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Large-flowered woolly meadow foam was listed as endangered in
2002.
Description and Life
History
Large-flowered woolly meadowfoam is an annual species in the
meadowfoam family (Limnanthaceae). Plants measure 5 to 15 centimeters
(2 to 6 inches) tall and pubescence is sparse on the stems and
leaves. The flowers, especially the calyx (set of outermost flower
leaves), are pubescent. Flowering typically occurs from April
through May.
This species is vegetatively similar to L.
floccosa var. bellingriana.
It is distinguished from other species of Limnanthes by the woolly
calyx pubescence and from other subspecies of L.
floccosa by the
two lines of hairs on the petal claws, the sparse pubescence of
the stems and leaves, and the larger corolla.
Habitat
Woolly meadowfoam occurs at the edge of vernal pools at elevations
of 375 to 400 meters (1,230 to 1,310 feet), generally near the
wetter, inner edges as opposed to the drier, outer fringes which
harbor the sympatric ssp. floccosa. Associated species include
small-flowered lupine (Lupinus micranthus), poverty clover (Trifolium
depauperatum), and least mouse-tail (Myosurus
minimum).
Reasons for Decline
Industrial, commercial, and residential development,
road and power-line construction and maintenance, livestock grazing,
agricultural conversion, weed competition, mowing, and roadside
spraying have all contributed to the decline of this species.
Range
The large-flowered woolly meadowfoam is known to occur in the
Agate Desert region of Jackson County in southwestern Oregon on
land owned by Jackson County, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife,
the City of Medford, and private individuals.
References and Links
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2002. Determination of Endangered
Status for the Plants Lomatium cookii (Cook's lomatium) and Limnanthes
floccosa ssp. grandiflora (Large-Flowered Woolly Meadowfoam) from
Southern Oregon. Federal
Register 67:68004-68015.
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