BLM WY Blowout Penstemon Taxonomy

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A. Project Background Information: Penstemon haydenii (blowout penstemon) is a rare, herbaceous perennial plant that is endemic in north-central Nebraska and south-central Wyoming. It was listed as endangered by the U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, on September 1, 1987, under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Populations of blowout penstemon are known in the Nebraska Sandhills in Box Butte, Cherry, Garden, Hooker, Morrill, and Sheridan counties. The species was discovered in 1996 in northern Carbon County, Wyoming, some 300 km west of the nearest Nebraska populations. Recent research has found significant genetic differences between three blowout penstemon population groups in Nebraska and two populations in Wyoming. The magnitude of these genetic differences is equal to or greater than differences between some other pairs of taxonomically recognized Penstemon species. This new information suggests that the taxonomic status of Nebraska and Wyoming populations should be examined carefully to determine whether the Wyoming populations of blowout penstemon should be considered the same or a different species than those of Nebraska. B. Project Objective: The primary objective is to determine the taxonomic identity of, and relationship between, the Nebraska and Wyoming populations of blowout penstemon. This information will be used by BLM as a basis for future management decisions on public lands occupied by this species, and will be used by FWS in their species recovery planning process. C. Statement of Joint Objectives/Project Management Plan: The applicant will conduct taxonomical research on the blowout penstemon in Nebraska and Wyoming. Research will be conducted as part of the Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit n

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