How to Search the Rare Plant List on the New Mexico Rare Plants Website

Updated

To search for a specific species, open nmrareplants.unm.edu and use the Rare Plant List section, where you can search by scientific or common name. The site is maintained by the New Mexico Natural Heritage Program, the University of New Mexico Library, and the NM Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department–Forestry Division's Endangered Plant Program, so the list is an official reference rather than a casual collection.

Where the Search Lives

The homepage presents the Rare Plant List as one of its main areas, alongside the Rare Plant Conservation Strategy and About the List. The list section is described as a place to "explore our list of New Mexico Rare Plants and search for specific species via their scientific or common name," with a Search Rare Plant List link leading into it.

Two ways to look up a plant

Search by Use it when Example
Scientific name You have the Latin binomial from a field guide, paper, or herbarium record A genus and species name
Common name You only know the everyday name A familiar regional name

If a common name returns nothing, try the scientific name — common names vary between sources, while the scientific name is the stable identifier used in the list.

What the List Covers

The Strategy List is maintained by the New Mexico Rare Plant Technical Council (NMRPTC) and focuses on 235 rare and endangered plant species in New Mexico, including one lichen. That scope matters when you search: a plant absent from the results may simply fall outside the list's criteria rather than not existing in the state.

The About the List page explains how the list is maintained, which is worth reading before treating a search result as a formal status determination.

Practical Search Tips

  • Start with the exact scientific name if you have it; spelling variants are the most common reason a search comes back empty.
  • Check the genus spelling against a flora or herbarium record before concluding the species is missing.
  • Use the list to confirm whether a species is tracked as rare in New Mexico, then follow links to the Conservation Strategy for context on protection goals.
  • The site also has Current Events, Rare Plants in the News, and Field Trips sections if you want broader context beyond a single species lookup.

What This Site Is For

The Rare Plant Conservation Strategy aims to protect New Mexico's rare and endangered plants and their habitats through collaboration among stakeholders, partly to avoid federal listing. Searching the list is therefore a first step — identifying whether a plant is on the state's radar — while the Strategy pages explain what that designation is meant to achieve.