''Androsace americana'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Douglasia arctica'', known as the Mackenzie River dwarf primrose, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the primrose family,

Primulaceae The Primulaceae , commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the Onagraceae, evening primrose family), are a family (biology), family of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden plants ...

. It is native to subarctic North America (Alaska, the Northwest Territories and Yukon).

Taxonomy

The species was first described by

William Jackson Hooker Sir William Jackson Hooker (6 July 178512 August 1865) was an English botanist and botanical illustrator, who became the first director of Kew when in 1841 it was recommended to be placed under state ownership as a botanic garden. At Kew he ...

in 1838 as ''Douglasia arctica''.

Molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies showed that the genus ''Douglasia'' is nested within ''

Androsace ''Androsace'', commonly known as rock jasmine, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae, second only to ''Primula'' in the number of species. It is predominantly Arctic–alpine, with many species in the Himalayas (where the genu ...

''. The name "''Androsace artica''" was published in 1826 for a different species (now regarded as a synonym of ''

Androsace ochotensis ''Androsace'', commonly known as rock jasmine, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae, second only to ''Primula'' in the number of species. It is predominantly Arctic–alpine, with many species in the Himalayas (where the gen ...

''), so the

replacement name In biological nomenclature, a ''nomen novum'' (Latin for "new name"), new replacement name (or replacement name, new substitute name, substitute name) is a scientific name that is created specifically to replace another scientific name, but only w ...

''Androsace americana'', published by

Per Wendelbo Per Wendelbo. Per Wendelbo (5 September 1866 – 26 February 1937) was a Norwegian newspaper editor. He was born as Peder Haraldsen in Skien as a son of Peder Haraldsen, Sr. (1813–1887) og Caroline Mathilde Pedersen (1828–1907). In May 1890 ...

in 1961, is used instead.

Description

''Androsace americana'' are relatively small, usually found as mats growing up to about 2 inches tall. They have a single, short stem that protrude from each rosette of leaves. Leaves are smooth and closely packed, forming rosettes of leaves that reach an average of 3/8 inches long. ''Androsace americana'' typically flowers in june. Pink petals are most commonly observed, but white petals can occur with older, more mature plants. Petals are deeply lobed and fuse at the bottom to form the flower. Scapes are generally 2 mm in early anthesis, but range from 2–4 cm in fruits, and are typically glandular and hairy, but can sometimes be hairless.

Phenology

''Androsace americana'' has been described as both a perennial and as a long-lived cushion. It has been suggested that as a cushion, the plant's canopy functions as a buffer for temperature variation, allowing for elevated temperature inside the plant.

Distribution and habitat

''Androsace americana'', like other ''Androsace'' species, are found in cold climates ''Androsace americana'' is native to Northern America as well as Subarctic America, and it is typically found in Alaska, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Canada. It prefers to grow on rocky and mossy slopes.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15316067, from2=Q17243942

americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

Plants described in 1838 Flora of Alaska Flora of the Northwest Territories Flora of Yukon Flora without expected TNC conservation status