Neviusia cliftonii
Neviusia cliftonii is a rare species of shrub in the rose family which is known by the common name Shasta snow-wreath. It is endemic to Shasta County, California, where it is known from about 25 occurrences in the mountains around Lake Shasta.[2]
| Neviusia cliftonii | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Genus: | Neviusia |
| Species: | N. cliftonii |
| Binomial name | |
| Neviusia cliftonii Shevock, Ertter & D.W. Taylor | |
The shrub was not known to science until 1992, when it was discovered east of Redding, California and described as a new species in Neviusia, previously a monotypic genus.[3]
Description
Neviusia cliftonii is an erect deciduous shrub reaching 2.5 meters (8 ft 2 in) in maximum height. The alternately arranged leaves are oval or heart-shaped and lined with toothed lobes. The leaf blades reach 6 centimeters (2.4 in) long and are borne on short petioles. The inflorescence is an umbel-like cluster of 3 to 5 flowers. The flower is a ball of about 50 long, whiskery white stamens each about 0.5 centimeters (0.20 in) long. There are rarely a single white petal basal to the stamens, although the petals are often absent. The fruit type is a soft-bodied achene a few millimeters long [anatomically the fruit is an achenetum].
When not in flower, the plant resembles common shrubs such as oceanspray and ninebark, one reason why it may have gone unrecognized for so long.[4]
References
- "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
- California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
- Shevock, J. R., B. Ertter, and D. W. Taylor. (1992). Neviusia cliftonii (Rosaceae: Kerrieae), an intriguing new relict species from California. Novon 2:4 285-89.
- Nelson, J. K. Plant of the Week: Shasta Snow-wreath. USFS.