Species: Euphrasia subarctica Raup

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Euphrasia subarctica Raup

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Scrophulariaceae

Genus:

Euphrasia

Species Synonyms:

Euphrasia arctica var. disjuncta sensu (Fern. & Wieg.) Cronq.
Euphrasia arctica var. dolosa (Boivin) Boivin
Euphrasia disjuncta var. dolosa Boivin
Euphrasia pennellii Callen p.p.

Common Names:

arctic eyebright

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

Yukon – southern Mackenzie, south to British Columbia – western Alberta, northern Saskatchewan – northern Manitoba

Saskatchewan:

northern Saskatchewan; Lake Athabasca, Stony Rapids, La Loche, Buffalo Narrows, Southend, Pita Lake, Leaf Rapids

Ecoregion:

Mid-Boreal Upland, Churchill River Upland, Athabasca Plain, Tazin Lake Upland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

woods, clearings, rocky shores, and sedge-fen borders

Associated species:

common plantain, Kentucky blue, pineappleweed, white clover

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Threatened

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5Q S1S2

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Arctic eyebright is threatened because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Growth Habit:

probably a root parasite

Height:

5 – 30 cm

Stems:

annual, slender, simple or branched, branches ascending, hairy

Leaves:

opposite, in 3 to 10 pairs, sessile, 2 – 18 mm long, oval or round, hairy, palmately veined, margin with three to five teeth on either side

Inflorescence:

flowers solitary in the leaf axils

Flowers:

sepals unequally 4-lobed, hairy; petals 3 – 4 mm long, white with purple lines and a yellow spot, upper lip concave, slightly 2-lobed, lower slip spreading; stamens 4

Fruits:

capsule flattened, hairy

SCROPHULARIACEAE KEY FOR GENERA FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Stamens 2	2
1 Stamens 4 or 5	4

2 Leaves alternate or all basal; petals absent	Besseya
2 Leaves opposite; petals present	3

3 Sepals 4-lobed; stamens exserted	Veronica
3 Sepals 5-lobed; stamens inserted	Gratiola

4 Leaves all basal	5
4 At least some stem leaves	6

5 Flowers solitary; petals tubular; leaves usually entire or toothed	Limosella
5 Flowers in spike-like clusters; petals 2-lipped; leaves pinnately lobed or cleft	Pedicularis

6 Petals spurred	7
6 Petals not spurred	9

7 Petals bluish purple, 4.5 – 6 mm long, excluding spur; flowers solitary in leaf axils	Chaenorrhinum
7 Petals yellow or blue, 10 – 13 mm long, excluding spur; flowers in terminal unbranched clusters	8

8 Slender annual, 10 – 40 cm tall; petals blue	Nuttallanthus
8 Stout perennial, 30 – 100 cm tall; petals yellow and orange	Linaria

9 Floral bracts coloured, concealing flowers	Castilleja
9 Floral bracts green, flowers evident	10

10 Stem leaves alternate	11
10 Stem leaves opposite	13

11 Stamens 5, filaments long-hairy; petals regular, distinctly 5-lobed	Verbascum
11 Stamens 4, filaments hairless; corolla irregular, indistinctly 5-lobed	12

12 Basal leaves absent; stem leaves usually entire, linear; flowers yellow; stamens not enclosed by upper lip	Orthocarpus
12 Basal leaves commonly present; stem leaves toothed or pinnately lobed; flowers yellow to white or purple; stamens enclosed by upper lip	Pedicularis

13 Sepals 4-lobed	14
13 Sepals 5-lobed	17

14 Petals pink or purple	Odontites
14 Petals white to yellow	15

15 Sepals about 1 cm long in flower, enlarged, veiny, and membranous in fruit	Rhinanthus
15 Sepals less than 1 cm long in flower, not enlarged in fruit	16

16 Leaves 2 – 10 mm long, lobed, upper leaves sessile	Euphrasia
16 Leaves 10 – 40 mm long, more or less entire, upper leaves stalked	Melampyrum

17 Sterile stamens present, filamentous	Penstemon
17 Sterile stamens absent or scale-like	18

18 Flowers blue; stamens enclosed by lower lip; upper stem leaves whorled	Collinsia
18 Flowers greenish to yellow or reddish; stamens not enclosed by lower lip; stem leaves all opposite	19

19 Petals green with reddish or purple tinge; flowers less conspicuous, less than 1 cm long; sepals segments deeply parted	Scrophularia
19 Petals yellow or pinkish red; flowers large and showy, 1 – 4 cm long; sepal segments united into tube	Mimulus