Limnanthes douglasii

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Limnanthes douglasii1.jpg

| genus = Limnanthes

| parent = Limnanthes sect. Limnanthes

| species = douglasii

| authority = R. Br.

}}

Limnanthes douglasii is a species of annual flowering plant in the family Limnanthaceae (meadowfoam) commonly known as Douglas' meadowfoam{{PLANTS|id=LIDO2|taxon=Limnanthes douglasii|accessdate=26 January 2016}} or poached egg plant. It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows in wet, grassy habitat, such as vernal pools and spring meadows. It can grow in poorly drained clay soils. The plant was collected by the Scottish explorer and botanist David Douglas, who worked on the west coast of America in the 1820s.

The plant usually bears white flowers with yellow centers, hence the name "poached egg plant", but flower color can vary across subspecies. It is a popular ornamental plant. It attracts hoverflies and is pollinated by bees. It is self-seeding, even in a lawn.

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - Limnanthes douglasii|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/20720/Limnanthes-douglasii/Details | accessdate = 2 October 2020}}{{cite web | url= https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants - Ornamental | date = July 2017 | page = 60 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | accessdate = 22 March 2018}}

There are six subspecies:

• L. douglasii subsp. douglasii R. Br., is native to the coastal mountains and valleys of southwestern Oregon south to the San Francisco Bay Area
• L. douglasii subsp. nivea (C.T. Mason) C.T. Mason, with mostly white flowers, grows in the coastal mountains of northern California
• L. douglasii subsp. ornduffii (E. G. Buxton), with 4 petals instead of 5, is endemic to California's San Mateo County{{cite journal|title=A New Subspecies of Limnanthes (Limnanthaceae) from San Mateo County, California|year=2013|doi=10.3120/0024-9637-60.3.229|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/partpdf/282759|accessdate=8 May 2020|last1=Buxton|first1=Eva G.|journal=Madroño|volume=60|issue=3|pages=229–235|s2cid=86844358}}
• L. douglasii subsp. rosea (Benth.) C.T. Mason, found in California's Central Valley and adjacent hills, often has pink veining on its petals
• L. douglasii subsp. sulphurea (C.T. Mason) C.T. Mason, is a rare yellow-petaled subspecies endemic to the Bay Area
• L. douglasii subsp. striata (Jeps.) Morin, has recently been subsumed into this species; it occurs in the Klamath range and the north and central Sierra Nevada

The exact amount of subspecies had been disputed, with some arguing that there are four subspecies of Limnanthes douglasii, though existing species are highly polymorphic.Meyers, S. C. (2010). Evolutionary relationships and an investigation of sympatric speciation within limnanthaceae (Order No. 3421595). Available from Biological Science Collection. (753136109). Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/evolutionary-relationships-investigation/docview/753136109/se-2