Veronica beccabunga gliedert sich in drei vikariierende Unterarten

Abstract

Summary 1. The 3 subspecies (subsp. beccabunga ; subsp. abscondita M. A. Fischer; subsp. muscosa (K orsh .) A.J elen .) differ mainly in the length of the peduncle of the raceme, the orientation of the pedicels, the size of the corolla, the length of the style; further but ± overlapping differential characters include mean leaf size, leaf margin, number of racemes per shoot, number of flowers per raceme, size and shape of capsule. (See Table 1 and Fig. 1!) 2. In most of the characters, subsp. beccabunga holds an intermediate position between subsp. abscondita and subsp. muscosa . 3. Intermediate populations between the subspp. seem to be very rare or completely absent. 4. The distribution ranges of the 3 subspp. are strikingly different with little overlapping (see Figs. 2 and 3): subsp. beccabunga is distributed in almost whole Europe, in S. Siberia (Altai mts.), W. and N. Turkey, W. Georgia, N. Soviet Armenia; — subsp. abscondita in S. and E. Turkey, N. and SW. (Adzharia) Georgia, most parts of Soviet Armenia, in Iraqi Kurdistan (northernmost mountainous border region of Iraq), NW. and N. (central Elburz mts.) Iran, and Lebanon; — subsp. muscosa in the NE. border region of Iran, in Afghanistan, Tadzhikistan, Kirgizia, at the SE. border of Kazakhstan, in N. Pakistan, Kashmir, NW. India, Nepal, the W. border region of Sinkiang. 5. The type of habitat seems to be the same in all subspp., the altitudinal range and the degree of continentality, however, are remarkably different, both low in subsp. beccabunga , higher in subsp. abscondita , and highest in subsp. muscosa (see Table 1). In the contact areas of subsp. beccabunga and subsp. abscondita , the former seems to inhabit lower, the latter higher altitudes.