Home/Species/ Bodie Hills Cusickiella

Cusickiella quadricostata

(Rollins) Rollins

Bodie Hills Cusickiella

G2Imperiled Found in 26 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G2ImperiledGlobal Rank

MediumThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.135985

Element CodePDBRA2V010

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderCapparales

FamilyBrassicaceae

GenusCusickiella

Synonyms

Draba quadricostataRollins

Other Common Names

Bodie Hills cusickiella (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

Sometimes treated as Draba quadricostata.

Conservation Status

Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x

Review Date2016-05-27

Change Date1998-02-01

Edition Date2016-05-27

Edition AuthorsD. Gries (1997), rev. K. Gravuer (2009). rev. Treher (2016)

Threat ImpactMedium

Range Extent1000-5000 square km (about 400-2000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences21 - 80

Rank Reasons

Endemic to a small area of eastern California and adjacent western Nevada, in the Sweetwater Mountains (CA and NV), Bodie Hills (CA), and Wassuk Range (NV). Three occurrences, one in Nevada and two in California, have been observed in the past 20 years, with another 36 occurrences in both states last observed 1978-1983. More occurrences may yet be discovered, as much potential habitat remains to be searched. Can be quite abundant where found, although it has also been described to be "not as common as previously thought." Most occurrences are on BLM and US Forest Service land. Threatened by grazing and trampling by cattle and sheep, roads, and mining.

Range Extent Comments

Eastern California (Sweetwater Mountains and Bodie Hills of northern Mono County, in the East of Sierra Nevada and White and Inyo Mountains bioregions) and adjacent western Nevada (Sweetwater Mountains of Douglas and Lyon counties and Wassuk Range of Mineral County) (Hickman 1993, Holmgren et al. 2005).

Occurrences Comments

Thirty-nine occurrences, 6 in Nevada and 33 in California. Of those, 36 occurrences across both states were last observed 1978-1993. However, Morefield (2001) notes that, in Nevada at least, "a few project-related surveys have been conducted, but much potential habitat remains to be examined."

Threat Impact Comments

Threatened by grazing and trampling by cattle and sheep, roads that go through or are adjacent to occurrences, and mining/prospecting activities.

Ecology & Habitat

Description

A cushion-like mat-forming perennial 1-5 cm tall, forming mats up to 50 cm wide from a subterranean stem with many slender branches. Taproot usually well-developed. Withered leaves and leaf bases occur along the stems. Stem and leaves are hairy. Leaves are 2-4 mm long and are pale green, more or less linear, thick and leathery. Leaves are numerous and are densely crowded on the short stems. Flowering stems have 5-10 flowers, with creamy yellow sepals (2-3 mm long) and petals (3-5 mm long); the lower flowers have leaflike bracts beneath. The flowering stem usually elongates in fruit. Fruits are inflated egg-shaped silicles 3-4 mm long, with 4 prominent ribs and simple hairs. The styles are persistent on the fruits and a 0.5-1 mm long (Kartesz 1988, Rollins 1993, Holmgren et al. 2005).

Diagnostic Characteristics

Identified by its small size, yellow petals and strongly inflated four-angled silicles (Kartesz 1988).

Habitat

Rocky flats and windswept slopes and ridges; generally in rocky soils, sometimes in clay soils. Sagebrush (Great Basin scrub) and pinyon-juniper woodland communties, 1890-2800 m.

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest/WoodlandWoodland - ConiferShrubland/chaparral

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN2

Province	Rank	Native
California	S2	Yes
Nevada	S2	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture	Large - restricted	Serious - slight	High (continuing)
3 - Energy production & mining	Restricted (11-30%)	Serious - slight	High (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbance	Small (1-10%)	Serious - slight	High (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activities	Small (1-10%)	Serious - slight	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (26)

California (14)

Area	Forest	Acres
Chineese Camp (CA)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	4,339
Devil's Gate (CA)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	9,946
Fales	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	9,138
Fourth Of July Spr (CA)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	2,689
Hoover - Green Ck No	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	7,155
Hoover - Mt.olsen	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	624
Hoover - Virginia Lks	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	5,050
Long Meadow	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	11,967
Mt. Jackson	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	20,721
Mt. Olsen	Inyo National Forest	2,161
Robinson Peak	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	5,835
Sweetwater (CA)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	19,241
West Walker (CA)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	495
Wild Horse Mtn. (CA)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	28,822

Nevada (12)

Area	Forest	Acres
Aurora Crater	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	5,689
Butler Mtn.	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	25,878
Chineese Camp (NV)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	15,207
Fourmile Hill	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	15,718
Fourth Of July Spr (NV)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	3,145
Larken Lake	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	4,159
Long Valley	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	50,472
Mt. Hicks	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	15,698
Pine Grove South	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	88,945
Sweetwater (NV)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	5,946
West Walker (NV)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	5,683
Wild Horse Mtn. (NV)	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	1,399

References (8)

California Native Plant Society (CNPS). 2009. Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants. California Native Plant Society. Sacramento, CA. Online. Available: http://www.cnps.org/inventory (accessed 2009).
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2010. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 7. Magnoliophyta: Salicaceae to Brassicaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxii + 797 pp.
Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1400 pp.
Holmgren, N.H., P.K. Holmgren, and A. Cronquist. 2005. Intermountain flora. Volume 2, part B. Subclass Dilleniidae. The New York Botanical Garden Press. 488 pages.
Kartesz, J.T. 1988. A flora of Nevada. Ph.D. dissertation. Univ. of Nevada, Reno. 3 volumes. 1729 pp.
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.
Morefield, J.D., editor. 2001. Nevada rare plant atlas [with rare plant fact sheets]. Available as a pdf file at: http://heritage.nv.gov/atlas/atlas.html. Compiled by the Nevada Natural Heritage Program, Carson City, for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Reno, Nevada.
Rollins, R.C. 1993a. The Cruciferae of continental North America: Systematics of the mustard family from the Arctic to Panama. Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford, California. 976 pp.

Cusickiella quadricostata

Description

Diagnostic Characteristics

Habitat

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