Biosystematic researches on Allium cupani group (Amaryllidaceae) in the Mediterranean area.

Allium cupani Raf. is a species complex of the subgenus Allium L., which is taxonomicallyquite critical mainly for its marked karyological and morphological variability. In the presentstudy, karyo-taxonomic characterization of some peculiar populations of this group fromItalian, N African, Balcan and Aegean territories has been performed, using both living plantscollected in the field and herbarium material. As a result, ten new species have been recognizedand described within the A. cupani complex. They are A. panormitanum from N Sicily,A. samniticum from C Italy, A. mauritanicum from N Morocco and NW Algeria, A. balcanicumfrom mountains of Balkan Peninsula, A. tzanoudakisanum from Aegean area, A.cephalonicum from Cephalonia island, A. meikleanum from Cyprus, A. pelagicum fromLampedusa island, A. maghrebinum from Tunisia and NE Algeria, and A. tingitanum from NMorocco and NW Algeria. A comprehensive description and detailed illustration, togetherwith significant notes on karyology, phenology, ecology, geographic distribution, and taxonomicrelationships are provided for each species.