Taxon Report

Hesperevax caulescens (Benth.) Gray

hogwallow starfish

Print Report

© 2017 John Doyen

Taxon Summary

Hesperevax caulescens, commonly known as hogwallow starfish, is a annual herb in the Asteraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Valley and foothill grassland (mesic clay), and Vernal pools (shallow), growing at elevations from 0 to 505 meters. Hesperevax caulescens is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Hesperevax caulescens (Benth.) Gray
Common Name:	hogwallow starfish
Family:	Asteraceae
Element Code:	PDASTE5020
USDA Plants Symbol:	HECA30
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Jun	Mar-Jun
Elevation:	0-505 (0-1655)
General Habitats:	Valley and foothill grassland, Vernal pools
Microhabitat:	Alkaline (sometimes)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Alameda (ALA), Butte (BUT), Colusa (COL), Contra Costa (CCA), Fresno (FRE), Glenn (GLE), Kern (KRN), Madera (MAD), Mariposa (MPA), Merced (MER), Monterey (MNT), Sacramento (SAC), San Diego (SDG)*, San Joaquin (SJQ), San Luis Obispo (SLO), Solano (SOL), Sonoma (SON), Stanislaus (STA), Sutter (SUT), Tehama (TEH), Tuolumne (TUO), Yolo (YOL), Yuba (YUB)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Adelaida (3512067), Allendale (3812148), Altamont (3712166), Antioch North (3812117), Antioch South (3712187), Biggs (3912146), Birds Landing (3812127), Bradley (3512077), Brentwood (3712186), Briones Valley (3712282), Browns Valley (3912124), Buffalo Creek (3812152), Byron Hot Springs (3712176), Camp Far West (3912113), Catheys Valley (3712041), Cherokee (3912165), Cholame (3512063), Cholame Valley (3512073), Chrome (3912265), Clifton Court Forebay (3712175), Cooperstown (3712065), Denverton (3812128), Dixon (3812147), Dozier (3812137), Elk Grove (3812143), Elmira (3812138), Fairfield North (3812231), Fairfield South (3812221), Florin (3812144), Fruto (3912254), Hamlin Canyon (3912166), Haystack Mtn. (3712043), Healdsburg (3812257), Honcut (3912135), Howard Ranch (3712121), Jamul Mountains (3211668), Knights Ferry (3712076), Knob Hill (3511858), La Grange (3712064), Laguna Seca Ranch (3612077), Little Table Mtn. (3711917), Llano Seco (3912158), Lodoga (3912234), Logan Ridge (3912243), Loma Rica (3912134), Los Molinos (4012211), Merced (3712034), Midway (3712165), National City (3211761), Newville (3912275), Nord (3912178), Otay Mesa (3211658), Owens Reservoir (3712032), Patterson (3712142), Paulsell (3712066), Pennington (3912137), Peters (3712181), Piedra (3611974), Pine Mountain (3511857), Planada (3712033), Rail Canyon (3912244), Richardson Springs (3912177), Richardson Springs NW (3912188), San Miguel (3512076), Saxon (3812146), Shippee (3912156), Solyo (3712153), Stockton East (3712182), Sutter (3912126), Sutter Buttes (3912127), The Dark Hole (3512083), Tuscan Springs (4012221), Vina (3912281), Winters (3812158)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Threatened by development and agriculture. Possibly threatened by overgrazing. See Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 7:356 (1868) for revised nomenclature, and Systematic Botany 17(2):293-310 (1992) for taxonomic treatment.
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 29 April 2025].