343203b Puccinellia phryganodes subsp. neoarctica (Á. Löve & D. Löve) Elven
Distribution
Northern Alaska - Yukon: Presence uncertain
Central Canada: Frequent
Hudson Bay - Labrador: Frequent
Ellesmere Island: Scattered
Western Greenland: Frequent
Eastern Greenland: Frequent
Northern arctic Tundra: Scattered
Mid Arctic Tundra: Frequent
Southern Arcti Tundra: Frequent
Shrub Tundra: Frequent
Bordering boreal or alpine areas: Scattered
- Elven, J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 2: 435 (2008). - Phippsia neoarctica Á. Löve & D. Löve, Bot. Not. 128: 499 (1976). Holotype (C): Greenland: Sydostbugt, July 1880, leg. N. Hartz. - Puccinellia neoarctica (Á. Löve & D. Löve) Böcher et al., Grønlands Fl., ed. 3: 293 (1978) comb. inval., without basionym citation.
- Puccinellia phryganodes "Greenland type" sensu Sørensen (1953).
2n=
21 (3x). - Canada, Greenland. - Jørgensen et al. (1958); Mosquin and Hayley (1966); Löve and Löve (1981b); Dalgaard (1989).
Geography: North American (N): ALA? CAN GRL.
Notes: The Löves considered subsp. neoarctica a triploid species (Phippsia neoarctica), whereas they considered the tetraploids as three subspecies of Phippsia vilfoidea. See, however, reports of triploids within subsp. sibirica (below). Morphologically, the "neoarctica" race is an obvious part of Puccinellia phryganodes. Subspecies neoarctica is probably a sterile stoloniferous race that reproduces by detached shoots only. The differences from the other parts of the P. phryganodes complex (see Sørensen 1953) are clear but do not justify specific rank as proposed by the Löves.
The limit towards subsp. phryganodes in northwestern North America is not clear; subsp. neoarctica may be absent from the Bering Strait areas.
Sørensen (1953) identified a collection from northern Spitsbergen, Svalbard, as the "Greenland type", based on leaf epidermis and floral features, and in the herbarium (O) he also suggested a second collection from western Spitsbergen. We find differences in floral characters between these Svalbard plants and the Greenland ones and provisionally exclude subsp. neoarctica from Svalbard.
Higher Taxa
- Puccinellia phryganodes [343203,species]