Potentilla anserina subsp. groenlandica

Trattinnick

Rosac. Monogr. 4: 13. 1824.

Illustrated
Synonyms: Argentina anserina subsp. egedei (Wormskjold ex Hornemann) Á. Löve & Ritchie A. anserina subsp. groenlandica (Trattinnick) Á. Löve A. egedei Wormskjold ex Hornemann Potentilla anserina subsp. egedei (Wormskjold ex Hornemann) Hiitonen P. egedei P. egedei var. groenlandica (Trattinnick) Polunin
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 9. Treatment on page 130. Mentioned on page 127, 128.

Stems glabrous. Leaves horizontal or ascending, rarely erect, (1–)2–10 cm, rarely longer; leaflets 2–4(–5) per side, separate, teeth 2–6(–10) per side, teeth apex rounded to subacute, surfaces: abaxial with long hairs absent or sparse, on veins, cottony-crisped hairs absent, sometimes sparse to dense, adaxial glabrous. Flowers 0.8–1.5 cm diam.; epicalyx bractlets narrowly to broadly ovate-triangular, shorter than sepals, entire; hypanthium patelliform (wider than deep) in fruit; petals not overlapping, elliptic; carpels 25–60. Achenes without dorsal groove. 2n = 28, 35, 42.


Phenology: Flowering summer.
Habitat: Salt and brackish marshes, clayey and sandy seashores, driftwalls
Elevation: 0 m

Distribution

V9 185-distribution-map.jpg

Greenland, Man., Nfld. and Labr. (Labr.), N.W.T., Nunavut, Ont., Que., Yukon, Alaska, Eurasia.

Discussion

The northern arctic plants have glabrous leaves and are compatible with Potentilla egedei. Some of the southern arctic and northern boreal plants in the Atlantic regions have leaves with white-hairy abaxial surfaces, more leaflets, often more pointed teeth, and slightly larger flowers. These are compatible with subsp. groenlandica as originally described. The variation between these extremes is continuous. Both names are based on plants from Greenland, far north of the native range of subsp. anserina, and are probably the same entity. Following the argument by J. Soják (1969) that trinomials by Trattinnick are subspecies, the epithet groenlandica has priority over egedei at this rank.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
Reidar Elven +  and David F. Murray +
Trattinnick +
Greenland +, Man. +, Nfld. and Labr. (Labr.) +, N.W.T. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, Que. +, Yukon +, Alaska +  and Eurasia. +
Salt and brackish marshes, clayey and sandy seashores, driftwalls +
Flowering summer. +
Rosac. Monogr. +
Illustrated +
Argentina anserina subsp. egedei +, A. anserina subsp. groenlandica +, A. egedei +, Potentilla anserina subsp. egedei +, P. egedei +  and P. egedei var. groenlandica +
Potentilla anserina subsp. groenlandica +
Potentilla anserina +
subspecies +