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Presidio of San FranciscoLobos dunes boardwalk
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Presidio of San Francisco
San Francisco Lessingia
(Lessingia germanorum)
 
San Francisco Lessingia
Will Elder, NPS
San Francisco Lessingia in bloom with dried flower bases at Lobos Creek dunes.
 

Origin Of Genus Name: Named after C.F. Lessing, German specialist in Asteraceae plant family.

Presidio Locations: Found only in inland dune areas on the Presidio with only five small populations known at this time.

Range In State: San Francisco Bay Area. The only population known of outside the Presidio is located in Daly City. The Presidio is the type locality for this species.

Description: This rare and endangered, native annual has small, grayish, hairy leaves. The stem is reddish brown and branched. The flowers have funnel-shaped to tubular petals that are deep lemon yellow with a reddish brown band. Each plant can have from one to eighty flowers. Blooms August to October.

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Rare and Endangered Plants

Albert Sidney Johnston  

Did You Know?
Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston, commander of the Pacific branch of the army, prepared the defenses of the San Francisco Bay and ordered the first garrison of Fort Point. Kentucky-born Johnston then resigned his commission to join the Confederate Army; he was killed at the battle of Shiloh in 1862.

Last Updated: January 18, 2008 at 17:42 EST