San Joaquin Spearscale

Threatened and Endangered Species

San Joaquin spearscale (Atriplex joaquinana) is a nondescript, annual member of the goosefoot family (which is sometimes included in the amaranth family, depending on who is doing the classifying). The California Native Plant Society considers the species rare and endangered (its List 1B), but it has no state or federal status. Although San Joaquin spearscale grows in scatted locations from Glenn County to Tulare County in the Central Valley and adjacent Coast Range, it seems concentrated in Bay Area counties, where it often grows on moist alkaline soils. San Joaquin spearscale occurs on the WHF Intervening Properties and Wendt Ranch preserves.