Cymopterus davidsonii (Davidson's Cliff Carrot)

Cymopterus davidsonii (Davidson's Cliff Carrot)

Photograph by University of New Mexico Herbarium https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/list.php (2014)
Family
APIACEAE
Scientific Name with Author

Cymopterus davidsonii (Coulter & Rose) R.L. Hartman

Synonyms

ALETES DAVIDSONII COULTER & ROSE; PSEUDOCYMOPTERUS DAVIDSONII (COULTER & ROSE) MATHIAS; PTERYXIA DAVIDSONII (COULTER & ROSE) MATHIAS & CONSTANCE

Common Name
Davidson's Cliff Carrot
Rare Plant Conservation Scorecard Summary
Overall Conservation Status Documented Threats Actions Needed
WEAKLY CONSERVED

No information

Surveys for distribution, abundance, and habitat requirements. Taxonomic validation.


County Map
Counties
Description

Perennial herb; stems 15-40 cm tall, branching above, faintly scabrous-hairy; leaves oblong to somewhat oblong-oval in outline, blade 1.5-14 cm long, 1-9 cm wide, 2- to 3-times pinnately parted, the ultimate divisions linear, acute-mucronate at tips, 1-30 mm long, 1-3 mm wide; petioles 1-7 cm long; stem leaves several; each stem terminated by a compound umbel with 5-9 primary branches (rays); rays 5-30 mm long, primary bracts either absent or broad and partially enclosing the primary branches; secondary bracts filamentous and subtending the terminal flower clusters; flowers yellow or purple; pedicels 1-5 mm long; fruits oblong, 3-4 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, smooth at maturity, with narrow lateral wings. Flowers in August.

Similar Species

The differences between this species and Cymopterus lemmonii are slight. In general, C. lemmonii has fewer stem leaves and somewhat larger fruits with broader wings.

Distribution

New Mexico, Catron and Grant counties, Mogollon Mountains and Pinos Altos Range; adjacent eastern Arizona.

Habitat

Cool, rocky places in piƱon-juniper woodland and lower montane coniferous forest; 1,980-2,440 m (6,500-8,000 ft).

Remarks

This plant is rarely collected and poorly understood. Hartman (2006) circumscribes Cymopterus to include Oreoxis, Pseudocymopterus, and Pteryxia.

Conservation Considerations

The distribution, abundance, and habitat requirements for this species are poorly known and need additional study. The rocky, inaccessible habitats of known populations offer some protection from land use impacts.

Important Literature

Mathias, M.L. 1930. Studies in the Umbelliferae III: A monograph of Cymopterus including a critical study of related genera. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 17:213-467.

*New Mexico Native Plants Protection Advisory Committee. 1984. A handbook of rare and endemic plants of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.

Hartman, R.L. 2006. New combinations in the genus Cymopterus (Apiaceae) of the southwestern United States. Sida 22(2):955-957.

Information Compiled By
Robert Sivinski 1999; last updated 2006

For distribution maps and more information, visit Natural Heritage New Mexico