Plant Species of Concern

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Printable List with Additional Details - Updated March 2007 - 185 KB PDF

Dropped Taxa since 2003 & Uncertain Status

Additions to List since 2003

Codes & Definitions

Submit Sensitive Plant Data

There are 468 vascular plants organized by scientific name on the 2007 Wyoming Plant Species of Concern list. Nomenclature follows Dorn (2001) in all but special cases. For the PDF version, if you know only the common name or synonym, use the EDIT tool and FIND option to search the list by other names. If you cannot find a species on this list, check the Plants of Potential Concern List, or the Dropped & Uncertain Status list.

Citation:
Heidel, B. 2007. Wyoming Plant Species of Concern. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database - University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.

State Species Abstracts (click the Scientific Name in the alphabetical lists) provide an expanded field guide with graphics and map, a highlight of state status, and a list of primary references. Illustrations are available as separate direct links. This is the most complete information for many species in the state unless they have been addressed in reports on individual species. To access WYNDD reports for species in question, go to the Reports and Publications page.

The plant species of concern list contains all vascular plant species considered to be of extremely high, high, or medium conservation concern within the state of Wyoming. This has also been called the "tracked list" and includes almost all species having State-ranks of S1, most species ranked as S2, and select species with ranks of S3 if they have a high Wyoming Contribution Rank or have at least one particularly strong concern (e.g., imminent threats). There are 468 species/varieties on this list.


In addition, we also keep a list of species of potential concern; this has also been called the "watch list". The 32 species in this category have limited distribution as regional or state endemics, and appear to be secure at present; however, they could become vulnerable under large-scale changes. Their status warrants periodic checks. These species may be found amongst the species of concern in the alphabetically listed web pages (shown with yellow highlighting) or in a separate pdf - 2007 List of Species of Potential Concern, PDF 47 KB.

These lists have no status under state legislation. The lists or the s-rank values are sometimes cited in policies, and referenced in development of sensitive species lists by federal land-managing agencies. In general, federal sensitive species list criteria are narrower and more geographically restricted than criteria for the Wyoming species of conservation concern list. The list contents and s-rank values depend on state ranking factors. In addition, a Wyoming contribution rank is calculated as an alternative score that represents the relative contribution of species' status in Wyoming over its rangewide status.

The first Wyoming plant species of concern list was prepared in 1982, based in large part on the information compiled in Dorn (1977). Since that time, over 700 vascular plant species are or have been tracked as species of concern in Wyoming, reflecting discoveries in the state as represented by floristic surveys of the Rocky Mountain Herbarium, species-specific surveys, taxonomic research, and other changes reflected in revisions to the state flora (Dorn 1988, 1992, 2001) and in updates to the species of concern lists by Robert Lichvar, Hollis Marriott, and Walter Fertig. The 700 species represent 25% of the current state flora, and most of the species that are no longer tracked were found to be more common than previously known. In turn, the continual compilation and periodic updating has funneled attention on the de facto rarest species.

Nonvascular plant species are not addressed in this current update. The baseline documentation of their distribution is magnitudes less complete than that of vascular plant species, and it is expected that they will all be addressed as nonvascular species of potential concern in the future.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Much of the original botanical data presented on this homepage comes from specimens deposited at the Rocky Mountain Herbarium. Additional information and suggestions were provided over the course of this and previous list revisions by Larry Apple, Melanie Arnett, Darcie Bacon, Frank Blomquist, Bernie Bornong, Janet Britt, Greg Brown, Sabine Mellmann-Brown, Beth Burkhart, Jeff Carroll, Reed Crook, Jean Daly, Charmaine Delmatier, Robert and Jane Dorn, Katy Duffy, Erwin Evert, Walter Fertig, Ben Franklin, Jim Glennon, Wendy Haas, Ron Hartman, Don Hazlett, Pat and Noel Holmgren, Kent Houston, Kelly Hughes, Ann Humphrey, George Jones, Greg Karow, John Kartesz, Lynn Kinter, Andy Kratz, Clay Kyte, Steve Laster, Claire Leon, Michael Mancuso, Stuart Markow, Hollis Marriott, Jerry Mastel, Bob Moseley, Mary Neighbours, B. Ernie Nelson, Dave Ode, Kevin O'Dea, Jim Ozenberger, Barb Packer, John Proctor, Deanna Reyher, Richard and Bev Scott, Phil Shephard, Carolyn Sieg, Susan Spackman, Gerry Steinauer, Amy Taylor, Laura Welp, Jennifer Whipple, and Kathy Zacharkevics.

Last Updated on 2/9/2009 5:05:08 PM