I have just found an interesting paragraph in CASPER's monograph (Biblioth.
Bot. 127/128, 1966). Yesterday, I have mentioned CASPER does not like
hybrid hyptheses. He writes (l.c.:182):
"Bastardisierung ist in der Gattung recht selten" ("Hybridization is quite
rare in the genus").
Nevertheless, he reports two hybrids for Europe. Both of which are alleged
hybrids of _P.vulgaris_ (2n=64) with tetraploids (2n=32). The first one is
_P.*hybrida_ (_P.alpina_*_vulgaris_); very rare in S central Europe. More
importantly, the second one (l.c.:183) _P.*scullyi_
(_P.grandiflora_*_vulgaris_) originally described from Ireland (!), was
found by CASPER himself in the E Pyrenees (!!): "France: Pyr.orient., Val
d'Eyne (CASPER-JE)". He writes:
"Der Bastard duerfte in den Pyrenaeen noch an anderen Oertlichkeiten zu
finden sein. Vielleicht lassen sich die Angaben von angeblichen
_P.leptoceras_-Funden in den Pyrenaeen auf den Bastard zurueckfuehren"
("The hybrid might be discovered in further localities in the Pyrenees.
Maybe the reports of alleged discoveries of _P.leptoceras_ in the Pyrenees
are attributable to the hybrid").
Comments?
Kind regards
Jan