UWBG logo Individual Program name Program picture

Rare Plants in Washington
   
 
The Washington Natural Heritage Program (WNHP) has developed six categories to describe the endangerment status of state-rare plants. The categories include Endangered, Threatened, Sensitive, Possibly Extinct or Extirpated from Washington, Review, and Watch. The first four categories are intended to convey the relative degree of threat that individual taxa are under in Washington and, consequently, the level of concern and protection each should receive (WNHP 1997). Definitions of the categories (WNHP 1997) are listed below:
 
  • Endangered. This status is assigned to each vascular plant taxon in danger of becoming extinct or extirpated in Washington within the near future if factors contributing to its decline continue. Populations of these taxa are at critically low levels or their habitats have been degraded or depleted to a significant degree.
  • Threatened. This status is assigned to each vascular plant taxon that is likely to become endangered in Washington within the near future if factors contributing to its population decline or habitat degradation or loss continue.
  • Sensitive. This status is assigned to each vascular plant taxon that is vulnerable or declining and could become endangered or threatened in the state without active management or removal of threats.
  • Possibly Extinct or Extirpated from Washington. Based on recent field searches a number of plant taxa are considered to be possibly extinct or extirpated from Washington. Taxa in this group are all high priorities for field investigation. If found, they will be evaluated and assigned to an appropriate status category.
  • Review. This category consists of two groups of taxa from which more information is needed to accurately assess their status. Group 1 includes taxa for which more field work is needed to assess their rarity and the degree to which they are threatened. Group 2 includes taxa with unresolved taxonomic questions. The WNHP is actively seeking information (both site-specific and species-specific) on these taxa.
  • Watch. This status is assigned to each vascular plant taxon that is more abundant and/or less threatened in Washington than previously assumed. Although the WNHP does not focus on these taxa, information about them is still gathered and stored in our information system.


Lists of WNHP-designated endangered, threatened, sensitive, possibly extinct or extirpated, review, and watch species can be found electronically in the WNHP Reference Desk — Rare Plants.

 

Illustrations and photographs of selected species can be found at the bottom of this page.

 
Cypripedium fasciculatum
   
   
Federal Status
Many of the species designated as endangered or threatened in Washington State are also listed as endangered, threatened, or a species of concern by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Definitions of these federal categories are:
  • Endangered. A species may be classified for protection as "endangered" when it is in danger of extinction within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
  • Threatened. A "threatened" classification is provided to those animals and plants likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges.
  • Concern. This category is intended to be composed of species whose conservation standing is of concern to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but for which status information is still needed.
  • Candidate. A candidate species is one in which the US Fish and Wildlife Service has sufficient information on file to consider for listing as threatened or endangered.

Illustrations and photographs
of selected rare Washington taxa
(status according to WNHP July 2005)
Last updated with new photos Oct. 12, 2007

Scientific Name Common Name State Status
Allium dictuon (Liliaceae) Blue Mt. onion Threatened
northern wormwood
 Endangered
Calochortus nitidus (Liliaceae) broad-fruit mariposa Endangered
Carex comosa ( Cyperaceae) bristly sedge Sensitive
golden paintbrush
 Endangered
Cimicifuga elata var. elata (Ranunculaceae) tall bugbane Sensitive
Corydalis aquae-gelidae (Fumariaceae) Clackamas corydalis Sensitive
Corydalis aquae-gelidae (Fumariaceae) Clackamas corydalis Sensitive
Cypripedium fasciculatum (Orchidaceae) clustered lady's-slipper Sensitive
pale larkspur
 Endangered
Delphinium viridescens (Ranunculaceae) Wenatchee larkspar Threatened
Eatonella nivea (Asteraceae) white eatonella Threatened
Erigeron basalticus (Asteraceae) basalt daisy Threatened
Erigeron howellii (Asteraceae) Howell's daisy Threatened
Erigeron oreganus (Asteraceae) gorge daisy Threatened
Erigeron salishii (Asteraceae) Salish daisy, Salish fleabane Sensitive
Umtanum desert buckwheat
 Endangered
Eryngium petiolatum (Apiaceae) Oregon coyote-thistle Threatened
Erythronium quinaultense (Liliaceae) Quinault fawn-lily Threatened
Filipendula occidentalis (Rosaceae) queen-of-the-forest Threatened
Fritillaria camschatcensis (Liliaceae) black lily Sensitive
showy stickseed
 Endangered
Howellia aquatilis (Campanulaceae)
Howellia
 Threatened
Iliamna longisepala longsepal globemallow Sensitive
Juncus kelloggii (Juncaceae) Kellogg's rush Endangered
twayblade
 Endangered
Lobelia dortmanna (Campanulaceae) water lobelia Threatened
Kalm's lobelia
 Endangered
Lomatium rollinsii (Apiaceae) Rollins' desert-parsley Threatened
Lomatium tuberosum (Apiaceae) Hoover's desert-parsley Sensitive
Sabin's lupine
 Endangered
Kincaid's sulfur lupine
 Endangered
Lycopodium dendroideum (Lycopodiaceae) treelike clubmoss Sensitive
Meconella oregana (Papaveraceae) white meconella Threatened
Navarretia tagetina (Polemoniaceae) marigold navarretia Threatened
Orthocarpus bracteosus (Scrophulariaceae) rosy owl-clover Endangered
Penstemon eriantherus var. whitedii (Scrophulariaceae) Whited's penstemon Sensitive
Pyrrocoma liatriformis (Asteraceae) Palouse goldenweed Threatened
Ranunculus cooleyae (Ranunculaceae) Cooley's buttercup Sensitive
northwest raspberry
 Endangered
Sidalcea hendersonii ( Malvaceae) Henderson's checker-mallow Watch List
Sidalcea malviflora ssp. virgata ( Malvaceae) rose checker-mallow Endangered
Symphyotrichum jessicae (Asteraceae) Jessica's aster Endangered