''Cystopteris alpina'' is a
fern
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Cystopteridaceae
Cystopteridaceae is a family of ferns in the order Polypodiales. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family is placed in the suborder Aspleniineae of the order Polypodiales, and includes three genera. Alt ...
. It is closely related to ''
C. fragilis'' and has been treated as
conspecific
Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species.
Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...
with that species by many authors.
[Jonsell B (ed). (2000). "Flora Nordica: Volume 1 - Lycopodiacea to Polygonaceae".Bergius Foundation, Stockholm] However, according to the Flora of North America, it is an allopolyploid species of hybrid origin, with ''
Cystopteris montana
''Cystopteris montana,'' previously classified as '' Athyrium montanum'', is a species of fern known by the common name mountain bladderfern. It occurs throughout the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, in Eurasia, Greenland, and Alaska, a ...
'' as one probable parent. It is known to hybridise with ''
C. fragilis'' in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
and intermediate plants possibly of
hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
origin are known from
North Wales
, area_land_km2 = 6,172
, postal_code_type = Postcode
, postal_code = LL, CH, SY
, image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg
, map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
.
[Tennant DJ. (2010). “The British records of ''Cystopteris alpina'' (Lamarck) Desvaux; Woodsiaceae”. ''Watsonia'' 28: 57-63 ]
Distribution
''C. alpina'' is a
montane
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...
species occurring through most of Europe with populations extending into Russia and West-Asian mountain regions.
It is widely distributed through Northern Scandinavia, the Alps and the Pyrenees. In Britain it is thought to be extinct having only been known from one locality in
Upper Teesdale
Upper Teesdale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the west County Durham, England. It encompasses an extensive upland area that includes the headwaters of the River Tees and the surrounding catchment area upstream of the village ...
where it was last recorded in 1911.
Ecology
''Cystopteris alpina'' is restricted to limestone in damp locations mainly in upland areas.
References
External links
Hardy Fern Library: ''Cystopteris alpina''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q913961
alpina
Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co. KG is an automobile manufacturing company based in Buchloe, in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria, Germany that develops and sells high-performance versions of BMW cars.
Alpina works closely with BMW and ...
Ferns of Asia
Ferns of Europe
Flora of Northern Europe
Flora of Russia
Flora of the United Kingdom
Plants described in 1788