Taxon Report

Silene verecunda Wats. ssp. verecunda

San Francisco campion

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Taxon Summary

Silene verecunda ssp. verecunda, commonly known as San Francisco campion, is a perennial herb in the Caryophyllaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal prairie, Coastal scrub, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 30 to 645 meters. Silene verecunda ssp. verecunda is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.


  Classification

Scientific Name:
Silene verecunda Wats. ssp. verecunda
Common Name:
San Francisco campion
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Element Code: PDCAR0U213
USDA Plants Symbol: SIVEV
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: perennial herb
Blooming Period: (Feb)Mar-Jul(Aug) (Feb)Mar-Jul(Aug)
Elevation: 30-645 (100-2115)
General Habitats: Chaparral, Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal prairie, Coastal scrub, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat: Sandy
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status

CA Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2
Global Rank: G5T1
State Rank:
S1
State List: None
Fed List: None
Other Status: SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_UCSC
CRPR Changes:
  • removed from 1B.2 on 2009-06-08

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Total Occurrences: 20
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 0
   Good (B) 1
   Fair (C) 1
   Poor (D) 1
   None (X) 7
   Unknown (U) 10
California Endemic:  True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Francisco (SFO), San Mateo (SMT), Santa Cruz (SCR)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Ano Nuevo (3712213), Montara Mountain (3712254), San Francisco North (3712274), San Francisco South (3712264), Woodside (3712243)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 7
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
13 65 %
Non-native plant impacts 6 30%
Development 4 20%
Foot traffic/trampling 3 15%
Grazing 2 10%
Other 2 10%
Recreational use (non-ORV) 1 5%
Erosion/runoff 1 5%

Notes

Threatened by development, recreational activities, and non-native plants. Not in TJM 2. See Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 10:344 (1875) for original description, and University of Washington Publications in Biology 13:41-42 (1947) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Selected References

CRPR List Deletion on 2009-06-08
Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 27 January 2025].