Genetic structure of the Delphinium naviculare species group tracks Pleistocene climatic oscillations in the Tianshan Mountains, arid Central Asia

► Species genetic footprints can track Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles. ► Cold-dry glacial climates have shaped multiple genetic divergences for Delphinium. ► Demographic expansions were detected after three Pleistocene glacial periods. ► Hierarchical refugia appeared along with the decreasing scale of mountain glaciation. ► Our molecular dating is consistent with the geological chronology from glacial tills.