Several peripheral Pleistocene refugia for the alpinecushion plant Saponaria pumila (Caryophyllaceae)

Abstract

Saponaria pumila (Caryophyllaceae) occurs in the Eastern Alps and in the southern parts of the Eastern Carpathians. Within the Alps its distribution shows strong affinities to presumptive Pleistocene refugial areas for the flora of the siliceous Alps (eastern-most Alps, Dolomites), but also extends to central parts (Hohe Tauern, Deferegger Alpen, Presanella, Sarntaler Alpen). Populations of this cushion plant are found on wind exposed slopes and ridges on silicates between 1700 and 2700 m. To test whether S. pumila survived the last ice age in only one or in several refugia, 162 individuals from 34 populations covering the whole alpic distribution area were analysed using AFLP-fingerprinting .