Researcher Peter Connors waters Showy
Indian Clover, one of CaliforniaÕs largest and most showy native
clovers that was presumed extinct more than a dozen years ago. Connors and colleague John Maron of UC Davis Bodega Marine Reserve and Laboratory have rescued and propagated the solitary clover after discovering it on the edge of a recently bulldozed track on a Sonoma County grassy hillside three years ago.
The single plant survived close encounters with a bulldozer and a tractor and produced 92 seeds. Half of those are deposited in a national seed bank. With an eye toward eventually re-establishing a self-sustaining population, Connors successfully germinated some of the remaining seeds, introduced a symbiont bacteria into the plantsÕ soil, and has raised two generations of the clover.
His efforts to save this species have led him to suspect that other native species in CaliforniaÕs rich native grasslands may be in similar danger due to grazing, competition with nonnative grasses and weeds, and other habitat changes.
(Courtesy photo)
