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Clarkia springvillensis

Vasek

Springville Clarkia

G2Imperiled Found in 8 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G2ImperiledGlobal Rank
HighThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.159320
Element CodePDONA05120
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderMyrtales
FamilyOnagraceae
GenusClarkia
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 Date2024-06-25
Change Date2013-08-20
Edition Date2024-06-25
Edition AuthorsMaybury, K. (1997), rev. C. Nordman (2024).
Threat ImpactHigh
Range Extent250-1000 square km (about 100-400 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 80
Rank Reasons
Springville Clarkia (Clarkia springvillensis) is endemic to the foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada in a small area of Tulare County, California. There are about twenty occurrences believed to be extant, applying a 1.0 kilometer separation distance between occurrences; these can be considered 27 occurrences if applying a 400 meter separation distance. It occurs primarily on lands of the U.S. Forest Service, Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument. Threats include drought (which is exacerbated by climate change), road maintenance activities (including roadside herbicide applications), road improvements, and competition from nonnative plants, especially the Italian thistle (Carduus pycnocephalus), residential development, inappropriate livestock grazing, and altered fire regimes.
Range Extent Comments
Springville Clarkia (Clarkia springvillensis) occurs in the southwestern United States, and it is endemic to the foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada in a limited area in Tulare County, California. Range extent was estimated to be 779 square kilometers, using herbarium specimens and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1993 and 2024 (Hickman 1993, FNA 2021, USFWS 2022, CNDDB 2024, Jepson Flora Project 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, and anecdotal evidence, there about twenty occurrences of Springville Clarkia (Clarkia springvillensis) rangewide (CNDDB 2024, SEINet 2024). If occurrences are defined with a 400 meter (1/4 mile) separation distance, there are estimated to be 27 occurrences (CNDDB 2024, USFWS 2022).
Threat Impact Comments
The primary threats to Springville Clarkia (Clarkia springvillensis) include drought, climate change, road maintenance activities (including roadside herbicide applications), road improvements, and competition from nonnative plants, especially the Italian thistle (Carduus pycnocephalus), "all contacted landowners and managers of Springville Clarkia occurrences cited drought and climate change as significant threats to the species" (USFWS 2022). Other threats include residential development, inappropriate livestock grazing (such as when these annual plants are flowering and before seed has matured and dispersed) and altered fire regimes (CNDDB 2024, USFWS 2022).
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

"Springville Clarkia can be distinguished from the sympatric Elegant Clarkia (Clarkia unguiculata) by the absence of long hairs on the calyx and ovary, the purple sepals, and the dark purple spot at the base of the petals" (USFWS 2022).

Habitat

Springville Clarkia (Clarkia springvillensis) occurs primarily on the slope of road banks, on small decomposing granitic domes, and in sunny openings, within chaparral and blue oak (Quercus douglasii) woodland communities, at 330-1220 m elevation (USFWS 2022).

Ecology

The effects on Springville Clarkia (Clarkia springvillensis) of livestock grazing and fire are both highly variable depending on timing, intensity and duration. Both livestock grazing and fire, if low or moderate intensity and occurring in late summer or fall can reduce competition or nonnative plants or chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum), which is a native shrub competitor in chaparral (USFWS 2022).

Reproduction

The seeds can remain dormant for at least two years, and they form a soil seed bank that helps maintain genetic diversity (McCue and Holtsford 1998, USFWS 2022).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodShrubland/chaparral
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineModerate - insignificant/negligible
1.1 - Housing & urban areasSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineModerate - insignificant/negligible
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
4 - Transportation & service corridorsSmall (1-10%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
4.1 - Roads & railroadsSmall (1-10%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesRestricted - smallSerious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesRestricted - smallSerious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
11.2 - DroughtsPervasive (71-100%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL, SPRING-FLOWERING
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (8)
California (8)
AreaForestAcres
Black Mtn.Sequoia National Forest15,102
Black Mtn.Sequoia National Forest15,102
Dennison PeakSequoia National Forest6,293
Dennison PeakSequoia National Forest6,293
Lion RidgeSequoia National Forest5,265
MosesSequoia National Forest22,077
MosesSequoia National Forest22,077
Slate Mtn.Sequoia National Forest12,299
References (9)
  1. California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB). 2024. RareFind Version 5.3.0. California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento.
  2. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2021. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 10. Magnoliophyta: Proteaceae to Elaeagnaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 456 pp.
  3. Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1400 pp.
  4. Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024. Jepson eFlora. Online. Available: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/ (accessed 2024).
  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. McCue, K.A. and T.P. Holtsford. 1998. Seed bank influences on genetic diversity in the rare annual <i>Clarkia springvillensis</i> (Onagraceae). American Journal of Botany 85:30–36. Online. Available: https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.2307/2446551 (accessed 2024).
  7. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  8. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1994. Proposed endangered or threatened status for 10 plants from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Federal Register 59(191): 50540-50550.
  9. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2022. 5-Year Review: Springville Clarkia (<i>Clarkia springvillensis</i>). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, Sacramento, CA. Online. Available: https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/tess/species_nonpublish/3954.pdf (Accessed 2024).