Species of Greatest Conservation Need

1279 species
Taxonomic Group
Federal Status
State Status
Endemic

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Species of Greatest Conservation Need (Updated: 01/31/2024)
Common Name Scientifc Name Taxonomic Group Federal Status State Status Global Rank State Rank Endemic General Habitat Type(s)
Davis' green pitaya Echinocereus davisii Plants LE E G5T1 S1 True Novaculite outcrops in full sun among sparse Chihuahuan Desert scrub usually hidden in mats of Selaginella; flowering (February-) March-April
Miller's hedgehog cactus Echinocereus milleri Plants Not Listed Not Listed G1 S1 True Occurs on sandy-loam soils on rocky hills.
yellow-flowered alicoche Echinocereus papillosus Plants Not Listed Not Listed G3 S3 False Under shrubs or in open areas on various substrates; Perennial; Flowering Jan-April.
black lace cactus Echinocereus reichenbachii var. albertii Plants LE E G5T1Q S1 True Grasslands, thorn shrublands, mesquite woodlands on sandy, somewhat saline soils on coastal prairie, most frequently in naturally open areas sparsely covered with brush of a low stature not resulting from disturbance or along creeks in ecotonal areas between this upland type and lower areas dominated by halophytic grasses and forbs; flowering April-June
Bailey's hedgehog cactus Echinocereus reichenbachii var. baileyi Plants Not Listed Not Listed G5T3 S1 False Granitic hills in Great Plains Grassland (Benson 1982).
Fitch's hedgehog cactus Echinocereus reichenbachii var. fitchii Plants Not Listed Not Listed G5T3 S3 False Grasslands, thorn shrublands, and mesquite-acacia woodlands on sandy, possibly somewhat saline, soils on the coastal prairie. Within these communities, the plants may be most frequently found in open areas that are somewhat sparsely covered with brush of a low stature. Frequently grows at the ecotone where these upland areas meet lower areas dominated by halophytic grasses and forbs; Perennial
graybeard cactus Echinocereus viridiflorus var. canus Plants Not Listed Not Listed G5T1 S1 True Steep rubble of black Maravillas chert, near top of ridge
Correll's green pitaya Echinocereus viridiflorus var. correllii Plants Not Listed Not Listed G5T2 S2 True Among grasses on rock crevices on low hills in desert or semi-desert grassland on novaculite or limestone; flowering March-May
South Texas spikesedge Eleocharis austrotexana Plants Not Listed Not Listed G3 S3 True Occurring in miscellaneous wetlands at scattered locations on the coastal plain; Perennial; Flowering/Fruiting Sept
short-fruited spikesedge Eleocharis brachycarpa Plants Not Listed Not Listed GH SH False In Tamaulipas, at the edges of resacas; in Texas, single specimen collected between Matamoros and Nueces presumably in similar habitat; fruiting winter-spring
Emory-bush Emorya suaveolens Plants Not Listed Not Listed G3 S1 False Known from several collections from limestone cliffs in Maravillas Canyon, Brewster County; Perennial; Flowering March-Nov
one-head encelia Encelia scaposa Plants Not Listed Not Listed G3 S2 False Occurs on open gravelly clay flats; Perennial; Flowering/Fruiting March-Nov
Cory's ephedra Ephedra coryi Plants Not Listed Not Listed G3 S3 False Dune areas and dry grasslands in the southern Plains Country; Perennial; Flowering April-Sept; Fruiting May-Sept
Powells' joint-fir Ephedra torreyana var. powelliorum Plants Not Listed Not Listed G5?T2 S1 False Desert scrub on gravelly to fine grained gypseous soils; 850-1100 m (2789-3609 ft)
Boke's button cactus Epithelantha bokei Plants Not Listed Not Listed G4T3 S3 False Chihuahuan Desert on rocky, barren hills of sedimentary substrates; 700 (-1400) m elevation; Perennial; Flowering spring-early summer (May-Jun); Fruiting summer-fall
Guadalupe Mountains rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa var. texensis Plants Not Listed Not Listed G5T2T3 S1 False Crevices and solution pits in limestone ledges and boulders, less often in open gravel alluvium of streambeds at elevations between 1490 and 2150 m (4900 and 7050 ft); flowering September-November
small-headed pipewort Eriocaulon koernickianum Plants Not Listed T G2 S1S2 False In East Texas, post-oak woodlands and xeric sandhill openings on permanently wet acid sands of upland seeps and hillside seepage bogs, usually in patches of bare sand rather than among dense vegetation or on muck; in Gillespie County, on permanently wet or moist hillside seep on decomposing granite gravel and sand among granite outcrops; flowering/fruiting late May-late June
Correll's wild-buckwheat Eriogonum correllii Plants Not Listed Not Listed G2G3 S2S3 True Occurs on clay mounds, caprock and rocky ledges on calcihe substrates.
Gregg's wild-buckwheat Eriogonum greggii Plants Not Listed Not Listed G2 S1 False Sparingly vegetated openings in thorn shrublands in shallow soils on xeric ridges along the Rio Grande; also on excessively drained, sandy soil over caliche and calcareous sandstone of the Goliad Formation and over sandstone or fossiliferous layers of the Jackson Group; flowering February-July, probably opportunistically during the growing season
Chisos Mountains wild-buckwheat Eriogonum hemipterum var. hemipterum Plants Not Listed Not Listed G3T2 S2 True Wooded slopes and canyons (Powell and Worthington 2018). July - September.
Irion County wild-buckwheat Eriogonum nealleyi Plants Not Listed Not Listed G2 S2 True Grasslands and shallow stony soils over limestone and indurated caliche, often collected from ungrazed but sparsely vegetated roadsides, particularly where limestone or caliche is exposed on hilltops; flowering June-September
bushy wild-buckwheat Eriogonum suffruticosum Plants Not Listed Not Listed G2 S2 True Sparsely vegetated rocky limestone slopes, low hills, and clay flats; also on gypseous soils; flowering March-April, in full fruit by May
basin wild-buckwheat Eriogonum tenellum var. ramosissimum Plants Not Listed Not Listed G5T3 S3 True Usually rooted in crevices of sparsely vegetated, unshaded granite and gneiss outcrops or associated deposits of dry sand and gravel; Perennial; Flowering Apr-Dec
fringed monkeyflower Erythranthe chinatiensis Plants Not Listed Not Listed G1 S1 False Freshwater Wetland (Seep, springs); Riverine (very shallow streams)
white column cactus Escobaria albicolumnaria Plants Not Listed Not Listed G2G3 S2S3 False Creosote bush or lechuguilla canyon shrublands primarily on nearly level terrain to rolling hills on thin, gravelly soils or limestone bedrock of the Santa Elena, Glen Rose, Boquillas, and Telephone Canyon formations; at lower elevations 550-1370 m (1800-5000 ft) in the Chihuahuan Desert; flowering early March-May