Delimitation and Phylogeny in Fritillaria Species (Liliaceae) Endemic to Alps

The Alpine Arc has acted as a diversification centre for many taxa of plants, and today it hosts an impressively rich biodiversity. However, the number of genera or subgeneric lineages containing species endemic to the Alps is very low. The reasons for such few and species-poor local diversification events are to be found in Quaternary climatic oscillations, and particularly glaciations, which prevented the evolution of species-rich lineages. The genus Fritillaria includes more than 140 species worldwide, but only a few are endemic to the Alps. A correct delimitation of the different species distributed on the Alps would help to assign correct taxonomic ranks to these endemics when their DNA is used in phylogenies based on a large dataset. This study clarifies the taxonomic status of Fritillaria taxa endemic to the Alps, only marginally studied so far on phylogenetic grounds. Based on our results, we recognise F. tubaeformis, F. moggridgei, and F. burnatii at species rank.