Taxon Report

Platystemon californicus Benth. var. ciliatus Dunkle

Santa Barbara Island cream cups

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Platystemon californicus var. ciliatus, commonly known as Santa Barbara Island cream cups, is a annual herb in the Papaveraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal bluff scrub, growing at elevations from 50 to 50 meters. Platystemon californicus var. ciliatus is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Platystemon californicus Benth. var. ciliatus Dunkle
Common Name:	Santa Barbara Island cream cups
Family:	Papaveraceae
Element Code:	PDPAP0J022
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Feb-May	Feb-May
Elevation:	50-50 (165-165)
General Habitats:	Coastal bluff scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G5T1Q
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	1
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	1

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Santa Barbara (SBA)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Santa Barbara Island (3311848)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	%

Notes



Known from only one extended occurrence. Threatened by non-native plants. See P. californicus in The Jepson Manual. See Madroño 21(5):366-367 (1972) for species account.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 5 December 2025].