Nemacladus twisselmannii
Encyclopedia
Nemacladus twisselmannii is a rare species of flowering plant in the bellflower family
known by the common names Twisselmann's threadplant and Twisselmann's nemacladus. It is endemic to California
, where it is known only from two locations in the Sierra Nevada. There is one occurrence each in Kern
and Tulare Counties
.
This is a small annual herb forming cushions of foliage at ground level, the stems no more than a centimeter long. The hairy, spoon-shaped leaves are 2 to 3 millmeters long. The inflorescence
is a headlike cluster of flowers on hairlike pedicels
. The flower has hairy sepal
s one millimeter long and a white corolla up to 3 millimeters long. The fruit is a tiny capsule with a rounded end and a pointed tip.
The plant grows in coniferous forest with granite rock and sand at over 7000 feet in elevation
. There are two known populations, each containing about 400 plants. They are located in remote wilderness in the Sequoia National Forest
.
The plant is named for Central Valley cattle rancher and botanist Ernest Christian Twisselmann.
Campanulaceae
The family Campanulaceae , of the order Asterales, contains about 2000 species in 70 genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often with milky non-toxic sap...
known by the common names Twisselmann's threadplant and Twisselmann's nemacladus. It is endemic to 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...
, where it is known only from two locations in the Sierra Nevada. There is one occurrence each in Kern
Kern 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...
and Tulare Counties
Tulare County, California
Tulare County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Fresno. Sequoia National Park is located in the county, as are part of Kings Canyon National Park, in its northeast corner , and part of Mount Whitney, on its eastern border...
.
This is a small annual herb forming cushions of foliage at ground level, the stems no more than a centimeter long. The hairy, spoon-shaped leaves are 2 to 3 millmeters long. 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 headlike cluster of flowers on hairlike pedicels
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
. The flower has hairy 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 one millimeter long and a white corolla up to 3 millimeters long. The fruit is a tiny capsule with a rounded end and a pointed tip.
The plant grows in coniferous forest with granite rock and sand at over 7000 feet in elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
. There are two known populations, each containing about 400 plants. They are located in remote wilderness in the Sequoia National Forest
Sequoia National Forest
Sequoia National Forest is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The U.S. National Forest is named for the majestic Giant Sequoia trees which populate 38 distinct groves within the boundaries of the forest....
.
The plant is named for Central Valley cattle rancher and botanist Ernest Christian Twisselmann.