''Phlox hirsuta'', the Yreka phlox or hairy phlox,CalFlora database entry for ''Phlox hirsuta''
Retrieved 2009-09-14. is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

phlox ''Phlox'' (; Greek φλόξ "flame"; plural "phlox" or "phloxes", Greek φλόγες ''phlóges'') is a genus of 67 species of perennial and annual plants in the family Polemoniaceae. They are found mostly in North America (one in Siberia) in di ...

. It is a small flowering plant that grows in the serpentine soils of

Siskiyou County, California Siskiyou County (, ) is a county in the northernmost part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,076. Its county seat is Yreka and its highest point is Mount Shasta. It falls within the Cascadia bioregio ...

. and is the official city flower of

Yreka, California Yreka ( ) is the county seat of Siskiyou County, California, United States, near the Shasta River; the city has an area of about , most of it land. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,807, reflecting a meager increase fr ...

, after which it is named...

Description

Yreka phlox plants grow to a height of up to six inches, with thick hairy stems at the base (the specific epithet ''hirsuta'' means hairy). In April through June they become covered by small pink or purple flowers.

Related species

Yreka phlox often grows near another more common species of phlox, ''

Phlox speciosa ''Phlox speciosa'' is a species of phlox known by the common name showy phlox. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Arizona and New Mexico, where it occurs in sagebrush, pine woodlands, and mountain forests. It is an ...

'', which it resembles, but the latter species has deep notches in its flower petals that are not present in Yreka phlox. Additionally, unlike Yreka phlox, ''Phlox speciosa'' is capable of growing on non-serpentine soils. Some biologists have classified Yreka phlox as a variant of '' Phlox stansburyi'', but its status as a separate species is now recognized by most biologists as well as by the CalFlora and

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

PLANTS databases.

History

The first recorded specimen of Yreka phlox was discovered by

Edward Lee Greene Edward Lee Greene (August 20, 1843–November 10, 1915) was an American botanist known for his numerous publications including the two-part ''Landmarks of Botanical History'' and the describing of over 4,400 species of plants in the American W ...

in 1876. Greene was the

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

at St. Laurence's Episcopal Church in Yreka (since renamed as St. Mark's) from 1876 to 1877, when he made the discovery; he later became the first botanist at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. The discovery was recorded in 1899 by Elias Nelson, who described its location as "rocky hilltops near Yreka, Siskiyou County, California".. As cited in the recovery plan. In 2009, Yreka phlox was named as the official city flower of Yreka.

Status

Because Yreka phlox is only known to grow in a few locations near Yreka, it is endangered by land use plans that threaten those locations as well as by other factors stemming from the increased

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly t ...

of the Yreka area, such as off-road vehicle use and the encroachment of non-native species. In 1975, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution included ''Phlox hirsuta'' on a list of endangered plants. It was listed as an endangered species by the state of California in 1986, and by the

U.S. 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 ...

in 2000.. A recovery plan was drafted by the Fish and Wildlife Service in 2006, and was dedicated to the memory of Larry G. Bacon, the city attorney of Yreka from 1970 to 2002, who had been a leader of local efforts to protect the species.

References

{{Authority control hirsuta Endemic flora of California Flora of the Cascade Range Natural history of Siskiyou County, California Yreka, California