Taxon Report

Atriplex persistens Stutz & Chu

vernal pool smallscale

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Taxon Summary

Atriplex persistens, commonly known as vernal pool smallscale, is a annual herb in the Chenopodiaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Vernal pools, growing at elevations from 10 to 115 meters. Atriplex persistens is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

  Classification
Scientific Name:
 Atriplex persistens Stutz & Chu
Common Name:
 vernal pool smallscale
Family: Chenopodiaceae
Element Code: PDCHE042P0
USDA Plants Symbol: ATPE3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History
Lifeform: annual herb
Blooming Period: Jun-Oct Jun-Oct
Elevation: 10-115 (35-375)
General Habitats: Vernal pools
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status
CA Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2
Global Rank: G2
State Rank:
 S2
State List: None
Fed List: None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
Total Occurrences: 41
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 5
   Good (B) 6
   Fair (C) 2
   Poor (D) 0
   None (X) 2
   Unknown (U) 26

Location
California Endemic:  True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Colusa (COL), Glenn (GLE), Madera (MAD), Merced (MER), Solano (SOL), Stanislaus (STA)*, Tulare (TUL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Arbuckle (3912211), Arena (3712036), Atwater (3712035)*, Bonita Ranch (3612082), Colusa (3912221), Crows Landing (3712141)*, Dozier (3812137), El Nido (3712024), Fairfield South (3812221), Gravelly Ford (3612072), Gustine (3712038), Ivanhoe (3611942), Logandale (3912242), San Luis Ranch (3712027), Sandy Mush (3712025), Sausalito School (3511982), Stevinson (3712037), Turner Ranch (3712026)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 7
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
8 20 %
Grazing 5 12%
Development 4 9%
Non-native plant impacts 2 4%
Pollution 1 2%
Erosion/runoff 1 2%
Agriculture 1 2%
Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime 1 2%

Notes
Possibly threatened by agriculture and flood control activities. Not in The Jepson Manual (1993). See Madroño 40(4):209-213 (1993) for original description.
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 6 July 2025].