[PCA] NEWS: Extinct Dissanthellium Californicum rediscovered

[Nursery]

AVALON, Calif., MAY 27, 2005 - At the same time of the announcement of the rediscovery of the long-feared extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the Big Woods of eastern Arkansas, right here, off the coast of California, a species of grass--considered extinct for more than a century--has been rediscovered on Catalina Island by a plant ecologist with the Catalina Island Conservancy.

          The grass, California Dissanthelium (Dissanthelium californicum), was first discovered on Catalina in 1847 - well before the Civil War - and subsequently found on only two other islands, San Clemente off the coast of Southern California, and Guadalupe, off the coast of Baja California. The last time the grass was seen at any location was in 1912.

           Assistant Plant Ecologist Jenny McCune was surveying and sampling plant communities in an 80-acre burn area near Catalina's Airport-in-the-Sky, when she spotted the "different looking," inconspicuous short grass growing underneath shrubbery on a steep, highly inaccessible hillside. 

           "There are many species of grass on the Island," McCune said. "I've only been here a year, but when I saw it, I realized that this particular grass was very different from what I had seen before."

        McCune said it was unlikely the grass has been dormant all this time. She said that, more likely, a combination of diminished pressure from grazing animals, combined with this year's higher-than-average rainfall, caused the grass to flourish for the first time in a century. The succulent grass may have been enjoyed by the thousands of goats that once inhabited the Island, but now number just three. 

         Since the initial rediscovery, McCune and fellow botanists have counted small patches of the grass in three locations on Catalina Island.
The only other types of Dissanthelium found in the world are at the 13,000- to 16,000-foot levels in the central Andes Mountains in South America. on high volcanoes in Central Mexico. According to a report written by J. Travis Columbus and Nancy Refulio, researchers from the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, California, California Dissanthelium is the only species in the genus that grows near sea level in a Mediterranean climate. Refulio is currently doing microscopic tests on samples brought back to the lab from Catalina to see how closely the Island grass resembles the grass from the Andes.

              "I'm eager to see if they are related," McCune said. "It may be that this grass is different enough from what is found in the Andes, that we may have a brand new grass genus that grows only here on the California islands."

	"This is such good news for rare plants on the Island," she added. "It's nice to think there is still hope for plants on Catalina thought to be extinct. It will be interesting to see if the Dissanthelium will reemerge on San Clemente and Guadalupe islands as well."

	Along with multiple species that have not been seen for decades or even a century, Catalina has another species presumed to be extinct: Trask's Monkeyflower (Mimulus traskiae), known only from Catalina and last seen in 1900.

	McCune said she and other Island botanists are keeping their eyes peeled for these plants. "It's a great year to be a botanist out in the field," she said.

The Catalina Island Conservancy

	The mission of the Catalina Island Conservancy is to be a responsible steward of its lands through a balance of conservation, education and recreation. Through its ongoing efforts, the Conservancy protects the magnificent natural and cultural heritage of Santa Catalina Island, stewarding approximately 42,000 acres of land, 50 miles of rugged shoreline, an airport, and more than 200 miles of roads. Twenty miles from the mainland, the Island is a treasure trove of historical and archeological sites, numerous rare and endangered animals and plants, and is home to ecological communities found nowhere else in the world. The Conservancy works actively to keep Catalina wild by engaging in conservation and restoration efforts that have roots in sound science. The Conservancy provides lifelong learning opportunities to help children and adults discover and understand their connections to nature. It supports recreational experiences all over the Island that are a model for balancing human uses with nature's needs. By inspiring visitors to become responsible stewards of the living Earth, the Conservancy helps to ensure that today's children and future generations will be able to enjoy Catalina Island's abundance of natural beauty.