Fritillaria striata Eastw.:
United States (North America)

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Endemic to Kern and Tulare Counties, California, in the southeastern San Joaquin Valley and adjacent foothills (southern Sierra Nevada foothills, northern foothills of Tehachapi Mountains). Occurrences have been described as "discontinuously scattered" within this range (USFWS 1998).

Fritillaria striata is considered rare and endangered in California, the greatest threat at present being loss of habitat due to cattle grazing.

Bulb scales: large 2–7; small 0–1. Stem 2.5–3.8 dm. Leaves 3–10, alternate, 6–7 cm; blade oblong-ovate, ± glaucous. Flowers nodding, fragrant; tepals white to pink, often striped red, oblanceolate, 2–3.5 cm, apex acute to apiculate, usually recurved; nectaries at base of tepals, green, outlined with lavender, linear; style barely branched, branches shorter than 1.5 mm. Capsules angled. 2n = 24.

Differs from F. pluriflora (of the northern Sacramento Valley foothills) in the shape, size, and coloring of the flowers, the conspicuous nectaries, and the connivent stigmas (Eastwood 1931 cited in Stebbins 1989).

Comments: On heavy, usually red, clay ("adobe") soils in valley and foothill (non-native annual) grasslands and openings of blue oak (Quercus dougaslii) cismontane woodlands. Apparently more or less edaphically restricted to these distinctive clay soils, which are found on limited scattered sites within the species' generalized range (possibly as a remnant from uplifted metamorphic deposits which was not eroded away). Plants generally occur on the lower portions of north-facing slopes. Early collections of this species were made in the nonnative grassland that had become well-established in Tulare fifty years earlier; this vegetation replaced the native bunchgrass communities in the late 1800s. Common associates in this community include Avena fatua, Dichelostemma pulchellum, Amsinckia intermedia, and Achyrachaena mollis, as well as "weedy" nonnative associates in the more degraded sites, such as Senecio vulgaris, Erodium botrys, and Stellaria media. In the foothills, associates include widely scattered Quercus douglasii trees, as well as Plagiobothrys nothofulvus, Chlorogalum pomeridianum, Lomatium utriculatum, and Bromus rubens. 135-1455 m.

Flowering Mar--May. Adobe soil; of conservation concern; 0--1000 m; Calif.

Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.

Estimated Number of Occurrences: 6 - 20

Comments: Approximately 15 occurrences are believed extant and 6 additional occurrences are considered historical or possibly extirpated.

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N2 - Imperiled

Rounded Global Status Rank: G2 - Imperiled

Reasons: Fritillaria striata is endemic to Kern and Tulare Counties, California, where it is scattered in the southeastern San Joaquin Valley and adjacent foothills. Approximately 15 occurrences are believed extant and 6 additional are considered historical or extirpated. All occurrences occur on private land, although at least a few are believed to be managed compatibly. Although probably never common, this species is believed to have been more abundant and widespread historically; at least four (and probably more) occurrences have been extirpated by urban and agricultural land conversion. These processes continue to threaten the species today, along with particular grazing regimes (heavy grazing and/or grazing at sensitive times of the year), road widening and maintenance, possible competition with annual non-native grasses, off-highway vehicles, and other minor threats. Occurrences also exhibit low levels of sexual reproduction and seedling establishment, which may be a concern for long-term viability.

Global Long Term Trend: Decline of 30-70%

Comments: Although this species apparently was never common, it is believed to have been more widespread historically than it currently is; many existing occurrences are believed to be fragments of larger historic occurrences (Stebbins 1989). Occurrences have been disproportionately extirpated from the flatter sites near the valley floor, where the clays are deeper and more soil moisture is thus available; remaining sites occur on what may originally have been more marginal habitat for the species (Stebbins 1989). Many historic collections were made in the lower elevation valleys of Tulare County (e.g. Lindsay area, Frazier Valley), among the first lands in the area put into agricultural production (grain farms and, later, citrus orchards) (Stebbins 1989). At least four occurrences are known to have been extirpated as a result of urbanization and agricultural land conversion (Stebbins 1989, USFWS 1998).

Comments: Approximately half (USFWS 1994, 1998) of known occurrences have had specific threats documented, although the proportion of occurrences actually threatened may be higher (Stebbins 1989); listed as "seriously endangered" by the California Native Plant Society (2009). Agricultural land conversion, particularly the expansion of citrus orchards in Tulare County, threatens at least two occurrences (Stebbins 1989, USFWS 1998). Urbanization is also a potential threat, as new housing construction may threaten unprotected populations on private land (USFWS 1994). Non-native grasses such as Avena and Bromus co-occur with this species at many of its locations; these grasses may pose a threat via competition, but more study is required (USFWS 1998). Livestock grazing occurs at most occurrences, and heavy grazing/trampling and/or grazing at sensitive times of the year is believed to be a threat at at least three locations (USFWS 1998). However, many of the other occurrences have persisted for many years with grazing, and lighter grazing with avoidance during the flowering season may benefit the species, for example by reducing the biomass of associated annual grasses (Stebbins 1989, USFWS 1998). Road widening and maintenance poses a threat to at least one occurrence; the clay soils on which this species occurs are very unstable during the wet months, potentially necessitating damaging slope stabilization procedures. Other potential or minor threats include off-highway vehicle use, vehicle impacts on plants that grow in access roads/firebreaks (1-2 occurrences), deer herbivory, low rates of sexual reproduction and seedling establishment, and the effects of altered fire frequency in this ecosystem on the species' long-term viability (Stebbins 1989, USFWS 1998).