Calyptridium pulchellum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Calyptridium pulchellum |
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| Conservation status | |
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Calyptridium
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| Species: |
pulchellum
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The Mariposa Pussypaws (scientific name: Calyptridium pulchellum) is a very rare flowering plant. It's also known as Cistanthe pulchella. This special plant belongs to the Montiaceae family.
It only grows in the Sierra Nevada foothills of central California. You can find it in just a few scattered places there. It likes to grow on bare, rocky ground made of granite gravel. This plant lives in woodlands and grasslands. The government lists it as a threatened species, meaning it needs protection.
About the Mariposa Pussypaws
The Mariposa Pussypaws is a tiny plant, usually red and green. It grows new plants every year (it's an annual plant). Its stems spread out a few centimeters from the center.
It has a small bunch of thick leaves at its base, like a little rose. Its flowers grow in round clusters. They have pretty rose-colored petals and thin green parts called sepals. After flowering, it makes a tiny, clear fruit. This fruit holds one or two seeds.
Protecting the Mariposa Pussypaws
In 2007, there were only about 9 or 10 known places where this plant grew. Some of these places had a few small groups of plants. The total number of plants changes each year. This depends on the weather, which affects how many seeds sprout and how well the young plants grow.
In the past, there were between 1,680 and almost 3,000 plants in total. Some groups of plants are on private land and haven't been checked in many years. Other groups change a lot in size. They might grow from 58 plants to 770, or shrink from hundreds of plants to just 3.
What Threatens the Plant?
A big problem for this plant is that its home is getting broken up. Roads, dirt bike trails, and firebreaks cut through the areas where it lives. At least two groups of plants are in the middle of neighborhoods or on their edges. These groups might have disappeared by now.
New homes and businesses keep taking over the plant's habitat. Also, new roads and services like power lines are built to support these developments. This further reduces the plant's living space.
Cows and other farm animals sometimes eat plants in these areas. We don't know if this harms the Mariposa Pussypaws. Since most groups of plants are small, they are easily destroyed by bad events. Things like a drought or a plant disease can wipe them out. When the number of plants gets very low, it can also lead to problems with their genes. This makes it harder for them to adapt and survive.
