Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office
Endangered Species Program
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Botanists call Butte County meadowfoam Limnanthes floccosa californica. Scientific names are in Latin or Greek.
Butte County meadowfoam is a subspecies of woolly meadowfoam. The word californica added to the species name indicates this.
The species is also known as Shippee meadowfoam.
Meadowfoam species are in the Limnanthaceae family.
Visit the Splash flower page to learn the parts of flowers and how they are pollinated.
This species account is for 4th, 5th and 6th grade students. If you are ready for a more technical account, visit our regular version.
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National Kids' Corner Page
STATUS: Endangered. That means we are afraid the species may go extinct.
Read about how we are working with partners to preserve species in Butte County.
DESCRIPTION: These plants have white flowers with five petals.
The petals form a cup. This is a way to tell that it's not some other meadowfoam.
There are dark yellow veins at the base of each of the petals. The flowers are quite small. Petals are 8-10 mm long. (About 1/3 inch)
Stems are 2.5 to 25 centimeters long. (1 to 10 inches) They generally lie flat on the ground with the tips curved upward. They have few leaves in the flowering stage. Flowers bloom late March through April.
REPRODUCTION: Vernal pool meadowfoam is largely self-pollinating. But many vernal pool species depend on bees for pollination. Learn more.
HABITAT: Along the edges of vernal pools and seasonal streams. Plants generally grow on level to gently sloping terrain. They thrive in waterlogged soils.
RANGE: A 25-mile strip along the eastern side of the Sacramento Valley. This runs from central Butte County to the north side of Chico.
THREATS: Butte County meadowfoam is primarily threatened by urban development in and around Chico.
EXPLORE: If you live in Butte County, you may be able to find the meadowfoam. Wherever you live, you can enjoy wildflowers. Throughout lots of California, you can visit vernal pools. Many of them will have a meadowfoam species.
In the spring, vernal pools have beautiful wildflowers that form rings. Other endangered vernal pool plants include:
See Kids' Splash page for more plants.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Enjoy wildflowers and take pictures. But leave them for other people to enjoy.
Plant some wildflowers or other native plants. (Get permission first.)
See What You Can Do to Help Wildlife and Plants (PDF 199KB) for other ideas for protecting the environment.
MORE READING:
Splash has lots of information. There is a video that gives a good overview of vernal pools. For more Sacramento area plants see their plant page. This is not a Fish & Wildlife Service web site.
Visit the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Kid's Corner to learn more about endangered species.
Photo Credits: Rick Kuyper, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The yellow flowers in the second picture are not Butte Co. meadowfoam. The picture is just to give you a sense of the habitat.
Last updated: June 20, 2008
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