700104 Phlox hoodii Richardson
Distribution
Northern Alaska - Yukon: Rare
Central Canada: Scattered
Mid Arctic Tundra: Rare
Southern Arcti Tundra: Scattered
Shrub Tundra: Scattered
Bordering boreal or alpine areas: Scattered
- Richardson, Bot. App., ed. 2: 6, t. 28 (1823). Holotype (K): Canada: Saskatchewan, Carlton House, leg. Richardson.
- Phlox richardsonii Hook., Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 73, t. 160 (1837). Holotype (K): Canada: Northwest Territories, "Arctic sea coast" near Cape Bathurst, 1826, leg. J. Richardson. - Phlox sibirica subsp. richardsonii (Hook.) Hultén, Ark. Bot., n. s., 7, 1: 111 (1968).
2n=
28 (4x). - Canada, U.S.A. (W). - At least three reports.
Geography: American Beringian - Cordilleran: ALA CAN.
Notes: Murray: Porsild (1966) felt there was, in addition to Phlox alaskensis, a single, variable taxon in Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and elsewhere in arctic Canada and he chose the name P. richardsonii. I agree there is one taxon but see no reason not to use the name P. hoodii. When specimens are examined from the area where only P. hoodii is found (Wyoming), it is possible to see within a series the full range of morphs of what passes for P. hoodii and P. richardsonii. The differences among specimens are the kinds one would expect from environmental modifications. The extremes are distinct but linked by numerous transitional forms. The essential architecture of the leaves, upon which the taxonomy is heavily based, is unchanged whether growth is lax or condensed or the leaves long or short. Good P. hoodii occurs on terraces of the Porcupine River (northeastern Alaska) in open stands of white spruce, and good P. richardsonii grows just meters away on the steep, dry slopes above. Plants in arctic parts of the Northwest Territories are indistinguishable from those in alpine parts of the Yukon Territory.
Higher Taxa
- Phlox [7001,genus]