User:Jordiecamille/sandbox

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= Streptanthus glandulosus =

= subsp. niger =

''Streptanthus glandulosus subsp. Niger, commonly known as the Tiburon jewelflower, is an endangered subspecies within the mustard family (Brassicaceae''). It is a subspecies of Streptanthus glandulosus, the Bristly jewelflower. Like other members of the genus Streptanthus, this herb displays dark purple sepals, and has wavy petal margins with perimeter calluses that discourage larval herbivory. This annual herb blooms in May and June. This plant is endemic to the Tiburon Peninsula of Northern California, and occurs at elevations below 150 m on serpentine grasslands. The Tiburon jewelflower has been federally listed as an endangered species since 1995 and currently exists in only two known populations in California.

Description
The Tiburon jewelflower is an annual herb that grows to a height of 1 to 2 ft. It can grow into a simple-stemmed or branching structure, and lower portions of the stems are smooth and practically hairless. This self-pollinated plant has dark purple, almost black, flower petals that feature a purple claw and a white blade with a purple midvein. The flower is almost closed at its throat. The zig-zag flower pattern and lack of hairs are the physical traits used to distinguish this subspecies from the very similar and closely related bristly jewel flower (Streptanthus glandulosus spp. glandulosus). Sepals measure 5 to 7 mm. The characteristic wavy petal margins have calluses that inhibit larval herbivory. The leaves of the Tiburon jewelflower appear in a basal manifestation and measure less than nine cm in length; leaves are generally oblanceolate in shape, and may appear as coarsely dentate. Chromosomal characterization is 2n=28. This plant is also known for belonging to the mustard family and producing black mustard seeds, which come out of the capsules in late June.

Taxonomy
This species is part of the Streptanthus, (twistflower), genus and is a subspecies of the species glandulosus. There are eight subspecies of the species glandulosus. The species derives its name from Streptanthus glandulosus subsp. glandulosus, the bristly jewelflower. The Tiburon jewelflower was originally classified as its own species Streptanthus niger, but recent molecular and fertility studies have found that it is a subspecies of Streptanthus glandulosus.

Distribution and Habitat
There are only two known colonies of Tiburon jewelflower, both of which occur on the Tiburon Peninsula in California, with a separation of about three km. One of the populations is near the historic Old Saint Hilary's Church. There are no known accounts of the Tiburon Jewelflower ever occurring outside of the Tiburon Peninsula, but more colonies may have been present in the past, inside the Peninsula. The Federal Register listing document notes that the Tiburon jewelflower only grows on grasslands above shallow serpentine soils with gentle to moderate southwestern facing slopes. According to the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Service: "species such as Tiburon jewelflower have adapted to serpentine soils and require them to survive". There is no critical habitat for the Tiburon jewelflower because it is not found beyond its narrow geographical range on the Tiburon peninsula of California, and designating critical habitat would not give any additional protections to the plant beyond granting endangered status.

Conservation
The Tiburon jewelflower was first collected by Edward L. Greene in 1886 at the site of Old Saint Hilary's Church in Marin County on the Tiburon Peninsula in California. It was designated as endangered by the state of California in the year 1990 and listed by the U.S. federal government five years later under the endangered species act. By 1998 a Species Recovery Plan had been prepared to provide more specific protection measures for this endangered plant. The recovery plan has been updated as recently as 2019 to include relevant threats and delisting information. Specific threats to the subspecies include residential development, foot traffic, road construction, loss of suitable habitat (serpentine soils), competition from non-native plants, and the effects of climate change. Another threat to Tiburon jewelflower is the significant loss of genetic diversity that has occurred due to small population sizes and habitat loss. Historic populations have varied between 25 and 2000 individuals, indicating the unpredictability of the subspecies. The most recent estimate for the St. Hilary’s Preserve population is approximately 3000 individuals, with population size depending on annual precipitation.

An assistant professor from Mills College, with financial support from the Marin County Open Space District, is carrying out a three year research project on conservation of this subspecies. The California Native Plant Society has placed the Tiburon jewelflower on List 1B (rare or endangered throughout its range). Most recently, a Five-Year Review of the Tiburon jewelflower’s status by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been initiated as of January 2020 and will assess the actions taken to protect this endangered plant. This subspecies or members of its species complex (Streptanthus) are not currently IUCN listed, which could be due to the plants’ limited geographical range or the under representation of plant species on the Red List.