Hartweg's Golden Sunburst
See photo info
Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office
Species Account
HARTWEG'S GOLDEN SUNBURST
(Pseudobahia bahiifolia)
CLASSIFICATION: Federal Endangered Species (Federal Register notice 62:5542 pdf; February 6, 1997).
CRITICAL HABITAT: None designated
RECOVERY PLAN: Southern Sierran Foothills plants (under development).
DESCRIPTION:
Hartweg's golden sunburst (Pseudobahia bahiifolia), also called Hartweg's pseudobahia, is a slender, woolly annual in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). It has one or a few stems 2-6 inches tall, with mostly narrow, undivided leaves. The yellow, or "golden," flowers bloom in March and April.
A member of the sneezeweed tribe (Helenieae), the Pseudobahia genus is distinguished from related genera by characteristics of the leaves, flowers, and seeds. Hartweg's golden sunburst is distinguished from other members of the genus by the shape of its largest leaves, which are entire or three-lobed.
See Hickman (1993) in General Information about California Plants, below, for a detailed description of the species.
DISTRIBUTION:
Hartweg's golden sunburst occurs in open grasslands and grasslands at the margins of blue oak woodland, primarily on shallow, well-drained, fine-textured soils, nearly always on the north or northeast facing of Mima mounds. These are mounds of earth roughly 1-6 feet high and 10-100 feet in diameter at the base, interspersed with basins that may pond water in the rainy season. (No one is sure what produced the mounds.)
The species is found only in the Central Valley of California. Historically, the range of the species may have extended from Yuba County south to Fresno County, a range of 200 miles. Within this range, the species was only locally abundant.
Today, there are 16 populations on the eastern edge of the San Joaquin Valley. Remaining populations are concentrated in the Friant region of Fresno and Madera counties and the La Grange region in Stanislaus County.
THREATS:
Hartweg's golden sunburst has declined because of habitat loss caused by agricultural and urban development, levee construction, pumice mining, cattle grazing, competition with nonnative weeds, road widening and off-road vehicle use.
One population is protected under a conservation agreement between The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The remaining populations continue to be threatened by some or all of the above activities.
STATE & CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY STATUS:
This species was listed as endangered by the California Department of Fish and Game in August 1981. The California Native Plant Society has placed it on List 1B (rare or endangered throughout its range).
REFERENCES FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 1997. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Endangered Status for "Pseudobahia bahiifolia" (Hartweg's golden sunburst) and Threatened Status for "Pseudobahia peirsonii" (San Joaquin adobe sunburst), Two Grassland Plants From the Central Valley of California. Portland, Oregon.
General Information about California Plants
Photo credit: Hartweg's Golden Sunburst © 2001 John Game Calphoto ID: 0000 0000 1001 0212
Prepared by Endangered
Species Div., Sacramento Fish & Wildlife
Office, U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service
|
is the U.S. Government Search Engine
Regulations.gov - Federal web site that makes it easier for you to participate in Federal rulemaking. On this site, you can find, review, and submit comments on Federal documents that are open for comment and published in the Federal Register, the Government's legal newspaper. |
||
|
Students! Career-related training and employment. Protect and conserve fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. Vacation, holiday and sick leave. Your student job could lead to a career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Check out the national Student Job page. |