Special Status Plants of the El Centro Field Office

This plant guide identifies the special status plants that are known to occur on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, but they may only be suspected on land administered by the El Centro Field Office.  To view a photograph and more information on an individual plant, click on the plant's common name below. To see a complete list of all plants, regardless of if it is known or suspected, click here.

Sand Food Pholisma sonorae	Peirson's Milk-Vetch Astragalus magdalenae var. peirsonii	Algodones Dunes Sunflower Helianthus niveus ssp. tephrodes
Mexican Flannelbush Fremontodendron mexicanum	Munz Cholla Opuntia munzii	Wiggins' Croton Croton wigginsii
Mountain Springs Bush Lupine Lupinus excubitus var. medius	Giant Spanish Needle Palafoxia arida var. gigantea	Laguna Mountains Aster Machaeranthera asteroides var. lagunensis

Special status plants are those plants whose survival is of concern due to 1) their limited distribution, 2) low number of individuals and/or populations, and 3) potential threats to habitat.  The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) uses the term "special status plants" to include: http://www.blm.gov/publish/content/ca/en/prog/ssp/main_status.html1) Federal endangered, threatened,proposed and candidate species; 2) California State endangered, threatened, and rare species; and 3) BLM Sensitive plants. Sensitive plants are those species that do not occur on Federal or state lists, but which are designated by the BLM State Director for special management consideration.

It is BLM policy to manage for the conservation of special status plants and their associated habitats and to ensure that actions authorized, funded, or carried out do not contribute to the need to list any species as threatened or endangered.