Taxon Report

Limnanthes floccosa Howell ssp. californica Arroyo

Butte County meadowfoam

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica, commonly known as Butte County meadowfoam, is a annual herb in the Limnanthaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Valley and foothill grassland (mesic), and Vernal pools, growing at elevations from 46 to 930 meters. Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Limnanthes floccosa Howell ssp. californica Arroyo
Common Name:	Butte County meadowfoam
Family:	Limnanthaceae
Element Code:	PDLIM02042
USDA Plants Symbol:	LIFLC2
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Mar-May	Mar-May
Elevation:	46-930 (150-3050)
General Habitats:	Valley and foothill grassland, Vernal pools
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G4T1
State Rank:	S1
State List:	CE
Fed List:	FE
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	20
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	3
Good (B)	6
Fair (C)	3
Poor (D)	3
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	5

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Butte (BUT)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Chico (3912167), Nord (3912178), Oroville (3912155), Richardson Springs (3912177), Shippee (3912156)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	9
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	15	75 %
Grazing	11	55%
Development	9	45%
Road/trail construction/maint.	6	30%
Foot traffic/trampling	4	20%
Non-native plant impacts	3	15%
Surface water diversion	2	10%
Agriculture	2	10%
Other	2	10%
ORV activity	1	5%

Notes



See Brittonia 25:187 (1973) for original description, and Conservation Biology 6(4):549-558 (1992) for field survey and genetic information.
Threats:
Threatened by urbanization, road construction, grazing, non-native plants, vehicles, and agriculture.
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 2 November 2025].