PORTLAND, Ore. — The Center for Biological Diversity today filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking to protect the Wanapum oxytrope flower under the Endangered Species Act. These rare, delicate plants grow exclusively along the Saddle Mountains in central Washington and are a unique variety of the more common field oxytrope.
Although the field oxytrope commonly has white flowers, Wanapum oxytrope stand out with their enchanting pink blooms. They have been lumped together with the field variety, but evidence suggests that Wanapum oxytrope is a separate species.
“These little pink flowers have likely graced the Saddle Mountains since mammoths roamed Washington state, but without federal protections they could disappear on our watch,” said Gwendolyn McManus, a scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Wanapum oxytrope are also a crucial pollen source for native bees. We have to do everything we can to keep these irreplaceable Washington flowers from sliding into extinction.”
The numbers of Wanapum oxytrope have plummeted 70% in recent years, dropping to only 2,000 plants in 2024 from more than 7,100 in 2002. Threats to the flowers include cattle grazing, seed predation, invasive plant species, climate change-induced drought and wildfires, off-road vehicle use and occasional paramilitary weapon shooting events that have been held on private land where Wanapum oxytrope grows.
Among these threats, botanists are especially concerned that many of the seeds are apparently being eaten by insects or rodents, which prevents new plants from growing.
About 30% of Wanapum oxytrope plants grow on federally owned lands, while the rest are on a neighboring cattle ranch. Despite the U.S. Bureau of Land Management designating part of this land as an area of critical environmental concern, the agency has neglected to put up fencing or take measures to prevent cattle from trampling and grazing on these rare plants.
“Wanapum oxytrope is a truly spectacular and utterly unique flowering plant confined to a narrow windy desert cliff edge,” said Mark Darrach, an independent botanist and an expert on the species. “Over the last 22 years the population has dwindled, and without immediate protections, extinction is imminent.”
