Narcissus × caramulensis ( Amaryllidaceae ) , a new hybrid for the portuguese flora by

Ribeiro, P., Paiva, J. & Freitas, H. 2007. Narcissus × caramulensis (Amaryllidaceae), a new hybrid for the portuguese flora. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 64(1): 43-46. We describe Narcissus × caramulensis P. Ribeiro, Paiva & Freitas, a new natural hybrid of Narcissus cyclamineus DC. and N. bulbocodium L. subsp. bulbocodium, collected in the Caramulo Mountains (Beira Alta, Central Portugal), is described. Morphological characters of the new species are analysed and its distribution and ecology are discussed.


Introduction
Between 2002 and 2005, as part of an assessment of the vascular flora diversity of the Caramulo Mountain (Beira Alta, Central Portugal) and an evaluation of the conservation status of the vascular flora priority taxa, we have conducted a regular survey of the Narcissus cyclamineus populations, and collected a new hybrid in an area where the distribution of Narcissus cyclamineus and Narcissus bulbocodium subsp.bulbocodium overlaps (Fig. 1).
In the Herbarium of the Botany Department of the University of Coimbra (COI), we found samples of N. bulbocodium subsp.bulbocodium collected in the Caramulo Mountain, in 1886, by Júlio Henriques.N. cyclamineus was first reported from these Mountains in 1952, when Abílio Fernandes prospected the area (Fernandes, 1953).
Both taxa are considered of importance for conservation by Portuguese and EU legislation.N. bulbocodium belongs to the Annex V of the EU Directive 92/43/EEC which lists the plants that should be subjected to specific management measures due to threats as excessive gathering and exploitation.N. cyclamineus, classified as "Endangered" (E) after the preliminary list of a future Red Book of Vascular Plants from Portugal (Lopes & Carvalho, 1990), belongs to the list of plant species of community importance, whose conservation requires strict protection, including the designation of protected areas (Annex II & IV of the EU Directive 92/43/EEC).

Materials and methods
The specimens of N. bulbocodium and N. cyclamineus from the COI herbarium were consulted, however, the morphological analysis (Table 1) was based on living material of the hybrid and its parents, collected during field work.
We studied and measured 10 randomly selected specimens of each parental population in the locality where the hybrid was found.Attending to the rarity of the hybrid, we have only collected one specimen for the COI herbarium.The description of the hybrid was based on that specimen and on direct examination of 4 living specimens in the field.
Pollen was collected from plants in the field and from the herbarium specimen and stained with acetic carmine for counting.Five microscopic slides were analysed and the percentage of well stained red grains was used as an indication of viable pollen production.
Etymology: The epithet refers to the name of the Mountains where the hybrid was found.
The main differences between Narcissus × caramulensis and its parents are shown in Table 1.
The anthers are incurved, not surrounding the style and the scape is subterete.According to the identification key of Narcissus L. sections (Fernandes, 1968), these characters place the hybrid in the Bulbocodium × Pseudonarcissus section.In the Pseudonarcissus section, to which N. cyclamineus belongs, the scape is compressed and the anthers are straight, surrounding the styles.
The hybrid presents short 1-flowered scapes, shorter than the leaves and patent tepals, characters acquired from the parental species N. bulbocodium subsp.bulbocodium.The corona is tubular, just as long as or slightly longer than the segments and these ones are oblong-lanceolate, with 3-5 mm wide, characters acquired from the parental species N. cyclamineus.
The leaves are erect, resembling N. cyclamineus, with an intermediate width between the two parental Narcissus × caramulensis, a new hybrid for the portuguese flora species.Another intermediate character is the perianth tube length.
As expected from parental species of different sections, the study of the pollen shows a high percentage (95%) of sterile pollen (Fig. 4).

Distribution, habitat and phenology
The distribution of Narcissus × caramulensis seems to be restricted to the population found in the Bouça stream, a tributary of the Alcofra river, where 10 individuals appear in an area of about 3 × 2 m.
Narcissus × caramulensis grows along the water margins, the preferential habitat of one parental species, N. cyclamineus.We found the hybrid in an area where the population of N. bulbocodium spreads itself to the water margin and overlaps with the population of N. cyclamineus.
We have not been able to find any other population in the vicinity of this specific location.However, the distri- bution and habitat described above suggest that the hybrid probably can also be found along the water streams of the Iberian NW, where N. cyclamineus occurs.
In 2006, flowering started in mid February, two weeks after the anthesis of N. cyclamineus first individuals and one week before N. bulbocodium.
The intermediate characters between N. bulbocodium subsp.bulbocodium and N. cyclamineus, the infertility of the pollen, the rarity of the taxon and its occurrence among the two parental species support the hybrid origin of the taxon.

Table 1 .
Comparison of morphological characters of Narcissus × caramulensis and the parental species.