Eutrema penlandii
Eutrema penlandii | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Brassicales |
Family: | Brassicaceae |
Genus: | Eutrema |
Species: | E. penlandii
|
Binomial name | |
Eutrema penlandii Rollins |
Eutrema penlandii is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names Mosquito Range mustard, Penland's alpine fen mustard and Penland's eutrema. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is known only from a small strip of unique mountain habitat measuring 40 kilometers long.[1] It is threatened by mining and associated environmental changes in this part of the Continental Divide in central Colorado.[1] The plant was federally listed as a threatened species of the US in 1993.[2]
Distribution
This plant is the only Eutrema in the lower 48 states and only one of two that occur in North America; its nearest close relative is Eutrema edwardii, a plant of the Arctic.[1] E. penlandii is a small alpine climate species, possibly a relict from the last ice age which persists in the high, cold fens of the Rocky Mountains.[1] Today the plant only occurs in the Mosquito Range, a ridge of mountains in the Rockies.[3] It was first collected by the botanist C. William Penland in 1935 on Hoosier Ridge in the Mosquito Range, and it is one of several rare alpine plants native to the area, such as the globe gilia (Gilia globularis).[3]
Description
This plant is a perennial herb growing about six inches tall and bearing clusters of cream-white flowers in the summer.
Status
Threats
Other threats include recreational activity including
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h NatureServe (2023). "Eutrema penlandii". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g USFWS. The plant Eutrema penlandii (Penland alpine fen mustard) determined to be a threatened species. Federal Register July 28, 1993.
- ^ a b c Mohlenbrock, R. H. This land: a guide to central national forests. University of California Press. 2006. page 47.