Ipomopsis polyantha
Encyclopedia
Ipomopsis polyantha is a rare species of flowering plant in the phlox family
known by the common names Pagosa skyrocket and Archuleta County standing-cypress. It is endemic to Colorado
in the United States, where it occurs only in the vicinity of Pagosa Springs
in Archuleta County
. It is threatened by the loss of its habitat to residential and commercial development. It was federally listed as an endangered species
in 2011.
This plant is a biennial herb that grows 30 to 60 cm (11.8 to 23.6 in) tall. The stem is coated in glandular hairs. The leaves are deeply divided into narrow linear lobes. Flowers occur in the leaf axils and at the top of the stem. Each flower is a centimeter long. It is white in color with tiny purple dots, sometimes so many that they give the flower a purplish tint. The stamen
s protrude from the flower's throat and are tipped with blue pollen
that turns yellow as the flower matures. The flowers are pollinated by bee
s, especially the honey bee (Apis mellifera) and species of metallic green bees (Augochlorella spp.), bumblebees (Bombus spp.), and digger bees
(Anthophora spp.).
The plant is limited to a specific soil type derived from the Mancos Shale
. It grows as a pioneer species
on sparsely vegetated shale
substrates and as a climax species
in Ponderosa pine and oak forests. Today its habitat is disturbed by grazing
livestock
.
There are only two known occurrences of this plant, separated by about 21 kilometres (13 mi). One is on the southeastern edge of Pagosa Springs straddling U.S. Route 84
near the junction with U.S. Route 160
. The other occurrence is along Route 160, about 16 km (9.9 mi) west of Pagosa Springs. There are an estimated 162,220 individual plants.
This species is threatened with direct mortality and loss of habitat as the human population of Archuleta County swells. The occurrence nearest to Pagosa Springs is on land zoned for commercial expansion. All the private land which hosts the plant is slated for development, mainly of housing. More land nearby will be affected by associated development activities, such as the construction of roads and utilities such as power lines. About 9% of the plant's habitat is on highway right-of-ways which are affected by herbicide
application and the introduction
of groundcover, such as exotic grasses. About 86% of the plant's habitat will likely be affected by development within 10 years.
Polemoniaceae
Polemoniaceae are a family of about 25 genera with 270-400 species of annual and perennial plants, native to the Northern Hemisphere and South America, with the center of diversity in western North America, especially in California.Only one genus is found in Europe, and two in Asia, where they...
known by the common names Pagosa skyrocket and Archuleta County standing-cypress. It is endemic to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in the United States, where it occurs only in the vicinity of Pagosa Springs
Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Pagosa Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, Archuleta County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,591 at the 2000 census...
in Archuleta County
Archuleta County, Colorado
Archuleta County is one of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the county population was 12,386 in 2006, a 25.14% increase since U.S. Census 2000...
. It is threatened by the loss of its habitat to residential and commercial development. It was federally listed as an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
in 2011.
This plant is a biennial herb that grows 30 to 60 cm (11.8 to 23.6 in) tall. The stem is coated in glandular hairs. The leaves are deeply divided into narrow linear lobes. Flowers occur in the leaf axils and at the top of the stem. Each flower is a centimeter long. It is white in color with tiny purple dots, sometimes so many that they give the flower a purplish tint. The stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s protrude from the flower's throat and are tipped with blue pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
that turns yellow as the flower matures. The flowers are pollinated by bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s, especially the honey bee (Apis mellifera) and species of metallic green bees (Augochlorella spp.), bumblebees (Bombus spp.), and digger bees
Anthophora
The bee genus Anthophora is one of the largest in the family Apidae, with over 450 species worldwide in 14 different subgenera. They are most abundant and diverse in the Holarctic and African biogeographic regions. All species are solitary, though many nest in large aggregations...
(Anthophora spp.).
The plant is limited to a specific soil type derived from the Mancos Shale
Mancos Shale
The Mancos Shale or Mancos Group is an Upper Cretaceous geologic formation of the Western United States dominated by mudrock that accumulated in offshore and marine environments of the Cretaceous North American Inland Sea. The Mancos was deposited during the Cenomanian through Campanian ages,...
. It grows as a pioneer species
Pioneer species
Pioneer species are species which colonize previously uncolonized land, usually leading to ecological succession. They are the first organisms to start the chain of events leading to a livable biosphere or ecosystem...
on sparsely vegetated shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
substrates and as a climax species
Climax species
Climax species, also called late seral, late-successional, K-selected or equilibrium species, are plant species that will remain essentially unchanged in terms of species composition for as long as a site remains undisturbed. They are the most shade-tolerant species of tree to establish in the...
in Ponderosa pine and oak forests. Today its habitat is disturbed by grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
.
There are only two known occurrences of this plant, separated by about 21 kilometres (13 mi). One is on the southeastern edge of Pagosa Springs straddling U.S. Route 84
U.S. Route 84
U.S. Route 84 is an east–west United States highway. It started as a short Georgia-Alabama route in the original 1926 scheme, but now extends all the way to Colorado. The highway's eastern terminus is a short distance east of Midway, Georgia, at an intersection with I-95. The road continues...
near the junction with U.S. Route 160
U.S. Route 160
U.S. Route 160 is a 1,465 mile long east–west United States highway in the Midwestern United States. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 89 five miles west of Tuba City, Arizona. The eastern terminus is at U.S...
. The other occurrence is along Route 160, about 16 km (9.9 mi) west of Pagosa Springs. There are an estimated 162,220 individual plants.
This species is threatened with direct mortality and loss of habitat as the human population of Archuleta County swells. The occurrence nearest to Pagosa Springs is on land zoned for commercial expansion. All the private land which hosts the plant is slated for development, mainly of housing. More land nearby will be affected by associated development activities, such as the construction of roads and utilities such as power lines. About 9% of the plant's habitat is on highway right-of-ways which are affected by herbicide
Herbicide
Herbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...
application and the introduction
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
of groundcover, such as exotic grasses. About 86% of the plant's habitat will likely be affected by development within 10 years.
External links
Further reading
- Anderson, D. (2004, December 21). Ipomopsis polyantha (Rydberg) V. Grant (Pagosa ipomopsis): A Technical Conservation Assessment. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Accessed 9 August 2011.