421215 Silene soczavana (Schischk.) Bocquet
Distribution
West Chukotka: Rare
South Chukotka: Rare
East Chukotka: Scattered
Western Alaska: Scattered
Northern Alaska - Yukon: Scattered
Mid Arctic Tundra: Presence uncertain
Southern Arcti Tundra: Rare
Shrub Tundra: Scattered
Bordering boreal or alpine areas: Frequent
- Bocquet, Candollea 22: 38 (1967). - Melandrium soczavanum Schischk., Zhurn. Russk. Bot. Obshch. 16: 83 (1931). Holotype (LE!): Russian Far East: South Chukotka, Anadyr, at the mouth of Bjeloj River, 26. June 1929, leg. Soczava. - Gastrolychnis soczavana (Schischk.) Tolm. & Kozhanch., Fl. Arct. URSS 6: 115 (1971).
- Melandrium macrospermum A.E. Porsild, Rhodora 41: 225 (1939). Holotype (CAN!): Alaska: Norton Sound, "collines basses à 16-24 km en arrière de Unalaklet, 6352'N, 10620'W", leg. A.E. Porsild and R.T. Porsild 1147. - Lychnis macrosperma (A.E. Porsild), J.P. Anderson, Iowa State Coll. J. Sci. 20: 250 (1946). - Silene macrosperma (A.E. Porsild) Hultén, Circumpolar Pl. 2: 326 (1971). - Gastrolychnis macrosperma (A.E. Porsild) Tolm. & Kozhanch., Fl. Arct. URSS 6: 115 (1971). - Silene soczavana var. macrosperma (A.E. Porsild) V.V. Petrovsky, D.F. Murray & Elven, J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 2: 436 (2008). - Silene uralensis subsp. porsildii Bocquet, Candollea 22: 27 (1967). Nomen novum for Melandrium macrospermum A.E. Porsild.
2n=
48 (4x). - Far East (N), Alaska. - At least four reports.
Geography: Amphi-Beringian: RFE ALA.
Notes: Petrovsky, Murray, and Elven: The tetraploid, amphi-Beringian plants of the Silene uralensis group have been treated in several ways. Bocquet (1967) accepted the Asian plant as S. soczavana, whereas he treated the Alaskan plant as S. uralensis subsp. porsildii. In this he was followed by Morton (2005c). Earlier American authors have rather treated the Alaskan plant as Melandrium, Lychnis, or Silene macrosperma (e.g., Porsild 1939; Hultén 1968a, 1971b). We find the Asian and American plants essentially similar and assign them to one species for which S. soczavana is the priority name.
Silene soczavana differs from S. uralensis, besides in the ploidy level, in, e.g., rhizome branching pattern, leaf shape, emergence and colour of petals, and seed size and wings. Ecologically, it is a plant of dry scree and cliffs, whereas most of the others of this group prefer moist to wet sites (even mires). The differences in morphology are found in several features and with no overlap. No intermediates towards S. uralensis have been observed even if the range of S. soczavana almost entirely falls within that of S. uralensis. We can see no reason whatsoever for treating it as anything but a species.
From morphological indications, the tetraploid S. soczavana is not result of hybridization with the S. linnaeaea group as are the other investigated polyploids of the Gastrolychnis group: S. involucrata, S. ostenfeldii, and S. sorensenis. Bengt Oxelman's group should check if some other species, e.g., the northeastern Asian S. stenophylla, could have furnished the other genome in S. soczavana. The characters distinguishing S. soczavana are not found in any of the northern diploids in the S. uralensis aggregate.
We have compared material (ALA, CAN, DAO, LE) of the northeastern Asian Silene soczavana and the predominantly northwestern American Melandrium macrospermum, including the types of both species names. We find little difference. The tetraploid chromosome number, morphology, ecology, and geography, all support a merger of Melandrium macrospermum with Silene soczavana.
Bocquet considered his subsp. porsildii (= M. macrospermum) to be a local race in the central Alaskan mountains. From the material (ALA, CAN, LE, O) we have inspected, it is rather a fairly widespread plant from East Chukotka and the northern Bering Sea islands northeast to the Alaskan North Slope and south and southeast to Kodiak Island and northern British Columbia, perhaps to Alberta. Its range thereby encompasses that of the local S. soczavana. The chromosome counts from northeastern Asia must come from plants outside Bocquet's concept of the taxon. We are sure that this plant occurs in Chukotka (we collected it there in 2005 and have inspected material in LE) and the northern Bering Sea islands (ALA). Silene soczavana s. str. is confined to ultrabasic substrates and its differences from Melandrium macrospermum can be interpreted as modifications.
Higher Taxa
- Silene [4212,genus]