Potentilla Hickmanii - Distribution and Habitat

Distribution and Habitat

Potentilla hickmanii is currently known to occur in two coastal locations. The Federal Register documents colonies on the Monterey Peninsula and at another area in coastal San Mateo County,. The Monterey population is within the municipal boundaries of the city of Monterey growing in a native grassland opening of the Monterey pine forest at an old summer camp site. Plantings have been made, as attempts to establish new colonies in Monterey County at two areas the Point Lobos State Reserve, but those plantings failed by the summer of 2011 from the invasion of European weed grasses, and by the plantings situated too far from where the plants could easily be monitored or managed, and by planting in one site that was too wet for the species to survive.

Another coastal colony was discovered in Moss Beach, California, in 1933 in a wetland area at the mouth of San Vicente Creek; this colony was presumed extinct by at least the 1970s. Another population in San Mateo County was discovered in 1995 on the south slopes above Martini Creek (USGS quad reference Montara Mountain 3712254), on private land by biologists conducting surveys for the Devil's Slide highway project. In all cases the populations are found between altitude 10 to 135 meters. The habitat for this species includes native grassland meadows openings in pine forests, coastal bluff native perennial grasslands, and under pine trees in duff. The key to the habitat for this species, is the decomposed granite substrate that lies directly under the very fine-grained grassland topsoil.