Abstract
The common bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), a circumboreal trailing shrub belonging to the Ericaceae, has a broad distribution in Europe (from Spain to Iceland) and can grow in areas which are biogeographically and ecologically very varied (from mediterranean to subalpine, from calcareous to siliceous substrata). In this paper, new data are presented on specific variability in these populations based on cytology and phytochemistry. The results, when compared with those previously reported, point to the existence of at least two main population groups: a "nordic" diploid (2n = 26) group, characterised by the flavanols cyanidin and quercetin and the heteroside arbutin and a southwest European tetraploid (2n = 52) group, richer in flavanols (cyanidin, delphinidin, quercetin, and myricetin) and heterosides (arbutin and methylarbutin). These results also allow a discussion of the validity of the subspecies crassifolia recognized within the taxon A. uva-ursi in its Spanish range and of the phylogeny of different European populations of the group. [Translated by the journal]
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
Cited by
2 articles.
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1. A;Drogen A-D;1992
2. Evolution and Classification of Seed Plants;Progress in Botany;1989