Cirsium fontinale
Encyclopedia
Cirsium fontinale or Fountain thistle is an flower
ing perennial
herb
of the Asteraceae
family, endemic to a limited region within northern and central California
at an elevation not exceeding 750 meters. Occurrences appear limited to serpentine
seeps and stream
s within portions of the San Francisco Bay Area
and Outer South Coast Ranges. The Cirsium
genus is commonly known as the "thistle" genus, Cirsium being the Greek word for thistle. There are three recognized varieties of this species:
is acknowledged to be perennial
. Lower leaves are typically petioled or tapered, but mostly spiny-lobed; petiole
s are either spiny-lobed or toothed.
Inflorescences are characterized by prickly heads more or less grouped in a panicle-like cluster, closely subtended by the higher leaves.
Involucres are either hemispheric or bell-shaped, with purple to green coloration. Phyllaries range from a lanceolate to ovate shape. There are characteristically many flowers with white, pink or lavender corollae about 20 millimeters in length.
Anther bases are sharply sagittate, with oblong tips; the ends of the styles manifest a somewhat swollen node, with a cylindrical superior appendage. The smooth brownish fruits are four to five millimeters in diameter, but distinctly ovoid; many pappus
bristles are exhibited.
Block, within the Santa Cruz Mountains
foothills
. The California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB), maintained by the California Department of Fish and Game, lists 5 occurrences for this variety. However at two of these locations, in or near Edgewood County Park, plants have not been observed for several years, and these populations are presumed extinct.
Historically this variety occurred in a broader range throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara County. Habitats are seeps, wetlands and riparian areas associated with serpentine soil
s. This variety of Cirsium fontinale was the first to be listed as endangered by the state of California (July, 1979).
The stem of Fountain Thistle is generally less than 1.3 meter in height and reddish in color. Leaves are distinctly glandular and thinly tomentose. The inflorescence heads are generally nodding when in bloom, but typically are erect in the fruiting stage. The outer reddish phyllaries are 15 to 20 millimeters in size, and are somewhat recurved: these structures are wider above the middle, but abruptly tipped with a one to two millimeter spine. The corolla tube extends 10 millimeters, with a throat dimension of five to six millimeters and lobes approximately the same size; the style branches have a dimension of three to four millimeters. The ovoid fruits are smooth, and chromosomes are characterized as: 2n=34 +1.
, Sonoma Mountains
, Mayacamas Mountains as well as the inner coastal mountains of the east bay. As with the other species varieties, the Mount Hamilton Thistle prefers moist areas on serpentine slopes including seeps, stream environments and other wetlands. For example, one colony was found in the 1980s on serpentine soil
along the east side of Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir
. This species is a candidate species for listing on the federal endangered species
list. As with the other species varieties, the Mount Hamilton Thistle prefers moist areas on serpentine slopes including seeps, stream environments and other wetlands. This species is a candidate species for listing on the federal endangered species
list. The CNDDB lists 39 location for this variety, of which 33 are in Santa Clara County, 3 are in Alameda County and 3 are in Stanislaus County.
Morphological
differences of the Mount Hamilton Thistle compared to other varieties of this species manifest first in a green stem which has a maximum height of two meters. The leaves of var. campylon are densely tomentose
and glandular hairs are not evident. Compared to the other varieties Mount Hamilton Thistle's flowering heads are strongly and permanently nodding; moreover, its outer phyllaries present a greenish color and have a length of 20 to 30 millimeters. The phyllaries are distinctly recurved and channeled, with the widest dimension below the middle; the upper phyllary element becoming a spine of three to five millimeters. Corolla tubes are five to six millimeters long with a throat of double the tube; lobes are four toe five millimeters and style branches are about the same size as lobes. Fruits are ovoid and smooth.
The green to purplish stem of var. obispoense is always less than two meters in height, producing densely tomentose leaves, particularly for lower surfaces. When in bloom, the flowering heads have a nodding habit, but at the fruiting stage, they are erect.
The plant's outer green to dark purple phyllaries are of dimension 15 to 20 millimeters; moreover these structures are strongly recurved and somewhat channeled, with the upper half tapering to a one to four millimeter spine. The corolla tube of Chorro Creek Bog thistle is seven millmeters in size with a throat ever so slightly larger; the lobes are approximately five millimeters and the style banches of approximately the same scale. Fruits are smooth, ovoid and minutely scabrous above.
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
ing perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
of the Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
family, endemic to a limited region within northern and central 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...
at an elevation not exceeding 750 meters. Occurrences appear limited to 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....
seeps and stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s within portions of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
and Outer South Coast Ranges. The Cirsium
Cirsium
Cirsium is a genus of perennial and biennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae, one of several genera known commonly as thistles. They are more accurately known as Plume thistles. These differ from other thistle genera in having feathered hairs to their achenes...
genus is commonly known as the "thistle" genus, Cirsium being the Greek word for thistle. There are three recognized varieties of this species:
- Cirsium fontinale (E. Greene) Jepson var. fontinale, Fountain Thistle, Federal and State of California Endangered
- Cirsium fontinale (E. Greene) Jepson var. campylon, Mount Hamilton Thistle, Federal candidate for listing
- Cirsium fontinale (E. Greene) Jepson var. obispoense, Chorro Creek Bog thistle, Federal and State of California Endangered
Morphology common to all Cirsium fontinale taxa
All the taxa within Cirsium fontinale have erect stems with leaves very strongly wavy margins. These tall plants may attain a height of 2.2 meters, but may exist in the form of only 0.5 meters. A given plant may have one or more stems, and the plants are sometimes short-lived, dying after flowering only once, even though the speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
is acknowledged to be perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
. Lower leaves are typically petioled or tapered, but mostly spiny-lobed; petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
s are either spiny-lobed or toothed.
Inflorescences are characterized by prickly heads more or less grouped in a panicle-like cluster, closely subtended by the higher leaves.
Involucres are either hemispheric or bell-shaped, with purple to green coloration. Phyllaries range from a lanceolate to ovate shape. There are characteristically many flowers with white, pink or lavender corollae about 20 millimeters in length.
Anther bases are sharply sagittate, with oblong tips; the ends of the styles manifest a somewhat swollen node, with a cylindrical superior appendage. The smooth brownish fruits are four to five millimeters in diameter, but distinctly ovoid; many pappus
Pappus (flower structure)
The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual disk, ray or ligule floret surrounding the base of the corolla, in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The pappus may be composed of bristles , awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see...
bristles are exhibited.
Range and distinct features of var. fontinale
Cirsium fontinale var. fontinale, Fountain Thistle, until recently occurred only in four or five colonies within San Mateo County at elevations of approximately 120 meters, which implies a distribution on the lower slopes of the Montara MountainMontara Mountain
Montara Mountain, positioned between the unincorporated community of Montara, California to the southwest and the city of Pacifica, California to the north, forms the northern spur of the Santa Cruz Mountains, a narrow mountain range running the length of the San Francisco Peninsula that separates...
Block, within the Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
foothills
Foothills
Foothills are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills to the adjacent topographically high mountains.-Examples:...
. The California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB), maintained by the California Department of Fish and Game, lists 5 occurrences for this variety. However at two of these locations, in or near Edgewood County Park, plants have not been observed for several years, and these populations are presumed extinct.
Historically this variety occurred in a broader range throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara County. Habitats are seeps, wetlands and riparian areas associated with serpentine soil
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....
s. This variety of Cirsium fontinale was the first to be listed as endangered by the state of California (July, 1979).
The stem of Fountain Thistle is generally less than 1.3 meter in height and reddish in color. Leaves are distinctly glandular and thinly tomentose. The inflorescence heads are generally nodding when in bloom, but typically are erect in the fruiting stage. The outer reddish phyllaries are 15 to 20 millimeters in size, and are somewhat recurved: these structures are wider above the middle, but abruptly tipped with a one to two millimeter spine. The corolla tube extends 10 millimeters, with a throat dimension of five to six millimeters and lobes approximately the same size; the style branches have a dimension of three to four millimeters. The ovoid fruits are smooth, and chromosomes are characterized as: 2n=34 +1.
Range and distinct features of var. campylon
Cirsium fontanale var. campylon is uncommon, but occurs in widely distributed locations in Santa Clara, Alameda and Stanislaus County. Elevations of this variety are from 300 to 750 meters, which implies recent occurrence on the upper elevations of the Santa Cruz MountainsSanta Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
, Sonoma Mountains
Sonoma Mountains
The Sonoma Mountains are a northwest-southeast trending formation of California Coast Ranges in Sonoma County, California, USA. The range is approximately fourteen miles long and separates the Sonoma Creek watershed from the Petaluma River and Tolay Creek watersheds...
, Mayacamas Mountains as well as the inner coastal mountains of the east bay. As with the other species varieties, the Mount Hamilton Thistle prefers moist areas on serpentine slopes including seeps, stream environments and other wetlands. For example, one colony was found in the 1980s on serpentine soil
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....
along the east side of Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir
Crystal Springs Reservoir
Crystal Springs Reservoir is a pair of artificial lakes located in the northern Santa Cruz Mountains of San Mateo County, California situated in the rift valley created by the San Andreas Fault just to the west of the cities of San Mateo and Hillsborough, and I-280...
. This species is a candidate species for listing on the federal 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...
list. As with the other species varieties, the Mount Hamilton Thistle prefers moist areas on serpentine slopes including seeps, stream environments and other wetlands. This species is a candidate species for listing on the federal 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...
list. The CNDDB lists 39 location for this variety, of which 33 are in Santa Clara County, 3 are in Alameda County and 3 are in Stanislaus County.
Morphological
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
differences of the Mount Hamilton Thistle compared to other varieties of this species manifest first in a green stem which has a maximum height of two meters. The leaves of var. campylon are densely tomentose
Tomentose
Tomentose is a term used to describe plant hairs that are flattened and matted, forming a woolly coating known as tomentum. Often the hairs are silver or gray-colored...
and glandular hairs are not evident. Compared to the other varieties Mount Hamilton Thistle's flowering heads are strongly and permanently nodding; moreover, its outer phyllaries present a greenish color and have a length of 20 to 30 millimeters. The phyllaries are distinctly recurved and channeled, with the widest dimension below the middle; the upper phyllary element becoming a spine of three to five millimeters. Corolla tubes are five to six millimeters long with a throat of double the tube; lobes are four toe five millimeters and style branches are about the same size as lobes. Fruits are ovoid and smooth.
Range and distinct features of var. obispoense
The Chorro Creek Bog Thistle variety occurs only in limited portions of the Outer South Coast Ranges of central California within San Luis Obispo County. The CNDDB lists 13 occurrences for this variety. As with other subspecies it prefers riparian or seep areas, typically on slopes; its occurrence is principally associated with Chorro Creek. It is found at elevations less than 300 meters. The Chorro Creek Bog Thistle was listed as a federally endangered species on December 15, 1994 and is classified as endangered for its entire range.The green to purplish stem of var. obispoense is always less than two meters in height, producing densely tomentose leaves, particularly for lower surfaces. When in bloom, the flowering heads have a nodding habit, but at the fruiting stage, they are erect.
The plant's outer green to dark purple phyllaries are of dimension 15 to 20 millimeters; moreover these structures are strongly recurved and somewhat channeled, with the upper half tapering to a one to four millimeter spine. The corolla tube of Chorro Creek Bog thistle is seven millmeters in size with a throat ever so slightly larger; the lobes are approximately five millimeters and the style banches of approximately the same scale. Fruits are smooth, ovoid and minutely scabrous above.