The Pinus mugo complex − its structuring and general overview of the used nomenclature

Abstract

The <i>Pinus mugo</i> complex (<i>P. mugo</i> Turra sensu lato, and/or species aggregate or group &minus; <i>P. mugo</i> agg., including its internal as well as external aggregate hybrids) is an important fragment of European dendroflora. For its high variability this complicated group has not been solved in taxonomical terms satisfactorily yet. Most problems are mainly caused by a large amount of taxa of uncertain value described in the past, which often more or less overlap or are based on insufficiently researched and unsuitably interpreted characters. Such facts coincidently cause further problems in applied disciplines. Specialized European literature already contains a large amount of information referring to individual taxa of this complex. Much information is listed under various, often commonly not known or not used scientific names. In order to make the information available and useful, it was necessary to collect the most frequent names used in the past and to assort them in a tabular manner into a convenient synoptic schedule respecting the present concepts of the complex – and assign them with the present most commonly used names.