Santa Ynez groundstar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Santa Ynez groundstar |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| (unranked): | |
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| Genus: |
Ancistrocarphus
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| Species: |
A. keilii
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| Binomial name | |
| Ancistrocarphus keilii Morefield
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The Ancistrocarphus keilii is a very special and rare flowering plant. It is often called the Santa Ynez groundstar. This plant is found only in a small area of Santa Barbara County, California. It grows near the Santa Ynez River.
Scientists believe there are only about 180 of these plants left in the world. This makes it a very important plant to protect! It was first officially named by scientists in 2004.
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About the Santa Ynez Groundstar
The Santa Ynez groundstar is a small plant. It grows in sandy soil. You can find it in areas called chaparral, which are like shrublands. It often grows next to oak trees.
Why Is This Plant Rare?
The Santa Ynez groundstar is considered to be in danger of disappearing. This is because there are so few of them. Also, the places where they grow might be changed by people building things.
Another reason it's rare is that its seeds don't spread very well. This means new plants often grow right next to the parent plant. This makes it hard for the plant to spread to new, safer areas.
What Does It Look Like?
This plant is an annual herb. This means it lives for only one growing season. It's very small and easy to miss. It doesn't have a tall stem. Instead, it has a small group of leaves that look like a circle, called a rosette.
The leaves are shaped like spoons. They are only about 1 or 2 centimeters long. The bottom part of the leaves, called petioles, are thin and wide. They wrap around the plant's tiny flowers.
Its Tiny Flowers
The plant has one very small flower head. It's only 2 or 3 millimeters long. This tiny flower head is hidden among the bases of the leaves.
After the flower blooms, it produces a tiny seed, called an achene. This seed usually falls right next to the parent plant. Because of this, the plants often grow very close together. They can form a carpet-like layer on the ground.
Who Is David John Keil?
The scientific name of the plant, Ancistrocarphus keilii, honors a California botanist. His name is David John Keil. He was born in 1946.
