Suaeda californica

Suaeda californica is a rare species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common name California seablite.^[2] It is now endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California, where it is known from a few occurrences in the marshes around Morro Bay, historical populations around San Francisco Bay have been extirpated.^[1]

Suaeda californica
Conservation status
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Genus:	Suaeda
Species:	S. californica
Binomial name
Suaeda californica S.Watson
Synonyms
Suaeda americana Suaeda depressa Suaeda minutiflora

Description

Suaeda californica is a mound-shaped shrub up to 80 centimeters tall with hairless or slightly hairy succulent green or red-tinged herbage. The woody stems have many branches which are covered with the knoblike bases of old leaves. Between these grow the new leaves, which are lance-shaped and up to 3.5 centimeters long. The flowers occur between the leaves, all along the stems. Each cluster has 1 to 5 flowers and is accompanied by a leaflike bract. The calyx is a cone of fleshy, rounded sepals, and there are no petals. The fruit is an utricle that grows within the calyx.

Habitat

This rare plant, Suaeda californica, grows in a restricted area within the intertidal zone of salt marshes.^[3] It is threatened by anything that alters the hydrology of the area, such as changes in sedimentation, including dredging, erosion, and recreation.^[1] It requires a porous substrate high in nitrogen, which may come from decaying plant matter and bird droppings.^[4] Invasive plant species such as introduced ice plant threaten remaining occurrences and reintroductions.^[4]

Endangered status

It once occurred around the San Francisco Bay, but any populations there are now extirpated.^[1] It probably once grew along the Petaluma River north of the bay, as remains of the species have been found in adobe bricks there.^[5] By 1991 the total remaining number of individuals was estimated to be below 500, and the plant was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1994.^[1][3] Some carefully tended populations have been planted as reintroductions at locations around the San Francisco Bay.^[4][6]