Laserocarpum, a new genus of Apiaceae endemic to Greece

Abstract

Laserpitium pseudomeum is an endemic umbellifer of Greece occurring in the mountains of Sterea Ellas and northern Peloponnese. Molecular data indicate that it is not related to its putative congeners, but instead constitutes an isolated lineage. The nuclear ribosomal DNA ITS tree places it as a weakly supported sister group to Portenschlagiella ramosissima, the sole species in its genus, whereas the tree inferred from three noncoding cpDNA loci does not confirm this relationship. Portenschlagiella ramosissima is sometimes placed in Athamanta, an affinity supported neither by molecular data nor by fruit morphology. Laserpitium pseudomeum notably differs from P. ramosissima in vegetative, flower, and fruit characteristics, and no obvious morphological synapomorphies indicate their close relationship. Therefore, we place L. pseudomeum in the newly described genus Laserocarpum and lectotypify the species with the specimen Orphanides 2019 (G00766460) at G-Boiss.