Taxonomic uncertainty and a continental conundrum:Polypodium macaronesicumreassessed

Data from the chloroplast trnL-F region are used to test the delimitation of putative diploid species in the Polypodium cambricum aggregate. In particular, we investigate the distinctiveness of the Macaronesian Polypodium macaronesicum, P. azoricum and the continental P. cambricum, investigate molecular diversity patterns within Macaronesia and establish the identity of putative P. macaronesicum material collected from an area in southern Spain, where it co-occurs with other Macaronesian elements. The analysis supports the distinction of Macaronesian and continental plants, with accessions from Macaronesia resolved as monophyletic. Greater haplotype diversity was found in Macaronesia than o…