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 at the "Gate of the Mountains" near Townsend.[4][5]
Kelseya uniflora is a perennial limestone endemic[2] that grows in cracks of volcanic and limestone outcrops at 1500-3500m elevation.[6][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.[7][8]
This species rarely measure more than 10cm tall but often achieve 1m or more in diameter.[2][6] Their habit is an adaptation to the wind-blast exposed rocky ridges they grow on alongside cushion plant communities.[9] 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][6]
The flowers are produced very early in spring and are reddish-purple.[10]
From very early on it was clear that these plants formed an outlier group within Rosaceae together with Petrophytum (now Petrophyton) and Eriogynia (now Luetkea) as sections within the genus Eriogynia.[11] After a number of revisions and molecular analysis they are now member of tribe Spiraeeae.[12][13]
The reduction in plant stature and its xeric alpine habitat make it a popular but challenging subject for alpine garden enthusiasts.[14]
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.
- ^ Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Volume 25. Metcalf and Company. 1890. p. 130. Retrieved 2 August 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.
- ^ Ahlenslager, Kathy (Winter 2007). "Kelseya uniflora" (PDF). Kelseya. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Volume 25. Metcalf and Company. 1890. p. 131. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ Potter, Dan; Still, Shannon (Winter 2007). "Phylogenetic position of Kelseya based on molecular data" (PDF). Kelseya. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ Dan, Potter (2007). "Phylogeny and classification of Rosaceae". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 266: 5–43. doi:10.1007/s00606-007-0539-9.
- ^ 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
