Home/Species/ Red Hills Soaproot

Chlorogalum grandiflorum

Hoover

Red Hills Soaproot

G3Vulnerable Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G3VulnerableGlobal Rank

HighThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.160554

Element CodePMLIL0G020

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single state or province

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassMonocotyledoneae

OrderAsparagales

FamilyAsparagaceae

GenusChlorogalum

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Taxonomic Comments

Chlorogalum grandiflorum is considered by the California Native Plant Society to be endangered in a portion of its range. It is often confused with C. pomeridianum var. minus because of bulb characters, but it can be distinguished by its short, stout pedicels and larger flowers (FNA vol. 26, 2002).

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2020-06-08

Change Date2020-06-08

Edition Date2020-06-08

Edition AuthorsMaybury, K. (1997), rev. K. Gravuer (2009), rev. G. Davis (5/2012), rev. A. Treher and Bittman (2017), rev. Treher (2020)

Threat ImpactHigh

Range Extent5000-20,000 square km (about 2000-8000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences81 - 300

Rank Reasons

Chlorogalum grandiflorum is endemic California on serpentine and gabbro outcrops at lower elevations in the central Sierra Nevada of California. There are 118 occurrences and tens of thousands of plants known to exist. However, nearly one third of the occurrences are on private lands in an area with rapid development. Historical occurrences and those threatened with development in the past should be surveyed to determine if plants and habitat are extant

Range Extent Comments

Chlorogalum grandiflorum is endemic to California in the central Sierra Nevada from El Dorado, Placer, Tuolumne, Amador, and Calaveras Counties.

Occurrences Comments

There are 118 occurrences that are confirmed extant within in the last 20 years but there is concern that development in the region is so intensive that some of these sites might be extirpated. An additional 19 occurrences are historical and should be a priority to survey to determine if plants are extant.

Threat Impact Comments

This species is predominantly threatened by development, road construction, non-native plants, and ORVs (CNPS 2009). Other threats include logging, recreational use of land, dumping, grazing and proposed fire breaks (CNDDB 2003). Nearly all occurrences have threats identified.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs in chaparral and woodland communities on very rocky serpentinite or gabbroic soils.

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest/WoodlandWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralBarrens

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN3

Province	Rank	Native
California	S3	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
1 - Residential & commercial development	Restricted (11-30%)	Extreme - serious	High (continuing)
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture	Small (1-10%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranching	Small (1-10%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
4 - Transportation & service corridors	Restricted (11-30%)	Serious - slight	High (continuing)
4.1 - Roads & railroads	Restricted (11-30%)	Serious - slight	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (2)

California (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
North Fork Middle Fork American River	Tahoe National Forest	11,245
Rubicon	Eldorado National Forest	4,872

References (7)

California Department of Fish and Game. 2000. Natural Diversity Database (RareFind 2), Version 2.1.2, January 25, 2000. Downloaded in 2003.
California Native Plant Society (CNPS). 2001. Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California (sixth edition). Rare Plant Scientific Advisory Committee, David P. Tibor, Convening Editor. California Native Plant Society. Sacramento, CA. x + 388pp.
Fiedler, P.L. 1996. Rare Lilies of California. California Native Plant Society Press, Sacramento, California. 154 pp.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 pp.
Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1400 pp.
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Munz, P.A., with D.D. Keck. 1959. A California flora. Univ. California Press, Berkeley. 1681 pp.

Chlorogalum grandiflorum

Habitat

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