Crossosoma 34(2), Fall-Winter 2008 
52 
INTRODUCTION 
Mimuhis shevockii Heckard & Bacig. (Phrymaceae, formerly placed in 
Scrophulariaceae) is a diminutive winter annual (Fig. 1 ) commonly known as the 
Kelso Creek monkeyflower that was described by Heckard & Bacigalupi (1986). 
It has a narrow distribution; it is limited to a 70 sq mi region in the southern Sierra 
Nevada in Kern County, California. I became acquainted with M shevockii while 
working on my master’s degree at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. As a part of 
the Garden’s graduate curriculum, I took a course on plant conservation planning. 
As part of the course, students conduct research and write a comprehensive 
document for a selected rare plant species in California. I chose to work on M 
shevockii , an ideal candidate due to its limited distribution and known threats 
to its long-term survival. My conservation plan for M. shevockii (Fraga 2007) 
synthesized all available data as of 2007 including biological and ecological 
information, documents threats, and outlines conservation goals and objectives. 
Since publication, much has been learned about M. shevockii, providing insight 
into possible conservation actions that should be taken. Here I review the status 
of M. shevockii , update knowledge on its distribution, and provide conservation 
recommendations based on current information. 
CONSERVATION STATUS 
Mimulus shevockii is known from ten extant occurrences and possibly one 
extirpated occurrence (Fig. 2) (California Natural Diversity Database 2009). It 
is not listed as threatened or endangered under California or Federal Endangered 
Species Acts. It is on the California Native Plant Society’s List of rare plants as 
IB. 2, i.e., it is “fairly endangered” in California and meets the requirements for 
listing under the California Endangered Species Act (CNPS 2009). The Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM) manages M. shevockii as a sensitive plant, designating 
it for special management consideration. The California Department of Fish and 
Game has designated M. shevockii as a special plant, and is therefore inventoried 
by the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB 2009). In addition, the 
Natural Diversity Data Base assigns M. shevockii a Global Ranking of G1 and 
a State Ranking of SI. 2, indicating that its distribution and numbers are very 
limited and that the taxon is threatened (CDFG 2008). M. shevockii was proposed 
for federal listing as endangered (USFWS 1994). However, the proposal was 
withdrawn, in part due to the paucity of available information available on the 
species range, and the determination that threats to warrant listing had not been 
identified (USFWS 1998). There is currently no federal status for M. shevockii. 
The creation of Lake Isabella may have caused extirpation of one historic Mimulus 
shevockii occurrence. Bangsberg collected M. shevockii in 1932 at “Kemville.” 
