Limnanthes floccosa

Limnanthes floccosa
ssp. californica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Limnanthaceae
Genus: Limnanthes
Section: Limnanthes sect. Inflexae
Species:
L. floccosa
Binomial name
Limnanthes floccosa
Subspecies

L. floccosa subsp. bellingeriana L. floccosa subsp. californica L. floccosa subsp. floccosa
L. floccosa subsp. grandiflora
L. floccosa subsp. pumilla

Limnanthes floccosa, or woolly meadowfoam, is a species of meadowfoam found in Northern California and Southern Oregon, in the United States. Most of the subspecies have highly restricted distributions and are listed as critical or endangered.[1][2][3][4][5]

Perhaps the most familiar subspecies of woolly meadowfoam is californica, not because it is the one most often seen (it is very inconspicuous), but because this taxon has been the focus of a significant conflict. The subspecies is found only among a dozen or so populations in Butte County, California, and is legally protected as endangered. Conflict has arisen between those who would protect the few remaining populations and those who would rather use its critical habitat for economic activities.[6]

Certain subspecies of L. floccosa have been used to improve a meadowfoam cultivar derived from Limnanthes alba.[7] The crop is grown for its seed oil, which contains long chain fatty acids (greater than 20 carbons), has high oxidative stability, does not have any odor and is highly emollient. The oil is currently used in cosmetics manufacturing. Limnanthes is cultivated in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and elsewhere.

  1. ^ "Limnanthes floccosa ssp. bellingeriana". Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v7-09b). Sacramento, California: California Native Plant Society. January 19, 2010. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  2. ^ "Dwarf meadowfoam (Limnanthes floccosa ssp. pumila)". Oregon Department of Agriculture. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  3. ^ "Big-flowered wooly meadowfoam (Limnanthes floccosa ssp. grandiflora)". Oregon Department of Agriculture. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  4. ^ "Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica". Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v7-09b). Sacramento, California: California Native Plant Society. January 19, 2010. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  5. ^ "Large-flowered woolly meadowfoam". United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  6. ^ Anderaos, Deb (April 5, 2021). "Lawsuit launched against Chico development project, claims endangered species are threatened". KHSL News. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  7. ^ "Meadowfoam". Alternative Field Crops Manual. University of Wisconsin Extension, University of Minnesota Center for Alternative Plant and Animal Products. Retrieved March 31, 2010.