Campanula uniflora L.
Family: Campanulaceae
Distribution: Utah: Uinta and La Sal Mountains, Daggett, Duchesne,
Grand, San Juan, Summit, and Uintah counties; Alaska and Yukon,
south to Colorado; Eurasia (Welsh et al. 1993); northern Canada,
Alaska, western mountains of US, occurrences generally very scattered
(Hultén 1968).
Plants Seen or Cited: No entries in the New Mexico Natural Heritage
Program Database, but two collections at UNM. New Mexico: Mackay. No. 9t-1.
July 1969, Taos county. On the west facing slope
of Wheeler Peak above 12,500 ft elevation. Confirmed by Nancy
R. Morin (MO) 1993. Colorado: Mackay. No 7c-237. 8 July 1967.
Huerfano county. Hill, eastern exposure, 37E36'10" N, 105E29'18"
w, elev. 12,000-12,500 ft.
Habitat: Alpine tundra, often in talus or rock stripes,
at 3,355 to 3,965 m (Welsh et al. 1993); dry stony ridges on tundra
and in the mountains, to at least 1,500 meters [in Alaska] (Hultén
1968).
Discussion: Although its populations are scattered, the
plant is widespread in the New World arctic and alpine habitats
as far south as northern New Mexico. It is apparently not considered
rare in Colorado (Spackman et al. 1997) or Utah (Atwood et al.
nd). It probably is rare in New Mexico and its presence in the
state may be an interesting example of vicariance in a species
that was probably much more widespread in the Pleistocene, but
its broad distribution indicates that it should not receive special
status in this state. Although rare in New Mexico, this species
is widely distributed and fairly common in northern North America.
Important Literature:
Atwood, D, J. Holland, R. Bolander, B. Franklin, D.E. House, L.
Armstrong, K. Thorne, and L. England. No date (about 1990). Utah
threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant field guide.
Hultén, E. 1968. Flora of Alaska and neighboring Territories.
Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. (page 851 with illustration)
Spackman, S., B. Jennings, J. Coles, C. Dawson, M. Minton, A.
Kratz, and C. Spurrier. 1997. Colorado Rare Plant Field Guide.
Prepared for the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by the Colorado Natural
Heritage Program.
Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich, and L.C. Higgins. 1993.
A Utah flora, Second edition, revised. Jones Endowment Fund, Monte
L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, Provo,
UT. (page 104)
Weber, W.A. and R.C. Wittmann. 1996. Colorado flora: Western Slope,
Second edition. University Press of Colorado. (illustration page
382)
Information Compiled By: David L. Bleakly, 1998
