Oxytropis maydelliana Trautv. subsp. maydelliana
Fabaceae (Leguminosae), pea family.
Trudy Glavn. Bot. Sada 6: 16. 1879.
Type: "...in tractu fluvium Aandyr inter et latus meridionale montium jugi a fluvio hoc septentrionem versus siti: [Chukchi, from the basin of the Aandyr and its northern tributaries] Baron G. von Maydell s.n., 1869; Holotype LE?
Oxytropis campestris (L.) DC. var. melanocephala Hooker Fl.
Bor.-Amer. 1: 147. 1831. Oxytropis maydelliana subsp.
melanocephala (Hooker) Porsild, Nat. Mus. Canada Bull. 216: 47. 1966.
Type: Bear Lake to the Arctic Shores and Islands [possibly Richardson].
Isotype? GH.
Oxytropis campestris var. glabrata Hooker Fl.
Bor.-Amer. 1: 147. 1831. Oxytropis glabrata (Hooker) A. Nels. Univ.
Wyoming Publ. Sci., Bot. 1: 117. 1926. Type: Bear Lake to the Arctic Shores and
Islands [possibly Richardson]. Isotype GH.
Vegetative morphology. Plants perennial herbs; 10–30 cm high; with leaves or spreading stems arising from a caudex covered with dense stipules). Taproot present. Aerial stems decumbent; not visible between the leaf bases. Leaves in a basal tuft; alternate; compound; marcescent. Stipules present; not sheathing; brown (usually chestnut brown or purplish black, with long hairs particularly at the apices). Petioles (15–)20–40(–45) mm long. Blades 2–4(–5.5) mm long; 6–16 mm wide. Blades veins pinnate. Blades adaxial surface glabrous, or hairy. Blades adaxial surface hairs pilose, or long-silky (sometimes on the veins); simple, unbranched; sparse (very, and may appear glabrous to the naked eye); white and translucent. Blades abaxial surface with sessile glands; glabrous, or hairy. Blades abaxial surface hairs sparse (very, sometimes appearing glabrous to the naked eye). Blades abaxial surface pilose. Blades abaxial surface hairs white, or translucent hairs; straight, or wavy; appressed, or spreading. Leaflet arrangement pinnate. Leaflets 5–17; 3–9 mm long; oblong.
Reproductive morphology. Flowering stems present. Flowering stems without leaves; hairy (with white and sometimes also black hairs). Inflorescence racemose; terminal; 0.5–1.5 cm long (remaining compact when legumes are present); not elongating as the fruit matures. Flowers per inflorescence (2–)5–9; medium-sized, 5–15 mm in diameter or length; zygomorphic. Calyx sepals 5; fused. Calyx yellow, or brown, or black; tubular; 5-lobed; hairy (black and sometimes white hairs). Petals both free and fused; 5; yellow (or cream); with contrasting markings (slight; veins in the banner petal somewhat conspicuous and acting as insect guide lines); unlobed (4 petals), or shallowly lobed (banner petal); (10–)15–20 mm long. Corolla papilionaceous. Corolla keel with a pointed tip. Stamens 10; filaments all equal in length. Nectaries present. Carpels monomerous. Stigmas per style 1. Ovules 15–25. Fruit sessile, or stalked. Fruit with calyx persisting; dry; a legume; ovoid (with a prominent beak); dehiscent. Fruit 12–20 mm long; 4.5–7.5 mm wide; yellowish, or green at maturity (drying grey); hairy (with dense hairs that can vary from black to white on the same pod). Legume unilocular. Styles may persist until dehiscence but are not modified. Seeds 5–12; 1–2 mm long (i.e., the longest dimension); brown; with surfaces smooth.
Chromosome information. 2n = 96. 96 (12x). - Löve and Löve (1975) listed six counts, five as arctic, all for subsp. maydelliana, e.g., Holmen (1962 Alaska); Zhukova (1966 north eastern Asia, 1983 Chukotka, six counts); Johnson and Packer (1968 northwestern Alaska ); Knaben (1968 central Alaska); Sokolovskaya (1968 north eastern Asia, Koryak); Zhukova and Petrovsky (1971 Wrangel Island, 1975 western Chukotka); Gurzenkov and Pavlova (1984 northe eastern Asia); Pavlova et al. (1989 north eastern Asia).
Distribution. Northern hemisphere distribution: E. Asia, arctic and sub-arctic North America. Low arctic. Arctic Islands: Baffin, Parry Islands (Melville), Banks, Victoria, King William, Southampton, Coats (Boothia Peninsula).
Ecology and habitat. Substrates: tundra (heath), slopes (sometimes in the influence of sea spray), ridges; imperfectly drained moist areas, or dry, or moderately well drained areas; acidic, or calcareous; gravel, sand. Habitats: common to abundant where it occurs, but conspicuously missing from central Baffin Island. Towards its northern limit it is found on open plains and gravel ridges, where it may flourish and become the most conspicuous species. (See illustration in image library).
Taxon as an environmental indicator. Polunin (1940) recorded the northernmost record as Nunavut Northern Baffin, Strathcona Sound, 73°15'N (CAN 76758). Since that time, it has been collected further north, Banks Island, Shoran L. 73°51'N, (1971, CAN 535586).
Indigenous knowledge. Inuit name airaq, the part of the root
between the bottom of the stem and the root (caudex) is called tuqtaw.
The roots can be quite large. Theycan be eaten raw and have a sweet taste. The
roots are yellowish or greenish when they are young. When they are older they
are brownish and more fibrous. They are good for stomach-aches and were used to
control diarrhea (Ootoova et al. 2001). Airait were sucked by babies
being carried in amautiit. Because the babies like the itsii
(juice) it would help them fall asleep.
The yellow flower is eaten by geese.
Illustrations. • Plants in habitat. Plants growing on dry lichen covered tundra Nunavut, Rankin Inlet, 25 July 1973, J.M. Gillett 16316. CAN. • Close-up of plant. Plant growing on west facing rocky slope with sandy gravel. Associated plants, some visible in this picture: Diapensia lapponica, some Cassiope, Ledum palustre, Salix uva-ursi, S. arctophila, Astragalus alpinus, Vaccinium uliginosum, V. vitis-idaea, occasional Silene. Nunavut, Baffin Island, Iqaluit, 19 July 1982, J.M. Gillett 18962. CAN. • Close-up of plant. Plants growing on west facing rocky slope with sandy gravel, Nunavut, Baffin Island, Iqaluit,19 July 1982, J.M. Gillett 18962. CAN. • Inflorescence in bud.. Inflorescence in bud showing dark hairs on the calyx. Baffin Island, Soper River Valley. Aiken 2002. No voucher. Scale bar in cm. • Close-up of flowers. Compact flowering heads, petals without contrasting markings. Nunavut, Baffin Island, Iqaluit, 19 July 1982, J.M. Gillett 18962. CAN. • 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).
