Does Hieracium sect. Pulmonarioidea occur in Scandinavia? Finding a place for species of the Depilata group

Abstract

The taxonomic position and evolution of the five Scandinavian montane species previously referred to the informal group Depilata of Hieracium are discussed. There is very little modern information about these species and as they have not been listed under any of the currently accepted sections of the genus they are at risk of being completely forgotten. They have always been considered as intermediate between H. sect. Alpina and sect. Prenanthoidea, but as discussed here they can hardly be included in either of these sections. However, C European species intermediate between the same two sections have been referred to H. sect. Pulmonarioidea and it appears appropriate to include the Depilata here as well. Hereby, the geographic range of H. sect. Pulmonarioidea is most significantly enlarged and its morphological circumscription is somewhat amended. The morphology of Scandinavian H. sect. Pulmonarioidea is described and a brief overview of the species and their distribution is provided. In addition, the possibility that the species concerned may have evolved in situ in Scandinavia through hybridisation between members of H. sect. Alpina and sect. Prenanthoidea is discussed.

Keywords:

• Hieracium depilatum
• Hieracium sect. Alpina
• Hieracium sect. Prenanthoidea
• Sweden
• taxonomy
• hybridisation

Acknowledgements

Alexander Sennikov (Helsinki) and Thomas Karlsson (Stockholm) are sincerely thanked for commenting on an early draft of the manuscript and for hinting where relatives of Depilata may be found outside Sweden.

ORCID

Torbjörn Tyler http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7886-7603