Morphological variation of Narcissus serotinus L. s.l. (Amaryllidaceae) in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

A morphological study of Narcissus serotinus L. s.l. was carried out in 40 populations, mainly located in the south-west Iberian Peninsula, by the application of ordination and classification analysis to 42 vegetative and flower characters. Wide morphological variability was found in the species. A total of 19 characters clearly differentiated two groups as distinct species, but intraspecific variation, associated with geographical distribution, was found. One of the species aligned with N. serotinus L. s.s., having a six-lobed yellow corona and one flower per scape, with a distribution restricted to the south-west Iberian Peninsula and north-west Morocco. The other species, distributed widely throughout the circum-Mediterranean region, and characterized by a three-lobed, orange-brownish corona and one to three flowers per scape, matched the description of N. obsoletus (Haw.) Steud. The historical application of this pre-Linnean name, given to a Spanish plant by Parkinson in 1629, and used subsequently by various authors, is doubtful, and thus its typification was necessary. Two other populations identified as N. elegans (Haw.) Spach were included in this study as a reference, and allowed characters in N. obsoletus, intermediate between those of N. serotinus and N. elegans, to be found, suggesting a hybridization process occurring in its area of origin.