Eriastrum hooveri
Encyclopedia
Eriastrum hooveri is a rare species of flowering plant in the phlox family
known by the common name Hoover's woollystar. It is endemic to the South Coast Ranges of California
from San Benito
to Los Angeles Counties
, where it grows in grassy open habitat. It is an annual herb producing a wiry, usually woolly stem up to about 15 centimeters tall. The leaves are linear and threadlike, less than three centimeters long, and sometimes divided into two thready lobes. The inflorescence
is a woolly cluster of narrow, leaflike bract
s laced with webby fibers. The flowers are white and just a few millimeters in length.
This plant was considered to be in serious jeopardy in the 1980s when many of its populations, most of which occurred on private and unprotected land, were in immediate danger of being destroyed by one or more threats, including conversion of the land for agricultural use, petroleum drilling
, development for housing, grazing, agricultural pollution, invasive plant
s, flooding, and fire suppression. The plant was federally listed as a threatened species in 1990. After the listing, further studies revealed many more populations, including several in counties where it was not previously known. The species may have been sparse during the 1980s surveys due to drought conditions. The plant was also found to be more adaptable
and resilient to destruction than previously thought. Several companies that own land where the plant occurs, such as that in the Lost Hills Oil Field
, have put protection measures in place. Based on these events, which demonstrated the plant was not as threatened as was feared, it was delisted in 2003. It is still designated a sensitive species by the Bureau of Land Management
.
Polemoniaceae
Polemoniaceae are a family of about 25 genera with 270-400 species of annual and perennial plants, native to the Northern Hemisphere and South America, with the center of diversity in western North America, especially in California.Only one genus is found in Europe, and two in Asia, where they...
known by the common name Hoover's woollystar. It is endemic to the South Coast Ranges of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
from San Benito
San Benito County, California
San Benito County is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California, south of San Jose. As of 2010 the population was 55,269. The county seat is Hollister, which includes nearly two-thirds of the county's population. El Camino Real passes through the county and...
to Los Angeles Counties
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
, where it grows in grassy open habitat. It is an annual herb producing a wiry, usually woolly stem up to about 15 centimeters tall. The leaves are linear and threadlike, less than three centimeters long, and sometimes divided into two thready lobes. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a woolly cluster of narrow, leaflike 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 laced with webby fibers. The flowers are white and just a few millimeters in length.
This plant was considered to be in serious jeopardy in the 1980s when many of its populations, most of which occurred on private and unprotected land, were in immediate danger of being destroyed by one or more threats, including conversion of the land for agricultural use, petroleum drilling
Oil well
An oil well is a general term for any boring through the earth's surface that is designed to find and acquire petroleum oil hydrocarbons. Usually some natural gas is produced along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce mainly or only gas may be termed a gas well.-History:The earliest...
, development for housing, grazing, agricultural pollution, invasive plant
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
s, flooding, and fire suppression. The plant was federally listed as a threatened species in 1990. After the listing, further studies revealed many more populations, including several in counties where it was not previously known. The species may have been sparse during the 1980s surveys due to drought conditions. The plant was also found to be more adaptable
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
and resilient to destruction than previously thought. Several companies that own land where the plant occurs, such as that in the Lost Hills Oil Field
Lost Hills Oil Field
The Lost Hills Oil Field is a large oil field in the Lost Hills Range, north of the town of Lost Hills in western Kern County, California, in the United States.-Production:...
, have put protection measures in place. Based on these events, which demonstrated the plant was not as threatened as was feared, it was delisted in 2003. It is still designated a sensitive species by the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
.