Taxon Report

Plagiobothrys hystriculus (Piper) Jtn.

bearded popcornflower

Print Report



Species Description:
Plagiobothrys hystriculus, commonly known as bearded popcornflower, is a annual herb in the Boraginaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Valley and foothill grassland (mesic), and Vernal pools (margins), growing at elevations from 0 to 274 meters. Plagiobothrys hystriculus is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

  Classification

Scientific Name:
Plagiobothrys hystriculus (Piper) Jtn.
Common Name:
bearded popcornflower
Family: Boraginaceae
Element Code: PDBOR0V0H0
USDA Plants Symbol: PLHY
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: annual herb
Blooming Period: Apr-May Apr-May
Elevation: 0-274 (0-900)
General Habitats: Valley and foothill grassland, Vernal pools
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details: often vernal swales

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Total Occurrences: 15
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 3
   Good (B) 4
   Fair (C) 1
   Poor (D) 0
   None (X) 0
   Unknown (U) 7
California Endemic:  True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Napa (NAP), Solano (SOL), Yolo (YOL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Allendale (3812148), Antioch North (3812117), Birds Landing (3812127), Denverton (3812128), Dozier (3812137), Elmira (3812138), Knoxville (3812273), Saxon (3812146)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 5
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
6 40 %
Non-native plant impacts 3 20%
Other 2 13%
Disking 2 13%
Development 1 6%
Road/trail construction/maint. 1 6%

Notes

Rediscovered in 2005 by B. Schafer, M. Widdowson, and R. Preston; last seen in 1892. Easily confused with P. acanthocarpus, P. trachycarpus, and others. Threatened by disking, development, and non-native plants. See Contributions of the U.S. National Herbarium 22:79-113 (1920) for original description, Contributions from the Arnold Arboretum 3:5-82 (1932) for revised nomenclature, and MadroƱo 57(4):242-245 (2010) for discussion of rediscovery.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Selected References

CRPR List Change on 2006-06-08
Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 23 January 2025].