Ochoco Lomatium Gets Increased Attention Following Federal Listing Petition
Last Updated on April 2, 2026 by Tom Pratum
 Figure 1- Ochoco Lomatium (Lomatium ochocense). Photo by Dani Marshall. |
| Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of three articles describing the conservation efforts for at risk plant species accomplished by Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Native Plant Conservation Program and their partners in 2025. Ochoco lomatium (Lomatium ochocense) (Figure 1) is a perennial herb in the parsley family (Apiaceae), found only in Crook County along the North Fork Crooked River. The species is found on exposed basalt bedrock habitat (Figure 2) on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM; three sites) and U.S. Forest Service (one site). Ochoco lomatium faces multiple threats, including grazing, recreational impacts, invasive species, fire, and climate change. Most concerning, the historically largest population has experienced a dramatic decline from over one million plants in the 1990s and early 2000s to less than 160,000 plants in 2023. The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) also reviewed and listed the lomatium as state endangered in 2023. Following a 2025 petition by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now reviewing Ochoco lomatium for potential federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. |
 Figure 2- The exposed bedrock habitat where Ochoco lomatium is found. Photo by Dani Marshall. |
| During a joint monitoring effort in spring 2025, biologists from ODA, BLM, and U.S. Forest Service assessed all BLM populations (Figure 3). Long Ridge (BLM) transect monitoring documented an estimated 178,000 plants—higher than the 2023 count, but within the confidence intervals. This population appears to be stable based on the 2023 and 2025 survey data. Seed was collected for conservation banking at this site (Figure 4). |
  Figure 3 left: Biologists assessing Ochoco lomatium populations. Figure 4 right: Ochoco lomatium seeds. Photos by Dani Marshall. |
At Battle Point (BLM), a collaborative flagging survey and boundary remapping documented approximately 8,100 plants. Previous estimates were likely inaccurate due to less rigorous survey methods, with the true population potentially reaching 10,000 individuals. At Cabin Butte (BLM), thousands of plants were observed, but ODA noticed an alarming level of reproductive failure. Only one plant with a majority of viable fruits could be found after 15 minutes of searching because most plants had aborted their fruits before seed development (Figure 5) |
 Ochoco lomatium plant showing aborted fruits. Photo by Dani Marshall. |
| Given the recent federal listing petition, future monitoring will likely shift focus to provide additional site data needed for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service review. Rather than repeat transect surveys, we hope that 2026 efforts will concentrate on accurately mapping the patchy distribution of occupied habitat across all sites. Installation of temperature and precipitation sensors to track site-specific climate conditions and their potential impacts on Ochoco lomatium would also be informative. Additionally, there is interest in observing the pollinator community to determine what pollinators are present during the day (and at night) that may be affecting the lomatium fruit production. –Dani Marshall, ODA Conservation Biologist |