El Dorado Bedstraw

Galium californicum ssp. sierrae

Description

El Dorado bedstraw, Galium californicum ssp. sierrae, is a softly hairy perennial herb in the coffee family (Rubiaceae). Four narrow leaves are arranged at each node. The pale yellow flowers, which are clustered at the tips of stems, appear in May and June. Minute hairs cover the fleshy fruit. El Dorado bed-straw can be distinguished from other subspecies of G. californicum by its very narrow leaves.

The type specimen for G. californicum ssp. sierrae was collected 1 mi (1.6 km) north of Pine Hill Lookout in western El Dorado County, California. Lauramay Dempster and G. Ledyard Stebbins described G. californicum ssp. sierrae in 1968.

Habitat

The subspecies grows in oak woodland areas, including sites with ponderosa pine and gray pine.

Distribution

El Dorado bedstraw is restricted to the localized area of Pine Hill and its surrounding ridges to the west within a distance of approximately 2.5 mi (4 km). El Dorado bedstraw occurs primarily on private land. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the land where at least one population occurs. The California Department of Forestry (CDF) and the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) manage one site as well.

Threats

Residential development, road construction, grazing by horses, and irrigation threaten El Dorado bedstraw. Restricted distribution and limited numbers of individuals make it susceptible to catastrophic events such as disease or pest outbreak, severe drought, and other natural disasters.

No known extirpations of El Dorado bedstraw due to residential or commercial development have occurred. However, as discussed above, residential or commercial development and activities associated with rural residential areas threaten this taxon within the potential reserve area identified as the best remaining habitat. El Dorado bedstraw has a small population size and a restricted distribution almost entirely on private land.

Overgrazing by horses in rural residential areas within the Pine Hill intrusion threatens El Dorado bedstraw. The horses, when confined, severely graze virtually all available vegetation.

Conservation and Recovery

The critical habitat of the El Dorado bedstraw in and near Pine Hill is mostly located on privately owned land, and is therefore threatened by residential development and agricultural practices, including livestock grazing. The most important private habitat should be protected from these threats. This could be done by acquiring the land and designating ecological reserves, or by negotiating conservation easements with the private owners. Some critical habitat is owned by the BLM, the CDF, and the CDFG. These government-owned habitats should be protected from livestock grazing, timber harvesting, and other potentially degrading activities. This could be done by suitable modifications of the management plans for the areas. The known populations of the El Dorado bedstraw should be monitored, and research undertaken into its biology, habitat needs, and management practices to maintain and enhance its populations.

Contacts

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Regional Office, Division of Endangered Species
Eastside Federal Complex
911 N. E. 11th Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97232-4181
Telephone: (503) 231-6121
http://pacific.fws.gov/

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office
Federal Building
2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2605
Sacramento, California 95825-1846
Telephone: (916) 414-6600
Fax: (916) 460-4619

Reference

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 18 October 1996. "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Determination of Endangered Status for Four Plants and Threatened Status for One Plant from the Central Sierran Foothills of California." Federal Register 61 (203):54346-54358.