Myosotis

Sect. Myosotis

Myosotis alpestris subsp. pyrenaeorum

Myosotis atlantica Vestergr.

Myosotis alpestris F.W. Schmidt, Fl. Boëm. 3: 26 (1794)

subsp. pyrenaeorum (Blaise & Kerguélen) Valdés

=Myosotis sylvatica subsp. alpestris (F.W. Schmidt) Gams in Hegi, Ill. Fl. Mitt.-Eur. 5: 2168 (1927)

Myosotis alpestris F.W. Schmidt subsp. pyrenaeorum (Blaise & Kerguélen) Valdés

Myosotis alpestris F.W. Schmidt subsp. pyrenaeorum (Blaise & Kerguélen) Valdés

Myosotis alpestris F.W. Schmidt subsp. pyrenaeorum (Blaise & Kerguélen) Valdés

Myosotis alpestris F.W. Schmidt subsp. pyrenaeorum (Blaise & Kerguélen) Valdés

Myosotis alpestris F.W. Schmidt subsp. pyrenaeorum (Blaise & Kerguélen) Valdés

Myosotis alpestris F.W. Schmidt subsp. pyrenaeorum (Blaise & Kerguélen) Valdés

Myosotis atlanticaVestergr., Ark. Bot. 29A(8): 34 (1939)
=Myosotis alpestris F.W.Schmidt (H.Lindb.) Maire
=Myosotis salvatica Hoffm. H. Lindb.

Myosotis atlantica is a perennial plant to the family Boraginaceae. This taxon is endemic to the high mountain systems of Morocco. It is distinct from the other species of this group as all its leaves are pilose with long soft nearly straight hairs on both surfaces, calyx rounded at the base in fruit, with white straight hairs forming conspic- uous white rim at the margin of calyx teeth and with longer, patent, slightly curved hairs and hooked ones on the calyx tube extending halfway up the pedicel. Patent hooked hairs on the flower/fruit pedicels is a noteworthy morphological character, which occurs very rarely within the M. alpestris group.

Font

Myosotis atlantica is found at five sites and has an Extent of Occurrence of 8,000 km². The quality of its habitat is deteriorating resulting from increasing grazing pressure, cultivation and tourism development. The population trend is not known, but it is suspected that the more accessible sites are declining whereas the localities in the mountains are less threatened. The species is therefore classified as Near Threatened.

The species is found at the edges of streams, peat bogs (pozzines), wet prairies of flinty mountains and forests and humid rocks in mountains. It is a perennial species (Hemicryptophyte) that blooms from spring to summer (May-July) under the cold semi-arid, sub-humid and humid Mediterranean bioclimate.

Myosotis atlantica is strictly endemic to Morocco. It is rare and its distribution is restricted to the mountains of the Atlas with five known localities: Oukaïmeden (31°13'N; 07°51'W), Ourika and Jbel Angour in the High Atlas, Itzer in the Moyen Atlas and Siroua in the Anti Atlas. The extent of occurrence is about 8,000 km².

Font: IUCN. 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2010.2). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 29 June 2010).

Myosotis atlanticaVestergr.

Myosotis atlanticaVestergr.

Myosotis atlanticaVestergr.