Parrya nudicaulis (L.) Regel
Brassicaceae (Cruciferae), Draba family.
Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 34, no. 3: 176. 1861
Cardamine nudicaulis L., Sp. Pl. 654. 1753.
Neuroloma
nudicaule (L.) DC., Prodr. 1: 156. 1824.
Achoriphragma nudicaulis
(L.) Soják, Sborn. Nár. Muz. Praze 1982, 1–2: 106. 1982.
Parrya nudicaulis (L.) Regel subsp. nudicaulis;
Parrya.
nudicaulis (L.) Regel subsp. interior Hultén, Lunds Univ.
Årsskr., n. f., avd. 2, 41, 1: 890. 1945.
Parrya nudicaulis
(L.) Regel subsp. septentrionalis Hultén, Ark. Bot., ser. 2, 7, 1:
67. 1968
Vegetative morphology. Plants perennial herbs; 7–14 cm high; tufted, with persistent leaf bases,and mainly basal leaves, 50–100 mm long. Taproot present. Roots stout, up to 50 cm long and 1.5 cm thick. Caudex present (enlarged, and usually branched). Aerial stems erect; with glandular hairs; glabrous, or sparsely hairy. Leaves basal in a rosette; alternate; simple; existing for a single season or less. Petioles absent. Leaf blade bases attenuate. Blades (30–)50–100 mm long; 12–24 mm wide. Blades leathery; circular; appearing single-veined. Blades adaxial surface dull; hairy. Blades adaxial surface hairs pilose; simple, unbranched; sparse; white and translucent. Blades abaxial surface hairy. Blades abaxial surface hairs sparse. Blades abaxial surface pilose. Blades abaxial surface hairs white, or translucent hairs. Blade margins not lobed. Blade margins entire, or serrate, or dentate; glabrous; with teeth all around the blade. Conspicuous hydathodes absent. Leaf apices acute.
Reproductive morphology. Flowering stems present. Flowering stems shorter than the leaves; without leaves; hairy. Inflorescence racemose; main axis hairy. Pedicels present. Flowers per inflorescence 7–12; large, more than 15 mm in diameter or length; actinomorphic. Calyx sepals 4; free; 5–7 mm long. Calyx purple; scarious (white scarious margin); glabrous. Petals free; longer than the calyx; 4; white, or purple; without contrasting markings; obovate; shallowly lobed; 12–15 mm long. Flowers bisexual. Stamens 6; filaments markedly unequal in length; free of the corolla; filaments glabrous. Anthers yellow; 2–2.5 mm long. Gynoecia superior. Carpels syncarpous; 2. Ovaries glabrous. Styles present; 1; 0.8–1.1 mm long. Stigmas per style 1. Placentation parietal. Ovules 8–12. Fruit stalk 20–25 mm long. Fruit without calyx persisting; dry; a silique; distinctly flattened (tapering at both ends); dehiscent. Fruit 15–20 mm long; 1.5–2 mm wide; yellowish and brown; glabrous, or hairy (glandular pubescent). Styles modified and persisting; remaining straight; persisting in fruit 0.8–2 mm long. Seeds 8–12; 1–1.2 mm long; brown (light brown); with surfaces verrucose and winged (seeds flattened with loose netlike seed coat that forms wide wings).
Chromosome information. 2n = 14 and 28. 14 (2x).
- Hedberg (1967 northern Canada ); Knaben (1968 central Alaska); Zhukova and
Petrovsky (1971, 1972 Wrangel Island, 1976 western Chuk); Yurtsev and Zhukova
(1972 north eastern Asia); Krogulevich (1984 Siberia).
28
(4x). - Zhukova (1965a eastern Chuk, 1980 S Chuk); Johnson and Packer
(1968 northwestern Alaska); Sokolovskaya (1968 north eastern Asia Koryak);
Mulligan and Porsild (1970 Yukon); Zhukova et al. (1973 north and north eastern
Asia; Krogulevich (1976 northern Siberia); Zhukova and Petrovsky (1980 western
Chuk, 1984 north and north eastern Asia); Probatova and Sokolovskaya (1984b
north eastern Asia). Supposed basic chromosome number of family x=5–12.
Ploidy levels recorded 2x&4x.
Distribution. Northern hemisphere distribution: amphi-Beringian (broadly: missing from almost all of Arctic Canada, from Greenland and in northernorthern Europe); Canada, United States, Eurasia. Yukon, Continental Northwest Territories, Continental Nunavut, Northern Québec. Arctic, or alpine. Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago limited. Uncommon. Arctic Islands: Victoria.
Ecology and habitat. Substrates: wet meadows, snow patches, along streams, river terraces, slopes, ridges; imperfectly drained moist areas, or on seepage slopes, or dry; acidic, or calcareous; gravel, silt, till, moss; with low organic content, or with high organic content.
Notes. The flowers are very fragrant. The range of variation in this species is unusually great (Rollins, 1993) and the same variants occur in both the North American and Eurasian populations. This is reflected in the long list of synonyms. PAF Comments: I have here accepted Rollins' (1993) evaluation that it is difficult, or even impossible, to make a consistent racial split. The differential characters appear throughout the range and often even within populations. This is also my own experience from parts of Alaska. Other opinions? (Elven).
Illustrations. • Stand of plant. Small stand of plant in lush snowbank environment. Alaska: White Mts, Eagle Summit. July 1998. Photographed by R.Elven. Voucher in HbO. • Plant habitat. Plants growing in alpine meadow. Inflorescence racemose. Rose-coloured and spathulate-shaped and free petals. Photographed by Hanne H. Grundt, 1998, Alaska, Alaska Range, Mt Margaret. No voucher. • Close-up of inflorescence. Flowers borne in a corymb-like inflorescence. Rose-coloured and spathulate-shaped and free petals. Photographed by Hanne H. Grundt, 1998, Alaska, Alaska Range, Mt Margaret. No voucher. • Close-up of plant in fruit. Plant with infrutescence and dentate leaves. Alaska: White Mts, Eagle Summit. July 1998. Photographed by R.Elven. Voucher in HbO. • Arctic Island Distribution.
Cite this publication as: ‘S.G. Aiken, M.J. Dallwitz, L.L. Consaul, C.L. McJannet, L.J. Gillespie, R.L. Boles, G.W. Argus, J.M. Gillett, P.J. Scott, R. Elven, M.C. LeBlanc, A.K. Brysting and H. Solstad. 1999 onwards. Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 29th April 2003. http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/’. Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) should also be cited (see References).
