Taxon Details

Palafoxia arida var. gigantea

giant spanish-needle

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Taxon Summary:

Palafoxia arida var. gigantea, commonly known as giant spanish-needle, is a annual/perennial herb in the Asteraceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Desert dunes, growing at elevations from 15 to 100 meters. Palafoxia arida var. gigantea is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification

Scientific Name: Palafoxia arida Turner & Morris var. gigantea (Jones) Turner & Morris
Common Name: giant spanish-needle
Family:	Asteraceae
Element Code:	PDAST6T012
USDA Plants Symbol:	PAARG
Synonyms/Other Names: Palafoxia linearis var. gigantea
Name Status:	JEF, FNA, POWO, IPNI, Tropicos

Conservation Status

CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Fed List:	None
State List:	None
Global Rank:	G5T2
State Rank:	S1
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:
Add Date:	1974-01-01
Date Edited:	2024-08-06

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: annual/perennial herb

Blooming Period: Feb-May

Elevation:
15 - 100 meters
50 - 330 feet

General Habitats:

Desert dunes

Microhabitat Details:

Microhabitat:

Notes

Notes: Threatened by vehicles. See Contributions to Western Botany 18:79 (1933) for original description, and Rhodora 78:604-605 (1976) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

THREAT LIST:
Threat List Total:	1
	Total EOs	% of EOs
EOs with Threat Listed:	1	17 %
ORV activity	1	16%

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Element Occurrence Ranks:
Total Occurrences:					6
A	B	C	D	X	U
0	0	0	0	0	6

Occurrence Status:
Historical >20 Years	5
Recent <=20 Years	1

Presence:
Presumed Extant	6
Possibly Extirpated	0
Presumed Extirpated	0

Location

California Endemic:

California Island:

States: Name (Code)
California (CA), Sonora, Mexico (SO)

California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Imperial (IMP)

Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Grays Well (3211468), Grays Well NE (3211467), Midway Well (3211561), Acolita (3311512), Amos (3311513), Cactus (3211478), Clyde (3211488), East of Acolita (3311511), Glamis (3211581), Glamis NW (3211582), Glamis SE (3211571), Holtville NE (3211583), Ogilby (3211477), Tortuga (3311523), Yuma West (3211466)

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