Morphological variation within the complex most notably includes habit, phyllotaxis, and size, shape and pubescence of the leaves. The ancestral haplotype occurs in southern Spain and Morocco and on Corsica and Sicily, haplotype 2 in northern Africa and southern Spain, and haplotype 3 in central and southern Europe and Anatolia. All three comprise diploid and polyploid plants.
AFLP markers show considerable variation.
The analysis of the of the first sample is presented here.