Corispermum pacificum
Corispermum ochotense
common bugseed, Pacific bug-seed
alaskan bugseed, Okhotia n bugseed, Russian bugseed
blades narrowly lanceolate, linear-lanceolate, or linear, flat or nearly so, 2–5(–7) × 0.2–0.6 cm.
blades linear-oblanceolate (linear-spatulate) or linear, often broadest in distal 1/3, plane, 1–3.5 × 0.1–0.3 cm, abruptly contracted into mucronulate apex.
ovate-lanceolate, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, almost ovate, or lanceolate, (1–)1.5–2.5 × 0.3–0.7(–0.9) cm.
ovate-lanceolate, lanceolate, or linear-lanceolate (proximal bracts usually linear, leaflike, 4–7 times fruit length), (0.5–)1–1.5(–3) × (0.1–)0.2–0.5 cm.
usually compact, rather dense, or sometimes ± lax, condensed only near apex, ovoid, oblong-ovate, obovate, broadly linear, or occasionally clavate.
compact and dense, short-clavate or almost ovoid (if linear, then all bracts leaflike).
segment 1, sometimes absent in distal flowers.
segment 1.
usually black (rarely deep olive green, especially when immature), sharply contrasting with greenish semitransparent wings, without spots and warts, slightly convex abaxially, flat or slightly concave adaxially, orbiculate-obovate to almost orbiculate, broadest near middle (or occasionally slightly beyond), 3–4 × 2.7–3.8 mm, shiny;
wing translucent, thin, (0.2–)0.3–0.6 mm wide, margins slightly undulate or indistinctly erose-denticulate, apex rounded or occasionally indistinctly notched.
reddish brown, dark brown, deep olive green (then often tinged with red), or deep beet red, usually without dark spots or whitish warts, strongly convex abaxially, plane or slightly concave adaxially, obovate-elliptic or almost obovate, usually broadest near middle (rarely slightly beyond middle), (2.5–)2.8–4 × 1.8–2.7 mm;
wing translucent only at margins, thick, (0.1–)0.2–0.3 mm wide, margins entire, apex broadly triangular or almost rounded.
Corispermum pacificum
Corispermum ochotense
Of conservation concern.
Corispermum pacificum seems to be closely related to Siberian C. crassifolium Turczaninov and C. maynense Ignatov. The latter species occurs in the northeastern Russian Far East and may be expected to occur in Alaska. Corispermum pacificum differs from C. maynense by its usually more robust habit, and its wing rounded (rarely rounded-truncate or indistinctly emarginate, but not triangular) at apex. From C. crassifolium it may be distinguished by the constant presence of perianth segments, and more flattened black mature fruits. Corispermum pacificum probably also occurs in adjacent regions of British Columbia. Corispermum pacificum is placed in subsect. Crassifolia (S. L. Mosyakin 1997). This subsection seems to be of Siberian origin, with its central species, C. crassifolium, being closest to the hypothetic ancestral taxon. The presence of perianth segments in C. pacificum may be explained by ancient hybridization with representatives of subsect. Pallasiana.
Reproductive isolation between the sympatric species of Corispermum may be achieved by different flowering periods. Occasional hybrids between C. pacificum and C. villosum are similar in their habit to C. pacificum in having usually broad leaves and rather dense inflorescences but they have mostly aborted fruits suggesting that C. pacificum and C. villosum are taxonomically distant species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
Corispermum ochotense is conspicuous in that it is usually red at maturity. No specimens of Corispermum have been seen from Yukon Territory, but the species might be expected there. One collection of immature plants from northern Saskatchewan (see S. L. Mosyakin 1995) probably also belongs to C. ochotense. Specimens of C. ochotense have been misidentified in North America and northeast Asia as C. hyssopifolium Linnaeus and C. sibiricum Iljin.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Fruits (2.5-)2.8-3.2 × 1.8-2.2 mm | var. ochotense |
1. Fruits 3.2-4 × 2.2-2.7 mm | var. alaskanum |
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