Three news hybridis of Serapias in Salento (Southern Apulia): Serapias xromanoi (S. neretina x S. vomeracea), Serapias xnatalizioi (S. neretina x vomeracea var. longipetala) and xserapicamptis nohae Canacamptis papilionacea x neretina

Abstract

The recent elevation to the rank species of Serapias neretina promoted in-depth studies on the conservative state of its populations and their diffusion in Apulia. The distribution known to date of Serapias neretina refers chiefly to its locus typicus represented by the locality of Porto Selvaggio, in the municipality of Nardò, province of Lecce, on the western Ionian coast; on the same line of coast, there is a small population in Bosco Cuturi, municipality of Manduria, province of Taranto. Other site where S. neretina grows abundant is in the municipality of Tricase, in the province of Lecce; therefore, recently (2024) some populations of S. neretina has been identified in the municipality of Monteroni, province of Lecce and in the municipality of Nohae, fraction of Galatina, province of Lecce. The relatively widespread diffusion of S. neretina, from the province of Lecce to the province of Taranto, on large coastal stretches and in the internal areas of Salento, has led to a deepening of knowledge on this species, on its distribution and on the conservative state of the populations through repeated inspections and field observations; during these visits some hybrids of Serapias neretina were identified, the taxonomic specifications of these are reported below: Serapias ×romanoi (Serapias neretina × Serapias vomeracea); Serapias ×natalizioi (Serapias neretina × Serapias vomeracea var. longipetala) and ×Serapicamptis nohae ( Anacamptis papilionacea × Serapias neretina). The first two hybrids, interspecific, are mainly united by the presence of a wide and ventricular bract, that represents an element that characterizes S. neretina, but the two entities are visibly dissociated from it by the labellum shape; this recalls -and sometimes appears intermediate- in the first case the not very elongated, relatively narrow and vomer-shaped one of S. vomeracea; in the second one, the labellum still arouses keen attention, as it appears decidedly elongated and narrow, inescapably reminding S. vomeracea var. longipetala. The analytical path towards the intergeneric hybrid ×Serapicamptis nohae appears more complex as the morphological traits diverge more profoundly from the original parental forms; in this case the structure plant, the size and number of the flowers, the shape and extension of the bract with respect to the tepal hood, the length/width ratio of the labellum, the conformation of the epichile, the structure of the callus with its lamellae, the overall pigmentation as well as some traits of taxonomic importance took on importance. Field observations and laboratory analyzes suggest, however, that much material still awaits its adequate taxonomic placement and the ongoing investigations will probably tend to further enrich the list of Serapias hybrids from Salento.