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Plant Profile

Porter's Feathergrass (Ptilagrostis porteri)

Global Rank: G2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Poaceae
State: CO
Nature Serve ID: 131237
Lifeform: Graminoid
Date Inducted in National Collection: 03/08/1989

Description:

Porter's false needlegrass, a small perennial bunchgrass that is a member of the Poaceae (Grass) Family can grow 20-35 cm tall. The fine and very narrow leaves are mostly basal. The one-flowered spikelets resemble the needlegrasses. The awn, a special part of the grass flower, is plumose along its entire length and twisted at the base. This plant is usually found in wetlands in fens and willow carrs. It flowers in early to late August. The fruits mature between mid August and early September. The plumose awns are persistent on the fruit, and the fruit could be dispersed by wind or animal (Harrington 1964; Johnston 2006; USFWS 2005; Von Bargen 1997). Ptilagrostis porteri was first discovered in 1892 by Charles C. Parry and by Elihu Hall and J.P. Harbour. Thomas C. Porter and J.M. Coulter named this plant Stipa mongholica in 1874. P.A. Rydberg determined that the plant did not suit the description of the Asiatic S. mongholica, but that it was a new species, and named it S.porteri for Tomas C. Porter, the first person to describe the species. This plant was first published by Weber in 1966, who moved it to the Asiatic genus Ptilagrostis. All species allied to S. mongholica have subsequently been moved to the genus Ptilagrostis in recent years (Barkworth 1983; Johnston 2006; Von Bargen 1997). Ptilagrostis porteri is listed as a sensitive species by both the U.S. Forest Service (Region 2) and the Bureau of Land Management for Colorado (U.S. Forest Service 2005 and USDI Bureau of Land Management 2004).

Where is Porter's Feathergrass (Ptilagrostis porteri) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Porter's false needlegrass has very specific hydration requirements. This plant can grow on the tops and sides of elevated hummocks in peat fens. The hummocks are elevated above the water table, providing a slightly drier soil surface than the areas between hummocks. Elev. 9,200-12,000 ft. (Johnston 2006; Spackman 1997; USFWS 2005).This species is most commonly associated with Dasiphora floribunda, Betula glandulosa, Salix brachycarpa, Salix cadida, Salix planifolia, Thalictrum alpinum, Carex aquatilis, Deschampsia cespitosa, and Kobresia myosuroides (Johnston 2006).

Distribution:

Endemic to El Paso, Lake, Summit and possibly Park Counties in central Colorado (Johnston 2006).

States & Provinces:

Porter's Feathergrass can be found in Colorado

Which CPC Partners conserve Porter's Feathergrass (Ptilagrostis porteri)?

Denver Botanic Gardens

Not Sponsored

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Ptilagrostis porteri has a restricted range in central Colorado. It occurs in a specific wetland habitat that is sensitive to disturbances, and only a few occurrences are expressly protected from peat mining and ditching, which threaten the element across its range.

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

Threats include: - Hydrological alterations - Placer and peat mining - Heavy livestock grazing would have negative effects, while the effect of elk and deer grazing and browsing are unknown - Roads, trails, and recreational use such as off-road vehicl

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

A total of 415,000 individuals are estimated. Although 29 sites are known for P. porteri, more than 90 percent of all known individuals exist in one large site. Three sites are represented by herbarium specimens (Johnston 2006).

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

None known.

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

There is no formal plan created for this plant.

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

Research needs include understanding all aspects of P. porteri's ecology and biology, especially its life cycle, reproduction, dispersal, establishment, restoration, and demography.

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

Seed collection and storage.