Taxon Report
Agave simplex (Gentry) Salywon & W. C. Hodgs.lonesome agave |
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Species Description:
Agave simplex, commonly known as lonesome agave, is a perennial leaf in the Agavaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Mojavean desert scrub, Pinyon and juniper woodland, and Sonoran desert scrub, growing at elevations from 320 to 1680 meters. Agave simplex is ranked 2B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.
Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Agave simplex (Gentry) Salywon & W. C. Hodgs. |
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Common Name: |
lonesome agave |
| Family: | Agavaceae |
| Element Code: | PMAGA01062 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | perennial leaf |
| Blooming Period: May-Jul | May-Jul |
| Elevation: | 320-1680 (1050-5510) |
| General Habitats: | Mojavean desert scrub, Pinyon and juniper woodland, Sonoran desert scrub |
| Microhabitat: | Carbonate, Granitic, Rocky, Shale, Volcanic |
| Microhabitat Details: | desert mountains |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 2B.3 |
| Global Rank: | G4TNR |
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State Rank: |
S2S3 |
| State List: | None |
| Fed List: | None |
| Other Status: | |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 41 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 0 |
| Good (B) | 0 |
| Fair (C) | 0 |
| Poor (D) | 0 |
| None (X) | 0 |
| Unknown (U) | 41 |
| California Endemic: False | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| San Bernardino (SBD) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| Bighorn Basin (3411576), Chemehuevi Peak (3411455), Cima Dome (3511535), Fountain Peak (3411585), Horn Spring (3411427), Joshua (3511534), Mohawk Spring (3411447), Old Woman Statue (3411552), Van Winkle Spring (3411575), Whale Mtn. (3411465), Whipple Mts. SW (3411434), Whipple Wash (3411433) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 0 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 0 | % | |
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Notes
| Field work needed to document historical occurrences, gather population data, assess site quality and threats, and search for new occurrences. May be more common than indicated by herbarium collections. |
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Threats: |
| Potentially threatened by inappropriate grazing. |
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Taxonomy: |
| Previously treated as a variety of A. deserti but morphologically and geographically distinct. Basal rosettes generally single, rarely with 1–3 offsets (vs. basal rosettes copiously suckering and forming large clumps in A. deserti). More closely related to A. mckelveyana (of Arizona) and A. subsimplex (of Sonora, Mexico). |
Selected References
| Proposed Addition to 2B.3, G4 / S2 (2023) |
| Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences, no. 130 (1978) |
| Phytoneuron 2019-219: 1–4 (2019) |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 20 January 2025].