Leucanthemum vulgare, Lam.

1. L. vulgare Lam. View in CoL , Fl. Fr. 2: 137 (1779)

( Chrysanthemum leucanthemum L. ).

Stems 6-100 cm, simple or branched, glabrous or hairy. Basal leaves l*5-10(-12) cm, obovate-spathulate to oblong-obovate, long-petiolate; margins usually crenate; cauline leaves variable, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, entire, crenate, serrate or deeply lobed to pinnatifid, the lower and middle petiolate, the upper sessile; all leaves green or glaucous. Capitula (2-)2*5-4(-9) cm in diameter, solitary or 2-10. Involucral bracts ovate-oblong to lanceolate, with a usually dark scarious margin. Ligules white, rarely very short or absent. Achenes of ligulate florets with or without a pappus; those of tubular florets without a pappus; pappus, when present, a corona or auricle. In a wide range of natural habitats and also common as a roadside and field weed. Almost throughout Europe, but only as a casual in the extreme north. All except Az BI Cr Sb; only as an alien in Fa Is.

An extremely variable species or species-complex which has been divided into a large number of taxa (given the rank of variety, subspecies or species) many of which are of restricted occurrence. The discovery of extensive cytological variation has led to inten­ sive cytotaxonomic studies of the populations in various parts of Europe. Although some regional and local correlations between chromosome number and morphological variation can be detec­ ted, no overall treatment is at present possible and the recent tendency to recognize the various components of this complex as species is certainly premature and cannot be justified on practical grounds with our present knowledge. Since, however, it is desirable to draw attention to the main variants which deserve some recognition they are listed below.

Literature: C. Favarger & M. Villard, Ber. Schweiz. Bot. Ges. 75: 57-79 (1965). D. Mirkovič, Acta Bot. Croat. 25: 137-152 (1966); op. cit. 28: 245-252 (1969). D. Papeš, Acta Bot. Croat. 31: 81-86 (1972). A. Polatschek, Österr. Bot. Zeitschr. 113: 101-147 (1966); L. Przywara & J. Schmager, Acta Biol. Cracov. (Bot.) 11: 105-116 (1968). L. Przywara, op. cit. 13: 133-142 (1970). M. Villard, Bull. Soc. Neuchâtel Sci. Nat. 91: 119-126 (1968); Ber. Schweiz. Bot. Ges. 80: 96-188 (1970).

L. praecox (Horvatič) Horvatič , Acta Bot. Croat. 22: 212 (1963) ( L. ircutianum (Turcz.) DC. , L. vulgare subsp. triviale (Gaudin) Briq. & Cavillier pro parte; inch L. gaudinii Dalla Torre ) is an early-flowering (April-June) race or series of races which are diploid (2л =18) and occur throughout much of the range of the tetraploid (2л = 36) or hexaploid (2л = 54) L. vulgare , from which it is sometimes separable by its narrower leaves (at least 6 times as long as wide) and auricles with long teeth, although intermediates occur in several areas. Dwarf alpine variants also occur.

L. leucolepis (Briq. & Cavillier) Horvatič , op. cit. 214 (1963), from the W. & C. Mediterranean region, is diploid (2л =18) or tetraploid (2л = 36), sometimes hexaploid (2л = 54), with crenate to deeply lobed basal leaves with incised auricles, involucral bracts with pale or whitish margins, and pappus usually absent. L. rohlenae (Horvatič) Horvatič , loc. cit. (1963) probably belongs here, though the ligulate florets have a pappus.

L. adustum (Koch) Gremii , FI. Anal. Suisse ed. 2, 272 (1898) ( Chrysanthemum leucanthemum subsp. saxicola (Koch) Hayek, L. montanum DC. pro parte, L. maximum auct., non (Ramond) DC.; inch L. margaritae (Gáyer ex Jáv.) Soó ), from S. Sweden to S.E. France, S. Italy and Romania, is hexaploid (2л = 54), with crenate or entire basal leaves with 4-6 small teeth at base and capitula 3*5-6(-9) cm in diameter. It is often confused with L. heterophyllum (Willd.) DC. and L. maximum (Ramond) DC. ; dwarf variants occur in the mountains of C. Europe.

L. heterophyllum (Willd.) DC. , Prodr. 6: 47 (1838) ( L. montanum DC. pro parte, L. maximum auct., non (Ramond) DC.), from the S. Alps and C. Appennini, is octoploid (2л = 72) or occasionally pentaploid (2л = 45) or hexaploid (2л = 54), and is characterized by having serrate basal leaves, numerous cauline leaves, capitula 4-5(-6) cm in diameter, and ligulate florets sometimes with a pappus. L. cuneifolium Le Grand ex Coste , FI. Fr. 2: 341 (1903), from S.E. France (Hautes-Alpes), is an octoploid (2л = 72) with basal and cauline leaves obovate to spathulate, sometimes longpetiolate, cuneiform, deeply and regularly toothed, capitula up to 6 cm in diameter, and well developed pappus on ligulate florets. L. maximum (Ramond) DC. , Prodr. 6: 46 (1838), from the Pyrenees, is decaploid (2л = 90) or dodecaploid (2л =108), with entire to dentate basal leaves and capitula (6-)7-9cm in diameter. It is widely cultivated for ornament in gardens. L. pallens (Gay) DC. , loc. cit. (1838), found in the mountains of S. Europe from the S. Alps to C. Spain and Albania, is hexaploid (2л = 54) with crenate-dentate basal leaves, petioles winged at base, and capitula 1*5-5 cm in diameter. L. crassifolium (Lange) Willk. in Willk. & Lange, Prodr. FI. Hisp. 2: 96 (1865), from N.W. Portugal and N. Spain, just extending into S.W. France, has broadly crenate-dentate basal leaves and capitula 2-3 cm in diameter.

L. subglaucum De Laramb. , Bull. Soc. Litt. Sci. Castres 1861: 446 (1861) ( L. vulgare subsp. glaucophyllum Briq. & Cavillier ), which comprises two races, a hexaploid (2л = 54) from the limestone plateaux of S.C. France and a decaploid (2л = 90) from S.E. France (Alpes-Maritimes), is somewhat glaucous, with basal leaves crenate-dentate only distally, and capitula 4-7 cm in diameter. Plants with 2л = 72 + IB have been reported from N. Spain. L. meridionale Le Grand , Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 28: 56 (1881), from S.C. France, has pinnatifid basal leaves, and capitula 2-3 cm in diameter, and the achenes of the ligulate florets without pappus.

L. laciniatum Huter , Porta & Rigo, Itin. Ital. Ill (Exsicc.) no. 617 (1878), from S. Italy (Calabria), has 2-pinnatifid basal leaves,

capitula 2-5-4-5 cm in diameter and the achenes of the ligulate florets with a prominent corona.

L. delarbrei Timb.-Lagr. in Lamotte, Prodr. Fl. Centr. Fr. 404 (1881), from the Pyrenees, S.C. France and probably N. Italy, has pinnatifid to subpinnatifid basal leaves, capitula 1 -5-2-5 cm in diameter, and the achenes of the ligulate florets without a pappus.

L. lacustre (Brot.) Samp. , Lista Esp. Herb. Port. 132 (1913), from W.C. Portugal (Estremadura), has toothed basal leaves, capitula 4-5-6 cm in diameter and the achenes of the ligulate florets with auricles. L. sylvaticum (Hoffmanns. & Link) Nyman , Syll. 11 (1854— 1855), from N. & C. Portugal and N. Spain, is tetraploid (2« = 36) or hexaploid (2л = 54), with toothed basal leaves, capitula 3-5-5 cm in diameter, involucral bracts pale brown to colourless, and the achenes of the ligulate florets with mucronate, scarious pappus. L. pluriflorum Pau , Bol. Soc. Aragon Ci. Nat. 1:31 (1902), from N.W. Spain, is said to have stems decumbent for 20—40 cm then ascending and much branched above. Several other variants of this complex occur in Spain but have not been adequately studied either taxonomically or cytologically.