760501 Lomatogonium rotatum (L.) Fr. ex Fernald
- Fernald, Rhodora 21: 194 (1919). - Swertia rotata L., Sp. Pl.: 226 (1753). Described from Siberia (leg. Gmelin) and Canada (leg. Kalm). Lectotype (LINN): Herb. Linn. 327.3 (Liu and Ho 1992: 309).
Geography: Disjunct circumpolar-alpine.
Notes: Elven and Murray: Cody (1996) accepted two races of Lomatogonium rotatum for the Yukon Territory: the mainly coastal subsp. rotatum and the more interior subsp. tenuifolium. The latter is restricted to western North America and reaches the Arctic in western and northern Alaska and in the northern Yukon Territory. The plant drawn for Hultén (1968a: 761) is of this inland type. Even if there is some overlap in characters, the differences are rather marked, e.g.: petals 10-15 x 4.0-6.0 mm in subsp. rotatum vs. 7-11 x 2.5-4.0 mm in subsp. tenuifolium, sepals 13-17 x 2.0-2.6 mm vs. 8-12 x 1.0-2.0 mm, and leaf width 2.0-4.0 mm vs. 1.5-2.5 mm. Petals are more acute in subsp. rotatum than in subsp. tenuifolium. Sepals are narrowly lanceolate in subsp. rotatum, almost linear in subsp. tenuifolium. In addition, subsp. tenuifolium is mostly more branched and rich-flowered and regularly more dark pigmented, with stems and leaves running into purplish and flowers into dark blue. This colour difference is pronounced in the majority of specimens.
Higher Taxa
- Lomatogonium [7605,genus]