Acmispon dendroideus, synonym Syrmatium veatchii, is a species of legume native to California.[2][3] It is known by the common name island broom.[4] It is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, where it grows on coastal bluffs and cliffs. It is a spreading perennial herb or erect shrub approaching 2 meters in height. It is hairless to hairy and gray-green in color. The branches lined with leaves each made up of a few oval leaflike leaflets up to 1.5 centimeters long each. The inflorescence bears up to 10 yellow pealike flowers, each roughly a centimeter long and fading red as they age.[3]

Acmispon dendroideus

Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Acmispon
Species:
A. dendroideus
Binomial name
Acmispon dendroideus
(Greene) Brouillet[2]
Synonyms[2]

Species:

  • Hosackia dendroidea (Greene) Abrams
  • Syrmatium dendroideum Greene

Varieties: See text.

Taxonomy

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The species was first described by Edward Lee Greene in 1886, as Syrmatium dendroideum.[5]

Varieties

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A number of varieties have been recognized:[2]

  • Acmispon dendroideus var. dendroideus
  • Acmispon dendroideus var. traskiae (Eastw. ex Abrams) Brouillet
Synonyms:[6]
  • Lotus dendroideus var. traskiae (Eastw. ex Abrams) Isely
  • Lotus scoparius subsp. traskiae (Eastw. ex Abrams) P.H.Raven
  • Lotus scoparius var. traskiae (Eastw. ex Abrams) Ottley
  • Syrmatium traskiae Eastw. ex Abrams
  • Acmispon dendroideus var. veatchii (Greene) Brouillet
Synonyms:[7]
  • Hosackia veatchii Greene
  • Lotus dendroideus Greene
  • Lotus dendroideus var. veatchii (Greene) Isely
  • Lotus scoparius var. dendroideus Ottley
  • Lotus scoparius var. veatchii Ottley
  • Lotus veatchii (Greene) Greene
  • Syrmatium veatchii (Greene) Greene

The rarest, var. traskiae, the San Clemente Island broom or San Clemente Island lotus, is limited to San Clemente Island. It is treated federally as an endangered species.[8][9] In the 1990s the Navy removed goats from San Clemente Island and started a management program to benefit this species. Due to the management efforts for this species, it has increased from just 9 occurrences at the time of listing to over 150 populations consisting of over 10,000 individuals. In 2007 the US Fish & Wildlife Service recommended it be downlisted from endangered to threatened status.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
  2. ^ a b c d "Acmispon dendroideus (Greene) Brouillet", Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2021-02-14
  3. ^ a b Brouillet, Luc (2012), Jepson Flora Project (ed.), "Acmispon dendroideus", Jepson eFlora, Regents of the University of California, retrieved 2018-02-06
  4. ^ *USDA Plants Profile
  5. ^ "Acmispon dendroideus (Greene) Brouillet", International Plant Names Index (IPNI), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens, retrieved 2021-02-14
  6. ^ "Acmispon dendroideus var. traskiae (Eastw. ex Abrams) Brouillet", Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2021-02-14
  7. ^ "Acmispon dendroideus var. veatchii (Greene) Brouillet", Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2021-02-14
  8. ^ Center for Plant Conservation Archived 2009-08-19 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
  10. ^ USFWS. L. d. var. traskiae Five-year Review. September 2007.
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