Chaparral beargrass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chaparral beargrass |
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Nolina cismontana, also known as chaparral beargrass or California beargrass, is a special flowering plant. It is quite rare and grows only in the Peninsular and Transverse Ranges of California. This plant is endemic to this area, meaning it's found nowhere else in the world!
You can find Nolina cismontana in just four counties in Southern California: Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Ventura. There are only about 15 to 17 known groups of these plants. Experts believe there are between 10,000 and 20,000 individual plants in total.
This plant was once thought to be a type of Nolina parryi. But in 1995, scientists decided it was different enough to be its own species. They looked closely at how the plants looked and where they grew.
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Where Does Chaparral Beargrass Grow?
Nolina cismontana lives in the dry, rocky areas of coastal mountains. It likes places with chaparral and coastal sage scrub plants. These areas often have rocky soil made of sandstone and gabbro.
In contrast, its cousin, Nolina parryi, usually grows in woodlands. N. parryi prefers soils made from granite.
Why Is This Plant in Danger?
The number of Nolina cismontana plants is going down. This is happening across most of the places where it grows. Many things threaten this special plant:
- Building and Roads: New buildings and roads take away its natural home. This also breaks up its habitat into smaller pieces.
- Farming: Land used for agriculture can also destroy its living space.
- Fires: Changes in how often wildfires happen can affect the plant.
- Outdoor Fun: Activities like hiking can sometimes disturb the plants.
- New Plants: Plants from other places, called non-native species, can sometimes harm Nolina cismontana.
How Wildfires Help Chaparral Beargrass
This plant is known as a "fire-follower." This means it actually grows and blooms a lot after a wildfire. The fire clears out other plants and helps Nolina cismontana spread its seeds.
What Does Nolina Cismontana Look Like?
Nolina cismontana can grow to be about 30 centimeters (1 foot) tall. But it can also get much taller, sometimes over 1 meter (3 feet) high!
Its Leaves
At the bottom of the plant, close to the ground, you'll find a group of long, thin leaves. There can be 30 to 90 of these leaves. Each leaf can be up to 140 centimeters (about 4.5 feet) long. They are about 3 centimeters (1 inch) wide. The leaves are stiff and can look like whips. Sometimes they are waxy. Their edges have small teeth, like a saw.
Its Flowers
The plant produces a tall stalk with many whitish flowers. These flowers grow in a cluster with pointed leaf-like parts called bracts.
Interestingly, Nolina cismontana has separate male and female plants. This means that male flowers grow on one plant, and female flowers grow on a different plant.
See also
In Spanish: Nolina cismontana para niños
