Taxon Report

Epilobium nivium Bdg.

Snow Mountain willowherb

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Epilobium nivium, commonly known as Snow Mountain willowherb, is a perennial herb in the Onagraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 795 to 2500 meters. Epilobium nivium is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Epilobium nivium Bdg.
Common Name:	Snow Mountain willowherb
Family:	Onagraceae
Element Code:	PDONA060M0
USDA Plants Symbol:	EPNI
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jun-Oct	Jun-Oct
Elevation:	795-2500 (2610-8205)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Rocky
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G2G3
State Rank:	S2S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_UCSC; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	19
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	6
Fair (C)	6
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	7

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Colusa (COL), Glenn (GLE), Lake (LAK), Mendocino (MEN), Tehama (TEH), Trinity (TRI)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bluenose Ridge (3912382), Crockett Peak (3912247), Felkner Hill (3912256), Fouts Springs (3912236), Hull Mountain (3912258), Leech Lake Mtn. (3912381), Potato Hill (3912237), South Yolla Bolly (4012217), St. John Mtn. (3912246)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	4
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	5	26 %
ORV activity	3	15%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	2	10%
Foot traffic/trampling	2	10%
Wood cutting or brush clearing	1	5%

Notes



Threatened by recreation and foot traffic, and possibly by logging. See Zoe 3:242-243 (1892) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Epilobium nivium 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 5 November 2025].