Menzies' wallflower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Menzies' wallflower |
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|---|---|
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| subsp. eurekense | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Erysimum
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| Species: |
menziesii
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The Erysimum menziesii, also known as Menzies' wallflower, is a special type of Erysimum plant. It is a very rare plant that grows only in California. You can find it in sandy beach dune areas in Humboldt, Mendocino, and Monterey Counties.
This plant is listed as an endangered species. This means it is at risk of disappearing forever. There are a few different types, or subspecies, of Menzies' wallflower, and each one is also rare.
Contents
What Menzies' Wallflower Looks Like
Menzies' wallflower is a small plant, usually growing no taller than 15 centimeters (about 6 inches). It's a type of herb, like a small plant without a woody stem. It can live for two years (biennial) or many years (perennial).
Its leaves are long and grow straight along the stem. The leaves near the bottom are often thicker, hairier, and have a lobed shape. At the top of the stem, you'll see a thick cluster of bright yellow flowers. After the flowers fade, they leave behind long, straight fruits called siliques. The plant's look can change a bit depending on its specific type or subspecies.
How the Plant Grows and Survives
One type of Menzies' wallflower is pollinated by a rare bee called Emphoropsis miserabilis. This means the bee helps the plant make seeds.
The plant produces many seeds, which is called high fecundity. However, most of its baby plants, or seedlings, do not survive. Over 98% of them die in their first year. Also, at least one type of this plant often gets a disease from a fungus called Albugo canadensis.
Different Types of Menzies' Wallflower
Scientists have found several different types, or subspecies, of Menzies' wallflower. Each one is unique and lives in specific places.
- E. m. ssp. eurekense (Humboldt Bay wallflower): This type is found near Humboldt Bay in California. It grows with other beach plants like beach sagewort and coast buckwheat. Some of its home is in the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
- E. m. ssp. menziesii: This type grows in two separate areas, one on the Mendocino Coast and another on the Monterey Peninsula. It likes bare beach sand that often gets wet from tides and sea spray. Other plants like evening primrose and beach bur grow nearby. You can find it in MacKerricher State Park and Asilomar State Beach.
- E. m. ssp. yadonii (Yadon's wallflower): This type is found near Marina in Monterey County. Some of its habitat has been lost due to things like mining. Some plants are now growing at Marina State Beach, including some that were grown by people and planted there.
- E. m. ssp. concinnum (curly wallflower): This type grows from Mendocino County into Oregon. It was added as a subspecies of E. menziesii after 1992.
Protecting Menzies' Wallflower
Protecting Menzies' wallflower is very important because it is an endangered species. In 1997, there were about 33,000 individual plants, not counting the concinnum subspecies. We don't have an exact number for how many there are now.
Many things threaten this plant:
- People and vehicles: Sometimes, people walking or riding horses can accidentally step on the plants. Off-road vehicles can also damage their habitat.
- Sand mining: Some areas where the plant grows have been used for sand mining, which destroys its home.
- New plants: A bigger problem is when plants from other places, called non-native plants, start growing where Menzies' wallflower lives. These non-native plants, like Pampas grass, can take over and push out the native wallflower.
People are working hard to help save this plant. Conservation projects are removing these non-native plants from the wallflower's habitat. This helps give Menzies' wallflower more space and resources to grow and survive.
