San Mateo woolly sunflower facts for kids
The San Mateo woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum latilobum) is a very special plant. It's a type of herb that lives for many years, called a perennial. This plant is super rare! It's found only in the state of California, United States. Because it's so rare, both the U.S. government and the state of California have listed it as an endangered species. This means it's in danger of disappearing forever. It belongs to the daisy family, which is called Asteraceae.
Quick facts for kids Eriophyllum latilobumSan Mateo woolly sunflower |
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Eriophyllum
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E. latilobum
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| Eriophyllum latilobum Rydb.
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Contents
What Does the San Mateo Woolly Sunflower Look Like?
The San Mateo woolly sunflower is a small plant. It grows like a tiny shrub, usually between 20 and 50 centimeters (about 8 to 20 inches) tall. Its name, Latilobum, comes from Latin words meaning "with wide lobe." This refers to its leaves.
Leaves and Flowers
This plant has thin leaves that are two to six centimeters long. They are shaped like a diamond or an egg-shape (wider at the top). The leaves have deep, triangular lobes and feel smooth on top.
The flowers grow in groups that look like flat-topped heads. These heads have yellow "petals" called ray flowers. There are usually 6 to 13 ray flowers. In the center, there are 40 to 70 tiny disc flowers, each about three to four millimeters wide.
Seeds and Other Features
After the flowers, the plant produces fruits that are like small seeds. The outer seeds are 4-sided and cylinder-shaped. The inner seeds are more club-shaped. These seeds are hairy and measure about 3-4 millimeters.
The plant's pappus is a bit jagged. The pappus is like a crown of hairs or scales on top of the seed. It helps the seed fly away in the wind. For this plant, the pappus can be very small, from 0.3 to 1.0 millimeters.
Where Does the San Mateo Woolly Sunflower Live?
This special plant is found in only a few places in California. It has been seen in San Mateo County, San Benito County, and Napa County. It likes to grow in oak woodlands. It prefers altitudes between 100 and 150 meters (about 330 to 490 feet).
Special Soil
The San Mateo woolly sunflower mostly grows in shady, moist spots. It likes steep, grassy slopes or areas with a few trees. It especially loves a unique type of ground called serpentine soil. This soil is found in patches in the Coast Ranges of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Serpentine soil is special because it comes from a type of rock rich in iron and magnesium. Many plants that grow on serpentine soils are also rare or endangered. This is because the soil has a unique chemical makeup that only certain plants can handle.
Remaining Plants
In San Mateo County, there are only a few hundred of these plants left. They are spread out along about two and a half miles of Crystal Springs Road. Scientists believe these are the last parts of a much larger group of plants that used to live there.
Sometimes, people report seeing this plant in other counties like Mariposa County and Riverside County. However, these sightings are often near big roads. This means they might just be "waifs," which are plants that grew from seeds accidentally carried there, not from a natural population.
Why is the San Mateo Woolly Sunflower Endangered?
The San Mateo woolly sunflower is in serious trouble. Both California and the U.S. government have officially listed it as an endangered species. This means it's at high risk of becoming extinct.
Threats to its Home
One of the biggest threats is urban development. As cities and towns grow, they build on the land where this plant lives. This breaks up its habitat into smaller and smaller pieces.
The plants near Crystal Springs Road face many dangers:
- Dumping: People sometimes dump garden waste from their homes onto the slopes. This can harm the plants.
- Pollution: Rain can wash pesticides and fertilizers from nearby homes down the slopes. These chemicals are bad for the plants.
- Invasive Plants: Invasive plants are non-native plants that grow quickly and take over. They can crowd out the San Mateo woolly sunflower.
- Natural Disasters: The steep slopes where the plant lives can have mudslides and erosion. These natural events can destroy colonies of the plant.
- Road Work: Sometimes, road maintenance crews might not know about the plants. They could accidentally remove plants or seeds when clearing mudslides or reshaping the slopes.
All these problems make it very hard for the San Mateo woolly sunflower to survive and thrive. Protecting its habitat is key to saving this unique California plant.
