Panarctic Flora

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710405 Androsace septentrionalis L.

Distribution

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

2n= (1) 20 (2x). - Europe, Siberia, Far East, Alaska, Canada, U.S.A. - Numerous reports.
(2) 40 (4x). - Siberia. - Krasnikov in Takhtajan (1993).

Geography: Circumboreal-polar: RUS SIB RFE ALA CAN GRL.

Notes: Kelso: I think that the best way to deal with the plasticity inherent in Androsace septentrionalis is to simply call it all a single polymorphic taxon. I have found no morphological distinctions that hold up even at a population level; it is really prone to environmental responses. Seeds from alpine (also arctic) morphs that are short and few-flowered yield larger and lusher and more floriferous plants when grown in different locations. This plasticity, coupled with its probably very high level of selfing as an annual, leads to quite a lot of variation, but I am convinced that none of it is of taxonomic significance. Elven: The plasticity is further discussed by Kelso (2009a).

Higher Taxa