Showy phlox (Phlox speciosa): COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 10

Existing Protection or Other Status Designations

No legal protection specifically protects Phlox speciosa populations in any part of the taxon’s range. The species is not listed or proposed for listing under the US Endangered Species Act, the IUCN Red Book, or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The species is not the subject of any international agreements.

The Global Heritage Status Rank of Phlox speciosa [ssp. occidentalis] is G5TNR, indicating that the status of the species is “Secure” and the status of the subspecies occidentalis has not yet been assessed (NatureServe 2004). The Secure rank applies to taxa that are common, widespread, and abundant. Taxa with this rank typically have considerably more than 100 occurrences and more than 10,000 individuals.

No National Heritage Status Rank (N rank) has been applied to Phlox speciosa in either Canada or the United States (NatureServe 2004).

In the United States, the Subnational Heritage Status Rank of Phlox speciosa [ssp. occidentalis] is “not ranked” (SNR) in the six states in which the plant occurs.

In Canada, Phlox speciosa is Red-listed in British Columbia. The Red List includes any indigenous species or subspecies (taxa) considered to be Extirpated, Endangered, or Threatened in the province. Phlox speciosa has a Subnational Natural Heritage Status Rank of Critically Imperiled (S1) in British Columbia. This provincial rank is applied to taxa that are extremely rare or especially vulnerable to extinction. Taxa ranked as Critically Imperiled typically have five or fewer occurrences or very few remaining individuals (<1000; BC CDC 2002). Based on the present field data, this ranking likely requires revision.

A portion of the White Lake population occurs on federal land belonging to the National Research Council that is being managed by the Nature Trust, in conjunction with the South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program, as a “biodiversity ranch”.

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