1455 Arctostaphylos alpina (L.) Spreng.

Syn.: Arctous alpina (L.) Nied.

This arctic-montane species is widely distributed in Eurasia and N. America. The E. Asiatic var. japonica (Nakai) Hult. and the closely related A. rubra (Rehd. & Wils.) Fem. in E. Siberia and N. America are mapped separately. However, the distribution pattern in Asia and N. America does not seem to be definitely settled. The species belongs to the circumpolar plants (Hultén, Circumpol. Il, p. 50 and map 41). Same fossils of interglacial, glacial and late-glacial age have been found in Europe. Cf. also Meusel et al. 1978, map p. 329.