Polemonium eximium
| Polemonium eximium | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Polemoniaceae |
| Genus: | Polemonium |
| Species: | P. eximium |
| Binomial name | |
| Polemonium eximium Greene | |
Polemonium eximium, the skypilot[1] or showy sky pilot,[2] is a perennial plant in the phlox family (Polemoniaceae) that grows at high altitudes (mostly above 10,000 feet (3,000 m)).[3] It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada in California where it grows in the talus of the high mountain slopes.[3][4]
Wildflower enthusiasts consider it to be among the best of the Sierra wildflowers, and highly rewarding to find.[3]
Habitat and range
It mostly occurs at elevations from 10,000 to 14,000 feet (3,000 to 4,300 m) in the Central and Southern Sierra Nevada.[3][5] It mostly occurs in colonies in stark surroundings, above 10,000 feet (3,000 m), in rocky areas that appear mostly devoid of soil, and rarely in association with other plants.[3]
It can be found near Kearsarge Pass in the Inyo National Forest, and near the summit of Mount Dana in Yosemite National Park.[3]
Description
Growth pattern
It is a sticky, musky smelling 4 to 16 inches (10 to 41 cm) tall perennial plant with a woody base from, which grows clumps of erect stems .[5]
Leaves and stems
Basal leaves are glandular-hairy, 4–13 centimetres (1.6–5.1 in) long, and 4–9 centimetres (1.6–3.5 in) wide, each made up of 20-35 leaflets,[5] which in turn are subdivided into 3–5 lobes.[6]
Inflorescence and fruit
The showy inflorescence is a crowded head of many flowers.[5] The bright deep blue to whitish-blue to pink-lavender flowers are fragrant.[3] Each flower has a tubular calyx of hairy sepals and a funnel-shaped corolla spreading to lobes. [5] The flowers are at full bloom for approximately one day apiece in the very short period of appropriate flowering conditions.[7] The plant has a strong scent reminiscent of urine which attracts pollinators to its short-lived flowers.[7] It blooms from June to August.[5]
References
- ↑ "Polemonium eximium". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ↑ "Taxon Report 6714, Polemonium eximium". Calflora. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sierra Nevada Wildflowers, Elizabeth Horn, Mountain Press Publishing Co., ISBN 0878423885, 1998, p. 126
- ↑ Sierra Nevada Wildflowers, Karen Wiese, 2nd ed., 2013
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Philip A. Munz (2003). Dianne Lake; Phyllis M. Faber, eds. Introduction to California Mountain Wildflowers. University of California Press. ISBN 0520236351.
- ↑ "Polemonium eximium". Jepson Flora Project. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- 1 2 The Outdoors Digest Field Guide - Sky Pilot. Los Angeles Times.