Panarctic Flora

370128 Papaver detritophilum V.V. Petrovsky

• V.V. Petrovsky, Bot. Zhurn. 70: 114 (1985). Holotype (LE!): Russian Far East: West Chukotka, "jugum Anjujensis, in systemate fl. Anjuj Magnus, in valle fl. Bystrjanka", 25. July 1980, leg. V.V. Petrovsky 80-59.

2n= (1) 42 (6x). - Far East (N), Alaska (N). - At least four reports supported by more than 50 chromosome vouchers in LE. Hexaploid in FCM, Solstad (2009, eight plants from two localities).
(2) 56 (8x). - Far East (N). - One LE chromosome voucher (83-02).

Geography: Amphi-Beringian: RFE ALA.

Notes: Petrovsky (1999) reported Papaver detritophilum as restricted to mainland Chukotka but as common throughout this region. As stated by Petrovsky (in comment), there is a great deal of morphological variation. The capsules of mountain plants in the western and central parts of Chukotka are usually narrowly obconical, whereas those of more lowland plants in East Chukotka are more narrowly barrel-shaped. In some East Chukotkan specimens the capsules approach in shape P. paucistaminum and P. keelei.

In the AFLP analysis, P. detritophilum from two localities in East Chukotka (identified by Petrovsky) joined with plants from two localities in the Brooks Range in northern Alaska (Solstad 2009). Papaver detritophilum further joins in the AFLP analysis with the eastern Canadian and Greenland P. labradoricum. These two species also share several morphological features but differ in their (main) ploidy levels. A connection between P. detritophilum and P. labradoricum through the southern parts of the Canadian Arctic cannot be excluded as we have analyzed no samples from this region. However, the plants from this gap that have been studied on herbarium vouchers rather belong to P. hultenii morphologically.