Data from: A major range expansion for Platismatia wheeleri

Platismatia wheeleri was recently described as a species distinct from the highly morphologically variable Platismatia glauca. Previously, P. wheeleri was known only from intermountain western North America in southern British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. After examining collections from the New York Botanical Garden and Arizona State University herbaria we discovered that P. wheeleri was collected in southern California and the Tatra Mountains of Slovakia. The morphology, ecology and biogeography of P. wheeleri are discussed, and the importance and utility of historical collections is highlighted. This article is intended to alert researchers to the potential presence of P. wheeleri in different regions of the world so we can better understand its historical and current distribution and abundance.

惠氏扁叶衣（Platismatia wheeleri）近期被确立为与形态变异度极高的灰扁叶衣（Platismatia glauca）截然不同的独立物种。此前，惠氏扁叶衣的分布记录仅局限于北美西部山间地带，涵盖不列颠哥伦比亚省南部、爱达荷州、蒙大拿州、俄勒冈州与华盛顿州。本研究通过检视纽约植物园与亚利桑那州立大学植物标本馆的馆藏标本，发现惠氏扁叶衣的采集样本还来自加利福尼亚州南部以及斯洛伐克的塔特拉山脉。本文对惠氏扁叶衣的形态特征、生态习性与生物地理学特征展开探讨，并着重强调了历史馆藏标本的研究价值与应用意义。本文旨在提醒全球科研人员留意惠氏扁叶衣在各区域的潜在分布，以便更全面地明晰其历史与当前的分布范围及种群丰度。