Willowy monardella Monardella viminea is a true San Diegan. It is only found in a very small section of the planet, a rectangular area that is roughly 14 miles long from east to west, and 7 miles wide. The species was state listed as endangered in 1979 and federally listed as endangered in 1998. At the time of the federal listing (1998), there were 20 known occurrences. Despite all of the protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act, today there are just 8 known occurrences. It is restricted to the canyons of just 3 small watersheds.

San Miguel savory Clinopodium chandleri is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae) with small white flowers and peppermint scented foliage. There are roughly 30 populations known to exist in the United States, and almost all of them occur in San Diego County. This is a G2 species, meaning it is imperiled throughout its global range, and it’s threatened by recreational activities, invasive plants, increased fire frequency, and climate change.

San Diego gumplant Grindelia hallii is a member of the sunflower family and is only found in San Diego County. There are around 60 known populations, and we made a seed collection from two different populations this year, from locations between 4,200 and 4,500 feet above sea level. The species is designated a G2 species that has never been conserved ex-situ, making our two seed collections an important first step in the long-term conservation of the species.

Stemodia durantifolia is a plant that clings to life on rock faces and in the cracks of large boulders along our dry river washes. In California, it is only found in San Diego and Riverside Counties, though it’s also found in Arizona and northwestern Mexico. It is considered rare and threatened in California, known from just 20 occurrences, and seed has never been collected for long-term conservation. The Seed Bank team hiked up a long, rocky mountain wash to gather seeds to ensure we have this beautiful plant represented in our seed bank.

2018

Integration 2017 - 2026

Banking on the Future: The Native Plant Seed Bank at SDZG’s Institute for Conservation Research is a valuable repository to save seeds from rare and endangered plants, particularly San Diego County natives. Many of these plants exist nowhere else. In 2018, the team collected seeds from 12 rare plant species, 6 of which were brand new to the seed bank, including San Diego milkvetch Astragalus oocarpus, San Diego gumplant Grindelia hallii, San Miguel savory Clinopodium chandleri, willowy monardella Monardella viminea, Gander’s ragwort Packera ganderi, and Stemodia durantifolia.