The Geographical Distribution of Bryum wrightii in Arctic and Boreal North America

Abstract

Bryum wrightii was first described by Sullivant and Lesquereux in 1859 from a collection made in Arakamchechen Island in Bering Straits, eastern- most Russia, by Charles Wright. This name antedates B. globosum Lindb. and replaced it. Bryum wrightii is distinguished from other species by its arctic and subarctic distribution, by the crowded, globose and rosy-red or scarlet cap- sules, and by the rudimentary structure of the inner peristome. The species is reported here for the first time from arctic Alaska on collections by both authors, and other unreported collections are cited from Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. The North American distribution of B. wrightii is mapped. In a recent report of Bryum wrightii Sull. & Lesq. from the Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories, Canada, Brassard (1972) pointed out that this species has not yet been reported from unglaciated Arctic Alaska. As a consequence, since both authors have collected this species in abundance in northern Alaska, it seems appropriate now to publish records of those unreported specimens in our hands, which will contribute sub- stantially to our knowledge of the geographical distribution of this handsome and inter- esting moss in North America.