Edraianthus x lakusicii (Campanulacae) a new intersectional natural hybrid: morphological and molecular evidence

Abstract

The genus Edraianthus A.DC. has a center of distribution in the Balkans and it is one of the most prominent groups of endemic plants in this region. During our recent fieldtrip to Mt. Lovćen (Montenegro), putative hybrid individuals were encountered, morphologically intermediate between two sympatric taxa, E. tenuifolius (E. sect. Edraianthus) and E. wettsteinii subsp. lovcenicus (E. sect. Uniflori). Multivariate morphometric and molecular analyses were carried out to investigate the occurrence of hybridization between these two species. As a result, a new nothospecies is described here, Edraianthus×lakusicii V. Stevanović & D. Lakušić, a natural hybrid between E. tenuifolius and E. wettsteinii subsp. lovcenicus. At present, this hybrid is known only from the single locality of Mt. Lovćen. Its population size is estimated to be <50 mature individuals and the estimated “area of occupancy” is smaller than 1km2.