Lake County Stonecrop
See photo info

Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office

Species Account

LAKE COUNTY STONECROP
(Parvisedum leiocarpum)

CLASSIFICATION: Federal Endangered Species (Federal Register 62:33029 pdf; June 18, 1997)

CRITICAL HABITAT:  None designated.

RECOVERY PLAN: Draft Vernal Pool Ecosystem Recovery Plan (pdf), November 18, 2004.

DESCRIPTION:

Lake County stonecrop (Parvisedum leiocarpum) is a small, succulent annual herb in the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae). The plant has reddish stems 1-2 in. tall, small and narrow fleshy leaves. The leaves fall off before the plant flowers.

Pale yellow flowers bloom in April and May. Two rows of tiny, bell-shaped flowers are crowded on a curving flowering stem. Each flower has five small petals. See Hickman (1993) in General Information about California Plants, below, for a detailed description of the species.

DISTRIBUTION:

Lake County stonecrop grows in shallow depressions and vernal pools which are seasonally wet and become dry in the late spring. The species is able to collect and store water and thus does not require much soil. Although the surface texture may vary, the substrate is usually of volcanic origin, restricting drainage because of the presence of a durapan (a impermeable layer) or bedrock below the soil surface. At one population location, this plant is found in small depressions on a bedrock surface. The three populations of this plant are found in Lake County within a 10 mile radius from Seigler Springs near Lower Lake. The populations range in elevation from 1,300 to 2,600 feet.

Surrounding plant communities are usually grasslands or meadows surrounded by oak woodlands or chaparral. Species associated with this plant include goldfields (Lasthenia spp.), popcorn flower (Plagiobothrys spp.) and button-celery (Eryngium spp.).

THREATS:

The distribution of this plant is limited by its rare habitat. It is vulnerable to trampling. Other threats are grazing and development. Much ecological and biological information regarding germination and growth requirements and vernal pool hydrology is still needed for this plant.

STATE & CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY STATUS:

The species was listed as endangered by the California Department of Fish and Game in January 1990. 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; Endangered Status for Four Plants From Vernal Pools and Mesic Areas in Northern California. Portland, Oregon.

General Information about California Plants

Photo credit: Stonecrop, species not identified, by Brother Alfred Brousseau © 1995 Saint Mary's College of California, Calphoto ID: 6249 3022 3948 0098

Prepared by Endangered Species Div., Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

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