Panarctic Flora

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330709 Eleocharis kamtschatica (C.A. Mey.) Kom.

Distribution

East Chukotka: Presence uncertain
Western Alaska: Present only in the Borderline Arctic
Hudson Bay - Labrador: Present only in the Borderline Arctic
Shrub Tundra: Present only in the Borderline Arctic
Bordering boreal or alpine areas: Rare

2n= (1) 12. - Canada (British Columbia). - Taylor and Mulligan (1968, two counts).
(2) 38-56. - Asia (S), Far East (N, S). - Three reports, several counts.

Geography: Amphi-Pacific - North American: RFE? (ALA CAN).

Notes: Elven: Hultén (1968a) mapped Eleocharis kamtschatica from the Chukchi Peninsula but it has not been confirmed later from any arctic part of the Russian Far East. It is recorded from the Borderline Arctic in southwestern Alaska (ALA) and from Hudson Bay just east of the mouth of James Bay, Quebec.

The referred chromosome numbers may belong to more than one taxon. Strandhede accepted only the higher chromosome numbers for E. kamtschatica. The counts of Taylor and Mulligan (1968) might belong to something else. However, Smith et al. (2002) accepted only the number 2n = 12 for this species.

Ball: Smith et al. (2002) stated that the majority of North American plants, including the vouchers of Taylor and Mulligan, agree with Zinserling's rather narrow definition of E. kamtschatica, which is a small plant. He S.G. Smith has more robust plants from western and central Alaska to central British Columbia which fit with Zinserling's description of E. sachalinensis (Meinsh.) B. Fedtsch. and with Japanese descriptions of E. kamtschatica, which also match Japanese plants he has seen. Smith appears not to have seen the type in LE and is assuming that Zinserling applied the name correctly when he recognized several segregates in this species.

Elven: The small and the robust plants referred to above by Ball (referring Smith) are rather different in the material (ALA) from northwestern North America, without much signs of transitions. More than one taxon may be present, also as suggested by the chromosome number variation. The plant bordering on the Arctic in Alaska belongs to the robust form and may be E. sachalinensis.

Higher Taxa