Gagea bohemica (Liliaceae), a highly variable monotypic species within Gagea sect. Didymobulbos

Abstract

Gagea bohemica s.l. (Liliaceae) consists of two morphologically extreme forms (saxatilis and bohemica) which depending on the varying opinions of the authors are considered as separate species, subspecies or as a single variable species. In this study, morphological (form and length of perianth segments, pilosity of pedicles and peduncles) and molecular data (cpDNA trnL–trnF IGS) of 55 samples corresponding to 43 populations from Western Europe to the Mediterranean area and eastern Caucasus were investigated. G. bohemica (Zauschn.) Schult. & Schult. f. represents a highly variable monotypic species from both morphological and karyological (2n = 24, 36, 48, 60, 72) aspects. Based on the molecular and morphological data presented here, a differentiation between specific and infraspecific taxa is not possible. We hypothesize that the morphological variability of this species is largely influenced by different site conditions and ploidy level.

Keywords:

• Didymobulbos
• Gagea bohemica
• Liliaceae
• morphology
• taxonomy
• trnL–trnF IGS

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge Dieter Korneck (Wachtberg, Germany), Igor G. Levichev (Komarov Botanical Institute St. Petersburg), Andrew Jones (Countryside Council for Wales) and Stefan Rätzel for the provided samples of G. bohemica. We are grateful to Dieter Korneck for his interest, accompanying field excursions in D‐RP and CZ‐B and for detailed habitat information. We thank Jiří Kolbek, Tomáš Černý and Petr Petřík (Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences) for guided field excursion and habitat information in CZ‐B. We thank Carolin Klaußmann for technical assistance. Alexander Harpke is acknowledged for providing the map of Figure 5.