Utricularia ochroleuca R.W. Hartm.

Gillespie, Lynn J., Saarela, Jeffery M., Sokoloff, Paul C. & Bull, Roger D., 2015, New vascular plant records for the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, PhytoKeys 52, pp. 23-79 : 51

Utricularia ochroleuca R.W. Hartm. Fig. 16

Common name.

Yellowish-white bladderwort

Distribution.

Circumboreal

Comments.

This is the first collection of this genus and species for the CAA, and the first record of the species for Nunavut. Although broadly distributed across boreal Canada ( Porsild and Cody 1980) and reported from nine states ( NatureServe 2014), the species is rare in North America, with only 25 localities known prior to this collection (G. Crow, pers. comm. 2014). This uncommon plant has previously been collected at two Arctic localities in Canada: Richards Island, Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories (Porsild 7076, CAN-99617) and along the eastern coast of Hudson Bay in northern Quebec ( Porsild and Cody 1980). The species is also present in west Greenland ( Elven et al. 2011). Despite previous reports ( Taylor 1989), this taxon has recently been excluded from the flora of Alaska ( Alaska Natural Heritage Program 2014).

We encountered a single population of Utricularia ochroleuca on southern Baffin Island, forming a dense floating mat along the bottom of a shallow muddy pond in a wet sedge meadow comprised of Carex bigelowii Torr. ex Schwein., Carex chordorrhiza Ehrh. ex L. f., Carex holostoma , Betula glandulosa , Arctagrostis latifolia subsp. latifolia , Eriophorum vaginatum L. and Eriophorum scheuchzeri subsp. scheuchzeri . This population was uniformly sterile-no conspicuous emergent flowers were seen. This pattern is seen in many species of Utricularia above the treeline ( Porsild and Cody 1980), particularly Utricularia ochroleuca (G. Crow, pers. comm. 2014). This species may be more common in the low Arctic than herbarium records suggest and should be looked for carefully.

Specimens examined.

Canada. Nunavut: Qikiqtaaluk Region, Baffin Island, Katannilik Territorial Park Reserve, Soper River, 18.5 km downstream (S) of its confluence with the Livingstone River, 1.5 km S of Emergency Cabin #8, E bank of river, 62°58'45"N, 69°43'1"W, 23 m, 15 July 2012, Saarela, Gillespie, Sokoloff & Bull 2464 (ALA, ALTA, CAN-601976, MT, O, NY, UBC, US, WIN).