Boykinia richardsonii is a species of flowering plant in the familySaxifragaceae, endemic to Alaska and the adjacent Canadian territory of Yukon. It is commonly known as Richardson's brookfoam, but has also been called Alaska boykin, bearflower,[2]Richardson's boykin and Richardson's saxifrage.[3] "Bearflower" reflects its popularity with grizzly bears as forage in the summer months when it flowers.[4][5]
The species is named for Scottish naturalist John Richardson, who first identified it on his mid-1820s exploration of the western Canadian Arctic coast with John Franklin. William Jackson Hooker first described it in Flora Boreali-Americana, the 1833 account of plant species identified on that expedition. It was originally misclassified as part of the genus Saxifraga.
Boykinia richardsonii is believed to have evolved in temperate Arctic forests of the Neogene, or Late Tertiary, period and survived through the ensuing glacial periods since much of Beringia remained an unglaciated refugium.[6] Today it is found at lower elevations in open meadows or tundra, along streams, and sometimes in the shade provided by Arctic willow.
Description
From a system of dark brown rhizomes spreading underground the plant's stem rises 10–60 centimetres (3.9–23.6in), with capitate trichomes. Reniformbasal leaves, 2–7 cm long by 5–11 cm wide, generally one and a half times as wide, sprout from trichomous petioles 2.5–10 cm long. The leaves, glandular-pubescent below and glabrate above with frequent stomata, are shallowly lobed and 2–3 times dentate on the margins. Stipules, 2–5 millimeters long, are either a dilation of the petiole base or foliaceous; the smaller ones are fringed with subulate bristles.[7]:42–43
Cauline leaves are similar to the stipules, fringed with brown hair. The plant's inflorescence is narrowly cylindrical, with three flowers on each branch. Its pedicels are densely stipitate-glandular.[8]
At the end of each pedicel is a calyx 6–14 mm long, divided at about half its length into sepals, triangular to lanceolate, another 3–7 mm. The free portion of the hypanthium is another 2–3 mm; its nectary is greenish or purple with an inferior ovary. Petals are white, sometimes with pink veins, ovate, 8–12 by 3–7 mm (generally double or triple the lengths of the sepals) with a cuneate or clawed base. Stamens are 3–5 mm long, generally equal or slightly shorter than the sepals. Filaments are 2–4 times the length of the undehisced anthers.[7]:42–43
The plant's capsules are ovoid, turbinate or urceolate. The seeds within are smooth, brown and 1.3–1.9 mm long.[7]:42–43[8] Their testae are often creased or folded, but also covered with tubercules, which do not protrude much above the seed coat's surface.[7]:25
Taxonomy
In 1825, British naval commander John Franklin and naturalist John Richardson headed an expedition to explore and map the coast of the northwestern Canadian Arctic mainland. After traveling overland to the mouth of the Mackenzie River along fur trading routes, the two split up the party between them. Franklin headed west, with the intent of going as far as possible, while Richardson went east with the goal of reaching the mouth of the Coppermine River, which he and Franklin had started east from on an ill-fated similar expedition attempting to reach Hudson Bay several years before. This time both expeditions were successful, with Richardson reaching the Coppermine and Franklin getting as far as Prudhoe Bay in today's Alaska, areas never previously visited by Europeans, and returning.[9]
The two botanists in Richardson's group, Alexander Collie and George Tradescant Lay, discovered the flower and collected a specimen, stored in the Kew Gardensherbarium with the name of Frederick William Beechey, Collie's commanding officer on another expedition, on it.[10] This is likely a mistake as Collie and Lay were the designated botanists under Richardson.[7]:42–43 So many new species were identified by the expedition that it was necessary to publish one volume for the plants and another for the animals.[9]
William Jackson Hooker wrote Flora Boreali-Americana, the catalog of plant species. He described the plant as Saxifraga richardsonii, saying an earlier identification as Saxifraga nelsoniana was incorrect. Hooker noted that its many glands and acute petals made it unlike any other Saxifraga save jamesii, and that "the two might form a distinct little group."[11]Constantine Samuel Rafinesque alternatively proposed Hemieva richardsonii in 1837,[10] as part of a genus later accepted as Suksdorfia, based on its floral morphology. This was not accepted and later analyses have found it having much more in common with other Boykinia.[7]:38
Later, after Thomas Nuttall described Boykinia as another genus of the Saxifragaceae family in 1834,[12]richardsonii and jamesii were both reassigned to it in 1868. Otto Kuntze proposed Therofon richardsonii in 1891, but it was rejected.[10]
The species' binomial name recognizes two prominent early 19th-century naturalists. The Boykinia generic name honors plant collector Samuel Boykin of Milledgeville, Georgia. Hooker gave it its specific epithet after Richardson, under whose leadership it was first identified.[13]
Three of its vernacular names also recognize Richardson's role in the form of an initial possessive; they differ in what kind of flower to call it. "Saxifrage"[3] recalls its original generic from before Boykinia was identified[11] and "boykin" is derived from its generic name.[13] "Brookfoam", probably the most commonly used,[14] is the vernacular name for most Boykinia species.[4][13][2][15]
Within Alaska, two other names are common. "Bearflower" reflects its popularity as forage with grizzly bears during the summer months.[4][8] Hultén,[16] and some other sources, use "Alaska boykinia".[8][12] "I'm definitely learning that if it is found in Alaska, it's going to end up with some variation of 'Alaska' or 'Alaskan' in a name," wildlife photographer Lee Petersen remarked on this name in 2021, "and that's what Alaskans will call it, no matter how widely distributed it is."[14]
Two early 20th century expeditions reported finding specimens across the Bering Strait, in eastern Siberia. While Eric Hultén did not confirm this, he found it "very probable" that B.richardsonii would occur there as well. But it is not reported in either of the two most comprehensive Soviet-era catalogs of plants.[7]:42–43 As a result, it is believed today that the two earlier reports of its occurrence in Siberia were mistaken.[8] The Global Biodiversity Information Facility records 17 occurrences in an area of the Swedish Arctic near the border with Norway, since 2006.[17]
Specimens from different areas of the range have been recorded as widely varying in their chromosome counts. A 1968 study of those from the Brooks Range found those had 84, a 2n count way above that typical for the genus, while eight years later Alaska Range specimens were found to have 36. The only difference found in plants from the two regions is the greater equatorial diameter of pollen grains in the Brooks Range samples.[7]:44
Gornall and Bohm found this distinction merited further study if confirmed. They speculated it might correlate with plants growing in regions that were glaciated during the last Ice Age and those that were not, such as the ANWR, Ivavvik and Vuntut parks along the northern Alaska–Yukon border.[7]:44B.richardsonii evolved prior to that time, during the Neogene (Late Tertiary) period 25–10 million years ago, when according to the fossil record from the Seward Peninsula much of today's Alaska was heavily forested, dominated by a mix of temperate species like hazelnut and hemlock with boreal species larch and spruce. When the glaciers came, many species native to these forests either migrated southward or went extinct. The Beringiarefugium created in the areas not glaciated allowed B.richardsonii and some of the other species from these forests to survive in their original range,[6] although they have remained endemic to it long after the glaciers' retreat.[18]
With much less forest cover remaining today in its range, B.richardsonii has adapted to life on the mostly treeless tundra, where it flowers during the brief summer months, from June to August. It most commonly grows in the gullies formed by streams or the meltwater between snow patches that linger into early summer. Patches that grow in the shade of dwarf shrubs, mostly various Salix species, particularly Salix arctica, recall the species' sylvan beginnings. In the southern part of its range, it also occurs on the edges of, and just outside, subalpine forests. Throughout its range it is a calcicole, preferring soil rich in lime.[7]:44[19]
Ecology
In the Denali area, B.richardsonii has been observed to be popular grizzly bearforage in the summertime, so much so that it has come to be known locally as bearflower.[4] A University of Montana graduate student who devoted his master's thesis to the feeding habits of grizzlies on barren ground in the Alaskan Arctic said the species was by far the most popular plant with them (although in some areas the bears ignored it in favor of the local grasses).[5] A similar study that followed bears with radiocollars around the Firth River valley in Ivvavik National Park, near the northern end of the plant's range, found they were likewise the most popular plant with the bears there.[20]
Adolph Murie observed the plant's popularity with grizzlies during his studies in Alaska, once watching a bear spend two hours leisurely consuming richardsonii in a large patch (although it was more common for bears to consume it as part of a rotation of whatever plants were locally available, especially when that included horsetail, another favorite). He noted the flowers seemed to particularly interest the bears, often to the exclusion of the rest of the plant, although in one case he saw a bear discard the flowers and concentrate on the stems and leaves.[21]
In 1963, Murie recalled, he found even greater evidence than usual of richardsonii's popularity with grizzlies. That summer followed a heavier than usual winter, and snowbanks lingered later into the summer than usual. Berries, which grizzlies usually turn to foraging in the late summer months as the nutritional content of herbaceous plants declines, were consequently scarce. But the late snowmelt also resulted in a more abundant growth of richardsonii than usual for August, and Murie saw large patches thoroughly grazed. Scat he analyzed at the time was correspondingly heavy with evidence of its consumption, and one sample he collected around the September equinox that year showed no evidence that the bear had eaten any berries, only richardsonii, the latest he recalled that ever having been the case.[21]
Bears are not the only species that consume B.richardsonii. Gornall and Bohm reported seeing some plants with their capsules broken open, suggesting to them that birds feed on the seeds.[7]:44
Aesthetics
Many observers have commented favorably on B.richardsonii's appearance. Hooker called it "truly handsome",[11] Hultén describes it as "magnificent"[19] Pielou calls it "showy"[18] and Murie called its inforescence "conspicuous".[21] The U.S. National Park Service says the species is easily identifiable around Denali due to its "straight spike of white-pink flowers and kidney-shaped leaves covered in a waxy layer—no other plant in the park has this combination of characteristics."[4]
Murie's widow, Louise, said after her 100th birthday, upon the publication of McKinley Flora, a collaboration with her husband that was published in 2012, having been thought lost for half a century, that B.richardsonii was her favorite Denali flower. "It was so changeable. The petals were mostly white, but in the center of each flower there was kind of a rose color. It's hard to describe those flowers, they're so complicated."[3]
Related Research Articles
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or Arctic Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States, on traditional Iñupiaq and Gwich'in lands. The refuge is 19,286,722 acres (78,050.59 km2) of the Alaska North Slope region, with a northern coastline and vast inland forest, taiga, and tundra regions. ANWR is the largest national wildlife refuge in the country, slightly larger than the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is administered from offices in Fairbanks. ANWR is home to a diverse range of endemic mammal species; notably, it is one of the few North American locations with all three endemic American ursids—the polar bear, grizzly bear, and American black bear, each of which resides predominantly in its own ecological niche. Besides the bears, other mammal species include the moose, caribou, wolves, red and Arctic fox, Canada lynx, wolverine, pine marten, American beaver, and North American river otter. Further inland, mountain goats may be seen near the slope. Hundreds of species of migratory birds visit the refuge yearly, and it is a vital, protected breeding location for them. Snow geese, eiders and snowy owls may be observed as well.
Denali National Park and Preserve, formerly known as Mount McKinley National Park, is a national park and preserve located in Interior Alaska, United States, centered on Denali, the highest mountain in North America. The park and contiguous preserve encompass 6,045,153 acres which is larger than the state of New Hampshire. On December 2, 1980, 2,146,580-acre Denali Wilderness was established within the park. Denali's landscape is a mix of forest at the lowest elevations, including deciduous taiga, with tundra at middle elevations, and glaciers, snow, and bare rock at the highest elevations. The longest glacier is the Kahiltna Glacier. Wintertime activities include dog sledding, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. The park received 594,660 recreational visitors in 2018.
Sir John Richardson FRS FRSE was a Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer.
Saxifraga is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 473 species of holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages or rockfoils. The Latin word saxifraga means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin saxum + frangere. It is usually thought to indicate a medicinal use for treatment of urinary calculi, rather than breaking rocks apart.
Saxifraga oppositifolia, the purple saxifrage or purple mountain saxifrage, is a species of plant that is very common in the high Arctic and also some high mountainous areas further south, including northern Britain, the Alps and the Rocky Mountains.
There are over 190 vascular plant species on the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. This figure does not include algae, mosses, and lichens, which are non-vascular plants. For an island so far north, this number of species constitutes an astonishing variety of plant life. Because of the harsh climate and the short growing season, all the plants are slow growing. They seldom grow higher than 10 cm (4 in)
Saxifraga paniculata is an alpine species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family, with native distribution in the temperate northern hemisphere. Common names include alpine saxifrage, encrusted saxifrage, lifelong saxifrage, lime-encrusted saxifrage, livelong saxifrage, white mountain saxifrage, and silver saxifrage.
Tiarella trifoliata, the three-leaf foamflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Saxifragaceae. The specific name trifoliata means "having three leaflets", a characteristic of two of the three recognized varieties. Also known as the laceflower or sugar-scoop, the species is found in shaded, moist woods in western North America.
Pedicularis groenlandica is a showy flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae commonly known as elephant's head, little pink elephant, elephantella, or similar common names inspired by the resemblance of the flower to the head of an elephant. It is also less commonly known as butterfly tongue for the long beak on the flower. Like many other plants in genus Pedicularis, it is a parasitic plant and depends on host plants to survive.
Boykinia is a small genus of plants related to the saxifrages. It contains at least nine species, known as brookfoams. Brookfoams are glandular rhizomatous creeping perennials with highly lobed or toothed leaves and inflorescences of petite flowers. They are native to North America and Asia (Japan).
The Murie Ranch Historic District, also known as the STS Dude Ranch and Stella Woodbury Summer Home is an inholding in Grand Teton National Park near Moose, Wyoming. The district is chiefly significant for its association with the conservationists Olaus Murie, his wife Margaret (Mardy) Murie and scientist Adolph Murie and his wife Louise. Olaus and Adolph Murie were influential in the establishment of an ecological approach to wildlife management, while Mardy Murie was influential because of her huge conservation victories such as passing the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 and being awarded with the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for her lifetime works in conservation. Olaus Murie was a prominent early field biologist in the U.S. Biological Survey and subsequent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before retiring and becoming the president of the Wilderness Society, He was a prominent advocate for the preservation of wild lands in America.
Adolph Murie, the first scientist to study wolves in their natural habitat, was a naturalist, author, and wildlife biologist who pioneered field research on wolves, bears, and other mammals and birds in Arctic and sub-Arctic Alaska. He was also instrumental in protecting wolves from eradication and in preserving the biological integrity of the Denali National Park and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 1989 Professor John A. Murray of the English Department at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks received an NEH grant to inventory the extensive Adolph Murie written and slide archives at Rasmusson Library in the Arctic and Polar Collection. He wrote a forty-page report and biographical narrative of Adolph Murie, which remains unpublished but which is in his papers.
Anemonastrum richardsonii, commonly known as yellow thimbleweed, is named after a Scottish naturalist, Sir John Richardson (1787–1865) who found it on Franklin's expedition to the Arctic. It is a perennial, deciduous plant that blooms in mid to early June.
Salix richardsonii is a species of flowering plant in the Salicaceae, or willow family. It is known by the common names Richardson's willow and woolly willow. It is native to Russia and northern North America, where it occurs in Alaska and northern Canada. Some authorities consider it to be a subspecies, Salix lanata subsp. richardsonii(Hook.) A. K. Skvortsov rather than a species itself.
The grizzly bear, also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.
Micranthes is a genus of flowering plants in the saxifrage family. It was formerly included within the genus Saxifraga until recent DNA evidence showed the members of what is now Micranthes are more closely related to Boykinia and Heuchera than to other members of the genus Saxifraga.
Astragalus drummondii is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Drummond's milkvetch. The botanist Thomas Drummond first identified the plant during his travels in North America from 1825 to 1835, the year of his death. Astragalus drummondii is one of many plants named after him. Upon the return of samples collected by Drummond to England, his findings were published in Sir William Hooker’s Flora Boreali-Americana in 1840.
Antennaria friesiana, or Fries' pussytoes, is an Arctic species of plants in the family Asteraceae. It is the northern reaches of Asia and North America. Many of the populations lack male (staminate) flowers and reproduce asexually.
Antennaria monocephala, the pygmy pussytoes, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to arctic and alpine regions of North America as well as the Chukotka (Chukchi) Peninsula of Russia.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
