>Ok... I realize that P. vulgaris is a very common species, but I still have a
>question. How far south does its range go in the N. E. USA? the farthest
>south I read is Smugglers Notch in Vermont at about 700m. Is it considered
>an alpine plant here?
Colline-montane. Even towards the south, _P.vulgaris_ is rather reluctant
to climb the mountains (an apparent and notable exception being Er Rif in
Morocco). This is certainly a reason why it is rather rare towards the
subtropical zones while it is widespread and abundant in the temperate to
subarctic zones.
>2. Would it be possible to find P. villosa on top of Mt. Washington in Hew
>Hampshire. This mountain although only about 2000m high is considered to
>have an arctic climate.
I would doubt it, at least. I may change my mind if you show me a specimen,
however. _P.villosa_ is known to occur in a possibly similar situation in
Korea. So this question may be worth an expedition in the summer. But take
care: _P.villosa_ is smaller than you may think, and it is very easily
overlooked.
> The reason I am wondering is because P. alpina is
>supposed to grow at sea level in Scandinavia and then in populations in the
>alps and pyrenees.
Wrong example. While _P.villosa_ is found in Scandinavia it does not reach
the Alps or Pyrenees. _P.villosa_ is circumarctic, _P.alpina_ is arctic +
alpine (+ altaic + himalayan but rather surprisingly apparently not
caucasian!) Eurasian (both species are almost classical examples for these
different distribution patterns). NB: _P.villosa_ is much more closely
related to _P.villosa_ than _P.alpina_ ;-)
Kind regards
Jan