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Home/Species/ Western Porterella

Porterella carnosula

(Hook. & Arn.) Torr.

Western Porterella

G4Apparently Secure Found in 29 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.137962
Element CodePDCAM0J010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderCampanulales
FamilyCampanulaceae
GenusPorterella
Other Common Names
fleshy porterella (EN) Porterplant (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 Date2024-11-02
Change Date1988-05-16
Edition Date2024-11-02
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Porterella carnosula is an annual forb occurring in wetland habitats in grasslands, roadsides, and along the margins of lakes, streams, and ponds of western North America, from Oregon to Wyoming south to California and Arizona. There are an estimated 100 occurrences of this species, which are potentially threatened by development, water diversion, alteration of hydrology, erosion, livestock grazing, recreational activities, invasive species, drought, and other threats in some places. Little is known about threats and trends, and monitoring is important to improving our understanding of the status of Porterella carnosula.
Range Extent Comments
Porterella carnosula occurs in western North America, from Oregon to Wyoming south to California and Arizona (Welsh et al. 2015). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are 100 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Porterella carnosula is likely threatened by development, water diversion, alteration of hydrology, erosion, livestock grazing, recreational activities, invasive species, drought, and other threats in some places, though there is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand scope and severity of threats for this species.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Porterella carnosula occurs in moist, grassy roadsides, wet meadows, and along the margins of lakes, streams and ponds, often in mud (Kearney and Peebles 1951, Welsh et al. 2015, Meyers et al. 2020, Jepson Flora Project 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest EdgeGrassland/herbaceous
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaSNRYes
UtahS2Yes
WyomingS1Yes
IdahoS3Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
NevadaS2Yes
OregonSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (29)
California (19)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainTahoe National Forest5,832
Black CinderLassen National Forest239
Bucks LakePlumas National Forest680
ChannellSequoia National Forest45,429
ChicoSequoia National Forest39,836
Chips CreekLassen National Forest29,089
Crane Mtn.Modoc National Forest1,269
Domeland Add.Sequoia National Forest3,046
Granite ChiefTahoe National Forest6,546
Heart LakeLassen National Forest9,349
Hoover - NorthHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest1,574
Iceberg - Mill CreekHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest26,988
Mt. BidwellModoc National Forest11,687
Mt. VidaModoc National Forest7,771
PyramidEldorado National Forest24,347
South SierraInyo National Forest41,853
South SierraSequoia National Forest8,008
Trail LakeLassen National Forest1,124
WoodpeckerSequoia National Forest11,936
Nevada (5)
AreaForestAcres
Mystic (NV)Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest5,644
Rose - Big MeadowsHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest311
Rose - Davis Mdw.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest2,361
Rose - EvansHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,782
Rose - Whites CanyonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest2,568
Oregon (2)
AreaForestAcres
Crane MountainFremont National Forest23,096
Imnaha FaceWallowa-Whitman National Forest29,575
Utah (2)
AreaForestAcres
Fishlake MountainFishlake National Forest25,217
Swan Creek MountainWasatch-Cache National Forest9,390
Wyoming (1)
AreaForestAcres
Winegar HoleTarghee National Forest247
References (9)
  1. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  2. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  3. Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024. Jepson eFlora. Online. Available: https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/ (accessed 2024).
  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. Kearney, T.H., R.H. Peebles, and collaborators. 1951. Arizona flora. 2nd edition with Supplement (1960) by J.T. Howell, E. McClintock, and collaborators. Univ. California Press, Berkeley. 1085 pp.
  6. Meyers, S.C., T. Jaster, K.E. Mitchell, T. Harvey, and L.K. Hardison, editors. 2020. Flora of Oregon. Volume 2: Dicots A-F. Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth, TX. 861 pp.
  7. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  8. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  9. Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich, and L.C. Higgins. (Eds). 2015. A Utah flora, fifth edition, revised 2015. Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Provo, Utah. 987 pp.