Field of Science

Plant ID Challenge

Dr. Chips has sent his old friend the Phytophactor a couple of pictures of a plant he found growing on Denali, you know that biggish mountain in Alaska. However, other than thinking the flower looks a bit like a Calceolaria, which would be a long ways from its home in the Andes, that pinnate leaf just doesn't look right for that genus. So give me a hand. What is this thing?


Lee said...

I might be a Calceolaria mexicana escaped from cultivation.

The Phytophactor said...

Yes, an escapee is quite a viable possibility given the plant, as suggested by Dr. Chips, but wasn't familiar with any species of Calceolaria with pinnate leaves.

Pat said...

Here are a few pics of C. mexicana (which is commercially available to gardeners) that look identical to this plant:

Pat said...

If Mark Egger's IDs on his Flickr pics are to be trusted then this could be Calceolaria tripartita rather than mexicana, though in cultivation as C. mexicana possibly because it was collected from Mexico. Much more pinnate.

I don't know who he is but his photos are incredibly good and prolific.

The Phytophactor said...

Yes, another prime candidate, from Ecuador, and another from Mexico, and what are either doing in Alaska, on Denali?

Anonymous said...

Interesting puzzle. Mabberly's doesn't show Calceolaria occurring naturally in North America. However, it could be an amphitropical disjunct transported by bird or perhaps a mischievous hominid.


Pat said...

I don't see any mystery when this "C. mexicana" is available commercially as seed and plants in the US.

Note the "re-seeds reliably" in the second linked page and "all zones".

The Phytophactor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Phytophactor said...

Oh,the plant's ability to escape isn't the puzzle, it's that it was found way out on Denali (Mt. McKinley), which is a whole long ways from anywhere, especially the nearest hanging basket. More likely the result of an inadvertant human dispersal event like hitching a ride in some hiker's cuff.

Pat said...

Trappers Creek, Chase and Cantwell (and a major highway) all seem to be within 40-60 miles of the peak of Denali. They probably don't have much choice of plants to grow in their gardens, not many "all zones" plants that look so good. If it were only introduced 30 years ago that is not a very fast movement for an invasive weed.

400,000 visitors per year (Wikipedia) probably carry a lot of mud on their vehicles and shoes, as do the local wildlife. Perhaps on a hiker's trouser cuff (or several over the years) as you say, but I still don't see why you are surprised. I was showing that the plants were probably introduced to Alaska as garden plants by commercial companies, which was the tricky part of the journey for them. The rest is a walk in the park :0)

Calceolaria tripartita grows to 3900m around watercourses in the Andes.

"Molau (1988) also found that plants would set seed in the absence of a pollinator, so Calceolaria must be regarded as facultatively autogamous."

"This plant has escaped cultivation in many area in India, and can be seen growing wild, even in the Himalayan region." This source gives C. tripartita as the correct name and C. gracilis, C. mexicana as synonyms.

And New Zealand

Norfolk Island

Australia, Britain, Denmark, Canary Islands and Mexico. Status "agricultural weed, casual alien, cultivation escape, garden thug, naturalised, weed" on the Global Compendium of Weeds