Rydb.
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.145897
Element CodePDRAN0B1K0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderRanunculales
FamilyRanunculaceae
GenusDelphinium
Other Common NamesWahatoya Creek larkspur (EN)
Concept ReferenceKartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic CommentsDelphinium robustum is treated as a distinct species by some treatments such as Flora North America vol. 3 (1997) and Kartesz (1999), but in other treatments like Weber and Whitman (2012) it is not distinct from D. ramosum. In New Mexico, it is morphologically similar to D. saponellis (Sivinski 2011), however, B. Sinvinski (pers.comm. 2015) indicated that it is a relatively good taxon and that all of the tall larkspurs in New Mexico are confusing. As of 2015 the Colorado Natural Heritage Program considers this a distinct taxon until genetic work is done to show otherwise.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x
Review Date2015-12-03
Change Date2015-12-03
Edition Date2015-12-03
Edition AuthorsSpackman, S. and D. Anderson (2000), rev. A. Olivero (2003), rev. L. Oliver (2015)
Range Extent5000-20,000 square km (about 2000-8000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 20
Rank ReasonsFound in broad canyon bottoms and meadows in southern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico. In 1998 when an attempt to survey the known locations of the species in Colorado were conducted, only 3 of the 9 locations were extant (Beatty et al. 2004). In 2015, several new occurrences were discovered in Colorado and botanists believe that there might be more undiscovered localities. This species faces several threats including construction, recreation, roads and their maintenance, non-native species and other threats related to its biology such as inadequate pollinators. It is considered sporadically distributed in the northern mountain ranges in New Mexico (Sivinski 2011).
Range Extent CommentsColorado: local, in canyon bottoms of Spanish Peaks, Cuchara Valley, and La Garita Hills, west side of San Luis Valley. New Mexico: three northeastern counties bordering Colorado.
Occurrences CommentsBeatty et al. (2004) reports that in 1998 all of the known sites in Colorado were revisited and no plants were found at 6 of the 9 known locations. Additionally, Beatty et al. (2004) note that no other inventory work was completed between 1998 and the previous 30 years when the species was discovered. As of 2015, however, several locations of this species were discovered in Priest Gulch by Colorado botanist Al Schneider. He believes that there are far more occurrences than what he discovered (pers. comm. J. Handwerk). It is considered sporadically distributed in northern New Mexico, however, it has not been systematically assessed (Sivinski 2011) and in 2015 it still wasn't systematically addressed but it is believed to be sufficient in numbers not to be endangered (pers. comm. E. Muldavin).
Threat Impact CommentsThreats to this species include vehicles, recreation, structure construction, road construction and maintenance, erosion and sedimentation from roads, livestock trampling, and alteration of natural disturbance such as fire (Beatty et al. 2004). Other threats exist such as drought, non-native species, herbivory, genetic isolation, hybridization, inadequate pollinators and climate change (Beatty et al. 2004). Some species of Delphinium are poisonous to cattle, so the genus as a whole is sometimes targeted for poisonous weed control (Sivinski 1999).