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In Conservation Milestone, Staff Complete First Outplanting of Endangered Hickman's Potentilla in Golden Gate

Hand holding a small plant just above the ground. In the background small yellow flags marking new plantings surround a person is on their hands and knees digging a hole in the hillside. — This year, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy’s Marin Headlands Native Plant Nursery propagated and grew 56 Hickman’s potentilla seedlings for outplanting at Rancho Corral de Tierra. The plantings are spread across weeded and unweeded plots in six different microhabitats.
NPS / Eric Wrubel

February 2022 - In early January, Golden Gate National Recreation Area staff took a new step in their quest to conserve endangered Hickman's potentilla (Potentilla hickmanii), outplanting it at Rancho Corral de Tierra for the first time.

Hickman’s potentilla is a federally endangered herb in the rose family that produces charming yellow flowers with heart-shaped petals. About 99% of all known individuals occur at Rancho in San Mateo County. In particular, they're partial to the grassy ridges at the foot of Montara Mountain. The only other remaining population occurs in Monterey County and supports less than 80 plants. After decades of decline mostly related to development along the coast, invasive species and climate change now pose the biggest threats to the species' survival. So to help secure a brighter future for Hickman’s potentilla, botanists have teamed up on a fresh set of conservation projects.

First, Golden Gate has been partnering with the University of California Botanical Garden to establish a seed bank for the Rancho population. So far, staff collected seeds in 2020 and 2021 from over 80 maternal lines to ensure genetic diversity. The seed bank project aims to collect and store 3,000 seeds altogether, which will likely take several more years.

The recent Hickman’s potentilla outplanting stems from that effort. This year, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy’s Marin Headlands Native Plant Nursery propagated and grew 56 plants from the seed bank collections. Seed viability was very good, and the plants grew well in nursery conditions. The resulting seedlings were planted in suitable habitat at Rancho this January. As such a new effort, the plantings are experimental. They are spread across weeded and unweeded plots in six different microhabitats. In the months and years ahead, they will be carefully tended and monitored to develop best practices for future plantings. Figuring out what outplanting strategies work best is one key to improving recovery strategies for Hickman’s potentilla. Ultimately, it's an important step towards establishing more, bigger, and more resilient populations.