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Silene serpentinicola

T.W. Nelson & J.P. Nelson

Serpentine Catchfly

G3Vulnerable Found in 8 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.770616
Element CodePDCAR0U2B0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderCaryophyllales
FamilyCaryophyllaceae
GenusSilene
Synonyms
Silene hookeri ssp. serpentinicola(T.W. Nelson & J.P. Nelson ) K.L. Chambers & S.C. Meyers
Concept Reference
Nelson, T. W. and J. P. Nelson. 2004. A new species of Silene (Caryphophyllaceae) from the serpentines of Del Norte County, California. Madroño 51(4):384-386.
Taxonomic Comments
"The bright carmine-red flowered Silene serpentinicola has been confused with the red-scarlet flowered S. californica and the pink of Silene hookeri ssp. pulverulenta. However, each is distinctive" (Nelson and Nelson 2004).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x
Review Date2018-10-30
Change Date2018-10-30
Edition Date2018-10-30
Edition AuthorsOliver, L. (2005), rev. R Bittman and A. Treher (2016), rev. A. Tomaino (2018)
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent250-1000 square km (about 100-400 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Endemic to serpentine openings, mostly in Del Norte County, California, and one location in adjacent southwestern Oregon. Known from approximately 31 occurrences. Fire suppression and trampling are the main threats.
Range Extent Comments
This species is known from the northwestern corner of California, in Del Norte County in serpentine areas. One population was discovered in Curry County Oregon, along the Oregon/California border (Emerson 2013).
Occurrences Comments
In California, there are 30 presumed extant occurrences (CNDDB 2018). In Oregon, there is one extant occurrence (NatureServe Network Database as of October 2018).
Threat Impact Comments
Threats include trampling by cattle, succession due to fire suppression, and logging (CNDDB 2018).
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

Silene serpentinicola has been confused with S. californica and S. hookeri ssp. pulverulenta. These species differ though in the following ways S. serpentinicola produces Carmine-red flowers, while S. californica has Red-scarlet flowers and S. hookeri ssp. pulverulenta has Pink- white flowers. Further, the pubescence, and flower morphology are different for each species (Nelson and Nelson 2004). For further details on how these species differ consult Nelson and Nelson, 2004. Madroño 51:384-386.

Habitat

Silene serpentinicola occurs in chaparral, lower montane forests in serpentine openings, gravelly or rocky at elevations between 145-1650 m. Serpentine soils, chaparral, conifer forest; Elevation: 100-800 m (Jepson FloraProject 2017).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - ConiferForest EdgeShrubland/chaparralBare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
OregonS1Yes
CaliforniaS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline—
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline—
5 - Biological resource useRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline—
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline—
7 - Natural system modificationsLarge (31-70%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline—
7.1 - Fire & fire suppressionLarge (31-70%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline—

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)Yes
Roadless Areas (8)
California (7)
AreaForestAcres
KellySix Rivers National Forest5,195
Monkey CreekSix Rivers National Forest9,017
North Fork SmithSix Rivers National Forest37,898
PacksaddleSix Rivers National Forest3,862
SiskiyouKlamath National Forest54,039
Siskiyou BSix Rivers National Forest18,871
South KalmiopsisSix Rivers National Forest321
Oregon (1)
AreaForestAcres
South KalmiopsisSiskiyou National Forests104,477
References (9)
  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 Native Plant Society (CNPS). 2018. Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v8-03 0.39). California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA. Online. Available: http://www.rareplants.cnps.org (accessed 2018).
  3. California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB). 2018. RareFind Version 5.2.14. California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento.
  4. Chambers, K.L., and S.C. Meyers. 2011. Nomenclatural changes for some taxa in the Oregon flora. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 5(2):619-623.
  5. Emerson, C. 2013. The current status of Serpentine Catchfly (<i>Silene hookeri</i> ssp. <i>serpentinicola</i>) in Oregon. USDA Forest Service. 13 pp. [https://www.fs.fed.us/r6/sfpnw/issssp/documents4/inv-rpt-va-silene-hookeri-ssp-serpentinicola-rrs-2013.pdf]
  6. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2005. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 5. Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae: Caryophyllales, Polygonales, and Plumbaginales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. vii + 656 pp.
  7. Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2015. Jepson Online Interchange for California Floristics. Accessed online: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/interchange/
  8. Mesler, M.R., M.S. Mayer, and S.K. Carothers. 2019. <i>Silene nelsonii</i>, a new large-flowered species from the Trinity River area of northwestern California, USA, and a re-evaluation of <i>S. bolanderi </i>Gray. Madroño 66(4); 176-193.
  9. Nelson, T. W. and J. P. Nelson. 2004. A new species of <i>Silene </i>(Caryphophyllaceae) from the serpentines of Del Norte County, California. Madroño 51(4):384-386.