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Small bog-orchid
Platanthera obtusata
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G5
State (S-rank): S1
External links
Species range
Estimate from download of data from Utah Rare Plant Database on July 18, 2024.
Geocat 6 observations: Extent of Occurrence: 199.826 km2.
Historic observations over 40 years old were not used.
Aspen, spruce, and fir communities at 2850 to 3200 m in Duchesne, San Juan (J. Tuhy 3936, 5 Jul 2013), and Summit cos.; Labrador to Alaska and s. to B.C., Ore., Colo., Wisconsin, and New York (Welsh et al. 2015).
Threats or limiting factors
The main threats are from habitat degradation due to grazing and drought.
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.
From UNPS (accessed 2025): A taxon not included in previous versions of the UNPS Rare Plant list, but its apparent rarity in Utah warrants further research. Only 5 specimens at BRY have been collected. It has been found in Daggett and Duchesne Counties. This taxon's primary range is in the Rocky Mountains and Canada. Habitat does not seem unusual according to FNA ("Mesic to wet coniferous forest, forested fens, sphagnum bogs, stream banks, tundra, moist roadsides"). Threats to this taxon include habitat modification and disturbance from the grazing-related impacts of cattle and naturalized mountain goats. Goats were introduced by the State of Utah for trophy hunters. Climate change is also a threat. Droughts and rapid snowmelt due to wind-blown sediments are melting snowpack earlier than normal in our region. These are the primary reasons for the upgrade of the threats to this species to a "1". Trends are scored as "unknown" due to uncertainty of the magnitude of the impacts of disturbance on extant populations and the lack of population-level surveys. It is a high priority to monitor these alpine endemics that may be impacted by naturalized animals introduced by the State of Utah.
