San Benito suncup facts for kids
Quick facts for kids San Benito suncup |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Camissonia
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| Species: |
benitensis
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Camissonia benitensis is a special type of evening primrose plant. People often call it the San Benito suncup or San Benito evening primrose. This plant is endemic, which means it only grows naturally in California. You can find it in the southern part of San Benito County, the western part of Fresno County, and the eastern part of Monterey County.
This plant is very unique because it mostly grows on a special type of rock called serpentine. Serpentine rocks create soils that are very different from most other soils. These soils have low levels of important nutrients like nitrogen and calcium. But they have high levels of magnesium and heavy metals such as nickel and chromium. Most plants find it hard to grow in these conditions. However, the San Benito suncup is specially adapted to thrive in these challenging soils. Sometimes, it can also be found growing on a rock called greywacke, which seems to have similar qualities to serpentine.
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About the San Benito Suncup Plant
The San Benito suncup was first found by a scientist named Peter H. Raven in 1960. He described it scientifically in 1969. He discovered it growing on a serpentine stream terrace near Clear Creek. The plant's scientific name, "benitensis", honors San Benito County where it was found.
This plant is a small annual herb, meaning it lives for only one year. In the wild, it usually grows to be less than 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) tall. But if it's grown in a garden, it can become much larger, sometimes over 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) wide. Its reddish stems have many thin leaves, less than 1 centimeter long, with tiny teeth along their edges. The plant produces small yellow flowers, about 6 millimeters wide, each with four petals.
Life Cycle of the San Benito Suncup
San Benito suncup seeds start to grow when the first rains arrive in fall or winter, usually between November and January. The plants continue to grow through late fall, winter, and early spring. They start to bloom with yellow flowers in April and May. This plant is special because it can pollinate itself, meaning it doesn't need insects or other plants to make seeds.
After flowering, the plant produces a long, tube-shaped fruit, about 2 to 3 centimeters long. These fruits ripen from May to July and become dry when the plant gets old. The fruits usually don't open all the way, so most seeds stay inside. However, when raindrops hit the dry fruits, they open fully, and the tiny seeds scatter. This can happen during summer rainstorms or with the first rains in the fall. The seeds are very small, like grains of sand, and are black or brown. They can stay alive in the soil for at least 20 years, forming a "seed bank." Seeds can also travel long distances by sticking to animals or vehicles in mud.
How to Tell San Benito Suncup Apart
The San Benito suncup looks a lot like another plant called Camissonia contorta. When these plants are small, it's almost impossible to tell them apart without a magnifying glass. Another similar plant, Camissonia strigulosa, also grows in the same area. However, C. strigulosa has smaller flowers and grows flat on the ground.
Scientists use a special feature to tell these plants apart: the tiny hairs, called trichomes, on their flower stalks. C. contorta has clear, rod-like hairs. C. strigulosa has white, blade-shaped hairs. The San Benito suncup is unique because it has both kinds of hairs! This detail helps experts identify the plant correctly.
If you find a Camissonia plant that looks like C. contorta or C. benitensis growing on serpentine soil, especially in certain upland areas or stream terraces within serpentine masses, it's almost always C. benitensis.
Where the San Benito Suncup Lives
For a long time, people thought the San Benito suncup only grew on serpentine stream terraces next to streams and rivers. This type of habitat is very rare. But in 2010, many more populations of the plant were found in other places. These new locations included old serpentine soil deposits on hills, serpentine landslides, and serpentine soils around the edges of large serpentine rock areas.
These newly found habitats are called the "geologic transition zone." We now know that most of the San Benito suncup plants live in this type of habitat. These discoveries also extended the plant's known range by about 15 kilometers (9 miles) to the southeast.
San Benito Suncup's Environment
The stream terraces where the San Benito suncup grows have loose serpentine soils. These soils are stable because they are flat or have a very gentle slope. They also contain a lot of sand, gravel, and small rocks. The areas where the plant lives are often part of chaparral and woodland plant communities. The San Benito suncup grows in open spaces between the woody plants.
Common trees and shrubs in these areas include blue oak, California juniper, scrub oak, leather oak, bigberry manzanita, and buckbrush. The open spaces between these woody plants have very few other plants growing. The San Benito suncup doesn't compete well with other plants, both native and those from other places. Too many woody plants can block sunlight, which is bad for the suncup.
Sometimes, invasive grasses like Bromus madritensis try to grow in these areas. However, the extreme conditions of the serpentine soils usually prevent these grasses from spreading too much. Wildfires can actually help the San Benito suncup by clearing away other plants, both native and invasive. Land managers sometimes use controlled fires to remove invasive weeds that could harm the suncup. Grazing by cattle can also be helpful, as it removes competing vegetation.
Current Known Range
As of 2017, the San Benito suncup's known range stretches across several areas:
- The northernmost point is near Sampson Peak and Hernandez Reservoir.
- The southernmost point is near California State Route 198 between Mustang Ridge and Priest Valley.
- The easternmost point is at the headwaters of White Creek.
- The westernmost point is near Coalinga Road.
How San Benito Suncup Populations Change
The number of San Benito suncup plants can change a lot from year to year. It can go up or down by 100 to 1000 times! This change doesn't seem to depend much on how much rain falls or the temperature. Very cold winters can cause many young plants to die. This happens because the loose, sandy soil freezes at night and thaws during the day, which can damage the seedlings.
The San Benito suncup is protected from extinction by a very large seed bank in the soil. This means there are 100 to 1000 times more seeds hidden in the soil than there are plants growing above ground in any given year. Seeds in the soil have been shown to stay alive for at least 20 years. Some evidence suggests they can even last up to 105 years! Plants in the evening primrose family are known for having many long-lasting seeds in their soil seed banks.
Protecting the San Benito Suncup
The town of New Idria was founded in 1848 when a valuable mineral called cinnabar (mercury ore) was discovered. Over time, settlers and miners impacted the area. Historically, activities like logging and mining for gravel, magnesite, chromite, cinnabar, and chrysotile asbestos affected the San Benito suncup's habitat. The flat stream terraces were often used for homes and industrial activities. Plans are now in place to limit future mining in the New Idria serpentine area.
In more recent times, the Clear Creek Management Area became popular for off-road vehicle (ORV) recreation. In 1985, the San Benito suncup was listed as a threatened species by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The main reason for this was the damage caused by off-road vehicles to its habitat. At that time, only nine populations of the plant were known, mostly in areas with heavy ORV use. Since then, almost all of the stream terrace habitat in Clear Creek Canyon has been fenced off to protect it. New rules in 2005 also helped reduce ORV impacts.
The Clear Creek Management Area was temporarily closed in 2008 because the Environmental Protection Agency reported that natural asbestos in the soil was above safe levels. The area reopened in 2014, but visitors now need a permit to enter. Vehicle travel is only allowed on certain main roads. Most other routes remain closed.
A Brighter Future for the San Benito Suncup
The discovery of the "geologic transition zone" habitat and many new populations has greatly improved the future for the San Benito suncup. Most of this new habitat has not been heavily impacted by human activities, unlike some of the stream terrace areas.
Today, there are more than 600 known populations of the San Benito suncup. When the species was first listed as threatened in 1985, only 10 populations were known. By 2009, there were 60 populations. But since 2010, 600 more populations have been found, mostly in the newly discovered geologic transition zone habitat. The known area where the plant lives is now several times larger than it was when the species was first listed. Most of the possible habitat on both public and private land has now been surveyed.
Because of these positive changes, on June 1, 2020, it was suggested that Camissonia benitensis be removed from the list of federally threatened plants.
Images for kids
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A close-up of the San Benito suncup plant.
