Observations on the taxonomy and distribution of Epipterygium atlanticum Hanusch and E. tozeri (Grev.) Lindb. (Mniaceae Schwägr.) in mainland Portugal

Epipterygium atlanticum Hanusch is a recently described species based on plants occurring mainly in Macaronesia, with one collection from Scotland. Against this background, we studied 144 specimens of E. tozeri s.l. in LISU herbarium from mainland Portugal, including recent field collections, and 70 were referable to E. atlanticum. The length and width of mid-leaf laminal cells of lateral leaves were the most important morphological characters for the delimitation of the two European species. Epipterygium atlanticum is a widely distributed taxon throughout the Portuguese territory, becoming more frequent in Atlantic zones and in the Algarve. We provide an updated map of the distribution of both species and a brief account of their ecology and habitat preferences.