Blennosperma is a small genus of annual flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae), order Asterales. The genus contains four known species: two endemic to California, one native to Chile, and one found in southern Venezuela and northwestern Brazil. Commonly called stickyseeds, members of this genus are low-growing herbs that produce small, yellow, daisy-like flower heads. The name Blennosperma derives from the Greek words for "slimy" and "seed," a reference to the mucilaginous coating of the achenes (seeds).
The genus was described by Christian Friedrich Lessing in 1832 in his Synopsis Generum Compositarum, and the synonyms Apalus DC. and Coniothele DC. have been placed in its synonymy. The California species — B. nanum (glueseed or yellow carpet) and B. bakeri (Baker's stickyseed) — are characteristic wildflowers of seasonally wet grasslands and vernal pool margins in the Coast Ranges and Central Valley foothills. Blennosperma bakeri is a rare species restricted to Sonoma County and is tracked by conservation agencies.
Etymology
The genus name Blennosperma is derived from Greek: blennos (slime, mucus) and sperma (seed), referring to the mucilaginous coating on the achenes. The genus was formally named by Christian Friedrich Lessing in 1832.
Distribution
Blennosperma has a disjunct distribution spanning western North America, southern South America, and northern South America. Two species (B. nanum and B. bakeri) are native to California. B. chilense occurs in Chile (Provinces of Maule, O'Higgins, and Valparaíso), and B. cretacea is found in southern Venezuela and northwestern Brazil.
Conservation
Blennosperma bakeri (Baker's stickyseed) is rare and restricted to Sonoma County, California, where it is tracked as a species of conservation concern. Its populations are threatened by habitat loss, development, and altered hydrology of the seasonal wetland habitats it occupies.
