Taxon Report

Peltigera gowardii Lendemer & H. O’Brien

western waterfan lichen

Print Report


© 2021 Scot Loring

Taxon Summary

Peltigera gowardii, commonly known as western waterfan lichen, is a foliose lichen (aquatic) in the Peltigeraceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Riparian forest, growing at elevations from 1065 to 2620 meters. Peltigera gowardii is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

  Classification
Scientific Name:
 Peltigera gowardii Lendemer & H. O’Brien
Common Name:
 western waterfan lichen
Family: Peltigeraceae
Element Code: NLVER00460
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History
Lifeform: foliose lichen (aquatic)
Blooming Period:
Elevation: 1065-2620 (3495-8595)
General Habitats: Riparian forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details: On rocks in cold water creeks with little or no sediment or disturbance

Conservation Status
CA Rare Plant Rank: 4.2
Global Rank: G4?
State Rank:
 S3
State List: None
Fed List: None
Other Status: USFS_S
CRPR Changes:
  • added to 4.2 on 2014-03-01

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
Total Occurrences: 26
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 8
   Good (B) 8
   Fair (C) 1
   Poor (D) 0
   None (X) 0
   Unknown (U) 9

Location
California Endemic:  False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Amador (AMA), Butte (BUT), Calaveras (CAL), El Dorado (ELD), Fresno (FRE), Madera (MAD), Mariposa (MPA), Mono (MNO), Placer (PLA), Plumas (PLU), Sierra (SIE), Siskiyou (SIS), Trinity (TRI), Tulare (TUL), Tuolumne (TUO), Yuba (YUB)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
American House (3912161), Boards Crossing (3812032), Calaveras Dome (3812042), Caldor (3812054), Camp Nelson (3611825), Cascade (3912162), Crandall Peak (3812022), Dinkey Creek (3711912), Dogwood Peak (3912171), Duckwall Mtn. (3712081), Echo Lake (3812071), Emerald Bay (3812081), Etna (4112248), Fish Camp (3711946), Forest Glen (4012333), Freel Peak (3811978), Haypress Valley (3912055), Homewood (3912012), Hull Creek (3812011), Huntington Lake (3711922), La Porte (3912068), Leek Spring Hill (3812063), Mammoth Pool Dam (3711933), Meeks Bay (3912011), Mount Dana (3711982), Muir Grove (3611867), Patterson Mtn. (3611981), Peddler Hill (3812053), Pollock Pines (3812075), Pulga (3912174), Red Cinder (4012142), Robbs Peak (3812084), Rough Spur (3611888), Sentinel Peak (3611815), Shuteye Peak (3711934), Soapstone Hill (3912173), Stanislaus (3812023), Strawberry (3812021), Strawberry Valley (3912151), Westville (3912026), White Chief Mtn. (3711945)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 8
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
14 54 %
Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime 7 26%
Logging 3 11%
ORV activity 2 7%
Recreational use (non-ORV) 2 7%
Surface water diversion 1 3%
Other 1 3%
Dam/Inundation 1 3%
Erosion/runoff 1 3%

Notes
Threatened by hydrological alterations, recreational activities, erosion, logging, and vehicles. Often associated with rich bryophyte flora. See Bulletin of the California Lichen Society 13(2):42-44 (2006) for CALS Conservation Committee sponsorship.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Selected References

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].