658 Rumex acetosella L. s. lat.

This polymorphic and very widespread species originates from Eurasia (see also map. no. 659). The distribution of the subspecies (or species), characterized, inter alia, by varying chromosome numbers (Löve), is insufficiently known (cf. Hultén, Circumpol. Il, p. 306). Thus, the distribution limits on the map are tentative. From Europe the species has been introduced into N. America and many other parts of the world. This species s. lat. belongs to the circumpolar plants (Hultén op. cit., map 297, almost identical with the present map). See further K. H. Rechinger in Candollea 12:9 (1949); H. den Nijs in Acta Bot. Neerl. 23 (1974), p. 655, and 25 (1976), p. 417; H. den Nijs in Biosyst. Stud. Rumex Acetosella Complex (Amsterdam 1983). - The very closely related R. angiocarpus Murb. and R. graminifolius Lamb. are presented separately on map 659.