Veronica besseya, commonly known as Alpine coral drops[1] and Alpine kitten tails, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the genus Veronica in the family Plantaginaceae.[2]
| Veronica besseya | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Veronica |
| Species: | V. besseya
|
| Binomial name | |
| Veronica besseya M.M.Mart.Ort. & Albach
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Description
editVeronica besseya was first discovered for science by Charles Parry in 1861, in the headwaters of South Clear Creek, Colorado.[3]
Range
editEndemic to Western North America, with populations found in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.[4]
Habitat and ecology
editVeronica besseya is quite diminutive, growing 2-8 inches in height in the alpine tundra of the Rocky Mountains. Leaves and stem range from glabrous (lacking hairs) to densely pilose (with long hairs).[3]
Taxonomy
editAfter its discovery, Veronica besseya was first named Synthyris alpina by Asa Gray. In 1903, it was renamed Besseya alpina by Axel Rydberg.[5] However, it was proposed in 2004 that all Besseya species actually belong in the genus Veronica, the speedwells.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b "Alpine Coraldrops Veronica besseya" at the Encyclopedia of Life
- ^ "Veronica besseya (Alpine Besseya)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
- ^ a b "Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, Veronica besseya".
- ^ "2013 BONAP North American Plant Atlas. TaxonMaps". bonap.net.
- ^ Rydberg, P. A. “Some Generic Segregations.” Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, vol. 30, no. 5, 1903, pp. 271–81. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2478553. Accessed 24 May 2022.
- ^ Albach, Dirk C., et al. “A New Classification of the Tribe Veroniceae: Problems and a Possible Solution.” Taxon, vol. 53, no. 2, 2004, pp. 429–52. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/4135620. Accessed 23 May 2022.
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