Search / Plant Profile / Blennosperma bakeri

Plant Profile

Baker's Blennosperma (Blennosperma bakeri)

This closeup shows the yellow, daisy-like flowers with white pollen and stigmas. Photo Credit: Dan Cheatham

Global Rank: G1 - Critically Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Endangered
Family: Asteraceae
State: CA
Nature Serve ID: 137235
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 04/04/1991

Description:

The extirpation of Blennosperma bakeri from four of seven historic sites in the Sonoma Valley was caused by home construction and the planting of a vineyard. The remaining populations still face similar threats. However, both the local government and private citizens have begun to create artificial vernal pools to increase the available habitat for this species. A reserve has been established to protect the fragile vernal pool habitat required by this small annual. There is also the potential to cultivate this species for ornamental use as it produces quite attractive yellow daisy-like flowers from March through April. Unfortunately, these same flowers are often the reason that plants are taken from the wild by collectors.

Where is Baker's Blennosperma (Blennosperma bakeri) located in the wild?

Habitat:

This species is found in grasslands and within vernal pool areas and swales. Other endangered plants associated with this species are Limnanthes vinculans and Lasthenia burkei. (USFWS 2002)

Distribution:

It is only found in Santa Rosa Plain in Sonoma County, California. (USFWS 1992)

States & Provinces:

Baker's Blennosperma can be found in California

Which CPC Partners conserve Baker's Blennosperma (Blennosperma bakeri)?

California Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

09/01/2020

Based on an September 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, California Botanic Garden holds 15 accessions of Blennosperma bakeri in orthodox seed collection. There are as many as 11532 seeds of this species in their collection - although some may have been used for curation testing or sent to back up.

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Endemic to California, Blennosperma bakeri is known from fifteen occurrences, six of which may be extirpated or very degraded. The species is known only from Laguna de Santa Rosa and the Sonoma area in Sonoma County. One occurrence lies within the boundaries of a California Department of Fish and Game ecological reserve, although it is not managed. Major threats to this plant are urbanization, grazing, and agriculture.

01/01/2010

Residential development Insect herbivory (Leong and Bailey 2000) Grazing (USFWS 1992) Agricultural conversion of habitat Airport-related maintenance on Sonoma County Airport lands Drought Invasive non-natives

01/01/2010

There are 35 sites in Cotati Valley and 7 other sites in Sonoma Valley. Most of the vernal pools or swales of the Cotati Valley are privately owned. (USFWS 2002)

01/01/2010

Dr. Joan M. Leong is currently studying pollinator visitation to translocated and natural populations of the endangered vernal pool plant, Blennosperma bakeri. (Leong and Bailey 2000)

01/01/2010

One site, the Todd Road Reserve, is owned by the California Department of Fish and Game (Fish and Game) and is managed for the protection of

01/01/2010

Very little is known about this species except for some of its pollination biology.