Taxon Report

Downingia willamettensis M. Peck

Cascade downingia

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Downingia willamettensis, commonly known as Cascade downingia, is a annual herb in the Campanulaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Cismontane woodland (lake margins), Valley and foothill grassland (lake margins), and Vernal pools, growing at elevations from 15 to 1110 meters. Downingia willamettensis is ranked 2B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Downingia willamettensis M. Peck
Common Name:	Cascade downingia
Family:	Campanulaceae
Element Code:	PDCAM060E0
USDA Plants Symbol:	DOWI
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Jun-Jul(Sep)	Jun-Jul(Sep)
Elevation:	15-1110 (50-3640)
General Habitats:	Cismontane woodland, Valley and foothill grassland, Vernal pools
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.2
Global Rank:	G4
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	added to 2B.2 on 2018-09-20

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	8
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	8

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Del Norte (DNT), Humboldt (HUM), Lake (LAK), Mendocino (MEN)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Fortuna (4012452), Hiouchi (4112471), Hydesville (4012451), Jamison Ridge (3912362), Potato Hill (3912237), Whispering Pines (3812276)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	%

Notes




Threats:

Taxonomy:
May be morphologically indistinguishable from D. pulcherrima and D. yina, but distinct based on geography, cytology, and DNA. Previously assigned to D. yina, which does not occur in CA; plants previously considered D. yina in CA are either D. pulcherrima or D. willamettensis. See Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 47(34): 187-188 (1934) for original description, and Madroño 57(1): 20-41 (2010) for taxonomic treatment.

Selected References

CRPR List Addition on 2018-09-20

Downingia willamettensis profile for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2018)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 3 November 2025].