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Home/Species/ Vail Lake Ceanothus

Ceanothus ophiochilus

Boyd, Ross & Arnseth

Vail Lake Ceanothus

G1Critically Imperiled Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G1Critically ImperiledGlobal Rank
Very highThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.129759
Element CodePDRHA041M0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderRhamnales
FamilyRhamnaceae
GenusCeanothus
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 Date2023-12-26
Change Date1991-08-08
Edition Date2023-12-26
Edition AuthorsMaybury, K. (1997), rev. D. Gries (1998), rev. C. Nordman (2023).
Threat ImpactVery high
Range Extent<100 square km (less than about 40 square miles)
Number of Occurrences1 - 5
Rank Reasons
Vail Lake Ceanothus (Ceanothus ophiochilus) occurs in the southwestern United States, it is known only from the northern part of the Palomar Mountains in southwestern Riverside County, California. It is restricted to nutrient poor soils. There are three populations known, likely with a total of less than 10,000 individuals. Threats include habitat fragmentation, degradation, and loss as a result of residential development, altered fire regime within protected lands, and climate change is a threat to this plant, throughout its range. It occurs on land of the Rancho California Water District, and within the Agua Tibia Wilderness of the Cleveland National Forest.
Range Extent Comments
Vail Lake Ceanothus (Ceanothus ophiochilus) occurs in the southwestern United States, it is known only from the northern part of the Palomar Mountains in southwestern Riverside County, California. Range extent was estimated to be eight square kilometers using herbarium specimens and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1992 and 2023 (CCH2 2023, CNDDB 2020, Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2016, NatureServe 2023, USFWS 1998, USFWS 2020).
Occurrences Comments
Vail Lake Ceanothus (Ceanothus ophiochilus) is known from only three occurrences in the northern part of the Palomar Mountains in southwestern Riverside County, California (CNDDB 2023, NatureServe 2023, Skinner and Pavlik 1997, USFWS 1998, USFWS 2020).
Threat Impact Comments
Threats to Vail Lake Ceanothus include habitat fragmentation, degradation, and loss as a result of residential development, altered fire regime within protected lands, especially fires occuring more frequently than every 15 years (USFWS 1998, USFWS 2020). Climate change is a threat to this plant, throughout its range, particularly extreme and long-term drought, and the shifting of climate defined habitat, since this plant is limited to particular nutrient poor soils. Climate change related threats are likely to interact with, and exacerbate other threats. The occurrences of Ceanothus ophiochilus on the Agua Tibia Wilderness include plants which hybridize with C. crassifolius, it is not clear whether hybridization/introgression is a threat (USFWS 2020).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Vail Lake Ceanothus (Ceanothus ophiochilus) occurs in chamise chaparral on rocky soils from deeply weathered gabbro or pyroxene substrates, dry ridgetops and north to northeast-facing chaparral-covered slopes with phosphorous deficient soils formed from ultra-basic parent materials or weathered gabbro, at 579 - 1067 meters (1900 - 3500 feet) elevation (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2016, USFWS 1998, USFWS 2020).

Ecology

There is some hybridization between Ceanothus ophiochilus and C. crassifolius, particularly on the Agua Tibia Wilderness Area. This is not considered a significant threat (USFWS 2013).

Reproduction

Ceanothus ophiochilus recovers after fire from germination of seed, it lacks a burl which various which other Ceanothus taxa resprout from, following fire. It generally requires a fire return interval between 10 to 20 years (USFWS 1998, USFWS 2013).
Terrestrial Habitats
Shrubland/chaparral
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN1
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. decline—
1.1 - Housing & urban areasRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. decline—
7 - Natural system modificationsLarge (31-70%)Extreme - seriousHigh (continuing)
7.1 - Fire & fire suppressionLarge (31-70%)Extreme - seriousHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesLarge (31-70%)Slight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alterationPervasive (71-100%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
11.2 - DroughtsPervasive (71-100%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationEVERGREEN
Economic Value (Genus)Yes
Roadless Areas (3)
California (3)
AreaForestAcres
Cutca ValleyCleveland National Forest14,530
Cutca ValleyCleveland National Forest14,530
Hixon FlatSan Bernardino National Forest8,095
References (11)
  1. California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB). 2023. RareFind Version 5.2.14. California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento.
  2. CCH2 Portal. 2023. Consortium of California Herbaria. Online. Available: https//:www.cch2.org/portal/index.php (accessed 2023).
  3. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2016. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 12. Magnoliophyta: Vitaceae to Garryaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 603 pp.
  4. Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1400 pp.
  5. 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.
  6. NatureServe. 2023. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  7. Skinner, M.W., and B.M. Pavlik, eds. 1997 (1994). Inventory of rare and endangered vascular plants of California. 1997 Electronic Inventory Update of 1994 5th edition, California Native Plant Society, Special Publication No. 1, Sacramento.
  8. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1995. Proposed endangered and threatened status for four chaparral plants from southwestern California and northwestern Baja California, Mexico. Federal Register 60(190): 51443-51452.
  9. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1998. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants: endangered or threatened status for three plants from the chaparral and scrub of southwestern California. Federal Register 63(197):54956-54971.
  10. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2013. <i>Ceanothus ophiochilus</i> (Vail Lake Ceanothus) 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office. Carlsbad, California. Online. Available https://ecosphere-documents-production-public.s3.amazonaws.com/sams/public_docs/species_nonpublish/2043.pdf (Accessed 2023).
  11. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2020. 5-Year Review Vail Lake ceanothus (<i>Ceanothus ophiochilus</i>). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office. Online. Available: https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/tess/species_nonpublish/3427.pdf (Accessed 2923).