A morphometric study and taxonomic revision of Fritillaria tubaeformis complex (Liliaceae)

A morphometric multivariate and univariate study involving all the three taxa within the Fritillaria tubaeformis species complex was carried out. A total of 86 individuals from 8 populations were studied in vivo, complemented by the analysis of 116 individuals from herbarium specimens. According to our results, some morphological characters clearly support the separation among F. burnatii, F. tubaeformis and F. moggridgei. Despite this, some morphological overlapping does exist among F. tubaeformis and F. moggridgei, which show contiguous, partially interdigitated, but not overlapping ranges, and we deem more opportune their separation at subspecies level. On the contrary, Fritillaria burnatii is a clearly distinct species, albeit it can occasionally co-occur in the same site with F. tubaeformis subsp. moggridgei. An identification key for both fresh and dry specimens is provided.