Gentiana nivalis L. (Gentianaceae) new to Quebec

5 Pages·1995·2.3 MB·Polish

by  N Dignard

RHODORA,
Vol. No. 375-379, 1995
97, 892, pp.
GENTIANA NIVALIS (GENTIAN ACE
AE)
L.
NEW
TO QUEBEC
N. DiGNARD, Lalumiere,
R.
AND M.
JULIEN
Key
Words: Gentiana distribution, James Bay, Quebec, Labrador
nivalis,
During the course of ecological work conducted on the
field
we
northeast coast of James Bay 1994, collected a few speci-
in
mens
of a very small gentian, which proved to be Gentiana nivalis
new
L. This arctic-alpine taxon here reported as to the flora of
is
Quebec.
Gentiana nivalis an amphi-atlantic species (Hulten, 1958),
is
range of which mainly Eurasian Northern and
the (Iceland,
is
and
Central Europe, Asia Minor). Previous to this report, the
North American distribution of the taxon was thought to be re-
stricted to coastal areas of Greenland and Labrador (Rousseau,
1974; Scoggan, 1979). The species has never been reported from
and
Baffin Island, Gillett (1963) states that this distribution pat-
due from
tern to a different postglacial history for Baffin Island
is
that of northern Labrador, rather than due to a collection gap.
Most
of the Labrador are north of 57°30'N, especially
localities
Kaumajet and Torngat mountains. Gentiana
in the the nivalis
is
Canada and Labrador (Argus and
listed as rare in in Pryer, 1990).
In 1951, the plant was discovered the Saglek Pass {Rousseau
in
QUE)
1064 on Quebec-Labrador The specimen does
the border.
not indicate on which side of the border the collection was made.
This note therefore the valid report for the species in
is first
Quebec.
We
km
Gentiana of Pointe Louis-XIV
collected nivalis 17 east
& QUE)
Lalumiere 94-29 on
{Dignard, Julien July 23, 1994, in
James Bay
the tundra bordering the northeast coast of (Figure
1).
This region, lying within the discontinuous permafrost zone,
is
characterized by the predominance of an arctic-alpine The
flora.
area one of the southernmost Arctic outposts in North America
is
(Ducruc extending between 54°30^N and 54°45'N,
et 1976),
al.,
km
The
along a strip five to 20 wide parallel to the coast. pop-
meadow
was found on an
ulation in a dry, grassy alluvial terrace
km
of fine sand along a small brook, four from the sea at
54°37T8''N-79°28'15"W, 20 m. Only few
elevation a indi-
ca.
viduals were observed. Unfortunately, time did not allow us to
375
Rhodora
376
97
[Vol.
Figure Distribution o( Genliana Quebec and Labrador
nivalis L. in (ex-
1.
panded from 1963 and Rousseau, Square new
Gillett, 1974). indicates the locality.
check for presence in the surrounding area. The terrace veg-
its
etation consisted of arctic-alpine and boreal species, the most
representative being Achillea millefolium L. var. nigrescens E.
Mey., Antennaria pulcherrima (Hook.) Greene, Astragalus alpinus
C
nana Carex
Betula Cerastium
L., L., capillaris L., capitata L.,
&
alpinum lanatum (Lam.) Aschers. Graebn., Draha
L. ssp. gla-
Pursh Juncus Ko-
bella var. glabella, arcticus Willd. ssp. arcticus,
bresia simpliciuscula (Wahlenb.) Mackenzie, Luzula
multiflora
Poa Polygonum
(Ehrh.) Lej. s.L. alpina L., P. arctica R. Br.,
vi-
viparum Primula Hornem.,
L., striata Salix argyrocarpa Anderss.,
—
Dignard
Gentiana 311
1995] et nivalis
dX.
Pursh
ifolia ssp. planifolia
ifl^
huronense and Trimorpha Nesom.
(Nutt.) Breitung, (Hook.)
elata
Located in a depression between two low ridges, the terrace
is
covered by a thick layer of snow during the winter, as indicated
by the presence of the willow and dwarf birch community and
by late snowbed species such as Potent tabernae-montani
ilia
Weber
G. H. ex Wiggers
officinale
inz ex Thellune. Nomenclature
fol
Kartesz
more
km
awav from
westernmost
occurrence of the species in North America. This wide disjunction
could be related to the postglacial histoi-y of the taxon and to
narrow The
ecological requirements. amphi-atlantic boreal Pla-
known
tanthera albida (L.) Lindl var. straminea (Fern.) Luer,
from northwest Newfoundland and Richmond
disjunct in the
Gulf and Manitounouk Sound on Hudson
the the east coast of
Bay, has a similar distribution (Payette and Lepage, 1977; De-
and
shaye Cayouette, 1988). Undercollection should also be con-
Due
sidered. to small stature, the plant can be easily over-
its
when
looked, especially the flowers are immature. can also be
It
confused in the field with other superficially similar gentians {Gen-
tianella amarella (L.) Boerner ssp. acuta (Michx.) Gillett, Gen-
J,
Lomatogonium
Boerner and
tianella tenella (Rottb.) rotatum
(L.)
The
Fries ex expanding
Fern.). plicate, eciliate corolla tube, the
and 4-5
lobes, the parted cylindrical, purple-keeled calyx of G.
once from
nivalis at distinguish this species others.
new
whether
uncertain the disjunct population of G. nivalis
It is
Long
the result of long distance dispersal or distance
is is relictual.
by winds seems The
dispersal, either or birds, unlikely. prevailing
winds and
are westerly bird migrations occur primarily in a north-
south direction. In addition, the small seeds offer nutritional
little
value to birds although they could be ingested by accident.
Now
known
Gentiana from James Bay
that nivalis the region
is
and
its habitat is better defined, other localities of the species
might be discovered in the region and perhaps elsewhere in north-
ern Quebec. This was recently the case for the amphi-atlantic
Carex Thought
arctic-alpine rufina Drej. to be disjunct between
Greenland, Northwest and Manitoba
the northern
Territories,
Rhodora
378 [VoL 97
known
and Cody, from
(Porsild 1980), presently at least six
it is
Ungava
localities in the Peninsula, restricted to volcanic rock
all
formations (Blondeau and Cayouette,
1987).
Because of extreme Quebec, Gentiana should
rarity in nivalis
its
be added to the of the vulnerable or threatened vascular plants
list
of province (Lavoie,
this 1992).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
work was funded by James
Field the Societe d'energie de Baie
la
We
and by the ministere des Ressources naturelles du Quebec.
would like to express our gratitude to M. Blondeau and Cay-
J.
M.
ouette for verifying the identity of the specimens and to Blon-
W.
deau, D. Hudson, and an anonymous reviewer
for their
Jr.,
comments. Reed
A. kindly revised the English manuscript.
LITERATURE
CITED
Argus, G. W. and K. M. Pryer. 990. Les plantes vasculaires rares du Canada,
1
Noire patrimoine naturel. Musee canadien de nature, Ouawa, Ontario.
la
Blondeau, M. and Cayouette.
1987. Extension d'airedansla vasculaire
flore
J.
du Nouveau-Quebec. Naturaliste Canad. 114: 17-126.
1
and
Deshaye, Cayouette. 1988. La vasculaire des de
flore Ties et la
J. J.
presqu'ile de Manitounouk, baic d'Hudson: structure phytogcographiquc
et
interpretation bioclimatique. Provancheria 21.
DucRuc, R. Zarnovican, V. Gerardin, and M. Jurdant. 1976. Les
-P.,
J.
du dom-
regions ecologiques territoire de la baie de James: caracteristiques
inantes de leur couvert vegetal. Cah. de Geogr. de Quebec 20: 365-392.
Gillett, M. 1963. The gentians of Canada, Greenland and Alaska. Publ. Dep.
J.
Canad.
Agric. 1180: 1-99.
HuLTEN, The and
E. 1958. amphi-atlantic plants their phytogeographical con-
Almqvist and Stockholm, Sweden.
nections. Wiksell,
A
Kartesz, T. 1994. Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the
J.
United Canada, and Greenland. Vol. Thesaurus, 2nd Timber
States, ed.
2.
OR,
Press, Portland,
Lavoie, G. 1992. Plantes vasculaires susceptibles d'etre designees mcnacees ou
vulnerables au Quebec. Ministere de TEnvironnement, Quebec, Quebec.
and
Payette, S. E. Lepage. 1977. La flore vasculaire du golfe de Richmond,
Nouveau-Quebec.
Provancheria
7.
and W,
Porsild, A. E. Cody. 1980. Vascular Plants of Continental Northwest
J.
Museum
Territories, Canada. National of Natural Sciences, Ottawa, Ontario.
Rousseau, C. 1974. Geographic floristique du Quebec-Labrador. Distribution
des principales esp^ces vasculaires. Presses Univ. Laval, Quebec, Quebec.
ScoGGAN, H. 1979. The flora of Canada. Part 4. Publ. Bot. (Ottawa) 7: 1117-
J.
1711.
—
379
Dignard Gentiana
nivalis
el
1995] a\.
N. D.
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2700,
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GIF 3W8
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DES
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