Home/Species/ Rosy Pussy-paws

Calyptridium roseum

S. Wats.

Rosy Pussy-paws

G4Apparently Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank

UnknownThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.155702

Element CodePDPOR09090

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderCaryophyllales

FamilyMontiaceae

GenusCalyptridium

Synonyms

Cistanthe rosea(S. Wats.) Hershkovitz

Other Common Names

rosy pussypaws (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.

Taxonomic Comments

In a phylogenetic analysis of western North and South American Portulacaceae, Hershkovitz (2006) places this species in the genus Calyptridium and treats it as Calyptridium roseum. In contrast, Kartesz (1994) and FNA (2003, vol. 4) treat it as Cistanthe rosea.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2023-08-11

Change Date2023-08-11

Edition Date2023-08-11

Edition AuthorsEberly (2023)

Threat ImpactUnknown

Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences21 - 300

Rank Reasons

Cistanthe rosea is a diminutive annual herb of the western United States that is uncommonly found in California and Nevada but rare in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. There are nearly 70 voucherred occurrences but it is likely that there are additional locations for this tiny plant which does not appear to be habitat specific. In addition to being underreported, threats and trends are also unknown.

Range Extent Comments

This species occurs in the western United States, largely on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada in California and adjacent areas of the Great Basin in Nevada, but also found at isolated locations in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming and else where in California (FNA 2003b). The Flora of North America (2003b) includes Utah in the range, but no verifiable reports could be located and it is not included in Utah Flora, 5th ed. (Welsh et al. 2015). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1983 and 2023 (GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, NatureServe 2023, SEINet 2023).

Occurrences Comments

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1982 and 2023, it is estimated that there are at least 66 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2023, iNaturalist 2023, NatureServe 2023, SEINet 2023). This inconspicuous plant is likely underreported due to its small size.

Threat Impact Comments

Rangewide threats are unknown but may include grazing livestock in Wyoming and hazardous waste clean-up at one occurrence in Washington (NatureServe 2023).

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs in sandy or gravelly soils of sagebrush scrub to montane conifer forest at elevations ranging from 1,500 to 3,800 meters (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2003b, SEINet 2023).

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest/WoodlandForest - ConiferShrubland/chaparral

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN4

Province	Rank	Native
Oregon	S1	Yes
Nevada	S3	Yes
Wyoming	S2	Yes
California	SNR	Yes
Washington	S1	Yes
Idaho	S2	Yes

Plant Characteristics

DurationANNUAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (5)

California (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Excelsior (CA)	Inyo National Forest	45,607
Glass Mountain	Inyo National Forest	52,867
Watterson	Inyo National Forest	6,922

Nevada (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Boundary Peak (NV)	Inyo National Forest	21,851
Chineese Camp (NV)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	15,207

References (8)

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2003b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 4, Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae, part 1. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 559 pp.
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2023. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2023).
Hershkovitz, M.A. 2006. Ribosomal and chloroplast DNA evidence for diversification of western American Portulacaceae in the Andean region. Gayana Botánica 63(1): 13-74.
iNaturalist. 2023. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2023).
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.
NatureServe. 2023. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2023. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2023).
Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich, and L.C. Higgins. (Eds). 2015. A Utah flora, fifth edition, revised 2015. Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Provo, Utah. 987 pp.