Panarctic Flora

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410401 Koenigia islandica L.

Distribution

Northern Iceland: Frequent
Northern Fennoscandia: Rare
Kanin - Pechora: Rare
Svalbard - Franz Joseph Land: Scattered
Polar Ural - Novaya Zemlya: Frequent
Yamal - Gydan: Rare
Taimyr - Severnaya Zemlya: Rare
Anabar - Onenyo: Rare
Kharaulakh: Scattered
Yana - Kolyma: Rare
West Chukotka: Rare
Wrangel Island: Scattered
South Chukotka: Presence uncertain
East Chukotka: Scattered
Western Alaska: Scattered
Northern Alaska - Yukon: Scattered
Central Canada: Rare
Hudson Bay - Labrador: Scattered
Ellesmere Island: Rare
Western Greenland: Frequent
Eastern Greenland: Frequent
Northern arctic Tundra: Rare
Mid Arctic Tundra: Frequent
Southern Arcti Tundra: Frequent
Shrub Tundra: Frequent
Bordering boreal or alpine areas: Frequent

2n= 28 (4x). - Europe (N), Siberia (N)?, Far East (N), Alaska, Canada, U.S.A., Greenland, South America. - Numerous reports.
Not included: Reports of 2n = 14 (2x) from Svalbard (Löve and Löve 1975c for K. hadacii, see notes) and central Asia (Mesícek and Soják 1973). Central Asian reports may belong to (an)other species. See also Hedberg (1997).

Geography: Circumpolar-alpine: ICE NOR RUS SIB RFE ALA CAN GRL.

Notes: Löve and Löve (1975c) proposed a second species - Koenigia hadacii - based on a diploid chromosome number (2n = 14) from the Isfjorden area in Svalbard ("seeds from Isfjorden") and later validated the species name (Löve and Löve 1976a). No voucher (Löve and Löve G325) for their Svalbard count has been found, and the number has not been confirmed by later counts on plants from the same area (U.-M. Hultgård pers. comm.). We do not accept K. hadacii. Its only reported morphological difference from K. islandica s. str. is its smaller size. The Svalbard plants become just as tall as others when manured or growing in a favourable site. We have compared plants from Svalbard, Scandinavia, and Iceland (type region of the species) and can see no differences whatsoever.

Higher Taxa