Atriplex tularensis Coville (1893:182)
Bakersfield saltbush, Bakersfield smallscale, Tulare saltbush, Tulare orach
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonyms: Atriplex cordulata var. tularensis (Coville) Jeps. in Fl. Calif. 1: 436 (1914); Obione tularensis (Coville) Ulbr. in H.G.A.Engler, Nat. Pflanzenfam., ed. 2. 16c: 507 (1934)
Conservation Status
Extinct (Rejmánek, 2018; Smith, 2018; Knapp et al., 2020, 2021; Albani Rocchetti et al., 2022; Calflora, 2024; Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2024; POWO, 2024) or Rediscovered (Smith & York, 1984:1; Freas & Murphy, 1988:318, 1991:16; Humphreys et al., 2019)
Last record (disputed): 1891 (Knapp et al., 2021); 1921 (Ripley, 1975:42); 1934 (Smith & York, 1984:12; Freas & Murphy, 1988:318 [prior to rediscovery in 1983]; Smith, 2018); 1983 [false rediscovery?] (Smith & York, 1984:12; Freas & Murphy, 1988:318); 1987 or later (Freas & Murphy, 1991:16); 1991 [error for 1891?] (Rejmánek, 2018; Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2024)
Decline
"Besides dramatic reduction of suitable habitats, hybridization with Atriplex serenana Nelson ex Abrams (a native species better adapted to dry conditions) resulted in swamping of the A. tularensis gene pool (Freas & Murphy, 1988, 1991; Rhymer & Simberloff, 1996; R. Tollifson, personal communication, March 1, 2017)."
(Rejmánek, 2018)
De-extinction potential
This species has been identified as one of the 50 best candidates for de-extinction, ranking 49/50 (Albani Rocchetti et al., 2022).
Supposed rediscovery (and extinction?)
It was reportedly rediscovered according to (Smith & York, 1984:1) after the publication of the second edition of that volume (i.e. Smith et al., 1980). Freas & Murphy (1988:318, 1991:16) state that it had not been reported since 1934 until rediscovered in 1983, which thus fits with that timeline. A series of publications on this supposedly rediscovered population followed (e.g. Bowen, 1986; Freas & Murphy, 1988, 1991), but the species is today widely regarded as Extinct (Rejmánek, 2018; Smith, 2018; Knapp et al., 2020, 2021; Albani Rocchetti et al., 2022; Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2024; POWO, 2024). So either this rediscovered population died out, which would explain the 1991 record given by (Rejmánek, 2018; Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2024). Or, the population is no longer considered to have representeded A. tularensis, which would explain the last record of the species being given as 1891 (Knapp et al., 2021) or 1934 (Smith, 2018) by publications published long after the supposed rediscovery.
Alternatively, the 1991 records by (Rejmánek, 2018; Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2024) may represent an error for 1891 (Knapp et al., 2021). In late July 1987, a mature population of Atriplex sp. was discovered, with some individuals displaying the phenotype of A. tularensis but others that of A. serenana and others again being intermediate between the two (Freas & Murphy, 1991:17). Germination of seed from the strict A. tularensis phenotype still produced variable individuals, and was suggested to represent introgression (Freas & Murphy, 1991:17). An alternative hypothesis invokes poor taxonomic delineation between the two taxa, which may add weight to the possibility that the 1983 population wasn't true A. tularensis.
Distribution
California, USA
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
References
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