Lupinus arcticus S. Wats. subsp. arcticus
Lupine.
Proc. Am. Acad. viii: 526. 1873.
Type: (Great) Bear Lake, Richardson. Lectotype designated by W.W. Eggleston: GH.
L. nootkatensis Donn var. Kjellmannii Cotf., Vidensk-Selsk. Skr., Math.-Naturv. Kl. 8. 1910. Type: King Point, Yukon, Ostenfeld, 1908. Isotype CAN.
L. gakonensis C.P. Smith, Sp. Lup. 649. 1949. Type: Gakona, Alaska, Anderson 8532, ISC.
L. multicaulis C.P. Smith, Sp. Lup. 649. 1949. Type: Glenn Highway, Alaska, Anderson in 1944, ISC.
L. donnellyensis C.P. Smith, Sp. Lup. 654. 1949. Type: Donnelly Dome, Richardson Highway, mile 253, Alaska, Anderson 2281, ISC.
L. multifolius C.P. Smith, Sp. Lup. 660. 1949. Type: Kluane Lake, Yukon, Anderson 9449, ISC.
L. toklatensis A. Nels., Am. Jour. Bot. 32: 288. 1945. Type: Tokllat area, Mile 56, Mt. McKinley Park, Alaska, A.& R. Nelson 3568, RM, US.
L. yukonensis Greene, Leafl. Bot. Obs. & Crit. 2: 233. 1912. Type: Klondike River, Yukon, Macoun, 9 July 1902. Isotype CAN.
Synonymy from Dunn & Gillett (1964).
Plants with leaves or spreading stems arising from a caudex; 10–40(–50) cm high. Aerial stems erect; densely hairy. Leaves mostly basal; alternate; deciduous. Stipules scale-like; not sheathing; brown (densely hairy). Petioles 3–15(–22) mm long. Blades with pinnate veins; glabrous (adaxial surface), or hairy; with hairs on the abaxial surface only. Leaflet arrangement trifoliate, or digitate (dark green); leaflets 3–7(–9); leaflets 10–60 mm long.
Flowering stems 2–8 cm long; with leaves; hairy. Inflorescence racemose; 3–15 cm long. Flowers per inflorescence (5–)10–30; large, more than 15 mm in diameter or length. Calyx scarious. Petals 5; white (rarely), or purple, or blue (usually); unlobed, or 2-lobed (banner petal); 10–15 mm long. Corolla papilionaceous. Stamens 10. Styles 1. Stigmas per style 1. Ovules 13–15. Fruit or black; a legume; ellipsoid (flattened); 20–30 mm long; 6–9 mm wide; dehiscent; green at maturity (a dark olive green); hairy (with black hairs). Legume valves twisted (strongly when dehisced). Seeds (3–)5–10; 4–6 mm long; black (with white flecks seen at 10X).
Chromosome information. 2n = 48, 96.
Distribution. North American. Low arctic. Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago limited. Uncommon. Arctic Islands: Victoria.
Ecology and habitat. Substrate wet meadows, tundra, slopes, ridges; imperfectly drained, or moderately well drained; sand, moss. The habitat of this plant varies from mossy sedge flats, to low ridges in the Arctic Islands, to grassy alpine slopes further south.
Notes. There have been no nomenclatural disputes about the name of this species. Subsp. arcticus is the only one extending into the Arctic Islands, the other two subspecies occurring in southern British Columbia and south into Washington. In the Arctic Islands the Arctic lupine is confined to well-drained hummocks on tundra, but have occasionally been collected in sedge meadows. Further south, near the Arctic Circle, it is found in forest clearings. Lupinus arcticus is closely related to L. perennis L.
Walter et al. (1994), studying alkaloid distribution in two species of Lupinus, did not have data for the arctic subspecies, but found that L. arcticus subsp. subalpinus had sparteine, beta-isiosparteine and multiflorine as the major alkaloids.
Illustrations. • Plant in habitat, with author J.M. Gillett. Author J.M. Gillett sitting among lupins at N.W.T., Tuktoyaktuk, 21 July 1981, J.M. Gillett 18726. CAN. • Plant habit. Plants growing on dry hillside with Castilleja, at N.W.T., Tuktoyaktuk, 21 July 1981, J.M. Gillett 18726. CAN. • Close-up of inflorescence. Close-up of inflorescence showing petals with contrasting markings and stigma projecting through the tip of the keel petals. N.W.T., Tuktoyaktuk, 21 July 1981, J.M. Gillett 18726. CAN. • Inflorescence with developing fruit. Inflorescence with developing hairy legumes. N.W.T., Tuktoyaktuk, 21 July 1981, J.M. Gillett 18726. CAN. • Arctic island distribution.
Cite this publication as: J.M. Gillett, L.L. Consaul, S.G. Aiken and M.J. Dallwitz (1999 onwards). ‘Fabaceae of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval.’ Version: 15th November 2000. http://http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/. Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) should also be cited (see References).
