Rorippa subumbellata

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Rorippa subumbellata
Rorippa subumbellata.jpg
Status TNC G1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Rorippa
Species:
R. subumbellata
Binomial name
Rorippa subumbellata
Rollins

Rorippa subumbellata is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Lake Tahoe yellowcress [2] and Tahoe yellow cress. It is known only from the shores of Lake Tahoe, straddling the border between California and Nevada. There are an estimated fourteen populations of the plant still in existence. [3] It grows only on the direct shoreline of the lake, occupying a seven-foot semi-aquatic zone between the high- and low-tide marks. [3] It is directly impacted by recreational activities on the lake, enduring bombardment by boat wakes, trampling, and construction of docks and other structures. [3]

This perennial herb produces spreading, branching, hairy stems up to 20 centimeters long. The leaves are 1 to 3 centimeters long, oblong or lance-shaped, and wavy along the edges or divided into lobes. The inflorescence is a compact raceme of mustardlike flowers with yellow petals each about 3 millimeters long. The fruit is a hairless silique a few millimeters wide containing tiny seeds.

The population sizes change with the lake's water level, with populations growing largest as water levels drop, exposing more sand habitat. [4] High water levels may be beneficial at times, however, since they kill off competing plant species growing on the beaches. [3] Restoration of this species has been hampered by low seed germination, but recent research has reduced this problem. [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Rorippa</i> Genus of flowering plants

Rorippa is a genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to Europe through central Asia, Africa, and North America. Rorippa species are annual to perennial herbs, usually with yellow flowers and a peppery flavour. They are known commonly as yellowcresses.

<i>Thunbergia alata</i> Species of plant

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<i>Picea glehnii</i> Species of conifer

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<i>Pedicularis groenlandica</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Arctostaphylos patula</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Alopecurus saccatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Alopecurus saccatus is a species of grass known by the common name Pacific foxtail, or Pacific meadow foxtail.

<i>Camissonia benitensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Camissonia benitensis is a species of evening primrose known by the common names San Benito suncup and San Benito evening primrose. It is endemic to the Diablo Range of the South Coast Ranges of California, where its range includes far southern San Benito County, far western Fresno County, and far eastern Monterey County.

<i>Eriophyllum mohavense</i> Species of flowering plant

Eriophyllum mohavense, also known as the Mojave woolly sunflower or the Barstow woolly sunflower, is a rare species of small annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, found only (endemic) in the Mojave Desert of California.

Lessingia arachnoidea is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Crystal Springs lessingia. It is endemic to California, where it is known from a few occurrences in the vicinity of Crystal Springs Reservoir on the San Francisco Peninsula and southward to serpentine soil in Woodside. It may also exist in Sonoma County to the north. The plant grows in chaparral, scrub, grasslands and other local plant communities, on serpentine soils.

<i>Rorippa palustris</i> Species of plant

Rorippa palustris, marsh yellow cress, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is widespread and native to parts of Africa, and much of Asia, Europe and Eurasia, North America and the Caribbean. It can also be found in other parts of the world as an introduced species and a common weed, for example, in Australia and South America. It is an adaptable plant which grows in many types of damp, wet, and aquatic habitat. It may be an annual, biennial, or perennial plant, and is variable in appearance as well.

<i>Rorippa austriaca</i> Species of flowering plant

Rorippa austriaca is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Austrian yellow-cress and Austrian fieldcress. It is native to parts of Europe and Asia, and it is known in North America as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed. It can grow in disturbed habitat, such as roadsides, and in very wet habitat such as mudflats. It is a perennial herb growing upright to erect, reaching a maximum height near one meter. The branching stem bears hairless blue-green lance-shaped leaves up to 10 centimeters long. The bases of the upper leaves clasp the stem. The inflorescence is a raceme at the top of the stem and the ends of stem branches. The mustardlike flowers have small yellow petals. The fruit is a plump silique a few millimeters long, but many plants do not fruit and seed production is rare. Reproduction in this species is more often vegetative, the plants concentrating their growth in belowground tissue and spreading clonally. The root system of the plant is particularly aggressive, sending up many new plants as it spreads.

<i>Rorippa columbiae</i> Species of flowering plant

Rorippa columbiae is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Columbian yellowcress and Columbia yellow cress.

<i>Rorippa curvisiliqua</i> Species of flowering plant

Rorippa curvisiliqua is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name curvepod yellowcress.

<i>Rorippa sinuata</i> Species of flowering plant

Rorippa sinuata is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name spreading yellowcress. It is native to North America, including most all of the western and central United States, where it grows in many types of moist and wet habitat, such as lakeshores and riverbanks, meadows, and mudflats. It is a perennial herb producing spreading stems up to 40 or 50 centimeters long. It is densely hairy, the hairs rounded like sacs or vesicles. The leaves are up to 8 centimeters long and have blades are deeply toothed, lobed, or divided into smaller leaflets. The inflorescence is an elongated raceme occupying the top portion of the stem containing many tiny yellow flowers just a few millimeters long. The fruit is a curved silique which is variable in size and shape but generally contains many minute seeds.

Rorippa sphaerocarpa is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name roundfruit yellowcress. It is native to North America, including the western United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in moist habitat, such as riverbanks and mudflats. It is an annual herb producing decumbent or erect stems up to 40 centimeters long. The leaves are up to 10 centimeters long and have blades are deeply divided into toothed lobes. The inflorescence is a raceme of mustardlike flowers with yellow petals each no more than a millimeter long. The fruit is a round silique 1 or 2 millimeters wide.

<i>Aeschynomene virginica</i> Species of legume

Aeschynomene virginica is a rare species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names Virginia jointvetch and sensitive jointvetch. It is native to a small section of the East Coast of the United States, where it has a fluctuating annual global population scattered in about 20 mostly small occurrences. Counts and estimates revealed two populations in New Jersey including several thousand individuals, one population of a few hundred plants in Maryland, several variable and unstable populations in ditches in North Carolina, and several populations including about 5000 individuals in Virginia. Habitat alteration has reduced the number of sites where the plant can grow. The plant became a federally listed threatened species of the United States in 1992.

<i>Boltonia decurrens</i> Species of flowering plant

Boltonia decurrens is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names decurrent false aster and claspingleaf doll's daisy. It is native to the floodplains along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers in the United States, where the habitat has been drastically altered, leading to its decline. The plant was once distributed across 400 kilometers of riverside forest from LaSalle, Illinois, to St. Louis, Missouri. As the rivers and riparian habitat alongside them have been developed, the plant's distribution has been fragmented into 40 to 43 separate populations. At one point it was thought to have been extirpated from Missouri, but a few populations have been located near St. Louis since the mid-1980s. Despite having declined over time, several populations of the plant contain many thousands of individuals. Populations vary depending on the amount and duration of flooding that occurs in the area each year. The plant is a federally listed threatened species.

Crotalaria avonensis is a rare species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names Avon Park rattlebox, Avon Park harebells, and Avon Park rabbit-bells. It is endemic to Central Florida in the United States, where it is known from only three sites. Many individuals exist on land that is unprotected and they are threatened with destruction. The plant is a federally listed endangered species.

<i>Prunus geniculata</i> Species of tree

Prunus geniculata is a rare species of plum known by the common name scrub plum. The species is endemic to Florida.

<i>Penstemon caespitosus</i> Species of flowering plant

Penstemon caespitosus, commonly known as mat penstemon, is a summer blooming perennial flower in the large Penstemon genus. It is a widespread plant from near timberline to the foothills in the Southern Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau in North America. It is noted for its ground hugging growth habit and as a plant used in xeriscape and rock gardening.

References

  1. "NatureServe Explorer". NatureServe Explorer Rorippa subumbellata. NatureServe. 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Rorippa subumbellata". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Center for Plant Conservation
  4. The Nature Conservancy
  5. Ingolia, Mia; T.P. Young; E.G. Sutter (2008). "Germination ecology of Rorippa subumbellata (Tahoe yellow cress), an endangered, endemic species of Lake Tahoe". Seed Science and Technology. 36 (3): 621–632. doi:10.15258/sst.2008.36.3.12.