Festuca inops and Festuca gracilior (Poaceae): are they two different species?

According to current systematic conceptions, Festuca inops and F. gracilior are two distinct species, even if they are hardly distinguishable from each other on the basis of their morphological characters. F. inops is considered a diploid species endemic to Italy, while F. gracilior has a discontinuous distribution area, apparently related to chromosomal levels: diploid populations in Italy and SE France, tetraploid populations in NE Spain. The diploid populations of both taxa from Italy and SE France were investigated in the present study. Examination of nearly 1000 exsiccata, morphometric analyses carried out on macro- and micro-morphological features of 119 specimens (including both type-specimens) and on 20 natural populations (including the loci classici) showed that they are to be referred to only one taxon, for which the rank of species seems to be appropriate. This result was supported by karyological, ecological and chorological data and was confirmed by the results of ISSR analysis. According to nomenclatural rules, the legitimate name for the species is Festuca inops De Not.