Feds: Endangered Willamette Valley wildflower has recovered

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says a wildflower called the Bradshaw’s desert parsley has rebounded enough to be removed the Endangered Species List.

The Center for Biological Diversity said Monday that the wildflower only grows in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and in nearby southwest Washington.

In 31 years, the plant’s population has increased from about 25,000 flowers in 11 populations to more than 11 million flowers in two dozen populations.

The wildflower with tight clusters of tiny yellow blooms was granted federal protections in 1988 due to threats from habitat loss.

The federal agency will monitor the flower’s success over a five-year period if it is delisted.

The flower will require ongoing management to keep its prairie habitat from becoming forested.