Introduction
The Balkan Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas in south Europe projecting into the Mediterranean Sea. It harbors a high plant species diversity and endemism as compared to the rest of Europe, with part of it included in the Mediterranean basin, one of the world´s hotspots of biodiversity (Myers et al. 2000,Mittermeier et al. 2011). Some of the countries belonging to the Balkan Peninsula, like Albania, Croatia or Bulgaria, span territories included in both the Mediterranean and the Eurosiberian floristic regions, which considerably increases their plant richness. Croatia and Greece, for example, include areas that are considered to have been climatic refugia for plants during historical climatic oscillations like the Miocene cooling or the Pleistocene glaciations. These refugia are reservoirs of unique genetic diversity and evolutionary potential due to the long-term persistence of species, and therefore have high conservation priority (Médail and Quézel 1999,Médail and Diadema 2009).
Carex L. (Cyperaceae) is a megadiverse plant genus with an almost cosmopolitan distribution although with higher species diversity in the temperate and cold areas of both hemispheres. With ca. 2000 species it ranks among the three largest angiosperm genera in the world (POWO 2020), but it is only the 17th in the Euro-Mediterranean territory (ca. 232 species; Raab-Straube, pers. comm.). In the Balkan Peninsula (considered here to include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, European Turkey, Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia) there are 92 native Carex species according to the most up-to-date official checklist (Govaerts et al. 2021). However, a big issue is that this checklist does not consider the current political borders in the Balkans resulting from the breakup of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, which complicates the elucidation of the real number of Carex species in the Balkan countries formerly belonging to Yugoslavia. Therefore, floristic studies are needed to solve this problem for Carex and many other genera.
In Albania, 58 Carex species have been recognized by Govaerts et al. (2021). The flora of this country has been intensively studied in recent years, and new floras and checklists have been recently published (Vangjeli 2015,Pils 2016,Barina et al. 2017,2018).
Material and methods
The sampling of Carex species was performed during a field campaign in Albania during July 2019. Fieldwork was complemented by the study of Carex specimens housed at Tirana University herbarium, Albania (TIR). Vouchers collected in the field were deposited at Pablo de Olavide University Herbarium, Seville, Spain (UPOS) and TIR. They were carefully studied and identified with the help of a Nikon SMZ645 stereoscopic microscope. A special effort was made to examine the most important diagnostic characters in the genus, using Carex sections as a gateway for taxonomic identification (e.g.,Jiménez-Mejías et al. 2016). Identified species were checked against relevant global (Govaerts et al. 2021), European (e.g.,Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño 2011), and Albanian (e.g.,Vangjeli 2015,Pils 2016,Barina et al. 2017,2018) floras and checklists. Finally, we performed a preliminary assessment of the conservation status of C. atrata and C. parviflora at the national level in Albania following criteria, categories, and guidelines from IUCN (2012a,b).
Results
Our fieldwork trips resulted in 134 Carex herbarium vouchers belonging to 44 different species. An additional species (C. agastachys) was studied from a collection housed at TIR. The finding of 13 of these species was considered relevant for the knowledge of the flora of the Balkans. As a result, we herein report new national records for two species: (i) C. atrata for Albania and North Macedonia, (ii) C. parviflora for Albania, Montenegro and North Macedonia. We confirmed the occurrence in Albania of four species whose presence was considered unproven or their status disputed: C. agastachys, C. demissa, C. curvula and C. hispida. We also provide additional records for two rare and/or endemic species to the Balkans (C. castroviejoi, C. myosuroides). The studied collections also shed light on the taxonomy, distribution and/or ecology in the Balkans of two problematic Carex groups (sections Rhynchocystis and Aulocystis).
Discussion
Carex atrata L. subsp. atrata (Fig. 1A)
This species is an arctic-alpine element distributed in the high latitudes and mountains of the western Palearctic, reaching marginally Greenland. In the Balkans, Govaerts et al. (2021) indicate its presence in Greece and the former Yugoslavia. Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño (2011) attributed these records to Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia, to which they added Bulgaria. Carex atrata has recently been reported for Albania by Pils (2016), Barina (2017a; also implicitly indicating North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo) and Barina et al. (2018), based on a single known population from Mt. Korab, the highest peak (2764 m a.s.l.) of both Albania and North Macedonia. We visited this Albanian-North Macedonian population, and noticed it is nowadays composed of very few individuals (probably not more than a hundred) and confined to the very summit of Mt. Korab. This is a relatively large and conspicuous species, which is relatively easy to spot in the alpine meadows where it is found, so we believe individuals previously collected from lower altitudes collected at the beginning of 20th century (as low as 1800 m a.s.l.; J. Andrasovszky in 1917, seeBarina 2017a) could have disappeared perhaps due to climatic warming and/or habitat degradation. If so, the only known Albanian-North Macedonian population of this species could be facing extinction, since individuals were only observed above 2650 m a.s.l. In addition, we observed flocks of sheep very close to the summit that were intensively grazing and nitrifying the alpine meadows where the species is found. Our preliminary assessment of the national conservation status of this species in Albania (and possibly also in North Macedonia) indicates that it probably fulfills the criteria to be considered critically endangered [CR B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(iii,v)]. Other populations located at lower altitudes from the Balkans (Montenegro, Kosovo; cf.Barina 2017a) and other European countries could be also endangered or have already disappeared (Gebauer, pers. comm).
While Barina (2017a) cited the Albanian specimens as belonging to C. aterrima Hoppe (as C. atrata subsp. aterrima (Hoppe) Hartm.), we confirm that the Korab population is C. atrata subsp. atrata. Both species can be distinguished by the utricle color, light-colored (yellow or greenish) above in C. atrata, thus contrasting with the blackish glumes, while they are dark-colored (blackish to almost black) in C. aterrima, thus not contrasting with the glumes (Gebauer and Jiménez-Mejías, unpubl. data).
ALBANIA. Dibër county, Radomirë, Mt. Korab, alpine meadows at the summit, 41°47'23.62"N 20°32'49.81"E, 2764 m a.s.l., 18 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 174CBB19, UPOS-13414, TIR-8961.
NORTH MACEDONIA. Polog region, Mavrovo and Rostusa, Mt. Korab, alpine meadows near the summit, 41°47'13"N 20°32'50"E, 2662 m a.s.l., 18 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 172CBB19, UPOS-13412, TIR-8960.
Carex castroviejoi Luceño and Jim.Mejías (Fig. 1B)
A member of the C. flava L. species complex (sect. Ceratocystis Dumort.), a group characterized by its difficult taxonomy, due to faint morphological boundaries, frequent hybridization processes (Jiménez-Mejías et al. 2012a,2014), and even morphological convergence (Jiménez-Mejías et al. 2017). Carex castroviejoi has been recently described from the Pindos range in Northern Greece, where it grows in mountain bogs on ophiolitic rocks (Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño 2009). It was later reported from serpentines in central-southern Albania (Jiménez-Mejías et al. 2012b), where it was apparently overlooked by Barina et al. (2018). The population cited here constitutes the new northernmost limit of this restricted Balkan endemic, hitherto only known from Albania and northern Greece (Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño 2011,Govaerts et al. 2021). It was found in the typical habitat reported for this species, boggy ground on serpentine rocks, in the Fushë-Lurë mountain range (NE Albania). Other Balkan reports for species belonging to the C. flava species complex have to be carefully examined (e.g.,Pils 2016,Barina et al. 2018).
ALBANIA. Dibër county, Fushë Lurë, path to lakes from Lura hotel, wet meadows in Pinus heldreichii forest clearings, on serpentines, 41°48'27.05"N 20°13'11.28"E 1125 m a.s.l., 10 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 6CBB19, UPOS-13246, TIR-8949; Ibidem, Lura lakes, close to Liqeni i Madh, boggy meadows, on serpentines, 41°47'13.41"N 20°11'40.56"E, 1735 m a.s.l., 10 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 20CBB19, UPOS-13260, TIR-8950.
Carex curvula All. subsp. curvula (Fig. 1C)
It is distributed in the mountains of central and southern Europe. In the Balkans, it has been accepted for Albania, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Bulgaria and Slovenia (Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño 2011,Govaerts et al. 2021) but excluded from the flora of Greece (Dimopoulos et al. 2020). The presence of this species in Albania has been recently considered unproven by Barina et al. (2018), although it is recorded by Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño (2011), Pils (2016) and Govaerts et al. (2021). This was due to the lack of verified vouchers with specific localities (Barina et al. 2018). We here provide a voucher to confirm that this species should be included in the checklist of the flora of Albania.
ALBANIA. Dibër county, Radomirë, Mt. Korab, psicroxerophylous stony and blown pastures (fellfields) with Vaccinium uliginosum, 41°47'23.62"N 20°32'49.81"E, 2488 m a.s.l., 18 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 169CBB19, UPOS-13409, TIR-8963.
Carex demissa Hornem.
Like C. castroviejoi (see above), C. demissa is another member of the C. flava group (sect. Ceratocystis). This amphi-Atlantic species is mostly distributed in eastern North America and western Europe, and is absent from most of eastern Europe (Govaerts et al. 2021). Nonetheless, in the Balkans, it has been reported from the former Yugoslavia (North Macedonia;Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño 2011) and Greece (Govaerts et al. 2021). However, its presence in Albania has been considered doubtful (Barina et al. 2018,Govaerts et al. 2021). Carex demissa is often confounded with the superficially similar C. oederi Retz., which is widely distributed across the northern hemisphere (Europe, Asia and North America), and has been confirmed for Albania (Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño, 2011,Barina et al. 2018 – sub C. serotina Mérat –,Govaerts et al. 2021; also confirmed from our own collections). We here confirm the presence in Albania of specimens that clearly fall within the morphological variation of C. demissa (seeJiménez-Mejías et al. 2014). Interestingly, in NE Albania (Fushë-Lurë range), it co-occurs with the closely related C. castroviejoi, with which it seems to form hybrids with intermediate morphology.
ALBANIA. Dibër county, Fushë Lurë, path to lakes from Lura hotel, wet meadows in Pinus heldreichii forest clearings, on serpentines, 41°48'27.05"N 20°13'11.28"E, 1125 m a.s.l., 10 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 11CBB19, UPOS-13251, TIR-8971; Ibidem, Lura lakes, close to Liqeni i Madh, boggy meadows, on serpentines, 41°47'13.41"N 20°11'40.56"E, 1735 m a.s.l., 10 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 33CBB19, UPOS-13273, TIR-8972; borders of streams in beech forest, 42°30'21"N 19°58'23"E, 1495 m a.s.l., 14 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 69CBB19, UPOS-13309, TIR-8973; Kukës county, between Novosej and Shistavec, boggy meadows, 41°59'15"N 20°36'5"E, 1375 m a.s.l., 16 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 129CBB19, UPOS-13309, TIR-8974 (typical, not-introgressed individuals); Dibër county, Fushë Lurë, path to lakes from Lura hotel, wet meadows in Pinus heldreichii forest clearings, on serpentines, 41°48'27.05"N 20°13'11.28"E, 1125 m a.s.l., 10 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 14CBB19, UPOS-13254, TIR-8975 (deviant specimens, probably introgressed with C. castroviejoi).
Carex hispida Willd. ex Schkuhr
A circum-Mediterranean species whose distribution in the Balkans is in need of clarification. It is only reported for Greece by Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño (2011), to which Govaerts et al. (2021) added Albania, since it had been included in several floristic accounts (Meyer 2011,Vangjeli 2015). However, it has subsequently been excluded from the Albanian flora since the source voucher was misidentified and corresponded to the close relative C. flacca Schreb. (Pils 2016,Barina 2017b,Barina et al. 2018). We have collected and identified a voucher of C. hispida from northern Albania (Bajram Curri), easily recognized and distinguished from C. flacca by its wider leaves and rhizomes and longer male spikes and utricles, which confirms the presence of C. hispida in Albania.
ALBANIA. Kukës county, road from Bajram Curri to Kukës (SH23), borders of stream, on serpentines, 42°21'45"N 20°7'47"E, 500 m a.s.l., 15 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 106CBB19, UPOS-13346, TIR-8959.
Carex myosuroides Vill.
An artic-alpine species (formerly known as Kobresia myosuroides (Vill.) Fiori) with a wide distribution in the Northern Hemisphere and shared by many of the main European mountain ranges (Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, Carpathians and Balkans). In the Balkans, it has been reported for Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia (Govaerts et al. 2021), where it has been indicated from Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia (cf.Stevanović et al. 2009,Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño 2011). It was not cited for Albania until Barina et al. (2011, sub Kobresia myosuroides; see alsoPils 2016) indicated a single small population in the north (Albanian Alps, Mt. Maja e Shënikut). Another previous report from southeastern Albania was discarded (Barina et al. 2011,2018). We herein cite the second confirmed known population in Albania, also from the Albanian Alps, close to the previously known one. It is reported here due to the apparent rarity of the species in the country, although it has been indicated from several bordering areas (Stevanović et al. 2009).
ALBANIA. Kukës county, Prokletije (Albanian Alps), Valbonë valley, path from Valbonë valley to Kolata peak, dry rocky grassland on limestone, shelves among rocky crests, 42°28'39.98"N 19°48'37.15"E, c. 1900 m a.s.l., 12 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 52CBB19, UPOS-13292, TIR-8952.
Carex parviflora Host (Fig. 1F)
This orophilous species is disjunctly distributed in the mountains of central and southern Europe. In the Balkans, it has been reported from Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia (Govaerts et al. 2021), which corresponds to Slovenian populations (Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño 2011). To our knowledge, these are the first national reports of this species for Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro. Two distant populations were found during our field campaign in border areas of two mountain ranges, one in the Valbonë valley (Albanian Alps, N Albania) and the second one on Mt. Korab (NE Albania), in both cases with individuals across the Albania-Montenegro and Albania-North Macedonia border, respectively. This implies a considerable increase in the species’ range in southeastern Europe, with a disjunction of more than 230 km to the closest previously known populations in SW Bulgaria (Pirin National Park) and about 500 km to those in Slovenia. Due to these biogeographical peculiarities, and since the number of observed individuals was very small in both populations, especially on Mt. Korab (probably less than a hundred), they should be granted legal protection in the corresponding countries, and further searches for more populations and/or individuals would be desirable. A tentative assessment of the national conservation status suggests that this species should be considered at least as Vulnerable (VU D2) in Albania, but further data may indicate that the actual conservation category could be more critical (EN or CR).
ALBANIA. Kukës county, Prokletije (Albanian Alps), Valbonë valley, path from Valbonë valley to Kolata peak, subalpine mesophilous grassland on limestone, 42°29'3.70"N 19°53'8.80"E, ca. 1900 m a.s.l., 12 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 50CBB19, UPOS-13290, TIR-8951; Dibër county, Radomirë, Korab Mt., stony grassland in stream borders, 41°47'13.08"N 20°32'29.42"E, 2350-2400 m a.s.l., 18 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 171CBB19, UPOS-13411; Ibidem, alpine meadows in the summit, 41°47'23.62"N 20°32'49.81"E, 2764 m a.s.l., 18 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 175CBB19, UPOS-13415, TIR-8962.
NORTH MACEDONIA. Polog region, Mavrovo and Rostusa, Mt. Korab, alpine meadows near the summit, 41°47'13"N 20°32'50"E, 2662 m a.s.l., 18 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 173CBB19, UPOS-13413.
NORTH MACEDONIA. Polog region, Mavrovo and Rostusa, Mt. Korab, alpine meadows near the summit, 41°47'13"N 20°32'50"E, 2662 m a.s.l., 18 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 173CBB19, UPOS-13413.
Carex sect. Rhynchocystis Dumort. (C. agastachys L.f. and C. pendula Huds.)
Only two species of this section were traditionally recognized to be present in the western Palearctic until recently: the central Mediterranean endemic C. microcarpa Bertol. ex Moris (Míguez et al. 2021a) and the widely distributed C. pendula (e.g.Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño 2011), a well-known large sedge commonly inhabiting riparian habitats and frequently used as an ornamental in European gardens. However, the detailed study of the systematics of section Rhynchocystis, based on morphological and molecular data, has initiated a revolution in the classification of this group (Míguez et al. 2017,2018,2021b). Two different species have been distinguished across the former C. pendula Palearctic mainland range (plus two additional Macaronesian endemic species;Míguez et al. 2021b): C. pendula s.s., from Europe and the Mediterranean basin, and C. agastachys L.f., from C, SE Europe and SW Asia (Míguez et al. 2018). The range of both species overlaps from C to SE Europe, including part of the Balkans. Although this contact area is still poorly known and in need of detailed delimitation, recent studies are making progress with this issue (Meierott 2019,Bergmeier et al. 2020,Christians et al. 2020,Dimopoulos et al. 2020,Sutorý and Repka 2020). In the Balkans, C. agastachys has been confirmed from Bulgaria, Greece, European Turkey, Serbia and Slovenia, and C. pendula from Croatia, Greece, Montenegro and Slovenia (Míguez et al. 2018). Govaerts et al. (2021) added Albania for C. agastachys but did not clarify the distribution in the former Yugoslavian countries. Finally, recent Albanian checklists and floras include C. pendula s.l. without taking into account the potential presence of C. agastachys (Vangjeli 2015,Pils 2016,Barina et al. 2018). As a result of our field campaigns and study of TIR herbarium specimens, we can confirm the presence of both species in Albania.
Carex pendula: ALBANIA. Lezhë county, SH 34 road, between Rrëshen and Perlat, just before Perlat, degraded Quercus cerris forest, puddly roadsides, 41°44'3.3"N 19° 58'21.1"E, ca. 285 m a.s.l., 9 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 1CBB19, UPOS-13241, TIR-8948; Vlorë county, Vlorë, depressions under Pinus halepensis coastal forest, 1-2 m, 40°27'34.70"N 19°27'57.78"E, 30 May 2021, M. Meco s.n., TIR-8964; Tirana county, Tirana, Parku i madh Kodrat e Liqenit, wet soils in mixed broadleaf forest, 41°18'35.64"N 19°49'39.84"E, ca. 135 m a.s.l., 29 Jun 2021, M. Meco s.n., TIR-8965.
Carex agastachys: ALBANIA. Tirana county, Tirana, 17 May 1958, Xh. Qosja s.n, TIR-00706, 00707, 00708.
Carex sect. Aulocystis Dumort. (C. ferruginea Scop., C. kitaibeliana Degen ex Bech., C. lazarei Jac.Koopman, Niketic, Wieclaw and Govaerts) (Fig. 1D,E,G).
Within sect. Aulocystis, the C. sempervirens and C. ferruginea aggregates or complexes are two groups of closely related taxa of complex taxonomy, disjunctly distributed in the mountains of southern and central Europe, with Balkan mountains as the centre of diversity of both groups. During our field work in Albania, we observed that C. ferruginea, C. kitaibeliana and C. lazarei are sometimes sympatric, but there is apparently a certain degree of habitat differentiation and frequent ecological turnover between them. The three species may be easily distinguished using the identification key provided by Flora Europaea (Chater 1980).
In the Balkans, the distribution and ecology of C. ferruginea are obscure and debated. While it has been reported from all the countries except for Montenegro and North Macedonia (Jiménez-Mejías et al. 2011,Govaerts et al. 2021), Barina et al. (2015) newly reported it for Albania and considered it a very rare species in the Balkans only known from Albania, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia. Most Albanian records have been attributed to misidentifications, especially involving the similar C. kitaibeliana (Barina et al. 2015,Pils 2016). In Albania it is known only from two populations in Dibër county (Mali i Bardhë and Mali i Dejës in NE Albania), where it grows along mountain streams on serpentine and evaporitic substrates (Barina et al. 2015). We found additional populations of this rare species on Mt. Korab (NE Albania) and in the Albanian Alps (Çerem, N Albania), also along flushes.
Carex kitaibeliana is widely distributed from SE Europe to Turkey (Govaerts et al. 2021) and has been reported for all Balkan countries (Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño 2011). In Albania, the species is widespread in mountain areas throughout the country (Barina 2017b), and we have found numerous populations, mostly growing in fissures of limestone rocks.
Finally, C. lazarei (formerly known as C. bulgarica (Domin) Lazare) is a Balkan endemic (Jiménez-Mejías and Luceño 2011,Govaerts et al. 2021) reported from mountain acid soils (Koopman et al. 2019). In Albania, it has frequently been subsumed under the highly variable C. sempervirens Vill. (Pils 2016,Barina 2017b,Barina et al. 2018). We have found populations of C. lazarei in mountain grasslands of two different ranges in N and NE Albania (Çerem and Mt. Korab, respectively).
C. ferruginea Scop.
ALBANIA. Kukës county, Çerem, Qafa e Kunji i Armeves pass, borders of streams on serpentines, 42°28'49.26"N 20°0'10.22"E, ca. 1920 m a.s.l., 14 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 93CBB19, UPOS-13333, TIR-8958. Ibidem, Qafa e Kunji i Armeves pass, borders of stream, 42°30'11.44"N 19°59'48.08"E, ca. 1660 m a.s.l., 14 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 89CBB19, UPOS-13329, TIR-8966; Dibër county, Radomirë, Korab Mt., stream borders in Pinus nigra forest, 41°48'43"N 20°29'48"E, ca. 1450 m a.s.l., 18 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 161CBB19, UPOS-13401, TIR-8967.
C. lazarei Jac.Koopman, Niketic, Wieclaw and Govaerts
ALBANIA. Kukës county, Çerem, Qafa e Kunji i Armeves pass, grasslands on serpentines, 42°28'49.26"N 20°0'10.22"E, c. 1920 m, 14 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 94CBB19, UPOS-13334, TIR-8957; Ibidem, subalpine grasslands with Vaccinium uliginosum, 42°29'12"N 19°59'56"E, 2010 m a.s.l., 14 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 75CBB19, UPOS-13315, TIR-8956; Dibër county, Radomirë, Mt. Korab, stony grasslands, c. 1800 m, 18 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 166CBB19, UPOS-13406, TIR-8968.
C. kitaibeliana Degen ex Bech.
ALBANIA. Dibër county, Fushë Lurë, Lura lakes, clearings in Pinus peuce forest, 41°47'13,41"N 20°11'40,56"E, 1735 m a.s.l., 10 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 34CBB19, UPOS-13274, TIR-8969; Dibër county, Radomirë, Korab Mt., stream borders in Pinus nigra forest, 41°48'43"N 20°29'48"E, ca. 1450 m a.s.l., 18 Jul 2019, C. Benítez-Benítez, M. Míguez, S. Martín-Bravo and P. Jiménez-Mejías 162CBB19, UPOS-13402, TIR-8970.
Author contributions
SMB, CBB, MM (Mónica Míguez) and PJM conducted the main field campaign in Albania. MM (Mariol Meco) performed additional collections. All authors contributed to the study of herbarium specimens. SMB drafted the manuscript and all authors contributed to the writing of the final version.