Taxonomic complexity in the halophyte Limonium vulgare and related taxa (Plumbaginaceae): insights from analysis of morphological, reproductive and karyological data

Part of a special issue on halophytes and saline adaptations Background and Aims Limonium is awell-known example of a group of plants that is taxonomically complex due to certain biological characteristics that hamper species’ delineation. The closely related polyploid species Limonium vulgare Mill., L. humile Mill. and L. narbonense Mill. are defined species and can be used for studying patterns of morphological and reproductive variation. The first two taxa are usually found in Atlantic Europe and the third in the Mediterranean region, but a numberof intermediate morphological formsmay be present alongside typical examples of these species. This study attempts to elucidate morphological, …