Euphorbia duvalii (Euphorbiaceae) in the Iberian Peninsula

Jordi Bou,Josep Bou I Tomàs

doi:10.3989/ajbm.2495

Abstract

Euphorbia duvalii Lecoq & Lamotte is an endemic species from the Catalan-Occitan territory -western Mediterranean area- and is usually found in the south of France. Euphorbia duvalii has been cited from some localities of the Iberian Peninsula, but in later reviews all of these citations were finally identified as other species of Euphorbia L. One of these citations, from the Alt Empordà -Girona, Spain-, was of specific interest because not all the sources agreed on what the species was. To clarify whether or not this species is really present in the Iberian Peninsula, we examined new material from this population in order to establish whether the species is in fact E. duvalii. Once the morphology of the specimens from the Serra de Bac Grillera population had been analysed, we were able to confirm that they were indeed E. duvalii. This means that this is the only area on the Iberian Peninsula where this endemic species has been identified. The population is located in a rocky meadow that contains some scrub and is surrounded by pinewoods. Because this is the one and only Iberian population, a management and conservation plan needs to be drawn up to ensure its preservation.

Highlights

Euphorbia duvalii Lecoq & Lamotte (Euphorbiaceae Juss.) is an endemic plant from the Catalan-Occitan territory, of which there are a few populations in the southeast of France where the plants can be found in the rocky calcicolous meadows in the Midi Mountains: Causses des Cévennes, Causses du Quercy, Corbières, and Pyrénées-Orientales in the departments of Ardèche, Aude, Aveyron, Gard, Hérault and Lozère (Simon & Vicens 1999; Tison & al. 2014)
Euphorbia duvalii Lecoq & Lamotte is an endemic species from the Catalan-Occitan territory ―western Mediterranean area― and is usually found in the south of France
To clarify whether or not this species is really present in the Iberian Peninsula, we examined new material from this population in order to establish whether the species is E. duvalii

Summary

Introduction

Euphorbia duvalii Lecoq & Lamotte (Euphorbiaceae Juss.) is an endemic plant from the Catalan-Occitan territory, of which there are a few populations in the southeast of France where the plants can be found in the rocky calcicolous meadows in the Midi Mountains: Causses des Cévennes, Causses du Quercy, Corbières, and Pyrénées-Orientales in the departments of Ardèche, Aude, Aveyron, Gard, Hérault and Lozère (Simon & Vicens 1999; Tison & al. 2014). Once the morphology of the specimens from the Serra de Bac Grillera population had been analysed, we were able to confirm that they were E. duvalii.

Results

Conclusion