Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Fremont's Polyctenium

Polyctenium fremontii

(S. Wats.) Greene

Fremont's Polyctenium

G4Apparently Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1179138
Element CodePDBRA23040
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderCapparales
FamilyBrassicaceae
GenusPolyctenium
Concept Reference
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2010. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 7. Magnoliophyta: Salicaceae to Brassicaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxii + 797 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2010) and Baldwin et al. (2012) recognize Polyctenium fremontii in a broad sense, including P. williamsiae (and with no infrataxa distinguished). In contrast, Kartesz (1994, 1999) recognized Polyctenium fremontii (with varieties distinguished), and P. williamsiae as distinct species.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2026-04-02
Change Date1988-05-16
Edition Date2026-04-02
Edition AuthorsTomaino, A. (2021), rev. Eberly (2026)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank Reasons
Polyctenium fremontii is a perennial herb that occurs in the western United States in California, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon with a disjunct occurrence in Washington. There are between 100 and 200 known occurrences over a large range but little is known about threats or trends, rangewide.
Range Extent Comments
Polyctenium fremontii occurs in the western United States in California, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon (FNA 2010) and with disjunct occurrences in Washington (Columbia Plateau). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens and photo-based observation data collected between 1985 and 2026 (RARECAT 2025, GBIF 2026, iNaturalist 2026, SEINet 2026).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1985 and 2025, there are estimated to be between 100 and 200 occurrences rangewide (RARECAT 2025, GBIF 2026, iNaturalist 2026, SEINet 2026).
Threat Impact Comments
Threats are not widely documented for this species. In Washington where there is only one known occurrence, it is threatened by "conversion of vernal pool habitat to agriculture, competition from invasive weeds, changes in hydrology." (Washington Field Guides 2026).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species is found in shallow soils on basalt, sometimes saline soil, sagebrush areas, dry meadows, edge of vernal pools, margins of lakes, gravel bars, rocky wash, mud flats, dry streambeds and swales, at elevations ranging from 400 to 2,700 meters (FNA 2023, Jepson Flora Project 2026, Washington Field Guides 2026). In Washington, it occurs in the Columbia Plateau Vernal Pool ecological system (Rocchio and Crawford 2015).
Terrestrial Habitats
Grassland/herbaceousDesertBarrens
Palustrine Habitats
TEMPORARY POOL
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
IdahoSNRYes
NevadaSNRYes
OregonSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
WashingtonS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureUnknownExtreme - seriousHigh (continuing)
7 - Natural system modificationsUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
8.1.1 - Unspecified speciesUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
California (1)
AreaForestAcres
Dobie FlatModoc National Forest15,079
References (6)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2010. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 7. Magnoliophyta: Salicaceae to Brassicaceae. Oxford University Press, New York. xxii + 797 pp.
  2. Flora of North America (FNA). 2023. Accessed 6/13/2023. http://floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Rocchio, F.J., and R.C. Crawford. 2015. Ecological systems of Washington State. A guide to identification. Natural Heritage Report 2015-04. Washington Natural Heritage Program, WA Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA. 384 pp.
  6. Washington Field Guides. 2026. Online. Available: https://fieldguide.mt.gov/wa/ (accessed 2026).