Limnanthes
Encyclopedia
Limnanthes is a genus
of annual herbaceous
plant
s commonly known as the meadowfoams. The nine species are all native to the coastal regions of western North America
, where they typically grow in marshy habitats, such as the margins of vernal pool
s. Some are endemic to California
General form ranges from decumbent to erect, with leaves either pinnately lobed or compound; the lobes or leaflets may themselves range from entire to deeply lobed. Both 4- and 5-sepaled and petaled members are known.
The white meadowfoam Limnanthes alba is of commercial interest for its oil, while several other species are rare or endangered.
Limnanthes bakeri
Limnanthes douglasii
Limnanthes floccosa
Limnanthes gracilis
Limnanthes macounii
Limnanthes montana
Limnanthes striata
Limnanthes vinculans
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of annual herbaceous
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s commonly known as the meadowfoams. The nine species are all native to the coastal regions of western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, where they typically grow in marshy habitats, such as the margins of vernal pool
Vernal pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are temporary pools of water. They are usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species...
s. Some are endemic to California
General form ranges from decumbent to erect, with leaves either pinnately lobed or compound; the lobes or leaflets may themselves range from entire to deeply lobed. Both 4- and 5-sepaled and petaled members are known.
The white meadowfoam Limnanthes alba is of commercial interest for its oil, while several other species are rare or endangered.
Species
Limnanthes albaLimnanthes alba
Limnanthes alba is a species of flowering plant in the meadowfoam family known by the common name white meadowfoam. It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows in wet grassy habitat, such as vernal pools and moist spots in woodlands. It generally grows in poorly drained soils. It is an...
Limnanthes bakeri
Limnanthes bakeri
Limnanthes bakeri is a rare species of meadowfoam known by the common name Baker's meadowfoam. It is endemic to Mendocino County, California, where it is known from only about 20 occurrences in the vicinity of Willits...
Limnanthes douglasii
Limnanthes floccosa
Limnanthes floccosa
Limnanthes floccosa, or woolly meadowfoam, is a species of meadowfoam found in Northern California and Southern Oregon, in the United States...
Limnanthes gracilis
Limnanthes macounii
Limnanthes macounii
Limnanthes macounii is an endangered meadowfoam. It is a narrow endemic of south-western British Columbia, Canada. It was discovered in 1875 in the vicinity of the city of Victoria...
Limnanthes montana
Limnanthes montana
Limnanthes montana is a species of meadowfoam known by the common name mountain meadowfoam. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, where it grows in wet, grassy habitat such as marshy spring meadows.-Description:...
Limnanthes striata
Limnanthes striata
Limnanthes striata is a species of meadowfoam known by the common name foothill meadowfoam. It is endemic to the California, where it is known from the Sierra Nevada foothills and the southern Klamath Mountains...
Limnanthes vinculans