Taxon Report

Plagiobothrys chorisianus (Cham.) Jtn. var. hickmanii (Greene) Jtn.

Hickman's popcornflower

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Plagiobothrys chorisianus var. hickmanii, commonly known as Hickman's popcornflower, is a annual herb in the Boraginaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Closed-cone coniferous forest, Coastal scrub, Marshes and swamps, and Vernal pools, growing at elevations from 15 to 390 meters. Plagiobothrys chorisianus var. hickmanii is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Plagiobothrys chorisianus (Cham.) Jtn. var. hickmanii (Greene) Jtn.
Common Name:	Hickman's popcornflower
Family:	Boraginaceae
Element Code:	PDBOR0V062
USDA Plants Symbol:	PLCHH
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Apr-Jun	Apr-Jun
Elevation:	15-390 (50-1280)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Closed-cone coniferous forest, Coastal scrub, Marshes and swamps, Vernal pools
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G3T3Q
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_SBBG; SB_UCSC
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)
Monterey (MNT), San Luis Obispo (SLO), San Mateo (SMT)?, Santa Clara (SCL), Santa Cruz (SCR)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Basin (3712222), Castle Rock Ridge (3712221), Felton (3712211), Half Moon Bay (3712244), Laurel (3712118), Los Gatos (3712128), Oceano (3512015), Palo Alto (3712242), Salinas (3612166), Seaside (3612157), Watsonville East (3612186)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Does plant occur in SMT Co.? Intergrades with var. chorisianus. See Pittonia 1:13 (1887) for original description, and Contributions from the Arnold Arboretum 3:49 (1932) for revised nomenclature.
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 19 November 2025].