Taxon Report

Epilobium luteum Pursh

yellow willowherb

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Epilobium luteum, commonly known as yellow willowherb, is a perennial stoloniferous herb in the Onagraceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest (seeps, Streambanks), and Meadows and seeps, growing at elevations from 1500 to 2195 meters. Epilobium luteum is ranked 2B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Epilobium luteum Pursh
Common Name:	yellow willowherb
Family:	Onagraceae
Element Code:	PDONA060H0
USDA Plants Symbol:	EPLU
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial stoloniferous herb
Blooming Period: Jul-Sep	Jul-Sep
Elevation:	1500-2195 (4920-7200)
General Habitats:	Lower montane coniferous forest, Meadows and seeps
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.3
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.3 to 2B.3 on 2013-06-12

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	3
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	2
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	1

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Del Norte (DNT), Plumas (PLU), Siskiyou (SIS)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Blue Nose Mtn. (3912077), China Mtn. (4112245), Polar Bear Mtn. (4112385)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	3
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	1	33 %
Grazing	1	33%
Logging	1	33%
Other	1	33%

Notes



On review list in OR. See Systematic Botany 18(2):218-228 (1993) for information on hybridization.
Threats:

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 26 February 2025].