Suaeda californica

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Genus: Suaeda
Species:
S. californica
Binomial name
Suaeda californica
Synonyms

Suaeda americana
Suaeda depressa
Suaeda minutiflora

Suaeda californica is a rare species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common name California seablite.[2] It is now endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California, where it is known from a few occurrences in the marshes around Morro Bay, historical populations around San Francisco Bay have been extirpated.[1]

Description

Suaeda californica is a mound-shaped shrub up to 80 centimeters tall with hairless or slightly hairy succulent green or red-tinged herbage. The woody stems have many branches which are covered with the knoblike bases of old leaves. Between these grow the new leaves, which are lance-shaped and up to 3.5 centimeters long. The flowers occur between the leaves, all along the stems. Each cluster has 1 to 5 flowers and is accompanied by a leaflike bract. The calyx is a cone of fleshy, rounded sepals, and there are no petals. The fruit is an utricle that grows within the calyx.

Habitat

This rare plant, Suaeda californica, grows in a restricted area within the intertidal zone of salt marshes.[3] It is threatened by anything that alters the hydrology of the area, such as changes in sedimentation, including dredging, erosion, and recreation.[1] It requires a porous substrate high in nitrogen, which may come from decaying plant matter and bird droppings.[4] Invasive plant species such as introduced ice plant threaten remaining occurrences and reintroductions.[4]

Endangered status

It once occurred around the San Francisco Bay, but any populations there are now extirpated.[1] It probably once grew along the Petaluma River north of the bay, as remains of the species have been found in adobe bricks there.[5] By 1991 the total remaining number of individuals was estimated to be below 500, and the plant was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1994.[1][3] Some carefully tended populations have been planted as reintroductions at locations around the San Francisco Bay.[4][6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 The Nature Conservancy
  2. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Suaeda californica". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 USFWS. Endangered or threatened status for five plants and the Morro shoulderband snail from western San Luis Obispo County, California. Federal Register 59:240 December 15, 1994.
  4. 1 2 3 Eaton, J. and R. Sullivan. Recovery plan for endangered seablite. San Francisco Chronicle March 21, 2010.
  5. ↑ California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
  6. ↑ Audubon Society Archived 2009-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
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