861203 Arnica frigida C.A. Mey. ex Iljin
Distribution
Yana - Kolyma: Rare
West Chukotka: Frequent
Wrangel Island: Frequent
South Chukotka: Frequent
East Chukotka: Frequent
Western Alaska: Frequent
Northern Alaska - Yukon: Frequent
Central Canada: Scattered
Mid Arctic Tundra: Presence uncertain
Southern Arcti Tundra: Scattered
Shrub Tundra: Frequent
Bordering boreal or alpine areas: Frequent
- Iljin, Trudy Bot. Muz. 19: 112 (1926). Described from Lavrentiy Bay in East Chukotka (the Russian Far East) and from Eschscholtz Bay (Alaska). Type in LE. - Arnica louiseana subsp. frigida (C.A. Mey. ex Iljin) Maguire, Madroño 6: 153 (1942). - Arnica griscomii subsp. frigida (C.A. Mey. ex Iljin) S.J. Wolf, Taxon 38: 142 (1989).
2n=
(1) 36-38 38 (2x). - Alaska, Canada? - At least three reports.
(2) 56 57 58 60 (3x). - Far East (N), Alaska. - Several reports.
(3) 67-70. - Far East (N). - Zhukova and Tikhonova (1971).
(4) 76 (4x). - Far East (N), Alaska. - Several reports.
(5) 95 (5x). - Downie and Denford (1986).
Löve and Löve (1975a) accepted only reports of 2n = ca. 76 for Arnica frigida. Where they would assign the other reports, e.g., those of 2n = ca. 56 from northeastern Asia where no other related species occur, is not clear.
Geography: Amphi-Beringian: SIB RFE ALA CAN.
Notes: The majority of American authors (e.g., Maguire 1942; Wolf 1989, 2006) have assigned the amphi-Beringian Arnica frigida as a race to either the narrowly eastern North American A. griscomii Fernald Rhodora 26: 105 (1924); holotype (GH): Canada: Quebec, Matane Co., south of Fernald Pass, Mount Mattaouisse, 20. Aug. 1923, leg. Fernald and Smith 26,084 or to the narrowly mid-Cordilleran A. louiseana Farr Ottawa Natural. 20: 109 (1906). Even if these three taxa are similar in most aspects, their ranges are widely apart and must have been isolated for a long time. The arguments of Wolf (1989) for subspecific rank are not convincing and we accept A. frigida as species besides A. griscomii and A. louiseana. The aneuploid chromosome number of 2n = 67 is reported from both A. griscomii (Gervais 1979, Quebec) and A. louiseana (Ornduff et al. 1967).
Higher Taxa
- Arnica [8612,genus]