From aceska at telus.net Thu Mar 13 15:03:24 2008 From: aceska at telus.net (Adolf Ceska) Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:03:24 -0700 Subject: [BEN-L]BEN # 390 Message-ID: <000901c88513$00da2bb0$028e8310$@net> BBBBB EEEEEE NN N ISSN 1188-603X BB B EE NNN N BBBBB EEEEE NN N N BOTANICAL BB B EE NN NN ELECTRONIC BBBBB EEEEEE NN N NEWS =20 No. 390 March 12, 2008 =20 aceska@telus.net Victoria, B.C. ----------------------------------------------------------- Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2 ----------------------------------------------------------- THE _POTENTILLA VILLOSA_=96_UNIFLORA_ GROUP IN NORTHWESTERN NORTH = AMERICA From: Reidar Elven (Oslo) reidar.elven@nhm.uio.no and David F. Murray (Fairbanks)=A0 ffdfm@uaf.edu=20 [This article is based on the authors=92s treatment of _Potentilla_ for = the _Flora of North America_ project. The authors will gratefully = acknowledge your comments.] While reviewing arctic and boreal _Potentilla_ for our contribution to = the forthcoming treatment of the entire genus in _Flora North America_, we determined that some of the highly variable species can be divided into = taxa to which Asiatic names may be applied. _Potentilla uniflora_ group is = one of these variable species. The name _Potentilla uniflora_ Ledeb. and its superfluous replacement = name _P. ledebouriana_ A.E.Porsild, has been applied extensively to compact, tufted plants of exposed ridges and mountain tops in northwestern North America with a single, large, showy flower or few-flowered = inflorescences. This species is distinct from the Pacific coastal _P. villosa_ Pallas ex Pursh and also from the high arctic _P. vahliana_ Lehmann described from Greenland. Our late friend and colleague Boris Yurtsev (Yurtsev 1984, 1993, 2001) = and Ji?=ED Soj=E1k, the contemporary student of _Potentilla_ (Soj=E1k 2004) = have in recent decades accepted several more species in this complex, and their = work has influenced our review and shaped our results. We focused on three questions: 1) how many entities (species) should be recognized in northwestern North America? 2) how are they characterized? and 3) what = names should be applied? That hybridization produces more or less agamospermic hybrid species is = a well documented feature of several sections of _Potentilla_ (e.g., Gustafsson 1947a, 1947b; Asker 1977; summary by Asker & Jerling 1992), = not the least sect. _Niveae_ to which the _P. villosa_-_uniflora_ group = belongs (cf. Eriksen 1996, 1997). Diploids (2n =3D 14) and most tetraploids (2n = =3D 28) reproduce sexually, whereas plants at higher ploidy levels are reported = to reproduce by agamic seeds, often in combination with some sexuality. A = few studies suggest that the reproductive model established for more = temperate species is relevant here (Yurtsev 1984; Soj=E1k 1985, 1986). The names relevant to the _Potentilla villosa_-_uniflora_ group and the species split from _P. uniflora_ by Russian/European authors for northeastern Asia and northwestern North America are examined below with their chromosome numbers and ranges. _Potentilla villosa_ Pall. ex Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 353. 1813. =96 Described from Alaska: "northwest coast of North America". =96 Reported = from northwestern North America from Washington north to southern and southwestern Alaska and from Russian Commander Islands. =96 Diploid (2n = =3D 14) in several counts from North America. _Potentilla villosula_ Jurtz., Fl. Arct. URSS 9(1): 319, 191. 1984. =96 = Type: Russian Far East: east Chukotka, Chukchi Peninsula, "sinus Emma", 13.07.1938, leg. B.N. Gorodkov (LE) holotype. =96 Reported from a large = area in Alaska and Yukon Terr. and from the Russian Far East, mainly the = Chukchi Peninsula. =96 Tetraploid (2n =3D 28) in several counts from Chukotka. _Potentilla uniflora_ Ledeb., M=E9m. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. P=E9tersbourg = Hist. Acad. 5: 543. 1815. =96 Described from Russian Far East: E Chukotka, per protologue "terra Tschuktschorum ad sin. St. Lawrentii", leg. = Eschscholz. However, the plants from =93terra Tschuktschorum ad sin. St. = Lawrentii=94 are not _P. uniflora_ as currently understood. The type material is heterogeneous, possibly with plants from other regions and thus = typification remains uncertain. =96 _P. ledebouriana_ A.E.Porsild, Bull. Natl. Mus. = Canada 121: 226. 1951. A superfluous replacement name for _P. uniflora_. =96 = Reported as widespread in northern and northeastern Asia from Taimyr Peninsula eastwards to the isthmus of the Chukchi Peninsula, but not from the peninsula itself (except for the =93type locality=94). Whereas both = Yurtsev and Soj=E1k have annotated plants from Alaska and Yukon Territory (ALA) as = P. uniflora, these sheets can be placed into other taxa following the diagnostic characters given by them` =96 Tetraploid (2n =3D 28) in = numerous counts from Chukotka and hexaploid (2n =3D 42) in several counts from = northern Yakutia and Chukotka. There are also tetraploid counts under this name = from Yukon Territory (Mulligan & Porsild 1969, 1970) and from Alberta (Packer = & Whitkus 1982), but the vouchers for these counts must be re-examined. If = we are correct that _P. uniflora_ is absent from North America, these = counts must be reassigned to other species. _Potentilla vulcanicola_ Juz., Bot. Mater. Gerb. Bot. Inst. Komarova = Akad. Nauk SSSR 17: 222. 1955. =96 Type: Russian Far East: Kamtchatka, = Petropavlovsk area, 09.07.1930, leg. I. Zhirov & E. Sokovnina (LE) holotype. =96 = Reported from northern parts of the Russian Far East and from Alaska, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, and western Nunavut. =96 Tetraploid = (2n =3D 28) from southern Chukotka.=20 _Potentilla subvahliana_ Jurtz., Fl. Arct. URSS 9(1): 319, 194. 1984. = =96 Type: Russian Far East: Wrangel Island, "in curso medio fl. Gusinaja, ad rivulum Leningradskij", 02.07.1970, leg. P.G. Zhukova & V.V. Petrovsky = (LE) holotype. =96 Reported from northern parts of Russian Far East, Alaska, = Yukon Territory, and all the arctic parts of Northwest Territory and Nunavut. = =96 Tetraploid (2n =3D 28) in numerous counts from Chukotka. _Potentilla gorodkovii_ Jurtz., Fl. Arct. URSS 9(1): 319, 190. 1984. =96 = Type: Russian Far East: Wrangel Island, "in cursu medio fl. Gusinaja, ad = rivulum Leningradskij", 21.07.1970, leg. P.G. Zhukova & V.V. Petrovsky 70-161 = (2n =3D 28) (LE) holotype. =96 Reported from northern parts of Russian Far East. = =96 Ten counts from Wrangel Island, tetraploid 2n =3D 28 (2 counts), hexaploid = 42 (1), septaploid 49 (2), and octoploid 56 (5). _Potentilla subgorodkovii_ Jurtz., Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) = 78(11): 83. 1993. =96 Type: Northern Alaska: Sheenjek River north of junction = with Old Woman Creek, 22.06.1956, leg. B. Kessel (ALA) holotype. =96 Reported = from Alaska, Yukon Territory, and from northern Russian Far East. =96 No = chromosome counts have been reported. Studying these taxa and applying the criteria proposed by Soj=E1k and = Yurtsev, we could assign most of the specimens to five of these seven species. We concluded that these five taxa are morphologically coherent and = separable from each other. Two features need some explanation. The genus _Potentilla_ is rich in hairs of different types, and these = hair types are diagnostic. Understanding them is critical to following our taxonomy. The main types in sect. _Niveae_ are long straight and stiff = hairs (mostly 1=962 mm) which are verrucose (50x magnification) or more rarely smooth; long =B1 straight, soft hairs (same lengths), which are smooth = or more rarely verrucose; short stiff hairs (mostly < 0.5 mm); short crisped = hairs (mostly < 0.5 mm); and floccose hairs which are flat (50x magnification) = and appear as crinkly, often in a dense tomentum. In addition, there can be stipitate glands. These hairs appear in different proportions on = different parts of the plants. In the=A0 _P. villosa_-_uniflora_ group, the = diagnostic features are mainly found in the hairs of the petioles, to a lesser = degree on the abaxial and adaxial leaf surfaces. The achenes are embedded on a hairy receptacle. These hairs should not = be confused with the diagnostically significant hairs that can occur = apically on achenes. Such hairs are, according to Yurtsev (1984), a rare feature = in _Potentilla_, mainly found in assumedly "primitive" sections, but = present in at least two entities of the _P. uniflora_ group. Key to northeastern Asian and northwestern North American = representatives The following key is based on Yurtsev (1984) and Soj=E1k (2004) but = includes some additional features and excludes characters we have found = unreliable. 1.=A0=A0=A0 Petioles with a combination of floccose hairs and ascending = to spreading long, straight, smooth hairs and often with crisped = hairs=A0=A0=20 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 2.=A0=A0=A0 Caudex branches covered with remains of = stipules and petioles but not entire leaves=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 _P. gorodkovii_ =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 2.=A0=A0=A0 Caudex branches covered with remains of = entire leaves =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 =A0 _P. = subgorodkovii_ 1.=A0=A0=A0 Petioles without floccose hairs, covered by ascending to = spreading long, smooth straight hairs, often with shorter crisped hairs =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 3.=A0=A0=A0 Achenes hairy at apex=A0=A0=20 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 4.=A0=A0=A0 Leaflets sparsely hairy = adaxially; abaxial veins not densely hairy with straight hairs; epicalyx bractlets = lanceolate=96oblong; achenes with numerous apical hairs. . .=A0 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 _P. = vulcanicola_ =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 4.=A0=A0=A0 Leaflets densely hairy, = often sericeous adaxially; abaxial veins densely hairy with straight hairs; epicalyx bractlets elliptic; achenes with a few hairs apically _P. villosula_ =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 3.=A0=A0=A0 Achenes glabrous at apex=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=20 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 5.=A0=A0=A0 Epicalyx bractlets broad, = ovate or elliptic; inflorescences many-flowered (3=967); leaflets with ca. 4=966 teeth per = side, teeth rounded with reflexed margins=A0=A0=A0 _P. villosa_ =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 5.=A0=A0=A0 Epicalyx bractlets narrow, = oblong or lanceolate; inflorescences few-flowered (1=963); leaflets with ca. 2=963 teeth per = side, teeth subacute to acute with scarcely reflexed margins =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 6.=A0=A0=A0 Caudex = branches covered with remains of stipules and petioles, without entire leaves=A0=A0=20 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 = 7.=A0=A0=A0 Leaflets sparsely hairy adaxially; inflorescences mostly 1-flowered=A0=A0=A0 _P. uniflora_ =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 = 7.=A0=A0=A0 Leaflets densely sericeous adaxially;=20 inflorescences mostly 2=963(=964)-flowered=A0=A0=A0 _P. villosula_ =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 6.=A0=A0=A0 Caudex = branches covered with remains of entire leaves=20 =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 = 8.=A0=A0=A0 Leaflets sparsely hairy adaxially; inflorescences mostly 1-flowered=A0=A0=A0 _P. subvahliana_ =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 = 8.=A0=A0=A0 Leaflets densely sericeous adaxially;=20 inflorescences mostly = 2=963(=964)-flowered=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 _P. = villosula_ Relationships, variation and ranges Yurtsev (1984) and Soj=E1k (2004) considered some species primary and = others hybrid species. _Potentilla gorodkovii_ and _P. subgorodkovii_ are considered hybrid species because they combine the floccose hairs of _Potentilla nivea_ s. lat. and the long, straight hairs of _P. uniflora_ = s. lat., are many-flowered and have more numerous teeth on the leaflets = than _P. uniflora_ s. lat.=A0 They postulated _P. gorodkovii_ from _P. nivea_ = L. x _P. uniflora_=A0 and _P. subgorodkovii_ from _P. crebridens_ Juz. x _P. subvahliana_. _Potentilla villosula_ is considered by both authors a = hybrid species, by Soj=E1k (2004) as originating from _P. villosa_ x _P. = uniflora_ or _P. vulcanicola_. They consider _P. subvahliana_, _P. uniflora_, _P. villosa_, and _P. vulcanicola_ primary, i.e., not originating from hybridization.=20 To a large degree, we share these views. _Potentilla villosula_ combines characters otherwise found only in _P. villosa_ and _P. vulcanicola_ and = is, in addition, more polymorphic than its assumed parents. This may be = because of repeated hybridizations. _Potentilla subgorodkovii_ always combines features of _P. nivea_ s. lat. and _P. uniflora_ s. lat., but we are = very reluctant to accept that all plants in northwestern North America that combine these features originate from the cross _P. crebridens_ (_nivea_ group) x _P. subvahliana_ (_uniflora_ group), as proposed by Yurtsev = (1993). Instead we see a consistent, albeit polymorphic, group of plants that = share characters probably from both _P. crebridens_ and _P. nivea_ on one side = and from _P. subvahliana_, _P. villosula_, and _P. vulcanicola_ on the other side. These influences are very difficult to separate without molecular analysis, and no such investigation has been undertaken. Until the = variation pattern is resolved we prefer to accept one northwestern North American hybrid species from _P. nivea_ s. lat. x _P. uniflora_ s. lat., and to = apply the Alaskan name _P. subgorodkovii_.=20 Two of the species have not been confirmed for northwestern North = America. _Potentilla uniflora_ has been determined on Alaskan material several = times by Yurtsev and Soj=E1k, but we have redetermined all these specimens as = other taxa. The nearest confirmed sites of _P. uniflora_ are at the isthmus of Chukchi Peninsula. Given the uncertain typification of the name, we base = our concept of _P. uniflora_ on current usage in Russia. The species in that sense is absent from North America. The northeastern North American and Greenlandic _Potentilla vahliana_ belongs in the same relationship, presumably as a hybrid species from = _P. nivea_ s. str. x _P. subvahliana_. Both of these cross-group hybrid = species are much closer morphologically to their presumed _P. uniflora_ parents = than to their _P. nivea_ parents, and they are fairly easily distinguished = from the presumed primary hybrids that often are observed. This morphological pattern suggests some back-crossing with a parent from the _P. uniflora_ group before stabilization of the hybrid species. The ranges of the five species present in northwestern North America are slightly different but with a huge area of overlapping ranges in Alaska, Yukon Territory and western parts of Northwest Territories. The = ecological differences are not very pronounced, except for the coastal _Potentilla villosa_, and among the other species co-occurrences have resulted in numerous mixed collections. _Potentilla villosa_ is distinctly coastal with very few records above = 50 msm, and it is apparently without a preference for base-rich substrates. = The southernmost occurrences are in northwestern Washington, the = northernmost in western Alaska south of Seward Peninsula. It is much more restricted in = the north than mapped by Hult=E9n (1968). _Potentilla villosula_ is coastal, alpine and arctic. Whereas _P. = villosa_ shows preference for coastal cliffs, _P. villosula_ shows preference for sandy shores and sand dunes (where it can be a spectacularly subdominant species), but also for alpine and southern arctic tundra fellfield on circumneutral and base-rich sites.=20 Populations of _Potentilla villosula_ close to the range of _P. villosa_ = are more similar to that species than those farther away, and the distant populations have the columnar caudex found within the more northern = range of _P. subvahliana_. In North America _P. villosula_ is restricted to = Alaska, western parts of Yukon Territory, and northernmost British Columbia. The major part of the range mapped by Hult=E9n (1968) for _P. villosa_ = belongs to _P. villosula_, whereas a smaller part of the range mapped by Cody = (1996, 2000) for _P. villosula_ belongs to that species. _Potentilla vulcanicola_ is widespread here in alpine and arctic parts = of Alaska, Yukon Territory, western Northwest Territories to east of the Mackenzie River, and western Nunavut to Banks and Victoria islands. = Records from south of Yukon Territory need confirmation. The species is typical = of exposed alpine habitats (fellfield) but not with any clear preference = for base-rich substrates. A significant portion of the records mapped by = Hult=E9n (1968) for _P. uniflora_ belongs to _P. vulcanicola_ (which also is the species closest to _P. uniflora_ in morphology). _Potentilla subvahliana_ is more northern than the three previous = species; in Alaska it is mainly found in the arctic parts south to Seward = Peninsula, central parts south to southern Brooks Range, and in Yukon Territory = mostly in the northern and central parts. Eastwards it extends across arctic = Canada to Baffin Island, Ellesmere Island, and northwestern Greenland (where = the northern half of what has been considered _P. vahliana_ by B=F6cher et = al. (1978), is _P. subvahliana_).=20 _Potentilla subvahliana_ is also a species of alpine and arctic = fellfield, but with a distinct preference for base-rich bedrock. It is rare in the Pre-Cambrian shield parts of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and the = more acidic mountains of Alaska. The range mapped in Alaska and the Yukon by Hult=E9n (1968) for _P. vahliana_ belongs to _P. subvahliana_, but the = species is far more common than indicated by Hult=E9n's scattered records. _Potentilla subgorodkovii_ is probably the most frequent entity of the = group in northwestern North America: in Alaska and Yukon Territory, western Northwest Territories and Nunavut. It is the only species of the group = in southern British Columbia, Alberta, and disjunct in Montana, Wyoming, = and Colorado. The major part of the Alaskan and Yukon records of "_P. = uniflora_" probably belong to _P. subgorodkovii_, and perhaps all records from = farther south also.=20 _Potentilla subgorodkovii_ is more wide-ranging ecologically, from = coastal habitats to alpine meadows, fellfield and outcrops, and from very acidic = to very basic bedrock. It is not intermediate between the _P. nivea_ and = the _P. uniflora_ group in ecological preferences but spans both ranges. The major part of what Cody (1996, 2000) mapped as _P. villosula_ in Yukon Territory probably belongs to _P. subgorodkovii_. The acceptance of these five species, and of the hybridization = hypothesis behind three of them, is based on morphology alone. Experimental investigations are urgently needed. Some investigations have addressed = the question (Eriksen & T=F6pel 2006; T=F6pel et al. 2006), but they have = applied a very broad species circumscription and necessarily concluded that the "species" are variable. References Asker, S. 1977. Pseudogamy, hybridization and evolution in _Potentilla_. = =96 _Hereditas_ 87: 179=96184. Asker, S. & Jerling, L. 1992. _Apomixis in plants._ =96 CRC Press, Boca = Raton. B=F6cher, T.W., Fredskild, B., Holmen, K. & Jakobsen, K. 1978. = _Gr=F8nlands flora._ =96 P.Haase & S=F8ns Forlag, K=F8benhavn. Cody, W.J. 1996. _Flora of the Yukon Territory._ =96 NCR Research Press, Ottawa. Cody, W.J. 2000. _Flora of the Yukon Territory._ 2nd ed. =96 NCR = Research Press, Ottawa. Eriksen, B. 1996. Mating systems in two species of _Potentilla_ from = Alaska. _Folia Geobot. Phytotax._ 31: 333-344. Eriksen, B. 1997. Morphometric analysis of Alaskan members of the genus _Potentilla_ sect. _Niveae_ (Rosaceae). =96 _Nordic J. Bot._ 17: = 621=96630. Eriksen, B. & T=F6pel, M.H. 2006. Molecular phylogeography and = hybridization in members of the circumpolar _Potentilla_ sect. _Niveae_ (Rosaceae). = =96 _Amer. J. Bot._ 93: 460=96469. Gustafsson, =C5. 1947a. Apomixis in higher plants. II. The casual aspect = of apomixis. =96 _Acta Univ. Lund., Avd. 2,_ 43(2): 71=96178. Gustafsson, =C5. 1947b. Apomixis in higher plants. III. Biotype and = species formation. =96 _Acta Univ. Lund., Avd. 2,_ 43(12): 183=96370. Hult=E9n, E. 1968. _Flora of Alaska and neighboring territories. A = manual of the vascular plants._ =96 Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford. Mulligan, G.A. & Porsild, A.E. 1969. Chromosome numbers of some plants = from the unglaciated central Yukon plateau, Canada. =96 _Canad. J. Bot._=A0 = 47: 655=96662. Mulligan, G.A. & Porsild, A.E. 1970. In: IOPB Chromosome number reports = XXV. =96 _Taxon_=A0 19: 102=96113. Packer, J.G. & Whitkus, R. 1982. In: IOPB Chromosome number reports = LXXV. =96 _Taxon_ 31: 342=96368. Soj=E1k, J. 1985. Some new northern hybrids in _Potentilla_ L. =96 = _Preslia_ 57: 263=96266. Soj=E1k, J. 1986. Notes on _Potentilla_. I. Hybridogenous species = derived from intersectional hybrids of sect. _Niveae_ and sect. _Multifidae_. =96 = _Bot. Jahrb. Syst._ 106: 145=96210. Soj=E1k, J. 2004. _Potentilla_ L. (Rosaceae) and related genera in the = former USSR (identification key, checklist and figures). Notes on _Potentilla_ = XVI. =96 _Bot. Jahrb. Syst._ 125: 253=96340. T=F6pel, M., Eriksen, B., Lundberg, M. & Eriksson, T. 2006. _The role of allopolyploidy in the evolution of genus _Potentilla_ (Rosaceae)._ =96 = Poster, Systematikdagarna, G=F6teborg 27=9628 Nov 2006. Yurtsev, B.A. (ed.) 1984. _Flora arctica USSR. IX, 1. = Droseraceae=96Rosaceae._ =96 Nauka, Leningrad. [In Russian.] Yurtsev, B.A. 1993. New taxa of the genus _Potentilla_ (Rosaceae) from Arctic Alaska. =96 _Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad)_ 78(11): 78=9687. = [In Russian.] Yurtsev, B.A. 2001. Annotated check-list of the genus _Potentilla_ (Rosaceae) in the circumpolar Arctic. =96 _Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & = Leningrad)_ 86(6): 131=96143. [In Russian.] ANNOUNCEMENT: _WOODY PLANTS OF NORTHERN SAKHALIN_=A0 AND _WILD PLANT OF = URALS_ A.N. Berkutenko Woody plants of Northern Sakhalin. Atlas-manual. 2007, = 68 p., 339 colour illustrations. ISBN 5-93250-080-8 (hard cover) This illustrated atlas is the first of its kind, and provides an introduction to the woody plants growing in the territory of 3 forestry enterprises: Noglikskyi, Ochinskyi and Aleksandrovskyi, located on the = north Sakhalin and occupying 2,533,000 ha. 260 photos taken by the author = during field expeditions allow the reader to identify 84 species of woody = plants: trees, vines, shrubs, dwarf shrubs and half shrubs occurring in the = northern part of Sakhalin. The photos are accompanied by text on the = characteristics of morphological features, information on ecology, biological = peculiarities, chromosome numbers, date and location of species description, and distribution outside the Russian Far East. Distribution maps of 75 = species in the Russian Far East are provided. The book is primarily targeted to specialists in forestry, but is also useful to ecologists, geographers, environmental specialists, teachers, students, schoolchildren and all those who would like an introduction to = the northern wilderness in one of the most remote regions of Russia. ALSO A.N.Berkutenko, A.F.Semenin.=A0 (2007) Herbaceous Wild Plants of Urals. Ekaterinburg, Sokrat Publishing House. 160 p. ISBN 5-88664-223-4 (hard cover) Semipopular book with 143 color original photos. Some species are illustrated for the first time. Text is in Russian. Orders can be placed to Dr.A.Berkutenko by e-mail: berkutenko@yandex.ru From aceska at telus.net Tue Mar 25 08:07:15 2008 From: aceska at telus.net (Adolf Ceska) Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:07:15 -0700 Subject: [BEN-L]BEN # 391 Message-ID: <002e01c88e46$db2b1db0$91815910$@net> BBBBB EEEEEE NN N ISSN 1188-603X BB B EE NNN N BBBBB EEEEE NN N N BOTANICAL BB B EE NN NN ELECTRONIC BBBBB EEEEEE NN N NEWS =20 No. 391 March 25, 2008 =20 aceska@telus.net Victoria, B.C. ----------------------------------------------------------- Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2 ----------------------------------------------------------- RISKS OF TRANSPLANTING PLANTS OF NON-NATIVE ORIGIN AND =91ENHANCEMENT=92 OF POPULATIONS OF ENDANGERED SPECIES From: Zdenek Kaplan et al. [Kaplan@ibot.cas.cz]=20 =20 [This is an abbreviated version of the official position of the Czech Botanical Society =96 signed by 16 prominent botanists - on the attempts = to =91save=92 endangered plant species by planting them willy-nilly where = people would like to see them growing. This is a free translation of the = statement published in the _Bulletin of the Czech Botanical Society_ 42 (2): = 337-338, 2007.] Since the 19th Century, there have been recorded attempts to = =91enhance=92 our flora by planting non-original plants into native plant communities. = The goal of those attempts was to =91enrich=92 the indigenous flora and make = them more similar to the floras of surrounding areas. This activity results = not only in the introduction of new elements into the framework of the = original plant communities, but it may also result in negative changes that we = are not able to predict: 1) Introduction of alien elements can result in introduction of alien genetic material to the locality, which can lead to hybridization with members of the original population, and to genetic erosion of natural populations. In this way, the original gene pool can be destroyed. Furthermore, the hybridization of alien plants with the original plant population may lead to new, more vigorous genotypes that may outcompete = the original population that people are trying to preserve. 2) With the introduction of new plants, alien plant pathogens can be unintentionally introduced. Such an element can lead to elimination of = the original population. There is also danger in introducing genetic = material that might lessen the population=92s ability to resist possible = infection. 3) New plants placed in a particular locality can lead to the disruption = of the competition balance. The introduction can result in the = disappearance of the original genotype. In extreme cases, the new genotype can become weedy and outcompete and replace the original population. 4) The intentional introduction of native plants into natural habitats = will impede further studies and hence possible protection of endangered = plants based on knowledge of their ecology. Even with good documentation, = after some time it is difficult to tell which populations are indigenous and = which are introduced elements. For instance, the repeated planting of = _Nymphaea_ species [in the Czech Republic] has made it impossible to tell which = sites are native and which are the result of intentional plantings. The aim of this article is to show to the potential =91Engineers of = Nature=92 the dangers and irreversible damage that can be done by intentional transplanting into natural vegetation. We are certain that their = efforts are well meant; however, it must be remembered that even the road to = hell is paved with good intentions. VASCULAR PLANTS NEW TO BRITISH COLUMBIA FROM THE SOUTHERN OKANAGAN = VALLEY=20 From: Curtis Bj=F6rk, Box 131, Clearwater, BC, Canada, V0E 1N0 [crbjork@gmail.com],=20 Terry McIntosh, 3-1175 14th St., Vancouver, BC, Canada,=20 V5T 2P2; [ginkgo@shaw.ca], and=20 Ron Hall, RR#3, site 25, comp 1, Oliver, BC, Canada, V0H 1T0 _Cirsium flodmanii_ (Rydb.) Arthur - Asteraceae This species is very similar to _Cirsium undulatum_ (Nutt.) Spreng., differing in having a rhizomatous rootstock, a prominent yellowish ring = atop the achene, and the earliest leaves of the rosettes simple or very = shallowly lobed. Additionally, it favours finer-textured soils in contrast to the sandier soils favoured by _C. undulatum_. We found _C. flodmanii_, new = to British Columbia, growing in sagebrush steppe WNW of White Lake about = 6.5 km SW of Okanagan Falls (Bj=F6rk et al. 2008). The nearest known population = grows near the southern end of the Okanagan Valley in Washington State. Collectively, these British Columbia and Washington populations are = widely disjunct from its main range from the prairie provinces south to Colorado and Minnesota (Keil 2006). Owing to the similar appearance of this species to _C.=20 undulatum_, populations elsewhere in British Columbia may remain = overlooked. A voucher is deposited at the University of British Columbia Herbarium (_Bj=F6rk 13990_). _Crypsis alopecuroides_ (Piller & Mitterp.) Schrad. - Poaceae This introduced Eurasian species is occasionally found in the western = United States, as far north as Spokane County, Washington (Hammel & Reeder = 2003). Our collection from the east shore of Osoyoos Lake (_Bj=F6rk 13675_) constitutes the first record of this species and genus for British = Columbia and Canada (Bj=F6rk et al. 2008). It competes with several rare native = species at the Osoyoos Lake mudflats and may be a factor in the conservation of those species. However, owing to the sensitivity of this community of diminutive annuals and the possible impacts to the native species of herbicide spraying orhand-pulling, we recommend that no control efforts = be taken. _Eleocharis geniculata_ (L.) Roemer & Schultes - Cyperaceae We found _Eleocharis geniculata_ (verified by Tony Reznicek) at the = locality of historic reports of _Eleocharis atropurpurea_ (Retz.) J. & K. Presl, where we were unable to find any plants of _E. atropurpurea_ in two = summers of searching (Bj=F6rk et al.=20 2008). Following up our field work, we examined herbarium specimens and found that previous collections labeled _E. atropurpurea_ from Osoyoos = Lake, the only site where the species was reported for British Columbia and Canada, were actually E. geniculata. The lack of any material of _E. atropurpurea_ from Osoyoos lake, and the close similarity of these two species leads us to believe that _E. atropurpurea_ was misapplied in British Columbia. Accordingly, _E. atropurpurea_ should be removed from checklists of plants of British Columbia and Canada. Voucher specimens = from our field observations are available at the University of British = Columbia herbarium (e.g., _McIntosh TM-ELEO-2_). _Eleocharis geniculata_ has a = wide range in tropical and subtropical regions, and ranges uncommonly into = some temperate-zone regions (Menapace 2002). In Canada, it is otherwise known only from along the shores of Lake Erie in southern Ontario. _Eleocharis geniculata_ differs from _E. atropurpurea_ in having larger achenes with sessile, more flattened tubercles. _Limosella acaulis_ Sess=E9 & Mocino - Scrophulariaceae This uncommon species of western North America and Mexico differs from = the more common and widespread _Limosella aquatica_ L. in having more = rounded corolla lobes and narrower leaves with scarcely expanded lamina = (Wetherwax 1993). We found it growing on mud flats on the east shore of Osoyoos = Lake on lands owned by the Osoyoos Indian Band. It is a range extension = northward by 250 km from the nearest populations in Washington, and it is new for = British Columbia and Canada (Bj=F6rk et al. 2008). A voucher specimen (_Bj=F6rk = 13674_) is deposited at the University of British Columbia Herbarium. _Spiranthes diluvialis_ Sheviak - Orchidaceae This new record for British Columbia and Canada is a range extension of about 20 km from the nearest population in Okanogan County, Washington = State (Bj=F6rk et al. 2008). A globally rare species, it is listed at the = federal level as Threatened in the United States where it is known from widely scattered occurrences in the western states, east to Nebraska (Fertig et = al. 2005). It is distinguished from _Spiranthes romanzoffiana_ by its = spreading lateral sepals, its longer and denser hairs in the inflorescence, and = its lack of a distinctly flared distal portion of the lip (Sheviak & Brown 2002). We found a single plant of _S. diluvialis_ (photos verified by Charles Sheviak) growing in marshes on the east shore of Osoyoos Lake on Osoyoos Indian Band land. An additional population at Mahoney Lake, = about 3 km east of Vaseux Lake, was found by O. and G. Westby and subsequently identified. Due to = its rarity, no specimen was collected, but a photo voucher will be deposited = at the University of British Columbia=20 Herbarium. _Spiranthes diluvialis_ grows in diverse habitats, but unlike = _S. romanzoffiana_ Cham., it does not grow in bogs or=20 fens, and it appears to have a preference for calcareous or moderately saline soils. In B.C. and Washington, it is associated with _Carex = viridula_ Michx. and/or _Eleocharis rostellata_=20 (Torr.) Torr. _Viola adunca_ Sm. var. _cascadensis_ (Baker) C.L. Hitchcock - Violaceae Though this taxon is generally not recognized in recent floristic work, = we feel that it is sharply marked from typical Viola adunca by its dense = leaf pubescence, small, narrowly ovate, dark green leaves, and its habit of producing basically sessile chasmogamous early-season flowers followed = by stem elongation with production of late-season cleistogamous flowers. It = is known from the east slopes of the Cascade Mountains in Washington and Oregon, and in the Okanogan Mountains of Washington (Hitchcock & = Cronquist 1973). We found it growing in the interface of forest with _Pinus = ponderosa_ P. & C. Lawson and salt-flat vegetation on the margins of Mahoney Lake, about 3 km west of Vaseux Lake (Bj=F6rk et al. 2008). We also observed = it just east of White Lake, about 6.5 km SW of Okanagan Falls. These occurrences = are the only populations known for British Columbia and Canada. The global rarity of this taxon is difficult to assess owing to its neglect, but it appears to be at best uncommon, and it is a regional endemic. A voucher = is available at the University of British Columbia herbarium=20 (_Bj=F6rk 13991_). References Bj=F6rk, C.R., T. McIntosh & R. Hall. 2008. Noteworthy Collections: British Columbia. _Madro?o_ 54: 366-367. Fertig, W., R. Black & P. Wolken. 2005. Rangewide Status Review of Ute Ladies'-Tresses (_Spiranthes diluvialis_). =20 http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/plants/uteladiestress/SPDI_St= atu s%20review_Fertig2005.pdf=20 Accessed 10 October, 2007. Hammel, B.E. & J.R. Reeder. 2003. _Crypsis_ in Flora of North America Editorial Committee. _Flora of North America_. _Vol. 25_. New York. Oxford University Press. 783 p. Hitchcock, C.L. & A. Cronquist. 1973. _Flora of the Pacific Northwest: an Illustrated Manual_. Seattle. University of Washington Press. 730 p. Keil, D.J. 2006. _Cirsium_ in Flora of North America Editorial Committee. _Flora of North America_. _Vol. 19_. New York. Oxford University Press. 610 p. Menapace, F.J. 2002. _Eleocharis_ in Flora of North America Editorial Committee. _Flora of North America. Vol. 23._ New York. Oxford University Press. 640 p. Sheviak, C.J. & P.M. Brown. 2002. _Spiranthes_ in Flora of North America Editorial Committee. _Flora of North America. Vol. 26._ New = York. Oxford University Press. 723 p. Wetherwax, M. 1993. _Limosella_ in Hickman, J.C. ed. 1993. _Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California_. Berkeley. University of California Press. 1424 p. VASCULAR PLANTS NEW TO BRITISH COLUMBIA From: Curtis Bj=F6rk, Box 131 Clearwater, BC, Canada V0E 1N0 [crbjork@gmail.com] =20 _Antennaria corymbosa_ E. Nels. - Asteraceae This species grows sporadically in the western United States, mostly in = the Rocky Mountains (Bayer, 2006). It grows primarily in moist, peaty = meadows and fens, making it ecologically distinctive among species of = _Antennaria_ (Bj=F6rk, 2008). It can be recognized from _Antennaria microphylla_ = Rydb. and other similar species by its sparse, narrow leaves and by the dark gray-green spot on the phyllaries. I found a small population at the headwaters of the Blue River about 3 km ESE of Murtle Lake, shortly = outside the boundary of Wells Gray Provincial Park. There it grows on the margin = of a fen dominated by _Carex utriculata_ Boott, where it was growing on = moss tussocks with _Carex disperma_ Dewey and _Viola macloskeyi_ Lloyd. This population is the first known in British Columbia and Canada, and it is disjunct by a distance of about 450 km from northeast Washington State. = A voucher is available at the University of British Columbia Herbarium = (_Bj=F6rk 9415_). _Epilobium pygmaeum_ (Speg.) Hoch & P.H. Raven (syn. _Boisduvalia glabella_ [Nutt.] Walp.) - Onagraceae This species was formerly reported for British Columbia (Douglas et al. 2002), but no extant populations or precise locations of previous collections were known. The discovery of this species in vernal pools in = the Nicola Basin constitutes its rediscovery for B.C. and Canada. I found it = in three small, highly disturbed vernal pools in grassland and shrub steppe = in the uplands between the Nicola River and Quilchena Creek 25-30 km east = of Merritt. These pools and most of the surrounding landscape are badly overgrazed, and two of the pools are artificially deepened to serve as watering holes for cattle. Despite these disturbances, their hydrology = (of flooding in late winter and spring and receding waterlines through late spring into summer) remains adequate in providing the sparsely = vegetated, sun-baked mud soils favoured by "amphibious" vernal pool annuals. = Associated species are _Alopecurus carolinianus_ Walt., _Beckmannia syzigachne_ (Steud.) Fern., _Eleocharis macrostachya_ Britt., _Limosella aquatica_ = L., _Myosurus minimus_ L., _Plagiobothrys leptocladus_ (Greene) I.M. = Johnst.[see below], _Rorippa curvisiliqua_ (Hook.) Bess. ex Britt., and _Veronica peregrina_ L. Ongoing severe disturbance over time could eliminate _Epilobium pygmaeum_ from these sites as trampling by cattle, = (especially when the soil is moist) aids the spread of nonnative plants, alters the = soil texture, or severs the plants at the stem. A voucher is available at the University of British Columbia Herbarium (_Bj=F6rk 14816_). _Festuca washingtonica_ Alexeev - Poaceae This species is a regional endemic of eastern Washington, where it is = known from few populations along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains = from Franklin County north to Okanogan County (Darbyshire, 2007). It is similar to _Festuca viridula_ Vasey, from = which it differs in having longer lemma awns, a larger stature, and in having a = tuft of hairs on the top of the ovary. It grows in habitats similar to those = of _F. viridula_, but in relatively dry regions. I found this species = growing in grassland-woodland mosaic on Richter Pass, on the southeast slopes of Mount Kobau, about 4.5 km west of Osoyoos Lake. Associated species = include _Amelanchier alnifolia_ (Nutt.) Nutt. ex Roem., _Artemisia tridentata_ Nutt., _Ericameria nauseosa_ (Pallas ex Pursh) Nesom & Beird, _Festuca campestris_ Rydb., and _Pseudotsuga menziesii_ (Mirbel) Franco. It was previously reported for BC in the Flora of North America based on my specimen, but Darbyshire (2007) erroneously gave the location as = Vancouver Island. The Richter Pass population is the only one known for British Columbia and Canada. A voucher is deposited at the University of British Columbia Herbarium (_Bj=F6rk 11064_). _Plagiobothrys leptocladus_ (E. Greene) I.M. Johnst. - Boraginaceae Newly discovered for British Columbia in vernal pools in the Nicola = Basin. I found it in four small, highly disturbed vernal pools in grassland and = shrub steppe in the uplands between the Nicola River and Quilchena Creek, and shortly west of Quilchena Creek 25-30 km east of Merritt. Habitat, associated species and threats as for _Epilobium pygmaeum_, see above. = This species may account for most records of _Plagiobothrys scouleri_ (Hook. = & Arn.) I.M. Jonhnst. in interior British Columbia and so could be found = to be widespread in the province. _Plagiobothrys leptocladus_ can be = distinguished based on its consistently procumbent habit, distinctly upwardly widening pedicels, calyx lobes expanding asymmetrically after flowering, and by = the basal nutlet attachment. It is more apt to grow in higher-pH/more saline vernal pools and in salt-flat habitats than most members of the _P. scouleri_ complex. A voucher specimen is deposited at the University of British Columbia Herbarium (_Bj=F6rk 14817_). References: Bayer, R.J. 2006. _Antennaria_ in Flora of North America Editorial Committee. _Flora of North America. Vol. 19_. New York. = Oxford University Press. 610 p. Bj=F6rk, C.R. 2008. Noteworthy Collections: British Columbia. _Madro?o_ 54: 366-367. Darbyshire, S. 2007. _Festuca_ in Flora of North America Editorial Committee. _Flora of North America. Vol. 24_. New York. = Oxford University Press. 944 p. Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, & J. Pojar. 2002. _Illustrated Flora of British Columbia. Vol. 8_. Victoria. British Columbia Ministry of Forests. 457 p. JOHN DAVIDSON: THE LEGACY OF A CANADIAN BOTANIST [WEB SITE] From: David Brownstein [dbrownst@interchange.ubc.ca] The University of British Columbia Botanical Garden and the Virtual = Museum of Canada are pleased to announce the launch of "John Davidson: The = Legacy of a Canadian Botanist/L'heritage d'un botaniste canadien"=20 . This digital resource tells the story of 'Botany John' Davidson=20 (1878-1970).=20 Davidson was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and was active in the Aberdeen Workingmen's Natural History and Scientific Society. He emigrated to Vancouver, Canada, in 1911 and popularized nature study through = illustrated public lectures. He created the Vancouver Natural History Society and = the University of British Columbia's herbarium and botanical garden. Today, many consider Davidson an environmental folk hero for his conservation efforts. The website houses over 5000 digitized objects, including Davidson's herbarium sheets, lantern slide collection, field notes and speech = texts, as well as oral history interviews and contextual narratives. = Botanyjohn.org is an invaluable resource for students and researchers interested in the history of botany in both Scotland and northwestern North America. We particularly invite your participation in the online forum to discuss photographs from the collection. BOOK REVIEW: BUTTERFLIES OF BRITISH COLUMBIA From: James Miskely Acorn, J. & I. Sheldon. 2006. Butterflies of British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing Ltd., Edmonton. 360 p. ISBN-13: 978-1551051130 [soft cover] Price: $28.95 Butterfly enthusiasts in BC have long wanted for a good field guide. Available field guides provided incomplete treatment of our area, while regional reference books were not portable enough for the field. In = Lone Pine Publishing=92s new Butterflies of British Columbia, we have a real = field guide that is specific to this province. John Acorn=92s text is light = and engaging. He makes an effort to present the technical details of our butterfly fauna in an accessible way, but allows the reader to dismiss = the scientific side and focus on the fun and excitement of just being a good watcher. Ian Sheldon=92s illustrations are spectacular; they look = natural and they look like the creature really looks! The layout of the species accounts is very nice: There are some general remarks (heavy on = taxonomy), notes on identifications, larval host plants, habitat, and flight = season. Range maps provided are quite general, but will still help in = eliminating the species that don=92t occur in your area. Especially useful for = anyone new to butterflies will be the synonyms (as butterfly names vary a lot from = book to book) and inset illustrations of similar species. As with any book, there are a few errors and omissions. Botanically minded butterfly = watchers will find the lists of larval host plants often miss plants that are = locally important in BC. I=92m sure this affordable and portable book will be a = boon to butterfly watchers throughout BC. I applaud the author=92s effort to = keep it light and concentrate on the joys of natural history in its purest = form: just getting out and looking. =20 ________________________________________________________________ =20 Subscriptions: http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/ben-l Send submissions to aceska@telus.net BEN is archived at http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ ________________________________________________________________