California's Rare, Threatened and Endangered Plants

Information on the biology, distribution, and status of California’s rare, threatened, and endangered plant species is available from the links below. Lists of California’s rare, threatened and endangered plants, bryophytes, and lichens are also described and available below.

Species Information

• Threatened and Endangered Plant Profiles
• Species Accounts of Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants from 2004 Status Report (PDF)
• Protocols for Surveying and Evaluating Impacts to Special Status Native Plant Populations and Natural Communities (PDF)
• CDFW’s California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB)
• Illustrations of California Rare, Threatened and Endangered Plant Species, created by retired CDFW botanist Mary Ann Showers
• Reports of Research and Recovery Actions for Threatened and Endangered Plants (opens CDFW’s document library)
• External resources for species information

Species Lists

• The List of State and Federally-Listed Endangered, Threatened and Rare Plants of California (PDF) includes all of the plant species that have been designated as rare, threatened, endangered, or candidate by the California Fish and Game Commission under California law, and all plant species that both occur in California and have been designated as threatened, endangered or are proposed for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act.
• The Special Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Lichens List (PDF) includes all of the plant species in the list above and all other plant species tracked by CDFW’s California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB), including high priority bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts), plant species that are considered endangered or rare under section 15380 of CEQA, plant species that are considered sensitive by federal agencies, or other plant species that are biologically rare, very restricted in distribution, or declining throughout their range. Some lichens are also included on the list.