Home/Species/ Troublesome Phacelia

Phacelia gina-glenneae

N.D. Atwood & S.L. Welsh

Troublesome Phacelia

G1Critically Imperiled (G1Q) Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G1Critically ImperiledGlobal Rank

MediumThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.941899

Element CodePDHYD0C720

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusProvisional

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single state or province

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderSolanales

FamilyHydrophyllaceae

GenusPhacelia

Concept Reference

Atwood, N.D. and S.L. Welsh. 2013. New plant taxa from Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Western North American Naturalist 73(1): 113-115.

Taxonomic Comments

Phacelia gina-glenneae was described as a new species in 2013 (Atwood and Welsh 2013). Subsequent genetic analyses by Neale et al. (2014) supported the hypothesis of three Phacelia species in north central, Colorado: P. gina-glenneae in Grand County, P. formosula in Jackson County, and P. "scullyi" (not published) in Larimer County. Since that time genetic and morphologic research of the Phacelia populations has been on-going with the most recent research indicating that taxonomic separation of the three Phacelia groups in Larimer, Jackson, and Grand counties is not warranted and that P. gina-glenneae and P. "scullyi" should be subsumed into Phacelia formosula (Naibauer and McGlaughlin 2022). We consider the concept of P. formosula to include the Larimer and Jackson county populations and maintain the concept of P. gina-glenneae until recent research has been published; upon publication it will be subsumed into the P. formosula concept (CNHP 2022).

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2022-10-26

Change Date2022-10-26

Edition Date2022-10-26

Edition AuthorsTomaino, A. (2015), rev. J. Handwerk and C. Nordman (2022).

Threat ImpactMedium

Range Extent<100 square km (less than about 40 square miles)

Number of Occurrences1 - 5

Rank Reasons

Phacelia gina-glenneae is known from one location in Grand County, Colorado (USA), were it is restricted to the Troublesome Formation. Potential threats include incompatible livestock grazing, competition from invasive plants species and habitat shifting and alteration associated with climate change.

Range Extent Comments

Phacelia gina-glenneae occurs in the western United States, it is endemic to Grand County in north central Colorado, where it is found on the Troublesome Formation. The estimated range extent in Colorado of 0.324 square kilometers was calculated in GeoCAT using occurrence data provided by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP 2022, NatureServe 2022).

Occurrences Comments

There is only one known occurrence of Phacelia gina-glenneae (CNHP 2022).

Threat Impact Comments

This species could be threatened by incompatible grazing, competition from invasive plant species and potential development pressures. In 2015, two small infestations of weeds were observed growing on the barren soils with Phacelia; Chenopodium album and Euphorbia prostrata (CNHP 2022). Energy development, as well as drought, and habitat shifting and alteration due to climate change are listed as threats in Appendix A of the Colorado State Wildlife Action Plan (Handwerk et al. 2015). The flat stones which occur with this plant are sought after and extracted for building material (Atwood and Welsh 2013).

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Found on barren, shale, clay or sandy outcropping of the Troublesome Creek Formation, described as very white tan-colored shale clay substrates, with an abundance of flat stones, associated with Astragalus kentrophyta, Chrysothamnus, Ericameria nauseosa, Artemisia tridentata, Monolepis nuttaliana, Purshia tridentata, and lichen species (Atwood and Welsh 2013, Neale et al. 2014). It occurs at elevations of (2255 - 2347 m) 7400 - 7700 feet (Ackerfield 2015).

Terrestrial Habitats

Barrens

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN1

Province	Rank	Native
Colorado	S1	Yes

Plant Characteristics

DurationANNUAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (2)

Colorado (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Dome Peak	Routt NF	35,716
Troublesome South	Routt NF	47,359

References (7)

Ackerfield, J. 2015. Flora of Colorado. Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth, TX. 818 pp.
Atwood, N.D. and S.L. Welsh. 2013. New plant taxa from Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Western North American Naturalist 73(1): 113-115.
Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP). 2022. Biodiversity Tracking and Conservation System (Biotics 5). Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
Handwerk, J., L. Grunau, and S. Spackman-Panjabi. 2015. Colorado Wildlife Action Plan: 2015 Rare Plant Addendum. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
Naibauer, S. and M. McGlaughlin. 2022. Genetic investigation of Phacelia formosula Osterhout (Hydrophyllaceae), North Park Phacelia, and disjunct Phacelia groups in Northern Colorado; Status Report - October, 2022.
NatureServe. 2022. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
Neale, J., A. Schwabe, M. Islam, and M. DePrenger-Levin. 2014. Phacelia formosula: Surveys, Population Assessment, and Assessment of Genetic Diversity. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Final Report. Denver Botanic Gardens. Duane Atwood Brigham Young University.