''Limnanthes vinculans'', the Sebastopol meadowfoam, is an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

meadowfoam ''Limnanthes'', the type genus of the family Limnanthaceae, consists of annual herbaceous plants commonly known as the meadowfoams. The seven species are all native to coastal and adjoining regions (inland valleys, foothills and mountains) of we ...

found only in 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 eat ...

Sonoma County Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States and an area slightly to the south in the

Americano Creek Americano Creek is a long westward-flowing stream in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin. It flows into the Estero Americano, a long estuary, and thence to the Pacific Ocean. This article covers both watercourses. Course Americano Cr ...

and

Washoe Creek Washoe Creek is a perennial stream located in Sonoma County, California. It is about long and discharges to the Laguna de Santa Rosa. Washoe Creek rises in the low lying Meacham Hills southwest of the city of Cotati. It descends to the northea ...

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

s. The name ''vinculans'' derives from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

root vinculum, meaning "a bond, a cord." The specific epithet ''vinculans'' means linking or bonding, in reference to the sharing of some characters of ''L. vinculans'' with ''L. douglasii'' (R.Br) and ''L. bakeri'' (J.T. Howell).

Description

Like the other meadowfoams, ''Limnanthes vinculans'' is a small annual

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

, with multiple stems growing up to in height; white flowers occur singly at the ends of stems. This plant bears white flowers singly at the termini of its stems. ''L. vinculans'' is unique in its genus for having compound leaves with three to five leaflets; each leaflet is entire, with a narrow-obovate shape. The flowers are small (12 to 18 millimeters across), white, generally bowl-shaped, and bloom in April and May. Although the young leaves are narrow and undivided, leaves on the mature plant have their undivided leaflets along each side of a long stalk ( petiole). The shape of the leaves distinguishes Sebastopol meadowfoam from other members of the Limnanthes genus. The fruit consists of three to four millimeter long

nutlet A nut is a fruit consisting of a hard or tough nutshell protecting a kernel which is usually edible. In general usage and in a culinary sense, a wide variety of dry seeds are called nuts, but in a botanical context "nut" implies that the shell ...

Distribution and habitat

This species is only known from approximately 30 locations in 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 eat ...

and southern Cotati Valley of Sonoma County, in these areas it occurs in wet

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...

s and around

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 ...

s at elevations of under 300 meters. Sites range from Graton, around the northern and western perimeters of

Sebastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

, and east to

Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * Sa ...

. Sebastopol meadowfoam is endemic to a narrow region within Sonoma County, occurring only at elevations less than 300 meters above mean sea level. The occurrences are limited to the upper and central reaches of the

and parts of the

and

watersheds, which drain to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. L. vinculans is found primarily in

s associated with the generally level to slightly sloping terrain. Typically the herb is found in

hydric soil Hydric soil is soil which is permanently or seasonally saturated by water, resulting in anaerobic conditions, as found in wetlands. Overview Most soils are aerobic. This is important because plant roots respire (that is, they consume oxygen and ...

s associations, and is often found in joint occurrence with the endangered Burke's goldfields ('' Lasthenia burkei'') and Sonoma sunshine ('' Blennosperma bakeri'') Santa Rosa Region Vernal Pools
/ref> The

Santa Rosa plain Santa Rosa (Spanish for " Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area in California. Its estimated 2019 population was 178,127. It is the largest city in California's Wine Country and R ...

vernal pools occur primarily as fragmented remains of Valley Oak Woodland,

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

, and persistent

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic character ...

Conservation

Sebastopol meadowfoam was placed on the State of California list of endangered plants in 1979. ''L. Vinculans'' was listed as a U.S. federally endangered species on December 2, 1991. The state of California and U.S. Government are working closely with Sonoma County and the cities of

and

to analyze land development proposals in areas of potential habitat, with a goal of disapproving such projects or requiring appropriate

In situ ''In situ'' (; often not italicized in English) is a Latin phrase that translates literally to "on site" or "in position." It can mean "locally", "on site", "on the premises", or "in place" to describe where an event takes place and is used in ...

Ex-situ conservation Svalbard GLOBAL SEED BANK, an ''ex situ'' conservation. ''Ex situ'' conservation literally means, "off-site conservation". It is the process of protecting an endangered species, variety or breed, of plant or animal outside its natural habitat; ...

. The primary proactive form of protection is through the regional vernal pool conservation and restoration program. Sebastopol meadowfoam habitat is threatened by a number of human activities, particularly urbanization spreading out from nearby cities Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park and Cotati. In spring 2005, a controversy erupted when the plant was reported at the site of a proposed commercial/residential development project within the boundary of the City of Sebastopol known as Laguna Vista. State wildlife officials concluded that the meadowfoam had been deliberately transplanted from elsewhere,Demian Bulwa, ''Legal Affairs'', September/October 2005
/ref> presumably to block the development project, and ordered the plants to be dug up. Opponents of the project disagreed and have presented testimony from experts who argue that the state used incomplete analysis to arrive at its finding. In spring 2006, the plants reappeared, although officials said they had likely sprouted from seeds scattered the previous year. Sebastopol's city council has yet to make a final decision regarding the Laguna Vista project.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16984573 Limnanthaceae Endemic flora of California Natural history of Sonoma County, California Endemic flora of the San Francisco Bay Area