UPDATE, 4:50 p.m.: Hot botany scandal! Emily Walter of the Friends of the Dunes checks in with the LoCO to tell us that there’s actually a controversy over whether the Humboldt Bay wallflower counts as a “subspecies” of Menzies’ wallflower, or whether it’s just a plain old stupid Menzies wallflower. The up-to-date Jepson goes with the latter.

Walter says that there’s a study underway to sort this all out. We should have the results in by 2014. Meanwhile, the next Friends of the Dunes newsletter is going to carry a blow-out expose on the controversy.

— HS

###

They’re here. Rare, endangered flowers are blooming this week on the North Spit.

The Humboldt Bay wallflower, listed as an endangered species on California and U.S. lists, is a subspecies of Erysimum menziesii, or Menzies’ wallflower. Endemic to California, E.m. eurekense grows on beaches in Humboldt County and that’s about the only place. Development is the biggest threat to its survival.

This photo was taken Monday afternoon. A few young wallflowers were spotted emerging from the dunes so they should be budding through the weekend.

Info from Jepsen Flora Project:

E.m. eurekense

Flowers generally winter, spring
Leaf toothed, not obviously fleshy
Flower: petals light yellow
Fruit (5)8–14 cm, 2–3 mm wide; pedicel (5)9–15 mm
Ecology: Foredunes
Elevation: 0–300 m. 
Bioregional distribution: n North Coast (Humboldt Bay, Humboldt Co.).

Threatened by development