Mariposa Pussypaws
See photo info

Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office

Species Account

MARIPOSA PUSSYPAWS
(Calyptridium pulchellum)

CLASSIFICATION: Federal Threatened Species (Federal Register 63:49022 (pdf); September 14, 1998)

CRITICAL HABITAT: None designated.

RECOVERY PLAN: Southern Sierran Foothills plants (under development).

DESCRIPTION:

Mariposa pussypaws (Calyptridium pulchellum) is a small, compact, attractive, annual herb belonging to the purslane family (Portulacaceae). The plant has fibrous roots and many prostrate stems. The smooth, slender stems are 2 to 8 inches long. The stems form a small rosette and the leaves are spatula-shaped. Both stems and the spatula-shaped leaves have smooth surfaces. Four-petalled flowers appear in April and May. These flowers grow in loose clusters at the end of stems. Petals are rose-colored. Anthers are yellow. Styles are hidden within the flower. See Hickman (1993) in General Information about California Plants, below, for a detailed description of the species.

DISTRIBUTION:

This species grows in small, barren areas on decomposed granitic sands in annual grasslands and woodlands in the southwestern foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Its adaptation to a harsh, exposed setting makes it unusual. Little else grows on these shallow, bare substrates. The plants grow at an elevation of between 1,500 and 3,600 feet.

Seven small populations are patchily distributed over a 750 square mile area in Fresno, Madera and Mariposa counties. Judging from early botanical literature, this plant has never been much more widely distributed than it is today. Collectively, the seven populations are estimated to occupy a total of only 14 gross acres.

Six of the seven populations are on private land. Five of these populations are marginal in quality and contain fewer than 300 plants. The sixth population on private land has about 900 plants. The seventh population of is on lands administered by the Sierra National Forest. It is fenced to protect it from livestock trampling and grazing .  Little else grows on these shallow, bare substrates.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Mariposa pussypaws is threatened by urbanization, small size of populations and small number of populations across most all of its range. Its prostrate growth habit makes it a poor competitor with taller grasses and any other dense vegetation. Seed production is somewhat low for an annual.

The California Native Plant Society has placed this species on List 1B (rare or endangered throughout its range). Although the species has not been officially listed by the State of California, the Department of Fish and Game considers it to be "very threatened."

REFERENCES FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Hinton, W. F. 1975. Systematics of the Calyptridium umbellatum complex (Portulacaceae). Brittonia 27: 197-208.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 1998. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Threatened Status for Four Plants From the Foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Portland, Oregon.

General Information about California Plants

Photo credit: Mariposa Pussypaws by Rick York, © 1988 California Native Plant Society Calphoto ID: 0000 0000 0502 1074

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

Contact us: Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2605, Sacramento, California 95825 Phone (916) 414-6600 ~ FAX (916) 414-6713 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a part of the United States Government Department of Interior Many documents on our web site are published using Adobe's® Portable Document Format (PDF). To display or print these documents, you must use the Acrobat® reader, which you can download free at Acrobat® Reader. Privacy and Security, Disclaimer, Copyright and Technology Requirements Webmaster fw1sacweb@fws.gov (To comment on specific issues see our comment page.) 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.