Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.156820
Element CodePDPGN084F8
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationVariety
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderPolygonales
FamilyPolygonaceae
GenusEriogonum
Other Common NamesCushenbury buckwheat (EN)
Concept ReferenceKartesz, 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 CommentsOne of several vars. in a wide-ranging sp., application of this name in various floras & revisions has been mainly to var. nivale (Munz, 1968); in a large & complex genus of w & s N. Am. Genetic analysis by Archibald et al. (2001) revealed that all six varieties (note: var. depressum, var. monarchense, var. ochroleucum, var. pansum, and var. vineum were not sampled for the study) are very similar allozymically with var. williamsiae being the most similar to the widespread var. ovalifolium.
Conservation Status
Review Date2015-11-03
Change Date1989-05-01
Edition Date1988-12-12
Edition AuthorsJoyal, E., rev. Maybury (1997), rev. K. Gravuer (2009)
Threat ImpactVery high - high
Range Extent100-1000 square km (about 40-400 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 80
Rank ReasonsRestricted to a carbonate belt in the northeastern San Bernardino Mountains, San Bernardino County, California. Approximately 29 occurrences are believed extant (with another 4 historical and 1 of unknown status) within an area of approximately 240 square kilometers. Population size was estimated to be about 13,000 plants. Habitat destruction and degradation associated with limestone mining is the major threat to this taxon. Lesser threats include off-highway vehicle use, trash dumping, recreational use (shooting, camping, horseback riding), recreational and urban development, and potential power line and hydroelectric development projects. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2002) has designated Critical Habitat and the U.S. Forest Service has developed the Carbonate Habitat Management Strategy (2003) with the aim of mitigating these threats.
Range Extent CommentsEndemic to San Bernardino County, California, where restricted to the carbonate belt of the northeastern San Bernardino Mountains extending from Rattlesnake Canyon in the east to White Mountain in the west, a distance of approximately 40 km. Occurrences are known from Arctic and Cushenbury Canyons, Terrace and Jacoby Springs, along Nelson Ridge, and southeast to near Onyx Peak (USFWS 2002). Range occurs in and adjacent to San Bernardino National Forest; San Bernardino County, California; using GIS tools, range extent was calculated to be approximately 240 square km.
Occurrences CommentsApproximately 29 occurrences are believed extant, with an additional 4 historical and 1 of unknown status, when mapped using the separation distance of the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB). Other reports, using a much smaller separation distance, have broken the total population into a smaller number of "patches" (e.g. 239 patches reported by SBNF cited in USFWS 2002).
Threat Impact CommentsLimestone mining is the major threat to this species. Habitat destruction and degradation result from direct removal of mined minerals, disposal of overburden on adjacent unmined habitat, associated impacts such as windblown dust, and road construction. Lesser threats to the habitat include off-highway vehicle use, trash dumping, recreational use (shooting, camping, horseback riding), recreational and urban development, and potential power line and hydroelectric development projects (USFWS 1997). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2002) has designated Critical Habitat and the U.S. Forest Service has developed the Carbonate Habitat Management Strategy (2003) with the aim of mitigating these threats.