Home/Species/ Wright's Marsh Thistle

Cirsium wrightii

Gray

Wright's Marsh Thistle

G2Imperiled Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G2ImperiledGlobal Rank

Very highThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.140269

Element CodePDAST2E370

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderAsterales

FamilyAsteraceae

GenusCirsium

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 MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x

Review Date2016-04-25

Change Date2003-11-07

Edition Date2016-04-25

Edition AuthorsMaybury, K. and S. Schwartz, rev. A. Olivero (2003), rev. A. Tomaino (2016)

Threat ImpactVery high

Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences6 - 20

Rank Reasons

Dependent on a rare wetland habitat. Extant populations are known only from New Mexico. The status of this species in Sonora and Chihuahua is uncertain. Highly threatened by alterations to hydrology due to water withdrawals and long-term drought. Other threats include invasive plants, urban development, livestock grazing, and insects introduced for biological control of weedy thistles.

Range Extent Comments

Known from New Mexico at Alamosa Springs, Blue Spring, Bitter Lake, Santa Rosa Basin and scattered locations in the Sacramento Mountains (Sivinski 2012). The type locality in Arizona no longer has suitable wetland habitat and there are no other Arizona locations (Sivinski 2012). Texas reports have been determined to be misidentifications (Sivinski 2012). The species has also been reported from Sonora and Chihuahua but these reports need verification (Sivinski 2012).

Occurrences Comments

There are approximately 12 extant occurrences in New Mexico (NatureServe Network Database as of March 2016). The La Paz County, Arizona occurrence has been determined to be Cirsium mohavense (S. Schuetze, pers. comm., 2016). The type locality collected in Cochise County, Arizona in 1851 near the border with New Mexico and Sonora is extirpated (no longer has suitable wetland habitat).

Threat Impact Comments

Threatened by alterations to the hydrology of its rare wetland habitat; desert springs and cienegas are susceptible to drying-up or being diverted (Barlow-Irick 2009). "Long-term drought, in combination with ground and surface water withdrawal, pose a current and future threat to Wright’s marsh thistle and its habitat" (USFWS 2015). Invasion by Phragmites australis is a threat (USFWS 2015). "Some populations in the Santa Rosa Basin are additionally impacted by urban development and intensive livestock grazing" (Sivinski 2012). May be threatened by insects introduced for biological control of weedy thistles which occur nearby (Barlow-Irick 2009).

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Marshy wetlands (cienegas) near springs in otherwise semi-arid to arid areas. It requires saturated soils with surface or subsurface water flow (USFWS 2015).

Terrestrial Habitats

Desert

Palustrine Habitats

HERBACEOUS WETLAND

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN2

Province	Rank	Native
Arizona	SX	Yes
New Mexico	S2	Yes
Texas	S1	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
1 - Residential & commercial development	Restricted - small	Moderate - slight	—
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture	Restricted - small	Moderate - slight	—
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranching	Restricted - small	Moderate - slight	—
7 - Natural system modifications	Pervasive (71-100%)	Extreme - serious	—
7.2 - Dams & water management/use	Pervasive (71-100%)	Extreme - serious	—
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Restricted - small	Moderate - slight	—
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases	Restricted - small	Moderate - slight	—
11 - Climate change & severe weather	Pervasive (71-100%)	Extreme - serious	—
11.2 - Droughts	Pervasive (71-100%)	Extreme - serious	—

Plant Characteristics

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (2)

New Mexico (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Ortega Peak	Lincoln National Forest	11,545
West Face Sacramento Mountains	Lincoln National Forest	41,176

References (13)

Arizona Game and Fish Department. 2001. Cirsium wrightii. Unpublished abstract compiled and edited by the Heritage Data Management System, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, Arizona. 3pp.
Arizona Game and Fish Department. 2010. Cirsium wrightii. Unpublished abstract compiled and edited by the Heritage Data Management System, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, Arizona. 4pp.
Barlow-Irick, P. 1999. New Mexico Rare Plants: Cirsium wrightii (Wright's marsh thistle). New Mexico Rare Plant Technical Council, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Online. Available: http://nmrareplants.unm.edu (Version 15 March 2002). Accessed 2003, May 9.
Barlow-Irick, P. 2009. New Mexico Rare Plants: Cirsium wrightii (Wright's marsh thistle). New Mexico Rare Plant Technical Council. Online. Available: http://nmrareplants.unm.edu/rarelist_single.php?SpeciesID=52 (accessed 2016).
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2006a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 19. Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, part 6: Asteraceae, part 1. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 579 pp.
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.
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.
Martin, W.C., and C.R. Hutchins. 1980-1981. A flora of New Mexico. 2 vols. J. Cramer, in der A.R. Gantner Verlag, K.G., Vaduz, Liechtenstein. 2591 pp.
Sivinski, R.C. 2012. Cirsium wrightii Wright’s Marsh Thistle: A 2012 Population Assessment. Prepared for NM Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department Forestry Division. RCS Southwest, Santa Fe, New Mexico. [http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SFD/ForestMgt/documents/Cirsiumwrightii2012Populations.pdf]
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2015. Review of Native Species that are Candidates for Listing as Endangered or Threatened; Annual Notice of Findings on Resubmitted Petitions; Annual Description of Progress on Listing Actions. Federal Register 80(247): 80584-80614.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2020. Threatened Species Status for the Wright’s Marsh Thistle (Cirsium wrightii) With a 4(d) Rule and Designation of Critical Habitat. Proposed Rule. Federal Register 85(189): 61460-61498.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2022. Review of Species That Are Candidates for Listing as Endangered or Threatened; Annual Notification of Findings on Resubmitted Petitions; Annual Description of Progress on Listing Actions. Notification of Review Federal Register 87(85): 26152-26178.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2023. Determination of Threatened Status for Wright’s Marsh Thistle With a Section 4(d) Rule and Designation of Critical Habitat. Final Rule. Federal Register 88(79): 25208-25249.

Cirsium wrightii

Habitat

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