Polyploid evolution in the European orchid genus Nigritella: evidence from DNA fingerprinting
The genus Nigritella (Orchidaceae-Orchidinae) is a complex of species at four different ploidy levels. Fourteen taxa at species or subspecies level have been distinguished. The triploid N. nigra ssp. nigra is endemic to Scandinavia, whereas the remaining taxa are confined to different mountain regions in Central and Southern Europe. The polyploids are of hybrid origin and have arisen from taxa at