| Polemonium boreale Adams | |
| Publ. & Syn. | ?Polemonium hyperboreum Tolm., Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 23: 273 (1927). Type (TK): Siberia: Taimyr, "bei der Mündung der Pjassinaflusses auf der Insel Tschájatschij Basár (ungefähr 7350' n.Br. und 87 ö.L.)", 31. July 1922, leg. B. Puschkarew. - ?Polemonium pulcherrimum subsp. hyperboreum (Tolm.) Á. Löve & D. Löve, Bot. Not. 128: 517 (1976). |
| Notes | The priority name for this species might be problematic as is its circumscription. According to Tzvelev (1980b), Polemonium villosum Rudolph ex Georgi 1800 is a nomen ambiguum and belongs in the synonymy of P. boreale Adams 1817, which means that the name P. villosum would have priority if it was based on a type belonging to the same species as P. boreale. Rybinskaya (1997) rather "synonymized" P. villosum with the southern Siberian and eastern Asian P. racemosum (Regel.) Kitam. 1941, described from Korea, but as the former species name has priority 141 years before the latter one this "synonymization" probably reflects applications of names rather than synonyms as defined by types. Hultén (1968a) accepted P. hyperboreum as a species apart and Löve and Löve (1975a, 1976a) accepted P. pulcherrimum subsp. hyperboreum. More recent Russian authors have rather synonymized the name P. hyperboreum with P. boreale (Tzvelev 1980b; Rybinskaya 1997; Petrovsky in comments). Tolmachev (1927b) indicated affinities of his P. hyperboreum with the Altai P. lanatum, the northeastern Asian P. parviflorum, and the North American P. pulcherrimum. He especially noted branched stems and well developed stem leaves, both characters not pointing towards P. boreale. Rybinskaya (1997) synonymized P. parviflorum with P. pulcherrimum. Comparing material from northeastern Asia collected in 2004-2005 and from Alaska, we are convinced that a race or close relative of P. pulcherrimum is present in northeastern Asia (as mapped by Rybinskaya 1997, for other reports see below). We suspect that at least some of the northeastern Asian reports as P. hyperboreum refer to that species. Löve and Löve (1976a) stated P. boreale subsp. humile to be "the northern Siberian race of the species". Petrovsky (in comments) synonymized P. humile with P. boreale s. str. |
| Chromosomes | 18 (2x). - Europe (N), Russia (N), Siberia, Far East (N), Alaska. - Numerous reports, partly for P. humile and P. hyperboreum. |
| Geography | Amphi-Atlantic (E) - European (N) - Asian (N) - amphi-Beringian - North American (NW): NOR RUS SIB RFE ALA CAN GRL. |
| Distribution | N = S AN = f B = R AO = s C = F D = F E = F CC = s WI = f YG = f FN = r CE = s CS = s UN = f YK = r AW = s GE = r Kh = f SF = s CW = f Tm = f KP = f [ key ] |
| Parent taxon | Polemonium L. |
| PAF ID | 700203 |