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''Cercocarpus traskiae'', known by the common names Santa Catalina Island mountain-mahogany and Catalina mahogany, is a rare species of
plant Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...
in the
rose family Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are '' Alchemilla'' (270), '' Sorbu ...
.


Distribution

It is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to Catalina Island, one of the southern
Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey ...
in
Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is th ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
. It is known from just a single population, found in Wild Boar Gully, an
arroyo Arroyo often refers to: * Arroyo (creek), an intermittently dry creek Arroyo may also refer to: People * Arroyo (surname) Places United States ;California * Arroyo Burro Beach, a public beach park in Santa Barbara County, California * Arroyo ...
covered in
coastal sage scrub Coastal sage scrub, also known as coastal scrub, CSS, or soft chaparral, is a low scrubland plant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion, found in coastal California and northwestern coastal Baja California. It is ...
on Catalina Island. The steep sides of the arroyo contain soils of
saussurite Saussurite is a mineral aggregate which is formed as a hydrothermal alteration product of plagioclase feldspar.. It appears very similar to zoisite with a green or grayish-green color, it has been used as a substitute or simulant for jade. Saussur ...
gabbro Gabbro () is a phaneritic (coarse-grained), mafic intrusive igneous rock formed from the slow cooling of magnesium-rich and iron-rich magma into a holocrystalline mass deep beneath the Earth's surface. Slow-cooling, coarse-grained gabbro is ...
. It was rare when it was first discovered by Blanche Trask in 1897 or 1898, when about 40 to 50 plants were counted. When it was federally listed as an endangered species, in 1996, there were only six mature plants remaining. It has been called "one of the rarest shrubs in the continental United States" and "one of the rarest trees in North America."USFWS
''Cercocarpus traskiae'' Five Year Review.
September 2007.


Description

''Cercocarpus traskiae'' is a large shrub or
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
that grows up to 8 meters in height. The leaves have thick, leathery oval blades with serrated edges and woolly-haired undersides. The leathery, woolly texture of the leaves distinguishes it from other ''Cercocarpus''.Rieseberg, L. H. and D. Gerber. (1995)
Hybridization in the Catalina Island mountain mahogany (''Cercocarpus traskiae''): RAPD evidence.
''Conservation Biology'' 9:1 199. The
inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...
is a cluster of up to 10 flowers which do not have petals. Plants do not always flower each year. While there are sometimes many
seedling A seedling is a young sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle (embryonic root), the hypocotyl (emb ...
s noted, the seedling survival rate and rate of
recruitment Recruitment is the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the processes involved in choosing individua ...
are quite low. As of 2007, there are only seven adult trees capable of reproduction, all located in Wild Boar Gully, and most of these are very old.


Conservation

The Catalina Island mountain mahogany is threatened by
ungulate Ungulates ( ) are members of the diverse clade Ungulata which primarily consists of large mammals with hooves. These include odd-toed ungulates such as horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs; and even-toed ungulates such as cattle, pigs, giraff ...
s such as deer, and
feral goat The feral goat is the domestic goat (''Capra aegagrus hircus'') when it has become established in the wild. Feral goats occur in many parts of the world. Species Feral goats consist of many breeds of goats, all of which stem from the wild goa ...
s and
pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus ''Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...
s. The goats have been removed from the island, and fencing has been placed to prevent the remaining animals from touching the plants. This rare species hybridizes with its relative, ''
Cercocarpus betuloides ''Cercocarpus betuloides'' is a shrub or small tree in the rose family.Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, Nancy Dale,2nd Ed, 2000, p. 170 Its common names include mountain mahogany and birch leaf mountain mahogany The common name " ...
'', a situation that may lead to genetic swamping of the rare plant. This hybridization may be made more likely by the animals' disturbance of the habitat. Many of the seedlings and saplings growing today may be hybrids. The population of pure ''Cercocarpus traskiae'' is not increasing and the species is entirely dependent on human intervention today.


See also

*
Chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterrane ...
*
California chaparral and woodlands The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of southwestern Oregon, northern, central, and southern California ( United States) and northwestern Baja California ( Mexico), located on the west coast of North America. It ...


References


External links


Calflora: ''Cercocarpus traskiae'' (Catalina Island mountain mahogany)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Cercocarpus traskiae''UC Photos gallery — ''Cercocarpus traskiae''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5063954 traskiae Endemic flora of California Natural history of the Channel Islands of California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of Los Angeles County, California ~ Critically endangered flora of California NatureServe critically imperiled species Taxonomy articles created by Polbot