Fimbriate desert-parsley (Lomatium foeniculaceum var. fimbriatum) near Alturas, Modoc County?

In California, Lomatium foeniculaceum is represented by 3 of the five races treated by Theobold (Brittonia 18:1-18. 1966) and Holmgren (Intermountain Flora Vol. 3A. 1997).  Records attribute all of the Modoc Plateau occurrences as Lomatium foeniculaceum var. macdougalii, CNPS List 2.2, a rare plant.

Holmgren and TJM2 keys respectively distinguish var. fimbriatum on the basis of “petals ciliolate margined (unique in the species)” and “petal margin minutely ciliate”.

Plants of the population of Lomatium foeniculaceum on the southerly outskirts of Alturas were in flower this year on May 16^th.  Plants in this occurrence have petals that are NOT glabrous on the surface nor on the petal margin, making them similar to the circumscription of var. fimbriatum.  The EO#10 plants do not have the very regular, minutely ciliate petal margins with glabrous petal faces illustrated in Intermountain Flora Vol. 3A p. 407.  Rather, they are have irregular, dense trichomes over both the petal surface and irregularly along the petal margin.

Many of the Modoc County locations of Lomatium foeniculaceum lack a voucher specimen, making determination of the petal glabrous/pubescent feature uncertain.   Lomatium foeniculaceum var. fimbriatum was described from a White Mountain, Inyo County type attributed to deposition at LA.  The holotype was not cited as seen by Holmgren (Intermountain Flora Vol. 3A. 1997) nor are any isotypes in any of the major herbaria databases (NY, MO, US, UC).   In the CNPS Inventory the statement is made "Lassen County plants may be undescribed".  Indeed, perhaps there is a 6th infrataxon of Lomatium foeniculaceum, one in which the petals are pubescent but regularly fimbriate as in var. fimbriatum.

The relatively poor photo shows a magnified image of the flowers and their abundant petal trichomes (red arrows show examples)

The long lost Mimulus whippleyi may not be all that lost

Mimulus whippleyi A.L. Grant (1924) is a California endemic that has been considered potentially extinct since the inception of the rare plant program.  Now (Phytoneuron 2012-40: p. 44) we find that M. whippleyi is supplanted by an earlier name, M. marmoratus Greene (Erythea 3:73. 1895).  More importantly, Nesom’s treatment adds considerably  to the number of known specimens (well, two more).

Erythranthe marmorata (Greene) Nesom is now the correct name.

Stations:

1. California, Stanislaus County, Knight’s Ferry, moist rocks, 9 Apr 1895, F.W. Bancroft s.n. (lectotype ND-Greene 046328; isolectotypes: ND-Greene 046329, UC27030) – approx 37.82044/-120.65836 200 feet

2.  California, Calaveras County, Murphy’s [Camp], rocky hillsides, J.14 May 1854, J.M. Bigelow s.n.

(holotype: GH , isotype US42132) – approx. 38.12494/-120.41578 2600 feet

3.  California, Amador[?] County, George Hansen, 13 May 1896, 1200 ft (NDG46544) or April 1892 (UC103735), 1800 ft; or April 1892, 2000 ft (UC193097) – vicinity 38.37/-120.61

I have been unable as yet find the exact location of Hansen’s placenames “Fisher’s Cabin” or “Fisher’s Point” – the name does not appear on the 1897 edition of the Jackson or Big Trees USGS 30’ quadrangle, nor in the USGS Gazetteer, nor in the Jepson Herbarium placenames database, nor in Durham’s Place Names of California.  Neither of the Hansen place names appear in the 1881 “History of Amador County”.  Based on the format of Hansen’s specimen labels, which generally form an elevation progression.  The station is threfore arbitrarily mapped at the confluence of the Mokelumne River and Middle Fork Mokelumne River.

The ND-G specimen of Hansen 473 is cited as Erythranthe marmorata (Greene) Nesom, Phytoneuron 2012-40: 44. 2012[=Mimulus whippleyi A.L. Grant, CNPS List 1A – presumed extinct].  The digital image of ND-G 46544 gives the location as “Fisher’s Cabin....1200 ft”

The image shows the general format of one version of Hansen’s specimen label