Taxon Report

Amsinckia furcata Suksd.

forked fiddleneck

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Amsinckia furcata, commonly known as forked fiddleneck, is a annual herb in the Boraginaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Cismontane woodland, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 50 to 1000 meters. Amsinckia furcata is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Amsinckia furcata Suksd.
Common Name:	forked fiddleneck
Family:	Boraginaceae
Element Code:	PDBOR010D1
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Amsinckia vernicosa var. furcata

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Feb-May	Feb-May
Elevation:	50-1000 (165-3280)
General Habitats:	Cismontane woodland, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G4
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_SBBG; SB_UCBG
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)
Fresno (FRE), Kern (KRN), Kings (KNG), Merced (MER), San Benito (SBT), San Luis Obispo (SLO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Carneros Rocks (3511947), Chounet Ranch (3612066), Ciervo Mtn. (3612045), Coalinga (3612023), Domengine Ranch (3612033), Elkhorn Hills (3511915), Fellows (3511925), Garza Peak (3512082), Hernandez Reservoir (3612047), Idria (3612046), Joaquin Rocks (3612034), Kettleman Plain (3512081), Kreyenhagen Hills (3612013), Lillis Ranch (3612044), Mariposa (3711948), Mercey Hot Springs (3612067), Monocline Ridge (3612055), Orchard Peak (3512062), Ortigalita Peak NW (3612088), Panoche (3612057), Panorama Hills (3511926), Pyramid Hills (3512071), Sawtooth Ridge (3512061), Tumey Hills (3612056), Wells Ranch (3511916)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



More common than previously thought. Threatened by mining and grazing. See American Journal of Botany 44:529-536 (1957) for discussion of taxonomy.
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 5 February 2025].