Taxonomy and conservation of Pancratium maritimum (Amaryllidaceae) and relatives in the Central Mediterranean

Abstract

Pancratium maritimum L. (Amaryllidaceae) is a geophyte occurring in the Mediterranean region, from the Black Sea to part of the Atlantic coast. This plant is receiving much attention from the international scientific community due to its value as a bioindicator, the potential industrial value of its chemical compounds, and its use as a commercial ornamental plant. Plant morphometry and sequences of three plastid DNA regions (rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA) were used to assess the phenotypic and genetic variability of this taxon and its closest congeneric species (in particular Pancratium linosae, from the volcanic island of Linosa) in the Central Mediterranean (Sicily, Tunisia and surrounding islands). Pancratium maritimum and P. linosae cannot be distinguished based on morphological and genetic data and should belong to the same taxon. Our results also highlight a diversified gene pool in P. maritimum that is worth preserving. The lectotypes of the names Halmira stellaris, Pancratium angustifolium and Pancratium foetidum are here designated.