Erythranthe calcicola

N.S. Fraga & D.A. York

Limestone Monkeyflower

G3Vulnerable Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.894615
Element CodePDPHR01010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderLamiales
FamilyPhrymaceae
GenusErythranthe
Concept Reference
Fraga, N.S. 2012. A revision of Erythranthe montioides and Erythranthe palmeri (Phrymaceae), with descriptions of five new species from California and Nevada, USA. Aliso 30(1):49-68.
Taxonomic Comments
Fraga (2012) finds and describes Erythranthe calcicola as a species distinct from E. montioides sensu Thompson (2012) in Baldwin et al. (2012).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Biotics v1
Review Date2020-02-25
Change Date2020-02-25
Edition Date2020-02-25
Edition AuthorsTreher (2020)
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Erythranthe calcicola is a small annual herb that occurs in eastern California and southwestern Nevada, in mountain ranges of the northern Mojave Desert. There are around 25 occurrences and all are found on public lands (BLM, DOD, FS, NP). Historically, and potentially in the future, carbonate mining occurred at some sites. Exotic species may be a threat in areas. Monitoring and surveying sites will aid in our understanding of trends, population sizes, and current threats.
Range Extent Comments
Erythranthe calcicola occurs in eastern California and southwestern Nevada, in mountain ranges of the northern Mojave Desert. In California, those mountain ranges include the Funeral Mountains, Inyo Mountains, Last Chance Range, Panamint Mountains, and White Mountains. In Nevada, Bare Mountain, Pintwater Range, Sheep Range, Silver Peak Range, Spotted Range, and Spring Mountains all host this monkeyflower (Fraga 2012). Range extent was estimated using NatureServe Natural Heritage Occurrence Data (2020), herbarium specimens (Fraga 2012), and iNaturalist observations (2020).
Occurrences Comments
There are around 25 occurrences in California and at least 8 in Nevada (CNDDB 2020, Fraga 2012, iNaturalist 2020). Some of these occurrences are based on historical collections, which should be surveyed to confirm that the plants are extant.
Threat Impact Comments
Threats to this species are not well known, but all known occurrences are on public land (BLM, DOD, FS, NP) (CNDDB 2020, Fraga 2012). Fraga (2012) notes that historic mining operations and exotic species were the only threats observed over the course of researching this species.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Erythranthe calcicola grows in Pinyon-juniper woodland, Joshua Tree woodland, and creosote bush scrub on talus and scree slopes (carbonate derived; limestone) (CNDDB 2020, Fraga 2012).

Reproduction

This species has a mixed mating system and appears to be capable of self-pollination. The flowers are one-day flowers, falling by midday (Fraga 2012).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - ConiferShrubland/chaparralDesertBare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaS3Yes
NevadaS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
3 - Energy production & miningUnknownUnknownLow - insignificant/negligible
3.2 - Mining & quarryingUnknownUnknownLow - insignificant/negligible
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)

Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (3)
California (3)
AreaForestAcres
Birch CreekInyo National Forest28,816
PaiuteInyo National Forest58,712
Soldier CanyonInyo National Forest40,589
References (5)
  1. Baldwin, B. G., D. H. Goldman, D. J. Keil, R. Patterson, T. J. Rosatti, and D. H. Wilken, eds. 2012. The Jepson manual: vascular plants of California. 2nd edition. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1568 pp.
  2. California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB). 2020. RareFind Version 5.2.14. California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento.
  3. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2019. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 17: Magnoliophyta: Tetrachondraceae to Orobanchaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 737 pp.
  4. Fraga, N.S. 2012. A revision of <i>Erythranthe montioides</i> and <i>Erythranthe palmeri </i>(Phrymaceae), with descriptions of five new species from California and Nevada, USA. Aliso 30(1):49-68.
  5. iNaturalist. 2020. Online. Available: http://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2020).