The Biogeographical Patterns of Floral Form in Wild Daffodils and Their Contribution to the Cultivar Groups of Narcissus L. Subgenus Ajax

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the biogeographical characteristics of Narcissus L. subgenus Ajax in which a wide range of floral morphological variability is shown. This variability has been interpreted in terms of genetic drift leading towards the emergence of species confined to small areas (micro endemics) in SW Europe. In this chapter, biogeographical comparison of the species and taxonomic assemblages, as well as the models of evolution is presented. The distribution is discussed. The more relevant habitat types colonized by species of subgenus Ajax are deciduous forests, thickets and wet grasslands. Most taxa of this group grow in supra-Mediterranean and montane bioclimatic belts, at altitudes between 600 and 1,800 m above sea level and under subhumid and humid precipitation regimes. Almost 90 % of taxa are diploid, but triploids, tetraploids and hexaploids also occur. The center of diversity of this subgenus is the region lying between the Sierra Nevada in Southern Spain and the Northern Slopes of the Cantabric and Pyrenean mountains. 1