Sebastopol meadowfoam
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| iSebastopol meadowfoam | ||||||||||||||
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| Limnanthes vinculans Ornd. |
Sebastopol meadowfoam (Limnanthes vinculans) is an endangered species of meadowfoam found only in the Cotati Valley of northern California.
Like the other meadowfoams, it is a small annual herb, with multiple stems growing up to 30 cm (12 in) in height. L. vinculans is unique in its genus for having compound leaves with 3-5 leaflets; each leaflet is entire, with a narrow-obovate shape. The flowers are small (12-18 mm across), white, generally bowl-shaped, and bloom in April and May. The fruit consists of 3-4 mm long nutlets.
This species is only known from 30 locations in the southern Cotati Valley of Sonoma County, California, where it occurs in wet meadows and around vernal pools at elevations of under 300m. Sites range from Graton, around the northern and western perimeters of Sebastopol, and east to Santa Rosa.
Sebastopol meadowfoam habitat is threatened by a number of human activities, particularly urbanization and development spreading out from Santa Rosa. In spring 2005, a controversy erupted when the plant was reported from a former bean farm planned as the site of the $70 million Laguna Vista development. State wildlife officials decided that the meadowfoam had been deliberately planted, presumably to block the development project, and ordered the plants to be dug up. In spring 2006, the plants reappeared, although officials said they had likely sprouted from seeds scattered the previous year. Even so, Sebastopol's city council held public hearings and eventually declined final approval of the project, pending a redesign.
