Horkelia wilderae
Encyclopedia
Horkelia wilderae is a rare species of flowering plant in the rose family
known by the common name Barton Flats horkelia. It is endemic to San Bernardino County, California
, where it is known from only about ten occurrences in the vicinity of Barton Flats, near Big Bear
. It grows in the montane chaparral and woodlands
habitat
where chaparral
meets pine forest, and it is threatened by logging
.
. Each leaf is up to 10 centimeters long and is made up of several pairs of wedge-shaped leaflets divided at the tips into several lobes. The inflorescence
is an open array of up to 15 flowers atop an erect stalk, each flower made up of five pointed, green, often recurved sepal
s and five wedge-shaped to oblong white petals.
Rosaceae
Rosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...
known by the common name Barton Flats horkelia. It is endemic to San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, where it is known from only about ten occurrences in the vicinity of Barton Flats, near Big Bear
Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the San Bernardino Mountains, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. At a surface elevation of , it has an east-west length of approximately 7 miles and is approximately 2.5 miles at its widest measurement, though the lake's width mostly averages a...
. It grows in the montane chaparral and woodlands
California montane chaparral and woodlands
The California montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion covers , including the mountains of the Transverse, Peninsular, and Santa Lucia Ranges of California. It is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers...
habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
where chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
meets pine forest, and it is threatened by logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
.
Description
Horkelia wilderae is a perennial herb producing an inconspicuous rosette of prostrate leaves around a small caudexCaudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
. Each leaf is up to 10 centimeters long and is made up of several pairs of wedge-shaped leaflets divided at the tips into several 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 an open array of up to 15 flowers atop an erect stalk, each flower made up of five pointed, green, often recurved sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s and five wedge-shaped to oblong white petals.