Cerastium beeringianum Cham. and Schltdl.
Bering Mouse-ear Chickweed.
Linnaea 1: 62. 1826.
Type: Alaska, Sin. Kotzebue (Eschscholtz Bay), 1816, leg. Chamisso (B).
Cerastium beeringianum Cham. and Schltdl. var. capillare
Fernald and Wiegand
Cerastium alpinum L. var. capillare
(Fernald and Wiegand) Boivin
Cerastium alpinum L. var. (alfa)
beeringianum Regel
Cerastium beeringianum Cham. and Schltdl. var.
glabratum Hultén
Cerastium beeringianum Cham. and
Schltdl. var. grandiflorum (Fenzl) Hultén
Cerastium
earlei Rydb.
Cerastium beeringianum Cham. and Schltdl. subsp.
earlei (Rydb.) Hultén
Cerastium fischerianum Sér.
ex DC var. beeringianum Hultén
Cerastium bialynickii
Tolm.
Cerastium beeringianum Cham. and Schltdl. subsp.
bialynickii (Tolm.) Tolm.
Three subspecies and three varieties in Kartesz (1994).
Vegetative morphology. Plants 1.5–20(–25) cm high; forming dense cushions or looser mats. Taproot present (slender). Caudex absent. Ground-level or under-ground stems horizontal (southern plants), or not developed horizontally or vertically; rhizomatous, or stoloniferous (possibly); elongate; 0.5–1.2 mm wide. Aerial stems erect, or decumbent; sparsely hairy, or densely hairy (glandular hairs mixed with long and short stiff non-glandular hairs in the upper parts of the plant); stem hairs spreading, or erect, or reflexed (on lower internodes, often only as bristles). Leaves distributed along the stems, or in a basal tuft. Leaf blade bases cuneate, or attenuate. Blades (7–)9–12(–15) mm long; (1.5–)2–4(–5) mm wide. Blades spreading; herbaceous; oblong, or elliptic, or lanceolate; flat; appearing single-veined. Blades adaxial surface dull; hairy, or glabrous (southern plants). Blades adaxial surface hairs pilose, or villous (strigose); simple, unbranched and glandular; sparse, or moderately dense; white and translucent. Blades abaxial surface hairy, or glabrous (southern plants). Blades abaxial surface hairs sparse, or moderately dense. Blades abaxial surface pilose, or villous, or strigose. Blades abaxial surface hairs white, or translucent hairs. Blade margins with non-glandular hairs and with glandular hairs. Leaf apices acute, or obtuse (more rarely).
Reproductive morphology. Flowering stems hairy, or glabrous (southern plants). Flowering stem hairs pubescent, or villous. Flowering stems glandular hairs present. Flowering stem hairs white or translucent. Flowers in inflorescences, or solitary (rarely). Inflorescence a dichasium; main branches angle of divergence 30–60 degrees, or 60–90 degrees. Pedicels bract leaves 2.5–3 mm long; 0.6–1 mm wide; with a distinct scarious margin; margins less than 0.3 mm. Flowers per inflorescence 1- 2–5 (-7); small, less than 5 mm in diameter or length, or medium-sized, 5–15 mm in diameter or length. Calyx base widely angled, or rounded. Calyx sepals 5; free; (2–)4–7(–9) mm long; (1–)1.2–2 mm wide. Calyx green, or green and purple; herbaceous and scarious (0.25–0.5 mm broad, scarious margins); hairy; villous. Calyx hairs glandular and non-glandular; white or translucent. Petals longer than the calyx; 5; white; obtriangular; shallowly lobed; 5–8(–12) mm long (usually not much longer than sepals); 2.5–4 mm wide. Stamens 10. Anthers yellow; ellipsoid; 0.4–0.6 mm long. Carpels 5. Ovaries oblong (slightly broadly in basal parts). Styles 5; 2–3 mm long. Ovules 20–40. Fruit elongate-cylindrical; mouth curved; teeth 10. Fruit 8–9(–12) mm long; 2–3 mm wide; straw coloured. Seeds 0.7–0.9(–1.1) mm long; brown (reddish); with surfaces tuberculate.
Chromosome information. 2n = 72. 72 (4x). - Söllner (1954); Zhukova (1965a eastern Chukotka, 1968 north eastern Asia, 1969 northern and north eastern Asia, as 'bialynickii', 1980 southern Chukotka); Johnson and Packer (1968 northwestern Alaska); Mulligan and Porsild (1969, 1970 Yukon); Ugborogho (1972); Zhukova and Petrovsky (1972 Wrangel Island, 2n = c.70); Zhukova et al. (1977 north eastern Asia); Löve and Löve (1982 arctic Canada). Supposed basic chromosome number of family 9. Ploidy levels recorded 8x.
Distribution. Northern hemisphere distribution: amphi-Beringian; Greenland, Canada, United States, Eurasia. Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories Islands, Continental Northwest Territories, Nunavut Islands, Continental Nunavut, Northern Québec. Arctic. Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago widespread. Common. Arctic Islands: Baffin, Ellesmere, Axel Heiberg, Parry Islands, Cornwallis, Banks, Victoria, Prince of Wales, Somerset, King William, Southampton (Mackenzie Island, Emerald Island, Ellef Ringnes, Lougheed, Amund Ringnes Islands).
Ecology and habitat. Substrates: hummocks, snow patches, river terraces, tundra, slopes, ridges; imperfectly drained moist areas, or on solifluction slopes, or dry, or moderately well drained areas; acidic, or calcareous, or nitrophilous; rocks, gravel, sand, silt, clay; with low organic content.
Notes. Cerastium beeringianum is fairly well separated from
C. arcticum, but the two species tend to intergrade in the eastern part
of the eastern Canadian Arctic. Integradation between the two ploidy levels
represented by C. beeringianum and C. arcticum is probably
possible, but should not be assumed just because some specimens are difficult to
identify.
Small plants with a distinct cushion-like growth and with small
flowers borne on short pedicels are common in high-arctic areas. Similar dwarf
plants are found in the northernmost Russian and Siberian areas and possibly
also in Greenland. The name C. bialynickii Tolm. has been generally
applied for the Russian/Siberian dwarf plants, but if these plants are
recognised as a distinct taxon, C. bialynickii would not be the correct
name for it. The type material of C. bialynickii (in LE) is not
significantly different from C. beeringianum as this taxon is typified
(Petrovsky, Brysting, and Elven in the developing Panarctic Flora checklist),
and C. bialynickii is here considered a synonym of C.
beeringianum. Very recent genetical studies (Scheen, in preparation)
indicate that the 'arctic dwarf' might be recognisable as a taxon that is as yet
nameless (Elven et al. 2002).
More or less glabrous plants are mainly
found in south-eastern areas, but also occur on continental North America
opposite Victoria Island and on western Banks Island (specimens in O). These
plants, usually with horizontal stems trailing along the ground, are taller and
less compact than more northern plants.
Hultén (1937, 1944, 1956)
separated several infraspecific taxa within C. beeringianum. Plants with
leaves more or less glabrous were described as var. glabratum
Hultén and considered to be the result of gene exchange with C.
regelii; plants from Alaska with large flowers and larger and more acute
leaves were described as var. grandiflorum (Fenzl) Hultén; plants
from the Rocky Mountains with more glabrous leaves and very short and fine
pubescence on the pedicels were described as subsp. earlei (Rydb.)
Hultén. A serpentine and limestone form from Southern Labrador and
Newfoundland with a caespitose growth form, yellowish foliage, larger flowers
and larger seeds was considered subsp. terrae-novae (Fernald and Wiegand)
Hultén. This taxon is treated as a distinct species by Morton in the
developing Flora North America, C. terra-novae Fernald and Wiegand (pers.
communication, 2002).
Illustrations. • Plant habitat. Plants growing at a rocky shoreline, in dry organic substrate with moss. Nunavut, Salliq (Coral Harbour), coastline east of the Northern Store, 64°08'13"N, 83°09'53"W. Aiken and Brysting 01–075. CAN. • Close-up of plant. Plants growing at a rocky shoreline, in dry organic substrate with moss. Nunavut, Salliq (Coral Harbour), coastline east of the Northern Store, 64°08'13"N, 83°09'53"W. Aiken and Brysting 01–075. CAN. • Close-up of leaves. Opposite oblong or elliptic leaves, with hairs sparse or moderately dense. Nunavut, Salliq (Coral Harbour), coastline east of the Northern Store, 64°08'13"N, 83°09'53"W. Aiken and Brysting 01–075. CAN. • Close-up of stem. Stem hairs on lower internodes short and reflexed (down pointing bristles). Nunavut, Salliq (Coral Harbour), coastline east of the Northern Store, 64°08'13"N, 83°09'53"W. Aiken and Brysting 01–075. CAN. • Close-up of inflorescence. Inflorescence a dichasium with 2–5(-7) flowers. Nunavut, Southampton Island, Salliq (Coral Harbour), coastline east of the Northern Store, 64°08'13"N, 83°09'53"W. Aiken and Brysting 01–075. CAN. • Close-up of flower. Calyx base widely angled; petals longer than the sepals, 2-lobed. Nunavut, Southampton Island, Salliq (Coral Harbour), coastline east of the Northern Store, 64°08'13"N, 83°09'53"W. Aiken and Brysting 01–075. CAN. • Close-up of fruit. Capsule elongate-cylindrical, opening with 10 teeth; capsule mouth curved. N.W.T., Tuktoyaktuk, the automatic D.E.W. (Defense Early Warning) line site, 69°26'36''N, 133°01'21''W. Aiken and Brysting 01–121. CAN. • Plant habitat. Small plants with a distinct cushion-like growth (next to white scale bars), growing in clay polygon tundra. Nunavut, Resolute Bay, at the top of Satellite Hill, 74°68'N, 94°48'W. Aiken and Brysting 01–126. CAN. • Close-up of plant. Small plants with a distinct cushion-like growth, growing in clay polygon tundra. Nunavut, Resolute Bay, at the top of Satellite Hill, 74°68'N, 94°48'W. Aiken and Brysting 01–126. CAN. • Close-up of plant. Plants less than 5 cm high, with a distinct cushion-like growth growing in clay polygon tundra. Nunavut, Resolute Bay, at the top of Satellite Hill, 74°68'N, 94°48'W. Aiken and Brysting 01–126. CAN. • Distribution map.
Cite this publication as: ‘A.K. Brysting, P.J. Scott, and S.G. Aiken 2001 onwards. Caryophyllaceae of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 29th April 2003. http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/’. Dallwitz (1980), Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) , and Aiken, Dallwitz et al. (1999) should also be cited (see References).
