Taxon Report

Ditaxis serrata (Torr.) A.A. Heller var. californica (Bdg.) Steinmann & Felger

California ditaxis

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Ditaxis serrata var. californica, commonly known as California ditaxis, is a perennial herb in the Euphorbiaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Sonoran desert scrub, growing at elevations from 30 to 1000 meters. Ditaxis serrata var. californica is ranked 3.2, Plants About Which We Need More Information, A Review List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Ditaxis serrata (Torr.) A.A. Heller var. californica (Bdg.) Steinmann & Felger
Common Name:	California ditaxis
Family:	Euphorbiaceae
Element Code:	PDEUP08050
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Ditaxis californica (Bdg.) Pax & K. Hoffm.

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Mar-Dec	Mar-Dec
Elevation:	30-1000 (100-3280)
General Habitats:	Sonoran desert scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	3.2
Global Rank:	G5T3T4
State Rank:	S2?
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	24
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	21

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Riverside (RIV), San Diego (SDG)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Arica Mountains (3411418), Blythe NE (3311465), Corn Spring (3311563), Cottonwood Basin (3311568), Cottonwood Spring (3311567), Desert Center (3311564), Harper Canyon (3311612), Hayfield (3311566), Hayfield Spring (3311565), La Quinta (3311663), Mortmar (3311558), Pilot Mountain (3311553), Victory Pass (3311574)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	4
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	10	42 %
Development	5	20%
ORV activity	5	20%
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	8%
Other	1	4%

Notes



Move to List 1B? Known in SO from only one collection. Threatened by vehicles. A synonym of D. californica in The Jepson Manual. See Madroño 42(4):455-457 (1995) 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 12 May 2025].