CPC National Collection Plant Profile
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CPC National Collection Plant Profile
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Delphinium variegatum ssp. thornei
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Delphinium variegatum ssp. thornei is Not Sponsored |
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Primary
custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered
Plants is: |
| Delphinium variegatum ssp. thornei | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Three varieties of Delphinium variegatum are known. One, D. var. variegatum, is found along the coast and foothills of central and northern California. Another is the Federally Endangered D. var. kinkiense, or San Clemente Island larkspur, which is endemic to (found only on) San Clemente Island, one of the Channel Islands. The subspecies under the care the Center for Plant Conservation is D. var. thornei, or Thorne's larkspur. This subspecies is also endemic to San Clemente, and also considered rare, even more so than the San Clemente Island larkspur. However, this rarest subspecies has no special legal status, although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers it to be a species of concern. The San Clemente Island larkspur occurs mainly on the northern end of the island, while Thorne's larkspur occurs mainly on the south. However, the two rare subspecies of San Clemente Island have been the subject of recent study, because there is considerable overlap in their ranges. To date, the only way to consistently distinguish one from the other is by sepal color, with Thorne's larkspur having light blue to bright blue flowers and the endangered San Clemente Island larkspur having white to light blue flowers. Populations that occur in the center of the island have individual plants with white, bright blue, and intermediate flower colors, suggesting that the two subspecies may be hybridizing. (Dodd and Helenurm 2000, 2002)
State Range
Distribution
Number Left
State/Area Protection
Ecological Relationships
Threats
Current Research Summary
Current Management Summary
Research Management Needs
Ex Situ Needs
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References |
Munz, P.A.; Keck, D.D. 1959. A California flora. Berkeley, CA: Univ. California Press. 1681p. |
Skinner, M.W.; Pavlik, B.M. 1997. Inventory of rare and endangered vascular plants of California: Electronic Inventory Update of 1994, 5th edition. Sacramento: California Native Plant Society. |
Smith, J.P.; Berg, K. 1988. California native plant society's inventory of rare and endangered vascular plants of California. Sacramento: California Native Plant Society. 168p. |
Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the U.S., Canada, and Greenland. In: Kartesz, J.T.; Meacham, C.A., editors. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden. Chapel Hill, NC. |
CDFG. (2002). California's Plants and Animals, Threatened and Endangered Plants. List and Species Accounts. California Department of Fish and Game, Habitat Conservation Planning Branch. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/species/t_e_spp/teplant/teplanta.shtml. Accessed: 2002. |
Beattie, A.J. 1983. Distribution of ant-dispersed plants. Sonderbande des Naturwissenchaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg. 7: 249-270. |
Dodd, S.D.; Helenurm, K. 2000. Floral variation in Delphinium variegatum (Ranunculaceae). Madroño. 47: 116-126. |
Dodd, S.D.; Helenurm, K. 2002. Genetic diversity in Delphinium variegatum (Ranunculaceae): a comparison of two insular endemic subspecies and their widespread mainland relative. American Journal of Botany. 89: 613-622. |
USFWS. 1996. Notice of Reclassification of 96 Candidate Taxa. Federal Register. 61, 40: 7457-7463. |
USFWS. 1984. Recovery plan for the endangered and threatened species of the California Channel Islands. Portland, Oregon: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. |
| This profile was updated on 3/4/2010 |