A new endemism for the Azores: the case of Centaurium scilloides (L. f.) Samp

Centaurium scilloides is a very isolated taxon, taking into account morphological characteristics, chromosome number, and disjunct Atlantic distribution. Comparison of the Azorean plants with those living in mainland Europe reveals significant differences, which question their assimilation into a single taxon. Our molecular data inferred from sequences of nrDNA (internal transcribed spacer, ITS) and plastid regions (trnL intron and trnL-F spacer), confirmed the hypothesis that plants of C. scilloides from the Azores archipelago are different than those distributed on the Atlantic coasts of Europe, and both should, consequently, be treated as independent species. As a result, a new systematic treatment is proposed.