О таксономическом статусе и распространении в Якутии можжевельников родства Juniperus communis L. (Cupressaceae)

According to the historical views, starting with V. L. Komarov's (1926) floristic summary, three species of junipers are listed for Yakutia, two of which, Juniperus communis and J. sibirica, are related, have transitional features, and are considered by many experts varieties of the same species, J. communis. The typical form of the latter is characterized by a tree-like growth form, which distinguishes it from other closely related taxa. Until recently, such plants were not reliably recorded in Yakutia. However, it was conventionally accepted to refer large, spreading bushes that are not uncommon in Yakutia to J. communis. Simultaneously, there was an authoritative opinion that this was incorrect, and the typical J. communis, as a predominantly North European species, was limited to the slopes of the Urals in the east and only slightly extended into Western Siberia. In the course of geobotanical studies in North-Western Yakutia, we have identified a unique location of the typical J. communis form. We believe that this taxon can be considered very rare, with its location in the Olenyok Floristic District. Due to the digitization of the SASY Herbarium and the ongoing revision of the plant collection, it became necessary to clarify the distribution of J. communis species in Yakutia. We suggest to return to the original nomenclature of junipers, as it is more optimal and objective, taking into account intraspecies variability, which has been repeatedly noted by such well-known botanists as P. L. Gorchakovsky, I. Yu. Koropachinsky, T. N. Vstovskaya, and others. In the territory of Yakutia, we consider three varieties of J. communis: J. communis L. s.str. (= J. communis L. var. vulgaris Spach. or J. communis L. var. communis L.), tree-like form, extremely rare; J. communis L. var. sibirica (Ridb.) E. G. Nikolin, comb. nova. (exclusis J. communis L. var. nana Loud.), a shrub with orthotropic shoots, occurring mainly in the central and southern regions of Yakutia; and J. communis L. var. nana Loud., a creeping shrub with other distinctive features, found in almost all regions of Yakutia, except for the Arctic. The distribution limits of these varieties are presented.