Re-establishment of Silene neglecta Ten. (Caryophyllaceae) with taxonomic notes on some related taxa

Silene neglecta has been misunderstood and confused with S. nocturna, although several morphological characters (petal shape, calyx indumentum, hairiness of stamen filaments, seed size, seed-coat surface and shape) allow separation of these species. Moreover, S. mutabilis (which has been considered conspecific with S. neglecta) and S. martinolii (an alleged endemic species to south-western Sardinia) are considered here as taxonomic synonyms of S. nocturna and S. neglecta, respectively. These taxonomic conclusions are strongly supported by multivariate morphometric analyses of 21 characters.