Lithophragma maximum

Last updated

San Clemente Island woodland star
Lithophragma maximum 35652868.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Saxifragaceae
Genus: Lithophragma
Species:
L. maximum
Binomial name
Lithophragma maximum

Lithophragma maximum, known by the common name San Clemente Island woodland star, is a rare species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family. It is endemic to San Clemente Island, one of the eight Channel Islands of California. It is known from only about four kilometers of rocky coastal cliffs on the edge of the island. [1] The plant was thought to be extinct until a few specimens were rediscovered in 1979. [2] Only 200 individuals were tallied in a 1996 survey. [2] In 1997 the plant was listed as an endangered species on the federal level.

Contents

Description

Lithophragma maximum is a rhizomatous perennial herb growing erect or leaning with a slender naked flowering stem. The leaves are located on the lower part of the stem, each divided into three sharply toothed leaflets. The stem bears up to 25 flowers, each in a cuplike calyx of red or green sepals. The five petals are white or pink-tinged, approximately 4 millimeters long, and usually divided into about five pointed lobes.

Conservation

As of 2000 there were over 400 individuals remaining, but about one fourth of these are located in one canyon. [1] All of the plants grow on land owned and tended by the United States Navy. [3] The two main threats to the species have been erosion of the local habitat and the presence of feral goats and pigs. [3] The latter issue was resolved when the Navy removed the feral herbivores. [1] A genetic analysis revealed a relatively high genetic diversity across populations of this woodland star, probably due to the isolation of the populations from each other in the rugged, steep habitat. [1] This suggests that it is important to protect each population in order to conserve the genetic variance in each. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eriodictyon altissimum</i> Species of flowering plant

Eriodictyon altissimum is a rare species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name Indian Knob mountainbalm. It is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California, where it is known from only about six occurrences in the Irish Hills on the coast and nearby Indian Knob.

<i>Lithophragma</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Saxifragaceae

Lithophragma is a genus of flowering plants containing about nine species native to western North America. These plants are known generally as woodland stars. The petals of the flowers are usually bright white with deep, long lobes or teeth. Each petal may look like three to five petals, when at closer inspection the lobes fuse into a single petal at its base. Most species reproduce via bulblets instead of seeds. L. maximum is a federally listed endangered species. Lithophragma specifically coevolved with moths of the genus Greya, who pollinate and only lay eggs on Lithophragma plants.

<i>Castilleja grisea</i> Species of flowering plant

Castilleja grisea is a rare species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name San Clemente Island Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to San Clemente Island, one of the Channel Islands of California. San Clemente Island is owned by the US Navy so the Navy is involved in a management program to recover this species.

<i>Lithophragma cymbalaria</i> Species of flowering plant

Lithophragma cymbalaria is a species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family known by the common name mission woodland star.

<i>Malacothamnus clementinus</i> Species of flowering plant

Malacothamnus clementinus is a rare species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common name San Clemente Island bushmallow. It is endemic to San Clemente Island, one of the Channel Islands of California, where it is known from fewer than ten occurrences in the steep, rocky seaside canyons.

<i>Sibara filifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Sibara filifolia, the Santa Cruz Island winged rockcress or Santa Cruz Island rockcress, is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, where it is now known from a few occurrences on San Clemente Island and one population on Catalina Island.

<i>Thysanocarpus conchuliferus</i> Species of flowering plant

Thysanocarpus conchuliferus is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name Santa Cruz Island fringepod. It is endemic to Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands of California, where has been recently observed at only one location; some years it is totally absent.

<i>Arabis serotina</i> Species of plant

Arabis serotina is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name shale barren rockcress. It is native to eastern West Virginia and western Virginia in and around the Shenandoah Valley, where it is known from fewer than 60 populations. It is endemic to the shale barrens, a type of habitat characterized by steep slopes of bare shale, an exposed, rocky habitat type that is subject to very dry and hot conditions. Shale barrens host a number of endemics, such as Allium oxyphilum and Taenidia montana, and this rockcress is among the rarest. It is a federally listed endangered species.

Cyanea crispa is a rare species of flowering plant known by the common names crimped rollandia and Koolau Range rollandia. It is endemic to Oahu, where there are no more than fifty individuals remaining in the Koʻolau Range. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. Like other Cyanea it is known as haha in Hawaiian.

<i>Cyanea shipmanii</i> Species of flowering plant

Cyanea shipmanii is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family known by the common name Shipman's cyanea. It is endemic to the island of Hawaii, where it is known only from the windward slopes of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. Like other Cyanea, it is known as haha in Hawaiian.

<i>Cyperus trachysanthos</i> Species of plant

Cyperus trachysanthos is a rare species of sedge known by the common names pu`uka`a and sticky flatsedge. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known from Kauai and Oahu. It was known from Niihau, Molokai and Lanai, but it has been extirpated from these islands. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Cyrtandra subumbellata is a rare species of flowering plant in the African violet family known by the common name parasol cyrtandra. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the Koʻolau Mountains on the island of Oahu. By 2008 there were three known populations containing 110 plants, or possibly more. It was federally listed as an endangered species in 1996. Like other Hawaiian Cyrtandra it is called ha`iwale.

Haplostachys haplostachya is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names honohono or Hawaiian mint. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is now limited to the island of Hawaii and has been extirpated from Kauai and Maui. It has been on the United States' endangered species list since 1979.

Iliamna corei is a rare species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common name Peters Mountain mallow. It is endemic to Virginia in the United States, where it is known only from Peters Mountain in Giles County. A single occurrence remains. This is a federally listed endangered species. It is considered "one of the rarest native plants in the United States."

<i>Lysimachia filifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Lysimachia filifolia is a rare species of flowering plant in the Primulaceae known by the common name Wailua River yellow loosestrife. It is endemic to Hawaii, where there are two populations on Oahu and one on Kauai. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Sanicula mariversa is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae known by the common name Waianae Range black-snakeroot. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the Waianae Mountains on the island of Oahu. It is threatened by the degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Sanicula purpurea is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names purple-flower black-snakeroot and purple-flowered sanicle. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known from Maui and from the Koolau Mountains on the island of Oahu. It is threatened by the degradation of its habitat. It was federally listed as endangered species of the United States in 1996.

<i>Schiedea membranacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Schiedea membranacea is a rare species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name papery schiedea and membranous schiedea. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the island of Kauai. It is threatened by the degradation and destruction of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Solanum incompletum</i> Species of flowering plant

Solanum incompletum is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Solanaceae known by the common names thorny popolo and popolo ku mai. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it occurs today on the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Hawaii. It is threatened by the destruction and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Erigeron maguirei</i> Species of flowering plant

Erigeron maguirei is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common names Maguire daisy and Maguire's fleabane. It is endemic to Utah in the United States. It is a perennial herb growing up to 28 centimetres tall. It grows from a taproot and a branching caudex. The stems are densely hairy. The inflorescence holds one to five flower heads each with several hairy, glandular phyllaries. The head has up to 20 white, pink-tinged, or pink ray florets 0.6 to 0.8 centimeters long, and many yellow disc florets at the center.

References