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Cleomella plocasperma

S. Wats.

Alkali Rhombo-pod

G4Apparently Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.151380
Element CodePDCPP04080
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderBrassicales
FamilyCleomaceae
GenusCleomella
Other Common Names
Twisted Cleomella (EN) twisted cleomella (EN)
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.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-07-31
Change Date1986-07-14
Edition Date2024-07-31
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Cleomella plocasperma is an annual herb occurring in wet, alkaline meadows, greasewood flats, and around geothermal springs of western North America from Oregon and California east to Nevada in the United States. There are 68 estimated occurrences of this species, which are potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, drought, recreational activities, changes to hydrology, habitat degradation by livestock.
Range Extent Comments
Cleomella plocasperma occurs in western North America from Oregon, Idaho, and California east to Utah in the United States. Range extent was estimated to be over 300,000 square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be 68 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024). This desert annual may be underrepresented in collections due to its small stature and highly variable population numbers that are dependent on annual precipitation.
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Cleomella plocasperma is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, drought, recreational activities, changes to hydrology, habitat degradation by livestock, and other threats in some places.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Cleomella plocasperma is found around thermal springs in wet alkaline meadows and greasewood flats, at elevations ranging from 800 to 1,400 meters (FNA 2010, Vanderpool 2020).
Terrestrial Habitats
Shrubland/chaparralGrassland/herbaceous
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
IdahoS1Yes
UtahS1Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
OregonSNRYes
NevadaS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (5)
California (4)
AreaForestAcres
Black CanyonInyo National Forest32,421
Boundary Peak (CA)Inyo National Forest210,884
Coyote SoutheastInyo National Forest53,159
PaiuteInyo National Forest58,712
Nevada (1)
AreaForestAcres
Ruby - ThompsonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest5,289
References (6)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2010. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 7. Magnoliophyta: Salicaceae to Brassicaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxii + 797 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. 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.
  5. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  6. Vanderpool, S.S. 2020. Flora of North America: <i>Cleomella plocasperma</i>. Accessed: September 13, 2022. http://floranorthamerica.org/Cleomella_plocasperma