San Nicolas Island With an area of 22 square miles, San Nicolas
Island is the third-largest of the Southern Channel Islands and
is the fifth-largest island in the entire chain. The most
isolated of the Channel Islands, it is situated 61 miles from
the mainland. Santa Barbara Island, San Nicolas’s closest island
neighbor, is located 28 miles to the northeast. The flora of San
Nicolas Island includes about 137 native taxa and 140 non-native
taxa. The natural distribution of at least 15 of the island’s
native taxa are restricted to two or more of the California
Islands; three plant taxa have been found only on San Nicolas
Island. The three plant taxa which have been found only on San
Nicolas Island are: - Eriogonum grande var. timorum (San Nicolas
Island buckwheat) - Lycium verrucosum (San Nicolas Island
boxthorn*) - Malacothrix foliosa subsp. polycephala (San Nicolas
Island malacothrix) *Unfortunately, the San Nicolas Island
boxthorn has not been seen on the island since April 1897 and is
presumed to be extinct