S.G. Aiken editor (saiken@mus-nature.ca) (1)
M.J. Dallwitz data structures, computing (md@ento.csiro.au) (2)
L.L. Consaul grasses, editorial board (lconsaul@mus-nature.ca) (1)
R.L. Boles sedges (ruben.boles@ec.qc.ca} (1)
M.C. LeBlanc pteridophytes (mleblanc@mus-nature.ca) (1)
R. Elven grasses and rose family (reidar.elven@toyen.uio.no) (4)
(1) Research Services, Canadian Museum of Nature,
P.O. Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa K1P 6P4, Canada. Phone +1 613 364 4073.
(2) CSIRO Entomology, GPO Box 1700, Canberra ACT 2601,
Australia. Phone +61 2 6246 4075. Fax +61 2 6246 4000.
(4) Botanical Garden and Museum, University of Oslo,
Trondheimsveien 23B, N-0562 Oslo, Norway. Fax +47 22 85 18 35.
At the beginning of 2001, Volume 1, covered the 114 species, subspecies, or varieties known from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. These occur in three families of Pteridophytes, Equisetaceae (3), Lycopodaceae (3) , Polypodiaceae (5), and six families of Monocotyledons, Cyperaceae (42), Juncaceae (10), Liliaceae (2), Orchidaceae (1), Poaceae (47), and Potamogetonaceae (1). It is difficult to compare these numbers with those given in Porsild (1957) as many taxonomic and nomenclatural changes have been m ade since then, new species have been discovered, and other species discredited. Porsild (1957) included taxa in his flora that had been recorded from Continental North America near the Archipelago, that he expected might be found in some of the most favou rable habitats in the islands. Surprisingly few of these have been found. Other unexpected species, like the member of the Orchidaceae have been recorded. There has been relatively little botanical collecting done in the last 40 years in the southern part s of the Archipelago, where new records might be expected.
This project is working to produce the flora of the vascular plants of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the DELTA electronic database format that will allow illustrated, interactive identification of the approximately 400 taxa of flowering plants on t he Arctic Islands. Floristic data are being gathered by Susan Aiken (editor) and many contributors (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.E. Zamluk and A.K. Brysting). Desig n of database structures and procedures, and initial maintenance of the databases on the Web, were done by M.J. Dallwitz. The Poaceae treatment was first released in 1995, that of Cyperaceae 1999, the Juncaceae, Liliaceae in 2000, and the Pteridophytes in 2001. Treatments for dicotyledon families Fabaceae, Ranunculaceae, Salicaceae, and Saxifragaceae are already on the web, and data have been gathered for several other families. It is hoped that the complete flora (Volume 2 for the Dicotyledons) will be rea dy by 2005.
The information recorded includes place of valid publication, synonymy (usually limited to names that have been associated with the Canadian Arctic), common names, vegetative and floral morphological characters (many more than present floras of the area ), distribution (sometimes including information about the northernmost record of the taxon), and habitat. There are notes on ecology, indigenous knowledge, economic uses, and other miscellaneous information. The database is illustrated with maps for each taxon, colour photographs and line drawings of characters useful for identification, herbarium specimens, colour photographs and line drawings of the taxa and their habitats. The taxonomy and nomenclature are based on Flora North America, where treatments are available, and the developing PanArctic Flora checklist that is the result of international, circumpolar, discussion.
The geographical scope of this study includes the islands of the Northwest territories and Nunavut, north of 60°N in northern Hudson Bay (including Southampton Island, White and Caribou Islands, Coats Island, Bencas Island, Digges and Mansel islands) an d Akpatok Island in Ungava Bay.
Cite this publication as: S.G. Aiken, M.J. Dallwitz, L.L. Consaul, R.L. Boles, R. Elven, and M.E. LeBlanc (2001 onwards). Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Volume 1. Pteridophytes and Monocotyledons. Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 16th March 2001. http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/. Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) should also be cited (see References).