Dedeckera
Encyclopedia
The monotypic genus Dedeckera contains the single species Dedeckera eurekensis, a plant known by the common name July gold which is endemic to California. It is found in the mountains east and south of the Sierra Nevada, especially the Inyo
and White Mountains
.
July gold is a member of the buckwheat family
. It is a matting shrub which bears small fleshy leaves and tiny yellowish flowers. It is a plant of the dry mountainous scrub, where it grows on gritty limestone cliffs. July gold is a rare plant, and its populations are scattered due to its specific niche habitat. It is also a poor reproducer; only about 1% of its flower ovule
s produce viable seed. These factors make it a species of concern.
The genus was named for California botanist Mary C. DeDecker.
Inyo Mountains
The Inyo Mountains are a short mountain range east of the Sierra Nevada mountains in eastern California in the United States. The range separates the Owens Valley to the west with Saline Valley to the east, extending for approximately 70 mi SSE from the southern end of the White Mountains,...
and White Mountains
White Mountains (California)
The White Mountains of California are a triangular fault block mountain range facing the Sierra Nevada across the upper Owens Valley. They extend for approximately as a greatly elevated plateau about wide on the south, narrowing to a point at the north, with elevations generally increasing...
.
July gold is a member of the buckwheat family
Polygonaceae
Polygonaceae is a family of flowering plants known informally as the "knotweed family" or "smartweed family"— "buckwheat family" in the United States. The name is based on the genus Polygonum and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 in his book, Genera Plantarum. The name refers...
. It is a matting shrub which bears small fleshy leaves and tiny yellowish flowers. It is a plant of the dry mountainous scrub, where it grows on gritty limestone cliffs. July gold is a rare plant, and its populations are scattered due to its specific niche habitat. It is also a poor reproducer; only about 1% of its flower ovule
Ovule
Ovule means "small egg". In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: The integument forming its outer layer, the nucellus , and the megaspore-derived female gametophyte in its center...
s produce viable seed. These factors make it a species of concern.
The genus was named for California botanist Mary C. DeDecker.
External links
Further reading
- Nickrent, D. L. and D. Wiens. (1989). Genetic diversity in the rare California shrub Dedeckera eurekensis (Polygonaceae). Systematic Botany 14:2 245-253.