Taxon Report

Sanguisorba officinalis L.

great burnet

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Taxon Summary

Sanguisorba officinalis, commonly known as great burnet, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Rosaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Bogs and fens, Broadleafed upland forest, Marshes and swamps, Meadows and seeps, North Coast coniferous forest, and Riparian forest, growing at elevations from 60 to 1400 meters. Sanguisorba officinalis is ranked 2B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Sanguisorba officinalis L.
Common Name:	great burnet
Family:	Rosaceae
Element Code:	PDROS1L060
USDA Plants Symbol:	SAOF3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial rhizomatous herb
Blooming Period: Jul-Oct	Jul-Oct
Elevation:	60-1400 (195-4595)
General Habitats:	Bogs and fens, Broadleafed upland forest, Marshes and swamps, Meadows and seeps, North Coast coniferous forest, Riparian forest
Microhabitat:	Serpentine (often)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.2
Global Rank:	G5?
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.2 to 2B.2 on 2013-06-12

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	22
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	2
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	1
Unknown (U)	17

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Del Norte (DNT), Humboldt (HUM), Mendocino (MEN)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Albion (3912327), Crescent City (4112472), Elk (3912326), Fort Bragg (3912347), Gasquet (4112378), High Divide (4112481), High Plateau Mtn. (4112388), Mad River Buttes (4012367), Maple Creek (4012377), Mendocino (3912337), Shelly Creek Ridge (4112387), Ship Mountain (4112367), Sister Rocks (4112462)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	9
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	11	50 %
Foot traffic/trampling	5	22%
Logging	5	22%
Other	3	13%
Grazing	2	9%
Development	2	9%
Erosion/runoff	2	9%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	1	4%
Mining	1	4%
Non-native plant impacts	1	4%

Notes



CA plants may be ssp. microcephala.
Threats:
Potentially threatened by non-native plants.
Taxonomy:

Selected References

USFS Potential Species of Conservation Concern Profile

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 5 February 2025].