Panarctic Flora

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810413 Euphrasia salisburgensis Funck

Distribution

Northern Fennoscandia: Rare
Shrub Tundra: Rare
Bordering boreal or alpine areas: Scattered

2n= 44 44-48 (4x). - Europe (N, C). - At least five reports.

Geography: European (N/C): NOR.

Notes: Euphrasia salisburgensis belongs to subsect. Angustifoliae, a distinct group of several closely related European species, the most widespread of which reaches the Arctic in Norway. It is characterized by, e.g., capsule glabrous (with marginal hairs in all the other arctic species) and leaves narrow and sharply dentate where the teeth are distant and separated by broad, obtuse gaps (vs. proximal with narrow, acute gaps in all the others).

The geographically isolated alpine-arctic Fennoscandian plants have been assigned to a separate species: E. lapponica. They are very similar to the plants of the central European mountains and some Nordic populations are inseparable from populations in the Austrian Alps. Rank as two species is inappropriate and even as races is problematic, in spite of the disjunction in ranges. In an arctic context, this is the most unambiguous species of the genus.

Higher Taxa