| Rumex arcticus Trautv. | |
| Publ. & Syn. | Rumex kamtschadalus Kom., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 13: 166 (1914). Described from "circa paga Kirganik, Nikolaievska et ad ostium fl. Bolshaja-rjeka" in Kamtchatka (the Russian Far East). Syntypes (LE): Kirganik, 1909, leg. Komarov; Nikolaievsk, 1908, leg. Ramensky; Mashura, 1909, leg. Komarov; and Bolshaja R., 1908, leg. Komarov. - Rumex arcticus var. kamtschadalus (Kom.) Rech. f. ex Tolm., Fl. Arct. URSS 5: 155 (1966). |
| Notes | Tolmachev (1966b) tentatively recognized Rumex arcticus var. kamtschadalus but stated that "it is impossible to treat R. kamtschadalus as a separate species or even as a geographical race of R. arcticus". Löve and Löve (1975a and elsewhere) attempted to justify it as a species based on a ploidy difference: R. kamtschadalus as tetraploid, R. arcticus as dodecaploid. This conclusion is negated by the fact that all the tetraploid chromosome counts they listed for R. kamtschadalus, which they stated to be restricted to northeastern Asia, were made on North American plants. They also neglected the other chromosome numbers reported from R. arcticus, some of their own included, and Sokolovskaya's high polyploid count of what clearly was stated to be Komarov's R. kamtschadalus. Mulligan and Frankton (1972) discussed the ploidy variation in R. arcticus. We include R. kamtschadalus in the synonymy of R. arcticus. There seems to be a fairly good documentation for at least five ploidy levels in this species. |
| Chromosomes | (1) 40 (4x). - Far East (N), Alaska, Canada (NW). - Several reports, some for "kamtschadalus". (2) 80 (8x). - Far East (N), Alaska. - Packer and McPherson (1974); Dawe and Murray (1981c, three counts); Zhukova (1982). (3) 120 (12x). - Russia (N), Siberia (N), Far East (N), Alaska, Canada (N)? - Several reports. (4) 150 (15x). - Siberia (N). - Krogulevich (1976a). (5) >150. - Far East (N). - Zhukova (1965a); Zhukova et al. (1973). (6) 170 (17x). - Alaska. - Johnson and Packer (1968). (7) 200 (20x). - Far East (N). - Sokolovskaya (1968, for R. kamtschadalus). Not included: A report of 2n = ca. 200 (20x) from Finland (Löve and Löve 1948). The species is not accepted from Finland, neither from its current-day area nor from the parts lost to Russia during World War II. The report, if correct, may belong to R. aquaticus subsp. protractus as considered above. |
| Geography | European (NE) - Asian (N) - amphi-Beringian: RUS SIB RFE ALA CAN. |
| Distribution | N = F AN = f AO = s C = R D = F E = F CC = s WI = f YG = s FN = r CE = s CS = ? UN = s YK = s AW = f Kh = f CW = f Tm = f KP = r [ key ] |
| Parent taxon | Rumex L. |
| PAF ID | 410706 |