Sidalcea pedata
Encyclopedia
Sidalcea pedata, also called Bird-footed Checkerbloom or Big Bear Checkerbloom, is a rare
and endangered
perennial
herb
of California
. It blooms between May and July. However, it is an endemic
species of California and only occurs in few places in the San Bernardino Mountains
, primarily at Bear Valley, Bluff Lake. It grows at 1500–2100 m elevation in moist meadows to open woodlands and the unique pebble plain habitat of the area. Since Big Bear Valley is a resort destination, the birdfoot checkerbloom is threatened by development, vehicles and grazing.
and can be as tall as 40 cm. It has few stem
s, which are erect and somewhat stellate at the base. The leaves
are basal and are ternately divided into 5–7 parts. The flowers are about 1.3 cm long and are a deep rose-pink with darker veins. They are arranged in a spike-like raceme
, with the upper flowers closely crowded together.
Like other species within the genus Sidalcea, such as S. oregana ssp,S. pedata is sexually dimorphic.
by the state of California January 1982 and by the U.S. Federal Government August 31, 1984.
Rare species
A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon or scarce. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and may be distinct from the term "endangered" or "threatened species" but not "extinct"....
and endangered
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...
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 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...
. It blooms between May and July. However, it is an endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
species of California and only occurs in few places in the San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...
, primarily at Bear Valley, Bluff Lake. It grows at 1500–2100 m elevation in moist meadows to open woodlands and the unique pebble plain habitat of the area. Since Big Bear Valley is a resort destination, the birdfoot checkerbloom is threatened by development, vehicles and grazing.
Description
Sidalcea pedata grows from a fleshy taprootTaproot
A taproot is an enlarged, somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally.Plants with taproots are difficult to transplant...
and can be as tall as 40 cm. It has few stem
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
s, which are erect and somewhat stellate at the base. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are basal and are ternately divided into 5–7 parts. The flowers are about 1.3 cm long and are a deep rose-pink with darker veins. They are arranged in a spike-like raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
, with the upper flowers closely crowded together.
Like other species within the genus Sidalcea, such as S. oregana ssp,S. pedata is sexually dimorphic.
Other information
The Bird-footed Checkerbloom was listed as endangeredEndangered 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...
by the state of California January 1982 and by the U.S. Federal Government August 31, 1984.