Brodiaea pallida
Encyclopedia
Brodiaea pallida is a rare species of flowering plant in the cluster-lily genus
known by the common name Chinese Camp brodiaea. It is endemic to California
, where it is known from a two populations along the border between Tuolumne
and Calaveras Counties
. The first population is at the Type locality near Chinese Camp
and contains a varying number of individuals which has been estimated at 600 to 5000. This population is limited to a 65-acre tract of land which is privately owned. The plant was federally listed as a threatened species in 1998. In the year 2000, a second population was discovered 24 kilometers away, and it may contain up to 10,000 individuals. The species is threatened by development of its habitat.
It is a perennial producing an inflorescence
up to about 20 centimeters tall bearing pale purple flowers on short pedicels
. Each flower has six strongly curving tepal
s about a centimeter long. In the center of the flower are three erect white, notch-tipped sterile stamen
s called staminode
s, each about as long as the tepals. Within these are the fertile stamens. Flowering occurs in late May and early June.
This plant grows in mixed soils of volcanic
and serpentine
origin in vernally moist areas of grassland
next to intermittent streams. At the time it was placed on the endangered species list, it was known only from a strip of land under 0.8 kilometers long and just 6 meters wide, and was at risk for extinction
from any one destructive event. The population had been fragmented
and part was destroyed by construction activity in 1982. It was listed as a threatened species rather than an endangered species
because no further disturbance was planned for the area at the time. The second population is also located on privately owned land. It is on the outskirts of the town of Copperopolis
, and it is in a zone slated for residential construction. Even if development does not occur at the locations of the plants, development activity nearby could still affect them by altering the flow of the streams, increasing runoff
, or encouraging development of road
s and firebreak
s.
The genetic variability
of the populations is unknown because it reproduces vegetatively
by cloning
as well as sexually
by seed.
Brodiaea
Brodiaea is a monocot genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Brodiaeoideae, also known by the common name cluster-lilies...
known by the common name Chinese Camp brodiaea. It is endemic to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it is known from a two populations along the border between Tuolumne
Tuolumne County, California
Tuolumne County is a county in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. The northern half of Yosemite National Park is located in the eastern part of the county. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,365, up from 54,501 at the 2000 census...
and Calaveras Counties
Calaveras County, California
Calaveras County is a county located in the Gold Country of the U.S. state of California. Calaveras is the Spanish word for skulls; the county was reportedly named for the remains of Native Americans discovered by the Spanish explorer Captain Gabriel Moraga. As of the 2010 census, the county had a...
. The first population is at the Type locality near Chinese Camp
Chinese Camp, California
Chinese Camp is a census-designated place in Tuolumne County, California, United States. The population was 126 at the 2010 census, down from 146 at the 2000 census. It lies in the grassy foothills of the Sierra Nevada near the southern end of California's Gold Country.-History:Chinese Camp is the...
and contains a varying number of individuals which has been estimated at 600 to 5000. This population is limited to a 65-acre tract of land which is privately owned. The plant was federally listed as a threatened species in 1998. In the year 2000, a second population was discovered 24 kilometers away, and it may contain up to 10,000 individuals. The species is threatened by development of its habitat.
It is a perennial producing an inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
up to about 20 centimeters tall bearing pale purple flowers on short pedicels
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
. Each flower has six strongly curving tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s about a centimeter long. In the center of the flower are three erect white, notch-tipped sterile stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s called staminode
Staminode
In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen. This means that it does not produce pollen. Staminodes are frequently inconspicuous and stamen-like, usually occurring at the inner whorl of the flower, but are also sometimes long enough to protrude from the...
s, each about as long as the tepals. Within these are the fertile stamens. Flowering occurs in late May and early June.
This plant grows in mixed soils of volcanic
Volcanic rock
Volcanic rock is a rock formed from magma erupted from a volcano. In other words, it is an igneous rock of volcanic origin...
and serpentine
Serpentine soil
A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....
origin in vernally moist areas of grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
next to intermittent streams. At the time it was placed on the endangered species list, it was known only from a strip of land under 0.8 kilometers long and just 6 meters wide, and was at risk for extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
from any one destructive event. The population had been fragmented
Habitat fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation as the name implies, describes the emergence of discontinuities in an organism's preferred environment , causing population fragmentation...
and part was destroyed by construction activity in 1982. It was listed as a threatened species rather than an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
because no further disturbance was planned for the area at the time. The second population is also located on privately owned land. It is on the outskirts of the town of Copperopolis
Copperopolis, California
Copperopolis is a census-designated place in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 3,671 at the 2010 census, up from 2,363 at the 2000 census. The town is located along State Route 4 and is registered as California Historical Landmark #296.- History :Unlike most of the...
, and it is in a zone slated for residential construction. Even if development does not occur at the locations of the plants, development activity nearby could still affect them by altering the flow of the streams, increasing runoff
Surface runoff
Surface runoff is the water flow that occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain, meltwater, or other sources flows over the land. This is a major component of the water cycle. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called a nonpoint source...
, or encouraging development of road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
s and firebreak
Firebreak
A firebreak is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebreak may occur naturally where there is a lack of vegetation or "fuel", such as a river, lake or canyon...
s.
The genetic variability
Genetic variability
Genetic variability is a measure of the tendency of individual genotypes in a population to vary from one another. Variability is different from genetic diversity, which is the amount of variation seen in a particular population. The variability of a trait describes how much that trait tends to...
of the populations is unknown because it reproduces vegetatively
Vegetative reproduction
Vegetative reproduction is a form of asexual reproduction in plants. It is a process by which new individuals arise without production of seeds or spores...
by cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
as well as sexually
Sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction is the creation of a new organism by combining the genetic material of two organisms. There are two main processes during sexual reproduction; they are: meiosis, involving the halving of the number of chromosomes; and fertilization, involving the fusion of two gametes and the...
by seed.