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Higgin's penstemon
Penstemon higginsii
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G4G5T3?
State (S-rank): S2
External links
Species range
Estimate from download of data from Utah Rare Plant Database on July 18, 2024.
Geocat 23 observations: Extent of Occurrence: 1,285.416 km2.
Historic observations over 40 years old were not used.
Pinyon-juniper, oak-maple, white fir, ponderosa pine-manzanita, Douglas fir, and aspen-conifer communities at 1675 to 3145 m in the Pine Valley and Bull Valley mts., Kolob Terrace and Plateau, Iron and Wash-ington Cos.; a Virgin Basin-Southern Plateaus endemic; 59 (vii). This species is known in Utah only from Washington and adjacent Iron counties and is disjunct from the closely related P. leonardii ,which occurs in central and north-central Utah. Higgins’ pensetmon is easily recognized by the lavender flowers, usually short ellipsoid leaves with more consistently rounded to obtuse apices and the frequently longer, less congested inflorescence. Earlier reports of P. thurberi Torrey from Washington County belong here (Welsh et al. 2015).
Threats or limiting factors
The main threats are from habitat degradation due to grazing, fire, invasive weeds, drought, and road maintenance.
Threats compiled using observations and notes from Utah Rare Plant Database and Utah Geospatial Resource Center GIS Data downloaded in 2024. Severity of impacts are not well known so ranges are provided where appropriate.
Fire has impacted many occurrences and this risk is exacerbated by invasive cheat grass, other annual weeds and beetle kill of trees increasing fuels. Almost all occurrences are within grazing allotments. Occurrences near roads may be impacted by maintenance. Drought and climate change is also a threat and likely impacting this species through out it's range (Wrobleski, 2023).
