Kelseya
| Kelseya | |
|---|---|
_flowering.jpg)
| |
| Kelseya uniflora in flower | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Kelseya (S.Watson) Rydb. |
| Species: | K. uniflora
|
| Binomial name | |
| Kelseya uniflora Rydb.
| |
Kelseya is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Rosaceae. The only species is Kelseya uniflora.[1] It is commonly called the oneflower kelseya, spiraea or alpine laurel.[2][3] The genus was named in honor of Francis Duncan Kelsey, a Montana resident botanist, who discovered the plant in 1888.[4]
Kelseya uniflora is a perennial limestone endemic[2] that grows in cracks of volcanic and limestone outcrops at 1500-3500m elevation.[5][3] It is native in 3 states in Northwestern USA: Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.[2] It typically grows as a solitary plant in a sun-exposed position as a ground covering subshrub. This species has also been reported in riparian woodland but this should be considered an outlier.[6][7]
This species rarely measure more than 10cm tall but often achieve 1m or more in diameter.[2][5] Their habit is an adaptation to the wind-blast exposed rocky ridges they grow on alongside cushion plant communities.[8] Plants branch into numerous slender stems that are densely covered with imbricated leaves. The leaves are light to greyish green, leathery and hairy, ovate-oblong and grow in dense rosettes. Leaves become brownnish to black when withered and remain on the branch to form a hardened protective structure.[3][5]
The reduction in plant stature and its xeric alpine habitat make it a popular but challenging subject for alpine garden enthusiasts.[9]
References
- ^ "Kelseya (S.Watson) Rydb. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Kelseya uniflora (S. Watson) Rydb". United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ a b c "Kelseya uniflora". Flora of North America. Flora of North America Association. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ Lesica, Peter (Winter 2007). "Kelseya uniflora, the MNPS Mascot"" (PDF). Kelseya - Newsletter of the Montana Native Plant Society. 4 (1): 1. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ a b c "Kelseya uniflora". The Alpine Garden Society Plant Encyclopedia. The Alpine Garden Society. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ^ Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (N.R.A.), General Management Plan (GMP) and Wilderness Recommendation (MT,WY). U.S. Department of the Interior. 1981. p. 93. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ Johnson, Tim (23 July 2019). CRC Ethnobotany Desk Reference. CRC Press. p. 56. ISBN 9781351087841. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ Locklear, James H. (9 March 2011). Phlox: A Natural History and Gardener's Guide. Timber Press. p. 223. ISBN 9780881929348. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ R. Kruckeberg, Arthur; Chalker-Scott, Linda (12 March 2019). Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest (3 ed.). University of Washington Press. p. 273. ISBN 9780295744865. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
External links
