum in l'Alt Empordà and el Gironès (Girona province), although probably is also present in other regions of Catalonia or even other areas of northern Spain.In southeastern France, we know the species from Tuïr, in the region of Perpinyà, from where it spreads northwards to the Loire valley, its locus classicus, and other central European countries.We suggest to revisite the localities where O. umbellatum has been cited in the Iberian Peninsula to check the diagnostic characters of this species.

Fig. 1 .Fig. 2 .Fig. 3 .
Fig. 1.Ornithogalum bourgaeanum: a, habit of the epigeal part; b, habit of complete plant with bracts longer than half of the length of the pedicels, pedicels erect and bulb lacking bulbils; c, leaf bearing a central, longitudinal white or translucent band; d, plant in fruit with erect-patent pedicels; e, detail of the erect-patent pedicels; f, apical view of capsule showing the ribs grouped by pairs; g, lateral view of capsule [a, HGI 22691; b, c, HGI 22697; d-f, HGI 22745; g, HGI 22698].

Table 1 .
Main diagnostic characters of Ornithogalum s. str.species in the Iberian Peninsula.