LEUCANTHUM   Pancic, 1883

Synonym : Sempervivum kindingeri  Adamovic (1903)

Section Sempervivum

Distribution : Bulgaria, former Yugoslavia; mountains.

Description (according to 't Hart, Bleij & Zonneveld in IHSP, 2003) :

Rosettes subglobose, flattish, 4 - 7 cm in diameter, in loose mats.

Stolons stout, 5 - 8 cm.

Leaves oblong-spatulate, apiculate, 20 - 35 x 8 - 10 mm, finely pubescent, light green with dark red tip, marginal cilia glandular or non-glandular, unequal in length.

Flowering branches 15 - 20 cm, cauline leaves somewaht smaller than in the rosettes.

Inflorescences viscid cymes with 3 forked cincinii.

Flowers 11- to 13- merous, ± 2.5 cm in diameter, sepals connate for up to 2.5 mm, broadly lanceolate, apiculate, green with purple tip, ± 5 mm, petals oblong-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, whitish to greenish-yellow, 10 - 13 x ± 1 mm, filaments variously coloured, usually pink, almost glabrous, anthers yellow, styles ± 3 mm.

Flowering time : July - August

Cytology : 2n = 64

Hybridizes often with S. ciliosum. The variable filament colours in some populations may be due to introgression of S. ciliosum. The true colour of the filaments is probably purplish. S. kindingeri was upheld as a separate species by Parnell & Favarger (1992: 426) but is very doubtful. It ccould not be found at the type locality and seems very close to S. leucanthum, which is reported from nearby. It is therefore best treated as a synonym.

See also : Alan Smith, The Genus Sempervivum and Jovibarba, 1980