Sedum eastwoodiae

Sedum eastwoodiae

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Sedum
Species:
S. eastwoodiae
Binomial name
Sedum eastwoodiae
Synonyms[2]

Cotyledon mendocinoana Fedde
Gormania eastwoodiae Britton
Sedum laxum var. eastwoodiae (Britton) H.Ohba
Sedum laxum subsp. eastwoodiae (Britton) R.T.Clausen

Sedum eastwoodiae is a rare species of flowering plant of the stonecrop Crassulaceae family.[2] It is known by its common name Red Mountain stonecrop. It is endemic to Mendocino County, California, where it is known from only four occurrences on Red Mountain, near Ukiah.[1][3] The total number of plants in existence is estimated to be around 5300.[1] They can be found on steep, exposed, rocky mountain slopes of serpentine substrate. This species has also been treated as a subspecies of Sedum laxum.[4]

Description

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Sedum eastwoodiae is a small perennial succulent plant forming basal rosettes a few centimeters wide. The leaves are 1 to 3 centimeters long with the widest part near the distal end, then narrowing to a rounded or slightly notched tip. Smaller leaves occur farther up the stem. The foliage is blue-green in color, blushing reddish. The inflorescence is a spreading or flat-topped array of many small, star-shaped flowers with red or pink petals up to a centimeter long each, and stamens with red or purplish anthers.

Habitat

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This species is known from a small section of habitat on a single mountain where the main potential threat to its existence is mining for nickel, chromium, and cobalt.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c The Nature Conservancy
  2. ^ a b "Sedum eastwoodiae (Britton) A.Berger". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  3. ^ California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
  4. ^ a b USFWS. Species Assessment & Listing Priority Assignment Form. March, 2009.
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