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Isoetes nuttallii

A. Braun ex Engelm.

Nuttall's Quillwort

G4Apparently Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.137970
Element CodePPISO010F0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumLycophyta
ClassIsoetopsida
OrderIsoetales
FamilyIsoetaceae
GenusIsoetes
Other Common Names
Isoète de Nuttall (FR) Nuttall's quillwort (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-01-14
Change Date1995-12-19
Edition Date2025-01-14
Edition AuthorsJohnson, J. (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Isoetes nuttallii is a wetland herb native to the western United States and Canada from Vancouver Island to southern California. With broad habitat preferences and more than 200 known occurrences, this species is apparently secure.
Range Extent Comments
Isoetes nuttallii is native to the western United States and Canada from Vancouver Island south to southern California. A single specimen from Alaska collected in 1939 is likely misidentified. Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1994 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, CPNWH 2025, iNaturalist 2025, OSU 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are more than 200 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, CPNWH 2025, iNaturalist 2025, OSU 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
While threats to this species are not well-documented, threats to seasonal wetland habitat include development, farming, livestock grazing, road construction and maintenance, and surface water management such as drainage ditches or water diversions.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs in temporary streams and seasonally wet soil, at elevations ranging from about 0 to 1,500 meters (Taylor et al., 2020).
Palustrine Habitats
TEMPORARY POOLHERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaSNRYes
WashingtonS2Yes
OregonSNRYes
CanadaN3
ProvinceRankNative
British ColumbiaS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownSerious or 31-70% pop. declineModerate (short-term)
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureUnknownSerious - moderateHigh (continuing)
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownSerious or 31-70% pop. declineModerate (short-term)
7 - Natural system modificationsUnknownSerious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
7.2 - Dams & water management/useUnknownSerious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (3)
California (3)
AreaForestAcres
AgnewSequoia National Forest9,561
Bald RockPlumas National Forest4,675
RinconSequoia National Forest54,610
References (8)
  1. Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria (CPNWH). 2025. Online database of vascular plant specimens from the Pacific Northwest. Online. Available: http://www.pnwherbaria.org/index.php (accessed 2025).
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  3. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. Oregon State University (OSU). 2025. Oregon Flora website. Oregon State University Herbarium at Oregon State University. Online. Available: https://oregonflora.org/ (accessed 2025).
  7. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
  8. Taylor, W.C., N.T. Luebke, D.M. Britton, R.J. Hickey, and D.F. Brunton. 2020. Flora of North America. Isoëtes nuttallii. Accessed: September 19, 2022. http://floranorthamerica.org/Iso%C3%ABtes_nuttallii