Endangered Status Proposed for Texas's 5-Foot-Tall Wildflower

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Big Red Sage, a five-foot-tall Texas wildflower with crimson-purple blooms, has declined to seven of its original 14 populations in Edwards Plateau.

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By 2016, the wild count dropped to 654 plants, prompting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to propose endangered species protection after 50 years of waiting.

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After being presumed extinct, scientists rediscovered this lemon-scented wildflower in the 1980s, marking a brief comeback before new threats emerged.

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Overgrazing by white-tailed deer, urban growth, and climate challenges like heatwaves and floods push this native plant toward extinction.

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Black-chinned hummingbirds primarily pollinate these plants, which can live up to 10 years and maintain unique genetic traits despite low diversity in wild populations.

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Federal protection would ban wild specimen collection, though critical habitat remains undesignated to prevent illegal harvesting.

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Public comments stay open until March 24, 2025, as flash floods and bank erosion continue threatening this Edwards Plateau native.

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