Native Texas Plant Proposed for Endangered Status

Texas is adding another flower to the endangered species list, and it’s not the bluebonnet.

In a recent proposed ruling by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Texas big red sage, or Salvia pentstemonoides for all you nerds out there, is in the works to be recognized by the U.S. government as an endangered species.

The Texas Big Red Sage

Native to the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas, there are only seven populations of the big red sage remaining in the state, according to Texas Tribune.

These unique plants can grow up to five feet tall with red flowers that smell faintly of lemons. Each plant can live up to 10 years and depend on the local hummingbirds for pollination.

In order for the plant to be covered by the Endangered Species Act, they must be proved to be in danger of extinction in all or some of their habitat range.

How a Species Becomes Endangered

To be clear, in order for a plant species to be certified as endangered, it doesn’t just mean that it’s getting rarer and rarer to spot. There are actually a multitude of reasons that determine a plant’s status of threatened or endangered, such as the following:

• The habitat range is facing destruction or modification
• The plant is being overutilized for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes
• The plant or habitat is plagued by disease or predation
• Current factors that regulate the plant’s habitat are inadequate

The reason that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing that this specific plant be listed as endangered is due to environment changes and the inappropriate use and collection of the plant.

So, if all goes well with protection efforts, we'll begin to see more and more of these vibrant flowers in the Lone Star State!