Taxon Report

Epilobium howellii Hoch

subalpine fireweed

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Epilobium howellii, commonly known as subalpine fireweed, is a perennial stoloniferous herb in the Onagraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Meadows and seeps, and Subalpine coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 2000 to 3120 meters. Epilobium howellii is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Epilobium howellii Hoch
Common Name:	subalpine fireweed
Family:	Onagraceae
Element Code:	PDONA06180
USDA Plants Symbol:	EPHO3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial stoloniferous herb
Blooming Period: Jul-Aug	Jul-Aug
Elevation:	2000-3120 (6560-10235)
General Habitats:	Meadows and seeps, Subalpine coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Mesic
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G4
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 1B.3 to 4.3 on 2009-09-28

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	99
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	15
Good (B)	43
Fair (C)	27
Poor (D)	1
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	13

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Alpine (ALP), El Dorado (ELD), Fresno (FRE), Madera (MAD), Mono (MNO), Nevada (NEV), Sierra (SIE), Tuolumne (TUO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bloody Mtn. (3711858), Calpine (3912064), Caples Lake (3812061), Carson Pass (3811968), Clio (3912065), Crystal Crag (3711951), Dinkey Creek (3711912), Ebbetts Pass (3811957), Freel Peak (3811978), Haypress Valley (3912055), Huntington Lake (3711922), Independence Lake (3912043), Kaiser Peak (3711932), Little Shuteye Peak (3711944), Mammoth Mtn. (3711961), Mt. Abbot (3711847), Mt. Givens (3711931), Musick Mtn. (3711923), Nelson Mtn. (3711911), Patterson Mtn. (3611981), Pinecrest (3811928), Sattley (3912054), Shuteye Peak (3711934), Sing Peak (3711954), South Lake Tahoe (3811988), Spicer Meadows Res. (3811948), Squaw Dome (3711943), Timber Knob (3711953), Vogelsang Peak (3711973), Webber Peak (3912044)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	9
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	70	71 %
Grazing	29	29%
Road/trail construction/maint.	24	24%
Logging	15	15%
ORV activity	14	14%
Foot traffic/trampling	14	14%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	4	4%
Other	3	3%
Improper burning regime	2	2%
Development	1	1%

Notes



Threatened by grazing, logging, vehicles and road/trail maintenance. See Phytologia 73(6):460-462 (1992) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

CRPR List Change on 2009-09-28

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 27 January 2025].