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Taxon  Report  
Sanicula saxatilis  Greene
Devil's blacksnakeroot,   Diablo sanicle,   Rock sanicle
Sanicula saxatilis is a perennial herb that is native to California, and endemic (limited) to California.
California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).
State of California status: Rare.
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Observation Search
~44 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
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Bloom Period
Genus: Sanicula
Family: Apiaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Communities: Chaparral, Valley Grassland
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS

Information about  Sanicula saxatilis from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (SASA3)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Distribution, Description, Rarity: Sanicula saxatilis is a rare species of flowering plant in the parsley family known by the common names devil's blacksnakeroot[2] and rock sanicle. Distribution It is endemic to the eastern San Francisco Bay Area of California. It is known only from Mount Diablo and Mount Hamilton, both in the Diablo Range. Its habitat is mostly rocky chaparral slopes and talus. Although it is rare, most occurrences are in remote mountainous locales that are relatively safe from disturbance.[1] Description Sanicula saxatilis is a perennial herb producing a thick stem 10 to 25 centimeters tall from a spherical tuber. The leaves are compound, each divided into three leaflets which are deeply cut into serrated lobes. The foliage is green to purple and sometimes waxy in texture. The inflorescence is made up of one or more heads of bisexual and male-only flowers with tiny, curving, pale salmon pink, yellowish or straw-colored petals. The fruits are a few millimeters wide and covered in bumps and sometimes bristles. (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 04/20/2024).