Rare Plant Spotted!

Every spring, Sutro Stewards conservation staff conduct Special Status Species Monitoring to locate, identify, and record data on 20 rare and endangered plant species endemic to the Bay Area and found on Mt Sutro. This month, we’re especially excited about Trillium!! 

T. chloropetalum is dormant most of the year, popping up in the rainy season to show off its unique blooms until warmer weather returns. It grows rhizomatously, meaning its root systems trail underground and send out new growth to the surface. In Trillium’s case, it grows in singular stems with three large mottled leaves and a single flower. Trillium is especially susceptible to extinction through poaching, livestock grazing, and damage from wildfires and erosion. While we won’t disclose where on Mt Sutro you can find Trillium to protect the endemic population, you can find hundreds along woodland, creekside trails in Marin this time of year!