Androsace chamaejasme Wulfen in Jacq.
Rock-jasmine.
Primulaceae, primrose family.
Collectanea 1: 194. 1787.
?Northern Siberia: Paeninsulae Taimyr pars occidentalis, in ripa occidentali adrupta lacus Aja-Turka, 12.07.1975, leg. M.Sokolova (LE) holotype
Androsace chamaejasme Wulfen subsp. lehmanniana auct., non
(Spreng.) Hultén, Lunds Univ. Årsskr., n.f., Avd. 2, 44, 1: 1280 p.
p. 1948.
Androsace bungeana Schischk. & Bobrov in Kom., Fl. SSSR
18: 231. 1952.
Androsace chamaejasme Wulfen var. andersonii
Hultén (1948), Lunds Univ. Årsskr., n. f., avd. 2, 44: 1281. 1948
Androsace lehmanniana Spreng.
Androsace chamaejasme var.
arctica R. Knuth
Vegetative morphology. Plants perennial herbs (a contrast with A. septentrionalis); 2–15 cm high; loosely tufted with horizontal stems that terminate in rosettes of leaves. Taproot present (often obscure). Caudex absent. Ground-level or under-ground stems horizontal; stoloniferous; elongate, or compact; 0.4–0.6 mm wide. Vegetative, aerial, stem a small transition zone between roots and basal leaves; aerial stems erect (usually solitary, below the umbel). Leaves basal in a rosette (dense and globular); alternate; simple. Petioles absent. Leaf blade bases truncate. Blades 2–12 mm long; 1–4 mm wide. Blades obovate; flat; veins pinnate. Blades adaxial surface hairy. Blades adaxial surface hairs villous; simple, unbranched; moderately dense, or dense; white and translucent. Blades abaxial surface hairy. Blades abaxial surface hairs sparse to moderately dense; white, or translucent hairs. Blade margins entire; with non-glandular hairs. Leaf apices acute, or obtuse.
Reproductive morphology. Flowering stems present. Flowering stems without leaves; hairy (with long villous hairs). Flowers solitary (rarely in some Arctic plants), or in inflorescences. Inflorescence an umbel (if applicable); 0.5–2 cm long; 5–10(–15) mm wide. Pedicels present. Flowers per inflorescence (1–)2–5; small, less than 5 mm in diameter or length. Calyx sepals 5; fused; 2–3 mm long. Calyx green; bell-shaped, or funnel-form; 5-lobed (the tubular portion of the calyx about as long as the lobes); hairy; villous (with long hairs). Calyx hairs non-glandular; white or translucent. Petals fused; white (creamy), or yellow (at the centre; petals turn pink with age), or pink; with contrasting markings (in the form of colour gradations); 6–9 mm long. Corolla rotate (the throat of the corolla constricted); 5-lobed. Stamens 5; fused to the corolla. Anthers yellow; 0.7–0.9 mm long. Gynoecia superior. Carpels syncarpous; 5. Ovaries subglobose; glabrous. Styles 1. Stigmas per style 1; capitate. Placentation free central. Fruit with calyx persisting; dry; a capsule; bell-shaped; dehiscent; splitting to the base into separate segments. Fruit 2–3 mm long; 2–3 mm wide; brown, or golden brown. Seeds 10–15; 1.2–1.4 mm long; brown (pale); with surfaces smooth.
Chromosome information. 2n = 20 and 30. 20 (2x).
-Packer (1964 northwestern Canada); Zhukova (1965a eastern Chukotka, 1965b
Wrangel Island, 1966, 1982 north eastern Asia); Johnson and Packer (1968
northwestern Alaska ); Mulligan and Porsild (1970 northwestern Canada);
Krogulevich (1976 N & southern and northern Siberia, 1978 southern and
northern Siberia).
30 (3&#;x&#;none). - Zhukova (1980 southern Chukotka).
Supposed basic chromosome number of family 2x&3x.
Distribution. Northern hemisphere distribution: amphi-Beringian (broadly); Canada, United States, Eurasia. Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories Islands, Nunavut Islands. Low arctic. Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago limited. Uncommon. Arctic Islands: Banks, Victoria.
Ecology and habitat. Substrates: along streams, river terraces, cliffs (and talus); dry; calcareous; gravel, sand, clay; with low organic content.
Notes. Porsild (1957) suggested that a western race, subsp. arctica (Cham.) Hultén in which the grooves between the ribs of the calyx tube are glabrous, may be the taxon occurring in the westernmost islands.
Illustrations. • Plants in environment. Plants less than 5 cm high growing with grasses on a sandy bank, just above high tide line. Flowers are creamy with deep yellow centres when young and become pink with deep pink centres with age. N.W.T. Banks Island, Sachs Harbour, Aiken 99–072. CAN. • Close-up of plant. Flowering plant. A very lush arctic coast type. Canada: NWT, Cape Bathurst. Aug. 1999. Photographed by R.Elven. Voucher in HbO. • Plants with white flowers. Plants with small basal rosettes of leaves, predominmently white flowers with deep yellow at the throat and previous season's capsules that have split open.t L. Gillispie. 5907. CAN. • Flowering stems. Flowers borne in umbels at the top of flowering stems that are prominently hairy and scapose, that is without leaves. L. Gillespie, 5907. CAN. • Close-up of flowers. Centre a flower with almost white lobes tot he petals, a yellow central zone where the petals are fused, and the tips of five anthers lying opposite the petals. Older flowers are fading pink. Aiken 99–072. CAN.
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).
