small number of vascular bundles (13—17), and chiefly by
an even lesser number of traverses (6—8), though it has a
xerotypical leaf character. The high-mountain stands, the
early time of bloom, give evidence of the relationship with
group c o e r u l a n s . In detail, there are far more charac­
teristics, which appear in different representatives of group
c o e r u 1 a n s. It is geographically separated from this
group by a rather big hiatus. I assume it best, to value this
species as an independent branch forming a separate group.
May be later on, with the knowledge of a larger material
and variability it will be possible to place it directly into
this group. By todays' knowledge it is necessary to value
it as special group of the c a l c a r i a section, closely re­
lated to the c o e r u l a n s group (chiefly S. c o m o s a )
approaching a transition to group n i t i d a (chiefly to spe­
cies S. W e t t s t e i n i i , S. D o r f l e r i i ) . If a closer rela­
tionship to group n i t i d a should be proved, then the ori­
gin of the S. p h l e o i d e s area could be explained as a
disintegration of the mother-species, from the area of group
n i t i d a, into single species after the separation by the sea.
The whole area would then cover the space of Sicily, Italy,
south Balkans, Aegean Sea and Asia Minor. After the divi­
sion of this space by the sea, the individual species isola­
ted themselves. It could have penetrated to Asia Minor by
the continental bridge in the space of todays' Aegean Sea,
perhaps over Candia into the south part of Asia Minor. This
continent between Candia and Asia worked perhaps even
in the Diluvium. The separation of Candia from the rest
of the European area had to happen before, because this
island was in Tertiary times already separated from the
European continent. Therefore the age of this species is
rather considerable, and it had to take its place in Tertiary
times already. This case could prove even the old origin
of the group n i t i d a . In the second case, which is more
probable, if the origin of S. p h l e o i d e s was from the
relationship of group c o e r u l a n s , the road to Asia Minor
should have lead more to the North. The area of group
c o e r u l a n s extends in the northern parts of the Balkanpeninsula and the probable connexion of S. p h l e o i d e s
would have had to cross the space of Marmara-Sea and
Galatia. In Galatia the locality at Sana-dagh is shown.
The age of this species and its separation may not be very
considerable. The Balkan was in the Diluvium already
connected by land with Asia Minor. Therefore the isolation
could have happened even in the Ice-Age, when climatical
conditions were favourable and when the passage of highmountain types from one mountain-range to another, was
facilitated. The morphological features, which are rather
different from the relationship could prove a higher age.