Oxytropis maydelliana Trautv.
Trudy Glavn. Bot. Sada 6: 16. 1879.
Type: "...in tractu fluvium Anadyr inter et latus meridionale montium jugi a fluvio hoc septentrionem versus siti: [Chukchi, from the basin of the Anadyr and its northern tributaries] Baron G. von Maydell s.n., 1869; Holotype LE?
Oxytropis campestris (L.) DC. var. melanocephala Hook. Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 147. 1831. Oxytropis maydelliana subsp. melanocephala (Hook.) Porsild, Nat. Mus. Canada Bull. 216: 47. 1966. Type: Bear Lake to the Arctic Shores and Islands [possibly Richardson]. Isotype? GH.
Oxytropis campestris var. glabrata Hook. Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 147. 1831. Oxytropis glabrata (Hook.) A. Nels. Univ. Wyoming Publ. Sci., Bot. 1: 117. 1926. Type: Bear Lake to the Arctic Shores and Islands [possibly Richardson]. Isotype GH.
Plants with leaves or spreading stems arising from a caudex (stem zone covered with dense stipules); 10–30 cm high. Aerial stems decumbent; not visible between the leaf bases. Leaves mostly basal; alternate; marcescent. Stipules not sheathing; brown (usually chestnut brown or purplish black, with long hairs particularly at the apices). Petioles (15–)20–40(–45) mm long. Blades 2–4(–5.5) cm long; 6–16 mm wide; with pinnate veins; glabrous (to the naked eye), or hairy (with sparse white hairs seen at 10X); with hairs equally dense on both surfaces (but mainly on the lower surface). Leaflet arrangement pinnate; leaflets 5–17; leaflets 3–9 mm long; leaflets oblong.
Flowering stems 6.5–10(–15) cm long; without leaves; hairy (with white and sometimes also black hairs). Inflorescence racemose; 0.5–1.5 cm long (remaining compact when legumes are present); not elongating as the fruit matures. Flowers per inflorescence (2–)5–9; medium-sized, 5–15 mm in diameter or length. Calyx yellow, or brown, or black; tubular; 5-lobed. Petals 5; yellow (or cream); unlobed (4 petals), or 2-lobed (banner petal); (10–)15–20 mm long. Corolla papilionaceous. Corolla keel with a pointed tip. Stigmas per style 1. Ovules 15–25. Fruit with calyx persisting; a legume; ovoid (with a prominent beak); 12–20 mm long; 4.5–7.5 mm wide; sessile, or stalked; dehiscent; yellowish, or green at maturity (drying grey); hairy (with dense hairs that can vary from black to white on the same pod). Legume unilocular. Seeds 5–12; 1–2 mm long (i.e., the longest dimension); brown.
Chromosome information. 2n = 96.
Distribution. E. Asia, arctic and subarctic North America. Low arctic. Arctic Islands: Baffin, Parry Islands (Melville), Banks, Victoria, King William, Southampton, Coats.
Ecology and habitat. Substrate tundra (heath), slopes (sometimes in the influence of sea spray), ridges; imperfectly drained, or dry, or moderately well drained; acidic, or calcareous; gravel, sand.
Taxon as an environmental indicator. Polunin (1940) recorded the northernmost record as N.W.T. Northern Baffin, Strathcona Sound, 73°15'N (CAN 76758). Since that time, it has been collected further north, Banks Island, Shoran L. 73°51'N, (1971, CAN 535586).
Illustrations. • Plants in habitat. Plants growing on dry lichen covered tundra Nunavut, Rankin Inlet, 25 July 1973, J.M. Gillett 16316. CAN. • Close-up of plant. Plant growing on west facing rocky slope with sandy gravel. Associated plants, some visible in this picture: Diapensia lapponica, some Cassiope, Ledum palustre, Salix uva-ursi, S. arctophila, Astragalus alpinus, Vaccinium uliginosum, V. vitis-idaea, occasional Silene. Nunavut, Baffin Island, Iqaluit, 19 July 1982, J.M. Gillett 18962. CAN. • Close-up of plant. Plants growing on west facing rocky slope with sandy gravel, Nunavut, Baffin Island, Iqaluit,19 July 1982, J.M. Gillett 18962. CAN. • Close-up of flowers. Compact flowering heads, petals without contrasting markings. Nunavut, Baffin Island, Iqaluit, 19 July 1982, J.M. Gillett 18962. 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).
