However, there is an
enormous gap between the distributions of its two putative diploid
parents (Fig.1),
for which satisfactory account has yet to be given.
Ae. uniaristata occupies areas with average conditions of
water supply in West Greece, west coast of Yugoslavia and Albania, in
contrast to Ae. squarrosa which grows in dwarf shrub steppes
of the fertile crescent, with eastern-most distribution limits
reaching China (Tanaka and Tsujimoto 1991). In addition, the
distribution area of Ae. ventricosa, being larger than that of
Ae. uniaristata but smaller than that of Ae. squarrosa,
does not overlap with either of its progenitors.
Collecting expedition: Preliminary characterization
In a gramineae collecting expedition in Central Makedonia,
Greece, jointly organized by the Greek Gene Bank, and the
Agricultural University of Athens (Collecting team: Athanasios
Zamanis, Nikolaos Stavropoulos and Stelios Samaras from the Greek
Gene Bank, and Panagiotis Efthymiadis from the Agricultural
University of Athens), a small population of Aegilops
ventricosa was found in a location some 7 km. west of Veria,
capital of the prefecture of Imathia, at the outskirts of village
Georgiani, near the old road to Kozani (Fig.
2). The
collection site is located in the SE slopes of Vermion mountain, at
an altitude of 450-470 m above sea level, and is a disturbed denuded
oak forest with deciduous Mediterranean forest species and "maquis".
The species was grown sympatrically with Ae. triunicialis L.,
Ae. ovata L., Ae. biuncialis Vis, Ae.
triaristata Willd (UM), Ae. triaristata Willd (UM),
Ae. triaristata Willd (UMUn), Ae. comosa Sibth & Sm
and Ae. caudata L. The flora of the site included also a large
population of Triticum boeoticum never reported to exist in
that region.
The collected seed was sown for multiplication, characterization and
preliminary evaluation in the experimental fields of the Greek Gene
Bank, in Thessaloniki, in the autumn of 1991, along with some other
Ae. ventricosa accessions kindly provided by Dr. J. C.
Graddock, used as controls. The plants showed all typical Ae.
ventricosa characteristics. Natural habitat, plant habit and
spike morphology are shown in
Fig. 3.
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