Rare Plant Program

Beach spectaclepod (Dithyrea maritima)

An example of a rare plant which needs survey work, beach spectaclepod is a low growing plant found in coastal dunes in southern California and Baja California, Mexico. It is currently known from San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, and on San Nicolas Island, though the historical range also included Los Angeles County and Santa Catalina and San Miguel islands.

The plant is typically found within sight of the surf or in the swales of small foredunes. Population sizes are small, usually fewer than ten plants per swale, and common associates include sand verbena (Abronia maritima) and dune dandelion (Malacothrix incana var. succulenta). It is found from near sea level to 100 feet or so in elevation.

Habitat along the coast has been seriously degraded by development, off-road vehicles, and non-native plants. Most occurrences of the plant have not been seen or reported upon in a decade or more. Current information is critical to management and conservation efforts... so we need your help!

The basic process of this 2003 monitoring effort is as follows:

1. Review the list of priority taxa and find one or more plants, such as beach spectaclepod, you would like to search for in your area.
2. Contact CNPS Rare Plant Botanist Nicholas Jensen at njensencnps.org or 916/324-3816 for information on the plant. 
3. Information on known occurrences in your area will be sent to you (via email or regular mail). 
4. Use the information to revisit known sites (or other suitable habitat) and try to find the plant! 
5. If you find the plant, use the information on how to document your discovery, and send data (including a map) to Nicholas Jensen at CNPS, 2707 K Street, Suite 1, Sacramento, CA 95816-5113). 
6. If you don't find the plant, it is still helpful to provide information on where you looked and the status of the site. Negative data are important also! 
7. All data provided will be used to update the CNPS Inventory and shared with DFG for inclusion in the California Natural Diversity Database.