Educational Bulletin #11-1
A publication of the Desert Protective Council protectdeserts.org
Ten California Desert Plants That Should Be Protected
Under The Federal Endangered Species Act
by James Andre and Chris Clarke
The Inyo star tulip (Calochortus excavatus), a California desert plant whose survival
depends on the survival of its alkali marsh habitat, lately threatened by water
diversions for agriculture. Miguel Viera photo
Though the endangered species that capture public attention
are generally animals, extinction looms for plants as well. Out of
all the species of seed plants, 25-40 percent may be in danger of
extinction worldwide. In 2010 Kew Gardens botanists estimated
that 400,000 plant species now live on the planet, which would put
the total of endangered seed plant species at between 100,000 and
160,000. By comparison, about 4,300 species of mammals, birds,
amphibians and reptiles are considered endangered.
With its varied microclimates and soil types, as well as its rug-
ged topography that provides abundant barriers to the flow of
plant genes, the California desert is an engine of evolution. More
than 2,400 vascular plant species and subspecies have been docu-
mented in the California desert, representing more than a third of
the state’s known plant biodiversity, and yet the desert is still es-
sentially a floristic frontier, with many species and subspecies yet
to be discovered. We can only guess at the number of California
desert plants facing extinction, primarily because comparatively
little is known about what plants grow there in the first place. The
remote and forbidding character of the desert has impeded bo-
tanical exploration, as has a long-term decline in plant taxonomy
as a career choice for new biologists. Most records of desert plant
species now kept in herbaria were collected along paved roads,
many of them more than 50 years ago. As the deserts are home to
many plant species with severely restricted ranges, or which ap-
pear only during certain unusual climate patterns – such as fall
annuals that grow and bloom only after a wetter than usual sum-
mer – this means that we are far from completing even the basic
inventory of species in the California desert. The deserts are not
quite a blank spot on the botanical map, but they are about as
unexplored, in the botanical sense, as any tropical rainforest. As
many as a tenth of the plants you see in a specific desert landscape
may be undescribed, or described so recently that they are not yet
included in the canonical Jepson Desert Manual.
Losing any plant species to extinction is a tragedy, as plants,
the primary producers of biomass from sunlight, are the center
of the web of life. Losing a plant species means losing that spe-
cies’ ecology – the relationships that species had with the animals,
fungi and other plants it lived with. A plant’s extinction often has-
tens the extinction of the other organisms that depend on it. If the
California desert’s flora is largely unknown, its botanical ecology
is even more so.
As an example: no one knows what animal pollinates the
­Mojave monkeyflower, Mimulus mohavensis, which is known only
from a few sites in the Mojave River drainage. The monkeyflower’s
habitat is under extreme pressure from residential and industrial
development, and much of it would be designated a federally rec-
ognized off-road vehicle park by the California Desert Protection
Act. Whatever unknown creature pollinates the Mojave monkey-
flower is likely to be dependent on the species for survival. Losing
the flower could mean losing that unknown creature, and perhaps
setting in motion a cascade of damage to one ecological relation-
ship after another.
 Today California’s deserts are under threat as never before, with
potential energy development over millions of acres added to the
usual threats from urbanization, invasive species, grazing, min-
ing and off-road vehicle use. Despite this, the US Fish and Wildlife
Service has not enacted Endangered Species Act protection for a
California desert plant species since 1998, when it listed the Lane
Mountain milkvetch (Astragalus jaegerianus­) as endangered. In
fact, the political momentum has been running toward weaken-
ing protections: Fish and Wildlife proposed down-listing the Lane
Mountain milkvetch to “Threatened” in 2010, despite there being
only four known populations of the plant.
Following is a list of ten California desert plant species we feel
are deserving of protection under the federal Endangered Species
Act. The plants listed here are prominent candidates for listing,
but they are by no means the only such plants, and perhaps not
even the most critically endangered plants in the California des-
ert. Each species account includes the “threat” ranking applied
to the species by the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) and
the “Global Rank” assigned by the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN), along with an explanation of the
rank. We’ve also included a short summary of the threats to each
species, and photos where possible.
Penstemon albomarginatus
(white-margined beardtongue)
Jim Andre
Present Status: CNPS List 1B.1; Seriously endangered in California
Global Rank: G2 Imperiled – At high risk of extinction or elimi-
nation due to very restricted range, very few populations, steep
declines, or other factors
Plant Communities: dunes, Mojavean desert scrub
A showy tap-rooted perennial that is known from just four widely
separated populations; one in California, two in Nevada, and one
in Arizona.
Why should this plant be listed under ESA? All occurrences
are threatened by solar energy development, military activities,
or impacts associated with encroaching urbanization. The lone
California occurrence near Pisgah Lava Flow is imperiled by the
proposed Calico solar energy project.
Mimulus mohavensis
(Mojave monkeyflower)
Lara Hartley
Present Status: CNPS List 1B.2: Fairly endangered in California
Global Rank: G2 Imperiled – At high risk of extinction or elimi-
nation due to very restricted range, very few populations, steep
declines, or other factors
Plant Communities: sandy or gravelly washes, Joshua tree wood-
land, Mojavean desert scrub
Though it is a member of a genus that is widespread and abundant
in California, this species is restricted to a few scattered occur-
rences in the hills south and east of Barstow, California.
Why should this plant be listed under ESA? Once more common
in the upper half of the Mojave River watershed, the majority of
historic populations of this tiny annual have been harmed by hu-
man activity, with many such populations extirpated. Threatened
by development (especially in the highly developed Barstow-Vic-
torville corridor), mining, invasive plants, solar and wind energy
projects, and ORV activity.
Mentzelia tridentata
(creamy blazing star)
Present Status: CNPS List 1B.3, Not very endangered in California
Global Rank: G2 Imperiled – At high risk of extinction or elimi-
nation due to very restricted range, very few populations, steep
declines, or other factors
Plant Communities: Mojavean desert scrub
This showy blazing star is a California endemic restricted to the
Rodman and Ord Mountains southeast of Barstow, and the Black
Mountain area near Calico northeast of Barstow. Occurrences of
this species in the southern Owens Valley have been reported, but
these reports have not been verified.
Why should this plant be listed under ESA? The species is highly
restricted in its distribution. Threats to Mentzelia tridentata in-
clude damage by recreational vehicles, mining, military activities,
grazing, and renewable energy development.
Photo credits: Calochortus excavatus: Miguel Viera. Penstemon
albomarginatus, Plagiobothrys parishii: Jim Andre. Mimulus
mohavensis, Cymopterus deserticola: Lara Hartley. Linanthus
maculatus: Mark Skinner. Penstemon bicolor: Stan Shebs.
Puccinellia parishii: Robert Soreng.
Linanthus maculatus
(Little San Bernardino Mtns. linanthus)
Mark Skinner
Present Status: CNPS List 1B.2: Fairly endangered in California
Global Rank: G2 Imperiled – At high risk of extinction or elimi-
nation due to very restricted range, very few populations, steep
declines, or other factors
Plant Communities: dunes, Joshua tree woodland, Mojavean and
Sonoran desert scrub
This minute annual in the phlox family is known only from the
northern section of Joshua Tree National Park and along the
northern boundary of JTNP in adjacent Morongo Valley between
29 Palms and Yucca Valley.
Why should this plant be listed under ESA? The range of this
species is highly restricted and fragmented. Individual plants are
reproductively self-incompatible, which means long-term viabil-
ity of the species requires sizable, non-fragmented populations to
ensure reproductive success. The species is threatened by all the
issues one might expect near Joshua Tree National Park, including
urbanization, recreational foot traffic, vehicles, and dumping.
Eriogonum bifurcatum
(forked buckwheat)
Present Status: CNPS List 1B.2: Fairly endangered in California
Global Rank: G2 Imperiled – At high risk of extinction or elimi-
nation due to very restricted range, very few populations, steep
declines, or other factors
Plant communities: shadscale scrub
This small annual buckwheat grows in barren clay saline valleys.
Known in California from one occurrence in western Pahrump
Valley. The species is also very rare in Nevada; its distribution is
limited to Pahrump and Mesquite Valleys.
Why should this plant be listed under ESA? Fewer than 1,500
individual plants of this species exist, by most estimates. All oc-
currences seriously impacted include commercial or residential
development, agricultural conversion, offroad vehicle activities,
dumping, and proposed renewable energy development.
Cymopterus deserticola
(desert cymopterus)
Lara Hartley
Present Status: CNPS List 1B.2: Fairly endangered in California.
Global Rank: G3 Vulnerable – At moderate risk of extinction or
elimination due to a restricted range, relatively few populations,
recent and widespread declines, or other factors.
Plant Communities: dunes, Joshua tree woodland, Mojavean
desert scrub
A celery-family plant with a very small native range restricted to
BLM and Defense Department lands near Boron, California.
Why should this plant be listed under ESA? The desert cymop-
terus has very limited and patchy distribution. Most known oc-
currences of the plant are within the boundaries of Edwards Air
Force Base with low numbers of individuals. Threats include mil-
itary activities, sheep grazing, recreational vehicles, utility con-
struction, solar and wind energy development, and urbanization.
Penstemon bicolor
(two-toned beardtongue)
Stan Shebs
Present Status: CNPS List 1B.1: Seriously endangered in California.
Global Rank: G3T3Q Vulnerable – At moderate risk of extinction
or elimination due to a restricted range, relatively few popula-
tions, recent and widespread declines, or other factors. Both named
subspecies are vulnerable, though there is some disagreement over
whether those subspecies are valid.
Plant Communities: Joshua tree woodland, Mojavean desert scrub
This showy perennial includes recognized subspecies bicolor (yel-
low flowers) and roseus (magenta flowers). Both subspecies are
limited in distribution in Clark County Nevada, with ssp. roseus
known from only one locality in California in the Castle Moun-
tains. Conservationists are attempting to add the site, which has
several nearby pending renewable energy applications, to the Mo-
jave National Preserve.
Why should this plant be listed under ESA? Distribution has been
seriously fragmented by development with many historic occur-
rences extirpated. The majority of existing occurrences are threat-
ened by mining, burgeoning renewable energy development, ex-
panding urbanization (e.g., Las Vegas), and hybridization with the
more widespread Penstemon palmeri, a popular garden plant.
Plagiobothrys parishii
(Parish’s popcorn-flower)
Jim Andre
Present Status: CNPS List 1B.1: Seriously endangered in California,
Global Rank: G1 Critically Imperiled – At very high risk of extinc-
tion due to extreme rarity, very steep declines, or other factors.
Plant communities: alkali meadows
This California endemic grows in alkali meadows and seeps and
is extremely limited in its distribution – it is known in California
from just four or five occurrences at Rabbit Springs in San Ber-
nardino County and in the Owens Valley region of Inyo County.
There is some taxonomic ambiguity within the species; some bot-
anists speculate that the Owens Valley plants represent a distinct
taxon separate from the Rabbit Springs occurrence.
Why should this plant be listed under ESA? Highly restricted
distribution. All the known occurrences are threatened by water-
course diversions and groundwater pumping, livestock grazing,
and competition with exotic species.
Calochortus excavatus
(Inyo star tulip)
Present Status: CNPS List 1B.1 : Seriously endangered in California
Global Rank: G3 Vulnerable – At moderate risk of extinction or
elimination due to a restricted range, relatively few populations,
recent and widespread declines, or other factors.
Plant communities: alkali meadows
This showy California endemic is known only from alkali mead-
ows of the Owens Valley region. Most occurrences are small rem-
nants of former populations.
Why should this plant be listed under ESA? Alkali meadow
habitat is disappearing rapidly; occurrences of the Inyo star tulip
are threatened by groundwater pumping, development, livestock
grazing and trampling, invasive plants, road maintenance, and
proposed energy developments.
Puccinellia parishii
(Parish’s alkali grass)
Robert Soreng
Present Status: CNPS List 1B.1: Seriously endangered in California.
Global Rank: G2G3 – At between moderate and high risk of
extinction or elimination due to a restricted range, relatively few
populations, recent and widespread declines, or other factors.
Plant communities: alkali meadows
Known in California only from Rabbit Springs, where it was con-
firmed in 1992. An occasionally cited occurrence on Edwards Air
Force Base is misidentified Puccinellia simplex. Also very rare in
AZ and NM (where is it state listed).
Why should this plant be listed under ESA? Highly restricted and
disjunct distribution. The known occurrences are threatened by
hydrological alternation (flood control, diversions and groundwa-
ter pumping), livestock grazing and trampling, and competition
with exotic species. Fish and Wildlife briefly considered listing the
grass during the 1980s.
Botanist James M. Andre is Director of the University of Cali-
fornia’s Granite Mountains Desert Research Center in California’s
Mojave Desert. Chris Clarke is a natural history writer in Palm
Springs.