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Zeltnera exaltata

(Griseb.) G. Mans.

Tall Centaury

G3Vulnerable (G3G4) Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
High - mediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.142556
Element CodePDGEN02060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderGentianales
FamilyGentianaceae
GenusZeltnera
Synonyms
Centaurium exaltatum(Griseb.) W. Wight ex Piper
Other Common Names
desert centaury (EN) Desert Centaury (EN) Petite-centaurée de l'Ouest (FR) Western Centaury (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.
Taxonomic Comments
As treated here, following Kartesz (1994, 1999), Baldwin et al. (2012), and J. Pringle, draft Flora of North America (2021), Zeltnera exaltata (=Centaurium exaltatum) and Z. namophila (=C. namophilum) are recognized as distinct species and "nevadense" is not distinguished as a separate taxon. An alternative treatment (Broome 1981) maintained C. namophilum with two varieties (vars. namophilum and nevadense) and Mansion (2004) recognized Z. nevadensis as a distinct species. J. Pringle, in draft Flora of North America (2021), notes that "pending further chromosome counts and molecular studies using techniques appropriate for the study of hybrids, a conservative treatment seems preferable to recognizing an additional taxon. In studies for this flora, most of the plants that had been identified as C. namophilum var. nevadense or as Z. nevadensis were included in Z. namophila; some were included in Z. exaltata; and others were provisionally interpreted as derivatives of hybridization of Z. exaltata with Z. namophila."
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-03-27
Change Date2025-03-27
Edition Date2025-03-27
Edition AuthorsJohnson, J. (2025)
Threat ImpactHigh - medium
Range Extent200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Zeltnera exaltata is an annual herb that is found in alkaline wetlands in western North America. There is some evidence that plants from southern California and Baja California should be split into their own species, but this has not yet been formally described in 2025. Despite having a large range, this species has scattered populations, often in isolated wetlands in otherwise dry areas. With moderate to high threats and little data on trends or populations, this species is potentially vulnerable.
Range Extent Comments
Zeltnera exaltata is native to western North America from southern British Columbia south to southern Baja California Sur and east to New Mexico and Montana (FNA 2023). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1994 and 2025 (RARECAT 2024, GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 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 175 occurrences rangewide (RARECAT 2024, GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Documented threats to Zeltnera exaltata include grazing, invasive plants, recreation, and loss of groundwater. Zeltnera exaltata occupies the same habitat as Chloropyron tecopense where the species' ranges overlap. Known threats to the wetland habitat of Chloropyron tecopense include groundwater extraction for various purposes, lithium mining, geothermal power production, off-road vehicle use, invasive species, and grazing by livestock and feral horses (CBD 2023).
Ecology & Habitat

Description

Western Centaury is an annual herb with usually unbranched stems that are 5-25 cm high. The basal leaves are lance-shaped to narrowly elliptic and 5-25 mm long, while those of the stem are longer and narrower. The leaves lack petioles and are opposite each other on the stem. Foliage is glabrous. One to a few erect flowers are borne on 1-4 cm long stalks 1-4 at the top of the stems. The white to light pink flowers have a slender, lobed calyx, 6-9 mm long, which tightly encloses a tubular corolla that flares at the top into 5 spreading petals that are ca. 4 mm long. The 5 stamens are exserted from the corolla tube. The fruit is a slender capsule nearly twice the length of the calyx at maturity.

Diagnostic Characteristics

Members of the Gentian Family have opposite leaves, glabrous foliage, and tubular corollas with 4-5 equal lobes. C. EXALTATUM can be distinguished from other members of the family by its long, narrow corolla tube and by its lack of membranous tissue between the calyx lobes. A hand lens may be necessary for positive determination.

Habitat

Zeltnera exaltata grows on stream banks, marshes, lakeshores, margins of hot springs and vernal pools, other wet, alkaline places often surrounded by desert (FNA 2023).
Terrestrial Habitats
Grassland/herbaceousDesert
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN1
ProvinceRankNative
British ColumbiaS1Yes
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
NevadaS4Yes
New MexicoSNRYes
WashingtonSNRYes
IdahoSNRYes
WyomingS2Yes
CaliforniaSNRYes
ColoradoS1Yes
OregonSNRYes
UtahS3Yes
South DakotaSNRYes
MontanaS1Yes
NebraskaS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureLarge (31-70%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingLarge (31-70%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
3 - Energy production & miningRestricted - smallSerious or 31-70% pop. declineModerate (short-term)
3.2 - Mining & quarryingRestricted - smallSerious or 31-70% pop. declineModerate (short-term)
3.3 - Renewable energyRestricted - smallSerious or 31-70% pop. declineModerate (short-term)
4 - Transportation & service corridorsRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
4.1 - Roads & railroadsRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceLarge - restrictedModerate - slightHigh (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activitiesLarge - restrictedModerate - slightHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesLarge (31-70%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineModerate (short-term)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesLarge (31-70%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineModerate (short-term)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (4)
California (4)
AreaForestAcres
Boundary Peak (CA)Inyo National Forest210,884
Pine CreekCleveland National Forest503
Red MountainAngeles National Forest8,034
TuleAngeles National Forest9,861
References (12)
  1. Baldwin, B. G., D. H. Goldman, D. J. Keil, R. Patterson, T. J. Rosatti, and D. H. Wilken, eds. 2012. The Jepson manual: vascular plants of California. 2nd edition. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1568 pp.
  2. Broome, C.R. 1981. A new variety of <i>Centaurium namophilum </i>(Gentianceae) from the Great Basin. Great Basin Naturalist 41(2): 192-197.
  3. Center For Biological Diversity (CBD). March 16, 2023. Petition to the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service to List the Tecopa Bird's Beak (<i>Chloropyron tecopense</i>) Under the Endangered Species Act as a Threatened or Endangered Species and to Concurrently Designate Critical Habitat.
  4. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2023. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 14. Magnoliophyta: Gentianaceae to Hydroleaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 505 pp.
  5. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  6. 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.
  7. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  8. Mansion, G. 2004. A new classification of the polyphyletic genus <i>Centaurium</i> Hill (Chironiinae, Gentianaceae): description of the New World endemic <i>Zeltnera</i>, and reinstatement of <i>Gyrandra </i>Griseb. and Schenkia Griseb. Taxon 53(3): 719-740.
  9. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  10. NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2024. Version: 1.1.1 (released Oct 01, 2024).
  11. Pringle, James S. Personal communication. Plant Taxonomist, Royal Botanical Gardens, Ontario, Canada.
  12. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).