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TAXONOMIC REVISION OF THE ASTRAGALUS ANGUSTIFOLIUS
LAM. GROUP (LEGUMINOSAE)
Salvatore BRULLO, Gianpietro GIUSSO del GALDO and Carmelo MUSARELLA
University of Catania, Department of Botany, via A. Longo, 19, I – 95125 Catania (Italy), salvo.brullo@gmail.com
Within the genus Astragalus, A. angustifolius Lam. represents a rather critical and still not deeply
investigated species. This plant is a typical orophyte, showing a thorny cushion-like habit and
chiefly occurring in the eastern Mediterranean territories (Balkans, Aegean Islands, Anatolia, and
Lebanon). On the basis of field and herbarium investigations, as well as literature, A.
angustifolius can be considered a species complex, including many taxa well differentiated from
the morphological and chorological viewpoint previously considered distinct species, subspecies
or varieties of the species at issue (A. retusus Willd., A erinaceous C. Presl., A. pungens Willd.,
A. echinoides L’Hér., A. olympicus Pall., A. angustifolius subsp. longidens Hub.-Mor. & V. A.
Matthews, A. angustifolius var. violaceous Boiss., A. angustifolius var. peduncularis Boiss., A.
angustifolius var. glabrescens Boiss., etc.). The present study aims at clarifying the taxonomy,
nomenclature, and typification of the several taxa hitherto referred to A. angustifolius, taking
advantage both from herbarium and living material collected in the whole distribution range of
this really interesting group. Several allied species, showing close relationships with A.
angustifolius, are also examined. They are A. sirinicus Ten., A. tymphresteus Boiss. & Spruner,
A. taygeteus Perss. & Strid, A. hermoneus Boiss., A. gennarii Brullo & Bacchetta, etc. A
phylogenetic tree based on morphological data is provided too.
Keywords: Astragalus angustifolius, taxonomy, nomenclature, phylogenetic
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