Let’s hear it for the tiny flowers! The San Fernando Valley spineflower (Chorizanthe parryi var. fernandina) is native to Southern California and is found only on Newhall Ranch (Los Angeles County) and Laskey Mesa (Ventura County). One of about 60 named species and subspecies of Chorizanthe in California, this spineflower is a small, sprawling herb with hairy stems, white flowers, and reddish leaves that stand 2 – 3 inches off the ground, found in chaparral and scrub plant communities.
This flower is so rare that it was thought to be extinct from 1929, when it was last collected, until it was rediscovered in 1999 on Laskey Mesa (a.k.a. Ahmanson Ranch).Historically, the Spineflower was only known to grow in 10 locations in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. However, all 10 locations are now heavily urbanized, severely hindering the chances of discovering more Spineflower habitat. Aside from development and fragmentation of habitat, the San Fernando Valley spineflower is threatened by; non-native plants and invasive plants; Argentine Ants; grazing and agriculture; utility line easements and maintenance; recreational land uses; wildfire; and climate change.
Today, there are only 2 known populations of the Spineflower: Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve in Ventura County (Laskey Mesa) and Newhall Ranch in Los Angeles County, where it was discovered during surveys for the Newhall Ranch Specific Plan in 2000. The Newhall Ranch project open-space set-aside areas will contain about 75% of the Spineflower occurrences in the Santa Clara River Valley.
Spineflower is a candidate for Federal Status Listing as a Threatened Species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The State of CA lists the San Fernando Valley Spineflower as an Endangered Species.
LA County Dept. of Regional Planning’s SEA Ordinance amendment project is an on-going effort to conserve genetic and physical diversity within LA County by designating biological resource areas that are capable of sustaining themselves into the future. Every Wednesday, we will profile a plant or animal “Ambassador” that makes the SEAs its home. #SEAwednesday
For more information, contact us at:
sea@planning.lacounty.gov
213-974-6461
Environmental Planning & Sustainability Section
Picture: Pacific Southwest Region USFWS
References: United States Fish and Wildlife Service & CA Native Plant Society
