Protected plants in Kansas
Two plants in Kansas are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Both are Federally Threatened.
Western Prairie Fringed Orchid
Plant life form and height: Perennial; 15-45 inches
Color and bloom time: Multiple 1-inch white, three-lobed flowers, with fringes on the margins, that bloom from June to July.
Habitat: Mesic to wet tallgrass prairies
General description: Long-lived, erect, stout perennial with an open raceme of up to two dozen white flowers. Each flower has three petals, the lowest one much larger than the others and divided into threefringed lobes. Leaves and stem are thick and hairless.
Similar species: Very similar to the Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid, which occurs mostly east of the Mississippi River.
Federal status: Threatened
Kansas status: None
Mead's Milkweed
Plant life form and height: Perennial, 8-20 inches
Color and bloom time: Flowers are greenish-cream, tinged with purple, and bloom from May to June.
Range in Kansas: Eastern fifth of the state
Habitat: Tallgrass prairies
General description: Slender, erect perennial herb with a usually solitary stem arising from an unbranched, slightly thickened base. Leaves are opposite, lance-shaped and mostly smooth.
Similar species: Distinguished from other milkweeds by its smooth, tapered leaves and its single, nodding inflorescence located at the end of the stem.
Federal status: Threatened
Kansas status: None