A flourishing population of sea mayweed (Tripleurospermum maritimum ssp. phaeocephalum) close to its northern limit in north-east Greenland

• Published in: Polar Research
• Main Author: Corner, Roderick
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2012
• Subjects: Arctic; Fries; Granatdal; Greenland; Mikkelsen; Arnica alpina; Clavering Island; East Greenland; eskimo*; Polar Research
• Online Access: https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/2618; https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.18691

During a British Arcturus Expedition to Eskimones on the south coast of Clavering Island, north-east Greenland in July 2003, the sandy south-facing coastal strip to the west of the ruined old trapper’s hut known as the Storholts Hus (Mikkelsen 2008) at 74°9’N, 21°33’W and west of Granatdal was noted to have an abundance of flowering plants of the Arctic subspecies of Tripleurospermum: Tripleurospermum maritimum ssp. phaeocephalum (Rupr.) Hämet-Ahti, Matricaria maritima ssp. phaeocephala (Rupr.) Rauchert, M. ambigua (Led.) Kryl. They carpeted the ground over some 100 m with 1000 or more flowers (Figs. 1, 2). The unexpected abundance of a sporadic species only found between 71° north latitude to just over 74° north latitude in East Greenland (Böcher et al. 1968), only about 22 km south of its northern limit (Bay 1992), was noteworthy. The site is fully exposed and open to the south across the 12-km wide Godthåbs Golf. Associated species were scattered plants of Arnica alpina (L.) Olin coll. and Chamerion latifolium (L.) Th. Fries & Lge. in full flower on the rather dry, moderately basic, sandy soil derived from the Devonian sedimentary rocks of this area (Henricksen 2008). There was no sign of seedlings.(Published: 19 June 2012)Citation: Polar Research 2012, 31, 18691, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.18691