Atriplex tularensis
Encyclopedia
Atriplex tularensis is an extremely rare species of saltbush
known by the common names Bakersfield smallscale, Tulare saltbush, and Tulare orach.
, where it is known only from a few individuals at Kern Lake, a usually dry ephemeral lake bed just north of the Interstate 5
and Highway 99
split. These plants may actually be representatives of Atriplex serenana
, and it is possible that A. tularensis is in fact extinct
.
The plants are endemic to the alkali soils of the local occasionally flooded salt pan. Much of the land in the San Joaquin Valley
was claimed and altered for agriculture
and the water table
dropped, making conditions too dry for reproduction of many species, including this Atriplex. The small lakebed where this species may be extant was formerly tended by The Nature Conservancy
, but it is now privately owned.
The male and female flowers are small, hard clusters. The female fruit-producing flowers have associateted bract
s which end in a sharp point. This characteristic differentiates A. tularensis from Atriplex cordulata
, which is otherwise very similar in appearance. A. tularensis is listed as an endangered species
on the California state level, but not on the federal level.
Atriplex
Atriplex is a plant genus of 100-200 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache . The genus is quite variable and widely distributed. It includes many desert and seashore plants and halophytes, as well as plants of moist environments...
known by the common names Bakersfield smallscale, Tulare saltbush, and Tulare orach.
Distribution
Atriplex tularensis is endemic to Kern County, CaliforniaKern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
, where it is known only from a few individuals at Kern Lake, a usually dry ephemeral lake bed just north of the Interstate 5
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...
and Highway 99
California State Route 99
California State Route 99 , commonly known as Highway 99 or, simply, as 99 , is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, stretching almost the entire length of the Central Valley...
split. These plants may actually be representatives of Atriplex serenana
Atriplex serenana
Atriplex serenana is a species of saltbush known by the common names bractscale and stinking orach. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in saline and alkaline soils such as those on alkali flats and beach bluffs....
, and it is possible that A. tularensis is in fact extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
.
The plants are endemic to the alkali soils of the local occasionally flooded salt pan. Much of the land in the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
was claimed and altered for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and the water table
Water table
The water table is the level at which the submarine pressure is far from atmospheric pressure. It may be conveniently visualized as the 'surface' of the subsurface materials that are saturated with groundwater in a given vicinity. However, saturated conditions may extend above the water table as...
dropped, making conditions too dry for reproduction of many species, including this Atriplex. The small lakebed where this species may be extant was formerly tended by The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
, but it is now privately owned.
Description
Atriplex tularensis is an erect, reddish-green or grayish annual herb growing up to 80 centimeters tall. The leaves are up to 3 centimeters long and oval to lance-shaped. Leaves and stem branches are white-scaly and tough.The male and female flowers are small, hard clusters. The female fruit-producing flowers have associateted bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s which end in a sharp point. This characteristic differentiates A. tularensis from Atriplex cordulata
Atriplex cordulata
Atriplex cordulata is a species of saltbush known by the common names heartscale and heart-leaf orache. It is endemic to the Central Valley and its San Joaquin Valley of California, where it grows in areas of saline and alkaline soils....
, which is otherwise very similar in appearance. A. tularensis is listed as an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
on the California state level, but not on the federal level.