Delfinio de Bolòs
A taxon belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), Delphinium bolosii was identified and described by botanists César Blanché and Julián Molero in 1983 in the Prades Mountains, in Tarragona. The species was dedicated by the authors to the Catalan botanist Oriol de Bolòs.
Distribution
Endemic to the northwestern quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula. It is found in the Prades Mountains, in Artesa de Segre, and is now extinct in the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac Natural Park. In recent years, populations formerly assigned to Delphinium fissum subsp. sordidum from the easternmost part of the province of Guadalajara, along the Gallo River, have been reassigned to this species, thus extending its distribution area beyond Catalonia.
Habitat
It commonly grows in limestone areas, occupying ledges and the base of cliffs, as well as open areas of forest vegetation on slopes. In the lower stretch of the Gallo River, in the province of Guadalajara, it is found on ledges of red sandstone cliffs. It blooms between June and July, producing fruit and dispersing seeds until August.
Conservation
Currently, four populations of this species are known, after confirming the disappearance of a third one in Cataluña. The two populations in Tarragona and Lleida hold around 600 individuals, while the two in Guadalajara may reach up to 800 individuals. These areas face pressures from agriculture and recreational activities, and some populations are also located near hiking trails or natural tourism sites, which could impact the plant. Although larkspurs have some toxic properties, consumption of flowering stems by roe deer and red deer has been observed. Due to the isolated nature of its populations, establishing micro-reserves is recommended as the best method for its protection, along with efforts for reintroduction and reinforcement in more vulnerable areas, and seed conservation in germplasm banks. In 2002, the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha published a recovery plan for the populations in the lower stretch of the Gallo River, which included measures to reinforce the known populations.
Image description
The optical microscope image shows a cone-shaped seed about 2 millimetres long, transversely covered with a series of broad ochre-coloured scales with longitudinal striations.
The scanning electron microscope image shows the edge of one of these scales, formed by rounded lobes from which the striations emerge.
Visual touch photograph
In the optical microscope image, a cone-shaped seed about 2 millimetres long is shown, transversely covered by a series of broad ochre-coloured scales with longitudinal striations.