RESILIENCE of Rare Plants
14 Federal and State-listed Rare Plant Species: Santa Rosa Island manzanita (Arctostaphylos confertiflora) Island barberry (Berberis pinnata ssp. insularis) Hoffmann’s rockcress (Boechera hoffmannii) Soft leaved Indian paintbrush (Castilleja mollis) Island rush-rose (Crocanthemum greenei) Beach spectaclepod (Dithyrea maritima) Santa Cruz Island Dudleya (Dudleya nesiotica) Santa Barbara Island Dudleya (Dudleya traskiae) Slender flowered gilia (Gilia tenuiflora ssp. hoffmannii) Santa Cruz Island Malacothrix (Malacothrix indecora) Island Malacothrix (Malacothrix squalida) Lyon’s Pentachaeta (Pentachaeta lyonii)
By Heather E. Schneider
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ometimes called “California’s Galapagos,” the Channel Islands are a hotspot for biodiversit y. More than 10% of the islands’ plants are endemic to the Channel Islands – meaning that they are found nowhere else on Earth. This unique plant diversit y creates essential habitat for wildlife, many of which are also endemic to the islands. This exceptional diversit y is also vulnerable, and 110 different kinds of invertebrates, reptiles, birds, mammals, and plants on the Channel Islands are classified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Nevertheless, there is reason to be hopeful. After enduring the impacts of feral pigs, cattle, sheep, and other introduced mainland vertebrates for more than 170 years, all but one island is now free of those herbivores. The islands are on a trajectory toward recovery, but sometimes nature needs a little help. In 2017, the Garden, along with island and mainland partners, developed a comprehensive, collaborative project to conserve and recover 14 different federal and state-listed rare plant species on seven of the eight Channel Islands, including Santa Catalina, Santa Barbara, San Nicolas, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel. The project objectives focus on rare plant conservation and recovery, implementing targeted actions designed to move from species status updates to on-the-ground restoration. Dr. Heather Schneider, the Garden’s Rare Plant Biologist, is leading the project, with field, lab, and greenhouse assistance from Sean Carson and Kevin Mason, the Garden’s Rare Plant Technicians. The first phase of the project is focused on exploration and conservation, using field surveys to find, map, and assess the status of wild rare plant populations. Field expeditions were launched on all seven islands in 2019, and the results were inspiring. On Santa Cruz
Island phacelia (Phacelia insularis var. insularis) Santa Cruz Island lacepod (Thysanocarpus conchuliferus)
Above: Rainbow on Santa Cruz Island. Left panel: Santa Cruz Island Dudleya is endemic to Santa Cruz Island, growing nowhere else on Earth.
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Ironwood SPRING | SUMMER 2021
Photos: Heather Schneider
