''Lithophragma maximum'', known by the common name San Clemente Island woodland star, is a rare species of flowering plant in the saxifrage family. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

San Clemente Island San Clemente Island (Tongva: ''Kinkipar''; Spanish: ''Isla de San Clemente'') is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. It is administer ...

, one of the eight

Channel Islands of California The Channel Islands () are an eight-island archipelago located within the Southern California Bight in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. They define the Santa Barbara Channel between the islands and the California mainland. The ...

. It is known from only about four kilometers of rocky coastal cliffs on the edge of the island.Furches, M.S., et al. (2009)
High genetic divergence characterizes populations of the endemic plant ''Lithophragma maximum'' (Saxifragaceae) on San Clemente Island
''Conservation Genetics'' 10:115-26. The plant was thought to be

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

until a few specimens were rediscovered in 1979.USFWS
Determination of Endangered Status for Three Plants from the Channel Islands of Southern California.
Federal Register. August 8, 1997. Only 200 individuals were tallied in a 1996 survey. In 1997 the plant was listed as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

on the federal level.

Description

''Lithophragma maximum'' is a

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

perennial herb growing erect or leaning with a slender naked flowering stem. The leaves are located on the lower part of the stem, each divided into three sharply toothed leaflets. The stem bears up to 25 flowers, each in a cuplike calyx of red or green

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s. The five petals are white or pink-tinged, approximately 4 millimeters long, and usually divided into about five pointed lobes.

Conservation

As of 2000 there were over 400 individuals remaining, but about one fourth of these are located in one canyon. All of the plants grow on land owned and tended by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

.Center for Plant Conservation
/ref> The two main threats to the species have been

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

of the local habitat and the presence of

feral goat The feral goat is the domestic goat (''Capra 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 domestic goats, all of which stem from the wild go ...

s and

pigs The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

. The latter issue was resolved when the Navy removed the feral herbivores. A

genetic analysis Genetic analysis is the overall process of studying and researching in fields of science that involve genetics and molecular biology. There are a number of applications that are developed from this research, and these are also considered parts ...

revealed a relatively high

genetic diversity Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It ranges widely, from the number of species to differences within species, and can be correlated to the span of survival for a species. It is d ...

across populations of this woodland star, probably due to the isolation of the populations from each other in the rugged, steep habitat. This suggests that it is important to protect each population in order to conserve the genetic variance in each.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Lithophragma maximum''The Nature Conservancy
*USFWS
''Lithophragma maximum'' Five-year Review.
September 2007. {{Taxonbar, from=Q6648101

maximum In mathematical analysis, the maximum and minimum of a function (mathematics), function are, respectively, the greatest and least value taken by the function. Known generically as extremum, they may be defined either within a given Interval (ma ...

Endemic flora of California