POPULATION VARIATION AND TAXONOMY IN ARMERIA MARITIMA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HEAVY‐METAL‐TOLERANT POPULATIONS

Abstract

Populations of Armeria maritima growing in various ecological situations were studied in northwestern and central Europe. In their typical ecogeographical areas populations of ssp. maritima, ssp. elongata and ssp. alpina are well differentiated. These three subspecies are nevertheless interconnected by transitional populations related to ssp. intermedia and ssp. halleri s.1. Populations from mines of heavy metals (ssp. halleri s.1.) show endemic frequencies of morphological traits from one site to another. This variation which can occur in neighbouring areas is random and may be due to genetic drift associated with the founder principle. Mixed populations of ssp. intermedia originated from hybridization between ssp. maritima and ssp. elongata in their overlapping area (west part of the Baltic). Morphological differences between populations are not correlated with sterility barriers so that there is discordance between morphological units and biosystematical units. Taxonomic treatments of the group of metal‐tolerant populations is misleading. Copyright © 1974, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved