Taxon Report

Lewisia taylorii O'Brien et al.

Trinity lewisia

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Lewisia taylorii, commonly known as Trinity lewisia, is a perennial herb in the Montiaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, and Lower montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 780 to 1275 meters. Lewisia taylorii is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Lewisia taylorii O'Brien et al.
Common Name:	Trinity lewisia
Family:	Montiaceae
Element Code:	PDPOR040N0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Jun	May-Jun
Elevation:	780-1275 (2560-4185)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Lower montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Gravelly, Rocky, Shale
Microhabitat Details:	On rocky exposures derived from members of the Bragdon formation.

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G2G3
State Rank:	S2S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	added to 1B.3 on 2025-08-11

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)

Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Carrville (4112216), Damnation Peak (4012285), Papoose Creek (4012276), Trinity Center (4012286), Trinity Dam (4012277), Whisky Bill Peak (4112215)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes




Threats:
Potentially threatened by OHV use, road and fuel break construction, timber harvest activities, and vegetation encroachment.
Taxonomy:
Discovered in 2010. Genetically distinct from L. kelloggii and differs in bract and sepal characters (glandless and usually entire to occasionally few-toothed vs usually with many gland-tipped teeth), greater number of stamens (17-40 vs 8-36), and shorter styles (5-17 mm vs 0-32 mm).

Selected References

Proposed addition to CRPR 1B.3, G2G3 / S2S3 (2025)

Madroño 71(3): 136–142 (2024)

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].