Taxon Report

Sanicula maritima Wats.

adobe sanicle

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Taxon Summary

Sanicula maritima, commonly known as adobe sanicle, is a perennial herb in the Apiaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Coastal prairie, Meadows and seeps, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 30 to 240 meters. Sanicula maritima is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Sanicula maritima Wats.
Common Name:	adobe sanicle
Family:	Apiaceae
Element Code:	PDAPI1Z0D0
USDA Plants Symbol:	SAMA3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Feb-May	Feb-May
Elevation:	30-240 (100-785)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Coastal prairie, Meadows and seeps, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:	Clay, Serpentine
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	CR
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_SBBG; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	17
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	5
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	2
None (X)	2
Unknown (U)	7

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Alameda (ALA), Monterey (MNT), San Francisco (SFO), San Luis Obispo (SLO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Sur (3612137), Cape San Martin (3512184), Cayucos (3512048), Oakland East (3712272), Oakland West (3712273), Piedras Blancas (3512163), San Francisco North (3712274)*, San Francisco South (3712264), San Leandro (3712262), San Luis Obispo (3512036)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	11
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	10	59 %
Grazing	6	35%
Non-native plant impacts	6	35%
Development	5	29%
Foot traffic/trampling	5	29%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	4	23%
Erosion/runoff	3	17%
Feral pigs	1	5%
Improper burning regime	1	5%
Military operations	1	5%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	5%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	1	5%

Notes



Threatened by foot traffic, non-native plants, recreational activities, trampling, and urbanization. See Botany of California 2:451 (1880) for original description, and University of California Publications in Botany 25:61-62 (1951) for taxonomic treatment.
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 6 November 2025].