234 Festuca rubra L., boreal-lowland types

The map shows the distribution of a group of boreal and lowland taxa of this polymorphic species. In Fl. Eur. 5/1980, p. 140f., seven subspecies are reported (cf. also Hylander in Nord. kärlväxtflora 1, p. 237 f.). Totally, far more taxa than these are described. Each one seems to have a rather characteristic distribution, although the details are incompletely known. European F. rubra taxa have spread widely within and outside Europe, for instance through Asia and to N. and S. America and New Zealand. Further, there are possibly indigenous taxa in Asia and N. America. F. rubra s. lat. belongs to the circumpolar plants (Hultén, Circumpol. I, p. 64 and map 57 A). An arctic-montane group of taxa is presented on the following map, no. 235. The closely related F. heterophylla Lam. occurs in C. and S. Europe (approximately S of the line on the map).