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Fig. 1. Pulmonaria obscura Dumort. (Boraginaceae), plants
of "typical" morph in autumn
aspect (Finland, Lohja, Lieviö, 1992).
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Image: Harri Harmaja (scanned from dried specimens).
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The leaf rosette comprises exclusively summer leaves or almost so (autumn leaves
are lacking or a few small
ones present; their upper side is unspotted or spotted).
The summer leaves are somewhat narrowly cordate and have an unspotted upper surface
(green in the image). The first and last leaves of the rosette are often smaller
than the middle ones and may have cuneate bases.
Typical p.o.
(Boraginaceae)
in the spring develops a flowering stem and thereafter a leaf rosette from a winter bud in the rhizome. The small cauline leaves (spring leaves) are unspotted.
The rosette of taller, likewise
unspotted leaves (summer leaves) develops in late spring and early summer. The
flowering stem withers towards the summer. During the season, a winter bud develops in the middle of
the summer leave rosette. Lastly, the summer leaves wither
totally towards the winter.
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Fig 2. Pulmonaria obscura, plants with slightly deviating leaves in late autumn aspect (on the left: Finland, Lohja, Osuniemi, 1992; on the right: Finland, Lohja, Lieviö, 1992). – Image: Harri Harmaja (scanned form dried specimens). – The blade is slightly paler than in typical P. obscura, and even paler areas are around the veins. Lamina unspotted. The winter bud is clearly visible at the base. This kind of plants are sometimes rather striking but maybe they do not have taxonomic relevance.
Fig. 3. Pulmonaria obscura in spring aspect: typical on the left (Finland, Lohja, Jalassaari, 1990; collected by Timo Harmaja and Kirsti Toppari), morph with small calyx and corolla on the right (Finland, Lammi, Ylänne, 1995). – Image: Harri Harmaja (scanned from dried specimens). – The left plant is at a later stage of development, and also possesses relatively wide leaves. Both morphs have unspotted leaves. It should be studied whether the dimorphism in reproductive organs, well-known in P. obscura, is correlated with flower size. Anyway, in the present case the large-flowered plant has long styles and the small-flowered one has short styles.
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Fig. 4. Pulmonaria obscura, deviating morph with distinctly petiolate lower cauline leaves in late spring aspect (Finland, Järvenpää, Lemmenlaakso, 1996). – Image: Harri Harmaja (scanned from dried specimen). – The size and relative width of the cauline leaves is vary to some extent within P. obscura but this plant is unique; also the size of the middle cauline leaves is considerable. Leaves unspotted. This kind of plants formed a small stand among abundant typical P. obscura in luxurious brookside vegetation in the famous nature reserve.
Created August 29, 2004.