836 Pulsatilla patens (L.) Mill.

Syn.: Anemone patens L.

This species s. lat. is widely distributed in Eurasia and N. America. It is rather variable as to the colour of the flowers, the cutting of the leaves and the width of their lobes (cf. Hultén, Circumpol. II, p. 364). On the basis of these characters some lower taxa are distinguished, sometimes considered as species (Fl. USSR 7 /1970, p. 295-297 /228-230). It seems reasonable to regard "the entire complex as belonging to one species, P. patens (L.) Mill. with two subspecies, ssp. patens and ssp. multifida (Pritzel) Zamels" (Hultén, Circumpol. Il, p. 365), distributed in Eurasia and Asia-N. America, respectively. For subsp. multifida see Porsild and Cody 1980, map 555 (Pulsatilla ludoviciana [Nutt.] Heller). The species s. lat. has an almost circumpolar distribution (op. cit.). Cf. also Meusel et al. 1965, map p. 161.