Genotypic and phenotypic distinctness of restored and indigenous populations of Pimpinella saxifraga L. eight or more years after restoration.

•The recovery of altered or damaged ecosystems demands large-scale reintroductions of herbaceous perennial seeds. In the past, ecological restoration in Germany was carried out with non-local seeds of naturally occurring herbaceous species. We here analysed whether the genetic pattern of the introduced non-local seeds (R = restored) of Pimpinella saxifraga from previous restoration projects are still detectable several years after application and whether the phenotype differs from the one of the regional gene pool (I = indigenous) of the species. •We collected seeds and leaf material from individuals of R and I-sites, respectively. We estimated genome sizes, used AFLP markers and conducted a common garden experiment to test for genetic, morphological and phenotypic differences. A cutting experiment was conducted to investigate, whether the treatments had different effects on indigenous and restored populations, respectively. •At all investigated sites we only found P. saxifraga individuals with comparatively similar genome sizes. •The former use of non-local genotypes of P. saxifraga can be detected up to more than 8 years after the establishment of the populations. A Principle Coordinate Analysis depicted two large and quite distinct molecular clusters separating indigenous and restored individuals along the first axes. None of the vegetative, but two of the reproductive fitness parameters differed between individuals of the R- and I-sites respectively. In the common garden experiment, cutting always had a significant influence on all analysed vegetative and reproductive fitness parameters, regardless of the origin of the samples. Thus, the effects of mowing always mask origin-specific characteristics, which than disappear. •This genotypic coexistence reduces the availability of niches for the local genotype and may eventually lead to genotypic competition or introgression. We therefore recommend not to use the non-local genotypes of the species in the region. Instead, we recommend using the genetically diverse local genotypes of P. saxifraga for restoration purposes.