Taxon Report

Nemacladus bellus Morin & T. A. Ayers

beautiful threadplant

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Taxon Summary

Nemacladus bellus, commonly known as beautiful threadplant, is a annual herb in the Campanulaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Cismontane woodland, and Joshua tree "woodland", growing at elevations from 800 to 1800 meters. Nemacladus bellus is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Nemacladus bellus Morin & T. A. Ayers
Common Name:	beautiful threadplant
Family:	Campanulaceae
Element Code:	PDCAM0F0G0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: (Apr)May-Jul	(Apr)May-Jul
Elevation:	800-1800 (2625-5905)
General Habitats:	Cismontane woodland, Joshua tree "woodland"
Microhabitat:	Granitic, Gravelly, Sandy
Microhabitat Details:	Occurs on granitic gravel or sandy flats

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S
CRPR Changes:	added to 1B.3 on 2023-08-02

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	13
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	13

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Kern (KRN), Tulare (TUL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Alta Sierra (3511865), Fairview (3511884), Johnsondale (3511885), Kernville (3511874), Lake Isabella North (3511864), Lake Isabella South (3511854), Lamont Peak (3511871), Miracle Hot Springs (3511855), Owens Peak (3511768), Walker Pass (3511861)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes




Threats:
Possibly threatened by non-native plants, road and trail construction/maintenance, ORV activity, trampling, and development.
Taxonomy:
Similar to N. secundiflorus var. secundiflorus and N. s. var. robbinsii; both differ from N. bellus in having narrowly lanceolate to spatulate leaves with deeply toothed margins, and secund (one-sided) inflorescences.

Selected References

Proposed addition to CRPR 1B.3, G2 / S2 (2023)

Madroño 67(1): 35–60 (2020)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 26 October 2025].