Taxon Details

Cirsium andrewsii

Franciscan thistle

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Taxon Summary:

Cirsium andrewsii, commonly known as Franciscan thistle, is a perennial herb in the Asteraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Broadleafed upland forest, Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal prairie, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 0 to 150 meters. Cirsium andrewsii is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification

Scientific Name: Cirsium andrewsii (Gray) Jeps.
Common Name: Franciscan thistle
Family:	Asteraceae
Element Code:	PDAST2E050
USDA Plants Symbol:	CIAN2
Synonyms/Other Names:
Name Status:	JEF, FNA, POWO, IPNI, Tropicos

Conservation Status

CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Fed List:	None
State List:	None
Global Rank:	G3
State Rank:	S3
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:
Add Date:	1974-01-01
Date Edited:	2022-12-06

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: perennial herb

Blooming Period: Mar-Jul

Elevation:
0 - 150 meters
0 - 490 feet

General Habitats:

Broadleafed upland forest
Coastal bluff scrub
Coastal prairie
Coastal scrub

Microhabitat Details:

Microhabitat:

Mesic
Serpentine (sometimes)

Notes

Notes: Threatened by development and non-native plants. See Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 10:45 (1874) for original description, and A Flora of Western Middle California , p. 506 (1901) by W. L. Jepson for revised nomenclature.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

THREAT LIST:
Threat List Total:	5
	Total EOs	% of EOs
EOs with Threat Listed:	12	39 %
Non-native plant impacts	9	29%
Grazing	3	9%
Erosion/runoff	2	6%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	3%
Other	1	3%

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Element Occurrence Ranks:
Total Occurrences:					31
A	B	C	D	X	U
3	11	3	0	3	11

Occurrence Status:
Historical >20 Years	24
Recent <=20 Years	7

Presence:
Presumed Extant	28
Possibly Extirpated	3
Presumed Extirpated	0

Location

California Endemic:

California Island:

States: Name (Code)
California (CA)

California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Contra Costa (CCA), Marin (MRN), San Francisco (SFO), San Mateo (SMT), Sonoma (SON)(?)

Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Ano Nuevo (3712213), Bodega Head (3812331)(?), Briones Valley (3712282), Drakes Bay (3812218), Franklin Point (3712223)*, Inverness (3812217), Montara Mountain (3712254), Point Bonita (3712275), Point Reyes NE (3812227), San Francisco North (3712274), San Francisco South (3712264), Tomales (3812228), Valley Ford (3812238)

Notes:

Definitions of codes following a county and/or quad:
*		Presumed extirpated
(?)		Occurrence confirmed, but possibly extirpated
Quad and county data is imported from the CNDDB. Species may be present in other areas where conditions are favorable. These data should NOT be substituted for pre-project review or for on-site surveys.

Regional Map

Map

Presumed Extant

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CNPS Rare Plant Inventory