SILENE (CARYOPHYLLACEAE) IN GREECE - A SUBGENERIC AND SECTIONAL CLASSIFICATION

Of a world total of c. 700 species of Silene, here widely defined to include Lychnis, Cucubalus, and other generic splits recognized by some authors, 119 are known to be present in Greece. They are grouped in 4 subgenera and 39 sections (some of them new). The sections are keyed out and briefly characterized (mainly on the basis of Greek taxa), and their correct nomenclature is established on the basis of full synonymies and type designations. In many cases the sectional limits remain provisional, and corresponding problems are highlighted. Phylogenetic patterns within the genus, here briefly discussed, are still largely unclear due to frequent character reversals and parallelism.