Baccharis vanessae

Baccharis vanessae
Conservation status
Threatened (ESA)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Tribe:	Astereae
Genus:	Baccharis
Species:	B. vanessae
Binomial name
Baccharis vanessae R.M.Beauch.

Baccharis vanessae is a rare species of baccharis known by the common name Encinitas baccharis. It is endemic to San Diego County, California, where it is a member of the chaparral flora, especially among Torrey pines. It is a federally listed threatened species. Despite its name it is no longer present in Encinitas, but it is known from other parts of the county from the coastline to the mountains. There are perhaps 15 populations remaining, for a total of about 2000 individuals. Half the remaining occurrences are on land which may be cleared for development.

Description

Baccharis vanessae is a sticky, glandular shrub producing dense, branching, erect stems approaching 2 meters in maximum height. The leaves are linear and up to 4.5 centimeters long. This dioecious shrub produces male and female flower heads on different individuals. The fruit is an achene with a pappus up to a centimeter long.

Conservation

Habitat destruction is a threat to the species. Fire suppression in the fire-prone chaparral habitat threaten those plants occurring near residential areas. Introduced species of plants have altered the local plant community. Some of the populations are very small, made up of just a few individuals, reducing their genetic viability.

See also

• California chaparral and woodlands
• California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion
• California montane chaparral and woodlands

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment - Baccharis vanessae
• USDA Plants Profile; Baccharis vanessae
• USFS Threatened Species Profile
• Flora of North America; Baccharis vanessae
• Baccharis vanessae - Photo gallery