San Fernando Valley Spineflower (Chorizanthe parryi var. fernandina) Experimental Habitat

San Fernando Valley Spineflower (Chorizanthe parryi var. fernandina) Experimental Habitat

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is issuing a permit to Dr. Jodi McGraw (Permit No. 2081(a)-20-016-RP) pursuant to Fish and Game Code section 2081(a) for a project to examine whether San Fernando Valley spineflower established from seed collected from different subpopulations differ in their demographic and population performance when seeded into potential introduction sites that feature a range of habitat conditions including elevation, soil texture, and soil organic matter. The project will utilize seed that was collected in 2003 and has been stored at California Botanic Garden in Claremont, California. In fall 2020, the seed will be sown into experimental plots in potentially suitable but unoccupied San Fernando Valley spineflower habitat. At the end of the each growing season, a maximum of 710 San Fernando Valley spineflower plants will be collected from the study plots (5 plants in each of the 108 seeding study plots plus 34 reference plots in the naturally occurring population) to measure aspects of plant biomass and flower production. Plants harvested from the seeded plots during the first year will be disposed of, and all remaining San Fernando Valley spineflower plants in the seeded plots will be removed and disposed of offsite to prevent seed production in the plots. Plants harvested from the seeded plots during the second year will be returned to the plots they were collected from. During both years, all plant samples from the reference plots in the naturally occurring population will be returned to the plots they were collected from prior to the onset of the winter rains to avoid reducing the population of seed in those sites.

Los Angeles, Ventura

Southern California