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Amsinckia douglasiana

A. DC.

Douglas' Fiddleneck

G4Apparently Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
HighThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.134147
Element CodePDBOR01010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderLamiales
FamilyBoraginaceae
GenusAmsinckia
Other Common Names
Douglas' fiddleneck (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
Most records of Amsinckia douglasiana from outside the Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara area are erroneous records because for a while the name A. douglasiana was misapplied to A. intermedia (pers. comm. from Ron Kelley, The Jepson Manual Amsinckia author for the new edition to Kristi Lazar, CNPS botanist, May 2007); as a result mapping herbarium records identified as A. douglasiana in the Consortium of California Herbaria database as of May 2007 yields a misleadingly large distribution. The range in the 1993 edition of The Jepson Manual is more accurate.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-08-23
Change Date2024-08-23
Edition Date2024-08-23
Edition AuthorsDavis, G. rev. Bittman (2018), rev. N. Ventrella (2024)
Threat ImpactHigh
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Amsinckia douglasiana is an annual forb that is endemic to unstable, shaley, sedimentary substrate in cismontane woodlands and valley and foothill grasslands of southern California. There are 81-300 occurrences of this species, which are threatened by habitat loss due to agriculture.
Range Extent Comments
Amsinckia douglasiana is a California endemic, occurring throughout much of the cismontane region of Kern, Monterey, San Benito, San Juis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties of southern California (CNPS 2024).
Occurrences Comments
This species has long ben confused with other Amsinckia, such as A. menziesii var. intermedia, A. tessellata, and A. eastwoodiae (Jepson Flora Project 2024). Herbarium records may underrepresent or overrepresent true abundance.
Threat Impact Comments
Amsinckia douglasiana is threatened by habitat loss due to agriculture.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Amsinckia douglasiana occurs on slopes in unstable, shaley, sedimentary substrate in cismontane woodlands and valley and foothill grasslands (Jepson Flora Project 2024, CNPS 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandGrassland/herbaceous
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
MaineSNANo
CaliforniaS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquaculturePervasive (71-100%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingPervasive (71-100%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
2.3.4 - Scale unknown/unrecordedPervasive (71-100%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (5)
California (5)
AreaForestAcres
CamuesaLos Padres National Forest8,209
Little PineLos Padres National Forest1,315
MatilijaLos Padres National Forest5,218
Santa CruzLos Padres National Forest21,182
Sawmill - BadlandsLos Padres National Forest51,362
References (6)
  1. California Native Plant Society (CNPS), Rare Plant Program. 2024. Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California, online edition, v9.5. Online. Available: https://www.rareplants.cnps.org (accessed 2024).
  2. Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1400 pp.
  3. Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024. Jepson eFlora. Online. Available: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/ (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. Lazar, Kristi. Personal communication. Lead Botanist. California Natural Diversity Database, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento.
  6. Munz, P.A., with D.D. Keck. 1959. A California flora. Univ. California Press, Berkeley. 1681 pp.