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Aquilegia cazorlensis

Aquilegia cazorlensis is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, endemic to southeastern Spain.

Description

Aquilegia cazorlensis is a perennial herb growing to in height with branched, grooved stems which can be smooth or hairy. The basal leaves are biternate and have stalks measuring long. The plant produces one to three (rarely up to five) nodding blue flowers with egg-shaped, green-tipped sepals in length. The petals are egg-shaped and 8–9 mm long, with a broad, slightly incurved nectar spur of 6–7 mm length. The anthers are yellow and the stamens extend beyond the end of the petals.

Taxonomy

The type specimen was collected by the British botanist Vernon Heywood on 1 July 1948 on Pico de Cabañas in the Sierra de Cazorla mountains, and formally described by him in 1954. Although reclassified as a subspecies cazorlensis of the closely related Aquilegia pyrenaica by the Spanish botanists José María Pereda and Manuel Laínz in 1967, A. cazorlensis is now accepted as a separate species in its own right.

Etymology

The specific epithet cazorlensis is taken from the Sierra de Cazorla to which the species is endemic.

Distribution and habitat

Aquilegia cazorlensis is endemic to the Sierra de Cazorla in Andalusia, southern Spain. It grows in subalpine limestone screes at altitudes of .

Conservation

, the IUCN Red List listed Aquilegia cazorlensis as Endangered (EN) worldwide. This status was last reviewed on , when the population was estimated to be stable at around 1,000 adult plants, all in protected areas. Its endangered status is due to its restricted distribution and threats from grazing by animals and trampling and disturbance by humans.

Ecology

Aquilegia cazorlensis flowers from June to July.

References

External links