Article

The taxonomy of the genus Armeria depends strictly on its obligate outbreeding mechanism, a key feature of this group of plants that plays a decisive role in their geographical differentiation. With no breeding barriers it is the geographical isolation that operates in the differentiation processes of species (or subspecies when isolation is not complete and morphological differences are less significant). The exsiccata examined, preserved in the Erbario Centrale Italico of the Museo Botanico dell’Università di Firenze (FI), confirm this taxonomical approach. The genus Armeria in Italy exhibits disjunct distribution on isolated mountains. There are 12 taxonomically defined species plus 4 subspecies; they include 1 new species (Armeria garganica) and 1 new subspecies (A. arenaria subsp. apenninica).