''Hesperolinon serpentinum'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the
flax family known by the common name Napa dwarf flax, or Napa western flax. ''Hesperolinon serpentinum'' was not validly published by McCarten although it appears in the Jepson Manual (Hickman, 1993). The species was validly published as ''Hesperolinon sharsmithae'' in 2006 by O'Donnell (Madroño 53:404–408). The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to northern
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, where it is known from fewer than twenty occurrences in four counties surrounding the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
. It is a member of
chaparral plant communities, generally on
serpentine soils. It produces a thin, erect stem up to 30 centimeters tall, with sparse flat, narrow leaves. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...
holds several light yellow flowers with petals only 2 or 3 millimeters long. The plant is threatened mainly by development of its habitat.
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
serpentinum
Flora of California
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
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