200101a Scheuchzeria palustris subsp. americana (Fernald) Hultén
Distribution
Hudson Bay - Labrador: Present only in the Borderline Arctic
Shrub Tundra: Present only in the Borderline Arctic
Bordering boreal or alpine areas: Frequent
- Hultén, Acta Univ. Lund., n. s., sect. 2, 37, 1: 107 (1941). - Scheuchzeria palustris var. americana Fernald, Rhodora 25: 178 (1923). Described from North America. Numerous syntypes cited.
2n=
22 (2x). - Canada. - At least three reports.
Geography: North American: (CAN).
Notes: Scheuchzeria palustris reaches the Borderline Arctic on the southern shore of Hudson Bay on both sides of the entrance to James Bay (Nienaber 2000 and other sources).
Hultén (1962) considered the North American plant a major race characterized by longer fruits with a curved beak (1-2 mm long vs. more or less beakless in subsp. palustris) and larger seeds (4-5 mm vs. 3-4 mm). Rank as subspecies is our choice if these differences hold true. They were, however, doubted by Nienaber (2000): "Variability in those characters, in specimens from both hemispheres, vitiates their worth for varietal distinction". We accept the subspecies.
Higher Taxa
- Scheuchzeria palustris [200101,species]