A new look at Orthotrichum scanicum Grönvall (Orthotrichaceae, Bryophyta)

Abstract

Orthotrichum scanicum Grönvall has been considered a European endemic whose main range corresponded to the central and northern region of the continent, and it is currently included in the 2007 IUCN World Red List as Vulnerable. However, a large number of recent reports and the examination of herbarium specimens have remarkably expanded the limits of its area in the Mediterranean and Caucasian regions. Additionally, the revision of the original collections of Orthotrichum holmenii from Kazakhstan shows that this taxon is conspecific with O. scanicum. An updated description of the species comprising the known range of its morphological variability is provided, and its exclusion from the World Red List is suggested.