Morphological, karyological and taxonomic remarks on Ferulago nodosa (L.) Boiss. (Apiaceae)

Western (Sicilian) and eastern (Balcan-aegean) populations of the Balcan-tyrrhenian Ferulago nodosa are reported to be different in some morphological characters, and were considered different species by some authors in XIX century. In this work, fruit and pollen morphologies have been compared in Sicilian and Cretan plants; also, the chromosome number of Sicilian plants has been ascertained. Preliminary results highlight a general homogeneity between the two populations, nevertheless showing significant differences in some parameters (fruit form, pollen size). For this reason, and considering the geographic disjunction of the Sicilian plants, the two populations are proposed to be treated as two different subspecies: F. nodosa subsp. nodosa in the east and F. nodosa subsp. rigida (Ten.) Troia & Raimondo comb. & stat. nov. in the west. The names Ferula rigida Ten. and Ferula geniculata Guss. are also typified.