Lomelosia

Lomelosia is a genus of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae and the subfamily of	Dipsacoideae. The genus includes over 50-63, perennial and annual species, diffused around the Mediterranean Sea, with the greatest diversity of species concentrated in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East (including the Arabian Peninsula), and also has a few species reaching as far east as China.

Morphologically, the genus accommodates all Scabiosa taxa with a pitted epicalyx. (an involucre (structure surrounding or supporting, usually a head of flowers) resembling an outer calyx (collective term for the sepals of the flower).

Some older books still list them under Scabiosa. or list both names together. Such as Scabiosa sicula [Lomelosia divaricata ].

Taxonomy
Lomelosia was first published and described by french botanist Rafinesque in Flora Telluriana Vol.4 on page 95 in 1838, with a general description of Lomelosia stellata

The name Lomelosia is derived from the Greek word Loma meaning 'the edge or the border' which refers to the membranous border of the flower.

History
It was included in Scabiosa for quite a long time (e.g. Jasiewicz 1976),

Earlier researchers had considered that the annual species of Scabiosa to be derived within Lomelosia and hypothesized that this was responsible for the successful colonization of the (mostly) Eastern Mediterranean, (Ehrendorfer, 1965a; and Verlaque, 1986b.

For very many years Lomelosia caucasica was known as Scabiosa caucasica as well as several other species of Scabiosa. Then following a comprehensive study of the family Dipsacaceae by Verlaque in 1983, and also by Devesa in 1984.

The Scabioseae subfamily were then split into several genera, with S. caucasica placed in Lomelosia (Greuter 1985). López González in 1987 agreed with the split.

Greuter and Raus in 1985, divided Iranian species of Scabiosa into two genera as Lomelosia (= Scabiosa sect. Astrocephalus and sect. Olivierinae) and Scabiosa s. str. (Scabiosa s. l sect. scaboisa). Asterocephalus was later classed as a synonym of Scabiosa.

Soják in 1987, also transferred several species of Scabiosa taxa found in Asia, to the Lomelosia genus. Including Lomelosia flavida, Lomelosia gumbetica , Lomelosia isetensis , Lomelosia leucactis , Lomelosia macrochaete , Lomelosia olgae , Lomelosia rhodantha , Lomelosia speciosa ,, Lomelosia songarica and Lomelosia ucranica.

There are 22 species of Scabiosa recorded in the Flora Iranica by Rechinger in 1989, as he had not accepted the new term Lomelosia and had stated that species were later divided into two subgenera (Scabiosa and Asterocephalus) and three sections including Scabiosa, Asterocephalus and Olivierianae. He had used Scabiosa sect. Olivierianae to hold some of the annual species of Scabiosa subg. Asterocephalus. New species from Iran and Asia were also added to these three sections.

Molecular data demonstrated that Lomelosia (and Pycnocomon) form a clade distinct from Scabiosa (and Sixalix) (De Castro & Caputo 1997-1998, Further carpological (seed studies) and palynological studies by Mayer & Ehrendorf in 1999, have confirmed that Lomelosia was a separate genus from Scabiosa, which has been further substantiated by later data from molecular phylogenetics (Caputo & al. 2004; and Avino & al. 2009. In 2009, the DNA clade of Scabioseae, consisting of Pterocephalus s.str., Sixalix, Scabiosa, Lomelosia, and Pycnocomon was established. Lomelosia can be distinguished from the other related genera by the presence of eight pits on the epicalyx tube (De Castro & Caputo 2001).

The annual Lomelosia brachiata was resolved to be a genetic sister to the rest of Lomelosia and Pycnocomon in 2009.

In 2010, the Dipsacoideae subfamily was divided into 2 genetic DNA clades; Knautia–Cephalaria–Dipsacus–Succisella clade and the Scabiosa–Pterocephalus–Lomelosia clade.

In 2011, 4 more species from the Scabiosa genus with a pitted epicalyx transferred to Lomelosia, Lomelosia deserticola, Lomelosia poecilocarpa , Lomelosia schimperiana , and Lomelosia transcaspica.

In 2013, V. Mayer and Ehrend established Lomelosieae, a subgenus within Lomelosia.

Description
Lomelosia is made up of perennial and annual, herbaceous species, examples include; Lomelosia persica is an annual species, while Lomelosia caucasica is a perennial.

They are sometimes suffruticose (having a woody base, but herbaceous higher up), unarmed, without prickles. Leafy or scapiform stems, which have short hairs. It has sessile or petiolate (stalked) leaves. They are whole and toothed. They can be pinnatifid, pinnatipartite or pinnatisect. The basal leaves are sometimes in a rosette, persistent or not at anthesis (fully open flowering). They have hemispheric chapters at anthesis which are globose or ovoid at the time of fruiting. It has numerous free bracts, arranged in 1-2 (or 3) rows. They are entire or pinnatifid, receptacle at first hemispherical and then conical or cylindrical (in shape), hairy, with herbaceous-scarious bracteoles. They have hermaphroditic, pentamerous (5 part) flowers, which are subactinomorphic (less than star-shaped) or zygomorphic (bilateral). They are almost equal or the peripheral ones of the larger chapter. The secondary involucre is homomorphous, sessile, without basal elasome, shaped like a cylindrical tube, with no apparent nerves or ribs and is densely hirsute. They have 8 foveolae in the distal half. It has a campanulate (bell-shaped) crown, which is scarious (dry and membranous) and hyaline (translucent), with ± scalloped edge. They are traversed by numerous smooth or scabrid nerves, sometimes excurrent (extending). The midriff is scarious and hairy. It consists of 8 adnate tabs and with a cylindrical projection that surrounds the calyx stipe. The calyx is pateniform, pentagonal (in shape), ± stipitate, with glanduliferous or eglandulous hairs. It has 5 subulate or widened edges at the base, they are ± scabrid, erect-patent or patent and persistent. The corolla has 5 lobes, that of the peripheral flowers are often zygomorphic, with very unequal lobes. As 3 are bigger than the other 2 lobes. The central is major, so that of the flowers in the center are subactinomorphic. They come in shades of pink, violet-pink or blue-like. The androecium is made of 4 stamens. The stigma is capitate (resembles the head of a pin), bilobate (split in two) and oblique. The fruit (or seed capsule) is an achene (dry fruit) which is glabrous or hairy. (Translated from Spanish).

They are generally have involucral bracts not connate (fused to another organ), entire and radiant, the epicalyx is cylindrical and the corona can be large.

Species
63 Accepted species by Plants of the World Online (as of October 2023);


 * Lomelosia albocincta
 * Lomelosia alpestris
 * Lomelosia argentea
 * Lomelosia aucheri
 * Lomelosia austroaltaica
 * Lomelosia balianii
 * Lomelosia bicolor
 * Lomelosia brachiata
 * Lomelosia brachycarpa
 * Lomelosia calocephala
 * Lomelosia camelorum
 * Lomelosia candollei
 * Lomelosia caucasica
 * Lomelosia cosmoides
 * Lomelosia crenata
 * Lomelosia cretica
 * Lomelosia cyprica
 * Lomelosia deserticola
 * Lomelosia divaricata
 * Lomelosia epirota
 * Lomelosia esfandiarii
 * Lomelosia flavida
 * Lomelosia graminifolia
 * Lomelosia gumbetica
 * Lomelosia hispidula
 * Lomelosia hololeuca
 * Lomelosia hymettia
 * Lomelosia isetensis
 * Lomelosia kurdica
 * Lomelosia leucactis
 * Lomelosia lycia
 * Lomelosia macrochaete
 * Lomelosia micrantha
 * Lomelosia minoana
 * Lomelosia oberti-manettii
 * Lomelosia olgae
 * Lomelosia olivieri
 * Lomelosia palaestina
 * Lomelosia paucidentata
 * Lomelosia persica
 * Lomelosia poecilocarpa
 * Lomelosia polykratis
 * Lomelosia porphyroneura
 * Lomelosia prolifera
 * Lomelosia pseudisetensis
 * Lomelosia pseudograminifolia
 * Lomelosia pulsatilloides
 * Lomelosia reuteriana
 * Lomelosia rhodantha
 * Lomelosia rhodopensis
 * Lomelosia roberti
 * Lomelosia rotata
 * Lomelosia rufescens
 * Lomelosia schimperiana
 * Lomelosia simplex
 * Lomelosia songarica
 * Lomelosia speciosa
 * Lomelosia sphaciotica
 * Lomelosia stellata
 * Lomelosia sulphurea
 * Lomelosia transcaspica
 * Lomelosia ulugbekii
 * Lomelosia variifolia

GRIN (United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service) only accepts 12 species;Lomelosia argentea, Lomelosia calocephala, Lomelosia caucasica, Lomelosia cretica, Lomelosia divaricata, Lomelosia graminifolia, Lomelosia micrantha, Lomelosia minoana, Lomelosia palaestina, Lomelosia prolifera, Lomelosia speciosa and Lomelosia stellata.

Distribution
Lomelosia is described as an Old World genus and it is distributed from the Mediterranean region to Central Asia.

It is found in the European countries (and regions) of Albania, the Balearic Islands, Bulgaria, Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, France, Greece, Italy, Crete, Portugal, Romania, Sardinia, Sicily, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and Yugoslavia. In Russia, (Altai (region), Crimea, East European Russia, South European Russia and West Siberia. In Northern Africa within Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco. In the Middle East, within Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. In central Asia within Kazakhstan, Kirghistan, North Caucasus, Tajikistan, Transcaucasus, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and West Himalaya. Also in eastern Asia in Xinjiang (China).

Habitat
Lomelosia species like a range of habitats.

For example, Lomelosia cyprica is found on dry slopes in garigue (low scrubland) and open pine forests at altitudes of 150 and 1200 m above sea level.

While L. argentea likes arid meadows and garigue, L. crenata likes detrital (rocky) slopes and L. graminifolia likes stony slopes (in Italy).

Lomelosia minoana is Greek and Crete native rock-dwelling plant.

While Lomelosia deserticola is found in deserts of Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Pakistan and Lomelosia schimperiana  is found in open environments in Iran.

Ecology
The flowers of Lomelosia are insect pollinated, mainly by bees and bumblebees, as the plants give them a reward of nectar and pollen. Other insects are occasional visitors, such as long-tongues hoverflies (Syrphidae), moths (Proctor et al. 1996), Lepidoptera (such as Lycaenidae) and Diptera) (Muller 1873, ).

Uses
Lomelosia hymettia is considered as a medicinal plant (Grigoriadou et al., 2019), with antimicrobial properties (Christopoulou et al., 2008).

Several species of Lomelosia are grown as ornamentals in Europe. Jäger & al. (2008; sub Scabiosa) cites L. caucasica, L. graminifolia , L. prolifera and 'L. stellata. Matthews (2000; also sub Scabiosa) even cites 12 additional species that are cultivated in European gardens. One of these, L. stellata, has been recorded as a casual escape in Belgium.

While L. graminifolia (Barth, 2020), L. hymettia  and L.  cretica  are xerophytes used in landscaping designs. L. prolifera has been used as part of green roof plantations (Cristaudo et al., 2015).

Cultivation
Successful propagation in various species of Lomelosia has been reported both via seed growing and by vegetative methods. Propagation with cuttings for species Lomelosia hymettia was carried out using Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA, hormone rooting agent) with results to a high rate of rooting (92.5-100%) during autumn, compared to 50-67.5% during the spring  (Vlachou et  al.,  2019). In-vitro propagation has also been successfully employed for Lomelosia argentea (Panayotova et al., 2008).

Other sources

 * Brummitt R. K. 2007: Dipsacaceae. — Pp. 129–130 in: Heywood V. H., Brummitt R. K., Culhan A. & Seberg O. (ed.), Flowering plant families of the world. — Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens.
 * Jäger E.J., Ebel F., Hanelt P. & Müller G. (eds.) (2008) Rothmaler Band 5. Exkursionsflora von Deutschland. Krautige Zier- und Nutzpflanzen. Springer Verlag, Berlin: 880 p.
 * Jasiewicz A. (1976) Scabiosa. In: Tutin T.G. & al. (eds.), Flora Europaea, vol. 4. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 68-74.
 * Matthews V.A. (2000) Scabiosa. In: Cullen J. & al. (eds.), The European Garden Flora, vol. 6. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 460-465.