×Pucciphippsia vacillans (Th. Fr.) Tzvelev
Poaceae, grass family.
Nov. Syst. Pl. Vasc. (Leningrad) 8: 76. 1971. Probably a hybrid Phippsia algida × Puccinellia vahliana (Hedberg 1962)
Catabrosa concinna Th. Fr. subsp. vacillans Th. Fr., in Ofvers. Förh. Kongl. Vetensk. Akad. Stockh. 26: 142. 1869. Colpodium vacillans (Th. Fr.) Polunin, Circumpolar Arct. Fl. 46. 1959.
Type: Described from Spitzbergen, Belsound, at foot of the hills, a J. Vahl collection became Th. Fries 1869.
Vegetative morphology. Plants perennial herbs; 15–23 cm high; caespitose. Ground-level or under-ground stems not developed horizontally or vertically. Aerial stems erect; circular or oval in cross-section; glabrous. Leaves distributed along the stems; alternate; marcescent. Petioles absent. Sheaths with the margins fused only in the lower part; glabrous; collars present. Ligules present; 1.3–2.7 mm long; membranous; glabrous; ovate-oblong; apices acute, or obtuse; entire. Blades 30–80 mm long; 1.5–2.5 mm wide. Blades spreading; folded in bud; linear; flat, or involute; veins parallel; midvein conspicuously larger than the lateral veins; bulliform cells in distinct rows on either side of the midvein. Blades adaxial surface glabrous. Blades abaxial surface glabrous.
Reproductive morphology. Flowering stems present. Flowering culm nodes becoming exposed; number visible 0–2. Flag leaf sheaths inflated, or not inflated. Inflorescence paniculate; dense; lanceolate (a contracted panicle, or diffuse); 3–4 cm long; 10–20 mm wide; main axis glabrous. Number of inflorescence branches at lowest node 5 (or more). Inflorescence primary branches 1.4–14 mm long; glabrous; with appressed secondary branches, or with spreading secondary branches. Spikelets pedicellate; disarticulating above the glumes; laterally compressed; lanceolate to ovate; 2.5–3 mm long; 0.8–1.6 mm wide (Phippsia-like). Florets per spikelet (1–)2(–3). First glume 0.5–0.65 × the length of the second glume; 0.2–0.25 × spikelet length; 0.5–0.8 mm long; ovate; glabrous; margins glabrous; veins 0–1; apex obtuse. Second glume 0.4 × as long as the spikelet or less; shorter than the lowest floret; ovate; 1.1–1.3 mm long; glabrous; veins 1. Rachilla internode 0.2–2.2 mm long; glabrous, or hairy. Rachilla not pronounced between the florets; extending beyond the uppermost floret. Callus not differentiated. Lemma 2.3–2.5 mm long; ovate; rounded on the back; surface dull; surface hairy; surface with trichomes on and between the veins (in lower third); veins (1–)3. Lemma apex acute; entire, or erose; awnless. Palea well developed; 2–2.3 mm long; with hairy veins. Perianth reduced to lodicules. Stamens 3. Anthers 0.9–1 mm long. Gynoecia superior. Carpels syncarpous; 3. Styles 2. Ovules 1. Fruit a caryopsis (never found).
Chromosome information. 2n = 21 (Hedberg 1962). 21 (3x). - Hedberg (1962 northern Canada); Steen (2000 Svalbard, three sites).
Distribution. Arctic Islands: Baffin, Devon, Ellesmere, Axel Heiberg, Cornwallis. Previously known in Canada from Craig Harbour, Ellesmere Island, and near Resolute, Cornwallis Island (Hedberg 1967), this species was recently collected in 1999 and 2000 on Axel Heiberg, Devon, Bathurst, and Baffin Islands by Gillespie, Consaul and Soreng (Vouchers at CAN, US).
Ecology and habitat. Substrates: wet meadows, around the margins of ponds, tundra (damp open habitats.); imperfectly drained moist areas, or on seepage slopes; calcareous; silt, till, moss.
Taxon as an environmental indicator. This species is found in similar habitats to Phippsia, with which it is usually growing.
Notes. "Boivin (1967) published ×Maltea for what he
considered to be the intergeneric hybrid Phippsia × Puccinellia. As
this is not a condensed formula, the nameastern Canadanot be used for that
intergeneric hybrid, for which the correct name is ×Pucciphippsia
Tzvelev (1971). Boivin did, however, provide a Latin description and designate a
type; consequently, Maltea is a validly published generic name and is
correct if its type is treated as belonging to a separate genus, not a
nothogenus (Greuter et al. 1994).
Hedberg (1962) found this hybrid growing
at an archeological site, on Cornwallis Island, near the former site of the
village at Resolute close to the seashore. His detailed description includes
photographs comparing spikelets, leaf cross sections, and chromosome studies.
Canadian ×Pucciphippsia involves Phippsia algida as the
Phippsia parent, but in Europe, hybrids with P. concinna may occur
(Hedberg 1962). This may explain slight differences between this description and
that given by Halliday and Hughes (1980). A study of ×Pucciphippsia
in Svalbard indicated that specimens there were triploid and sterile. Additive
banding in one enzyme supported its origin as a Puccinellia-
Phippsia hybrid, and morphological evidences suggests that Ph.
algida is the most probable Phippsia parent(Steen 2000).
Illustrations. • Habitat. Nunavut, Cornwallis Island, Resolute Bay, 74°41'N, 94°50'W. Moist gentle slope behind Polar Continental Shelf Project Base, most common in wet seep area at base of slope, with abundant moss and algal mats. 9 August 1999. L.J. Gillespie 6688, L.L. Consaul and R.J. Soreng. CAN. • Close-up of plant. Plant growing in wet clayey substrate. Norway: Svalbard, Gipsdalen. 24.07.1985. Photographed by R.Elven. Voucher in HbTROM. • Close-up of plant. Flowering plant on loamy river bank. Norway: Svalbard, Gipsdalselva. Aug. 1985. Photographed by R.Elven. Voucher in HbTROM. • Close-up of panicle. Panicle in male flowering stage. Anthers thin and aborting. No fruit-set ever observed. Norway: Svalbard, Gipsdalselva. Aug. 1985. Photographed by R.Elven. • Close-up of plant. Nunavut, Devon Island, Dundas Harbour, W of harbour mouth, 74°31.3'N, 82°33.5'W. S-facing gradual slope near top of mountain on W side of harbour near mouth, ~500 m, moist stony striped-patterned ground. 8 August 1999. L.J. Gillespie 6683, L.L. Consaul and R.J. Soreng. CAN. • Close-up of plant. Nunavut, Devon Island, Dundas Harbour, W of harbour mouth, 74°31.3'N, 82°33.5'W. S-facing gradual slope near top of mountain on W side of harbour near mouth, ~500 m, moist stony striped-patterned ground. 8 August 1999. L.J. Gillespie 6683, L.L. Consaul and R.J. Soreng. CAN. • Close-up of plant. Nunavut, Devon Island, Dundas Harbour, W of harbour mouth, 74°31.3'N, 82°33.5'W. S-facing gradual slope near top of mountain on W side of harbour near mouth, ~500 m, moist stony striped-patterned ground. 8 August 1999. L.J. Gillespie 6683, L.L. Consaul and R.J. Soreng. CAN. • Close-up of inflorescence. Nunavut, Devon Island, Dundas Harbour, W of harbour mouth, 74°31.3'N, 82°33.5'W. S-facing gradual slope near top of mountain on W side of harbour near mouth, ~500 m, moist stony striped-patterned ground. 8 August 1999. L.J. Gillespie 6683, L.L. Consaul and R.J. Soreng. CAN. • Photograph. Photograph from Porsild (1955). • Distribution map.
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).
