''Blennosperma bakeri'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the
daisy family known by the common names Baker's stickyseed and Sonoma sunshine.
Distribution
It 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
Sonoma County, California, where it is known from a few remaining
vernal pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe ...
sites on the wet grasslands of the
Laguna de Santa Rosa
The Laguna de Santa Rosa is a wetland complex that drains a watershed encompassing most of the Santa Rosa Plain in Sonoma County, California, United States.
The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has issued a safe e ...
and
Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley is a valley located in southeastern Sonoma County, California, in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Known as the birthplace of the California wine industry, the valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards a ...
. It is a federally listed
endangered species. It is found alongside other rare vernal pool plants including the Sebastopol meadowfoam, ''
Limnanthes vinculans'', and Burke's goldfields, ''
Lasthenia burkei''. Threats to its survival include the alteration of its habitat for development, road maintenance, grazing, and agriculture, as well as collecting, herbivory by
thrips
Thrips (order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Different thrips species feed mostly on plants by puncturing and sucking up the contents, although a few are ...
, and
invasive plants
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...
.
Center for Plant Conservation
Description
This is a small annual herb under 30 centimeters tall. The leaves are 5 to 15 centimeters long and linear in shape with lobes near the ends. 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 ...
bears a few flower heads. Each head contains a center of yellow disc florets, some of which bear prominent white stigmas and white pollen. Around the edge of the head is a fringe of yellow ray florets with red stigmas. The fruit is an achene a few millimeters long which becomes sticky when wet.
The plant is known from fifteen occurrences, but six of these may be degraded or destroyed.[The Nature Conservancy]
/ref> Several artificial vernal pools have been created to increase the numbers of the plant, but the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
does not consider these an adequate replacement for natural pools.[USFWS]
Determination of endangered status for three plants, ''Blennosperma bakeri'' (Sonoma Sunshine or Baker’s Stickyseed), ''Lasthenia burkei'' (Burke’s Goldfields), and Limnanthes vinculans (Sebastopol Meadowfoam).
''Federal Register'' December 2, 1991.
See also
* Milo Samuel Baker
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4926084
Senecioneae
Endemic flora of California
Natural history of Sonoma County, California
Sonoma Valley
Critically endangered flora of California
Endemic flora of the San Francisco Bay Area