(a) The list in paragraph (h) of this section contains the plant species determined by the Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (hereafter in this section referred to as “the Services”) to be endangered species or threatened species. It also contains the plant species treated as endangered or threatened because they are similar in appearance to and may be confused with endangered or threatened species (see §§ 17.50 through 17.52). The “Common name,” “Scientific name,” “Where listed,” and “Status” columns provide regulatory information; together, they identify listed plant species within the meaning of the Act and describe where they are protected. When a taxon has more than one entry, the “Where listed” or “Status” column will identify its status in each relevant geographic area. The listing of a particular taxon includes all lower taxonomic units.

(b) “Scientific name” column. The Services use the most recently accepted scientific name. In cases where confusion might arise, one or more synonyms are provided in parentheses within the “Scientific name” column. The Services will rely to the extent practicable on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) to determine a species' scientific name. ITIS incorporates the naming principles established by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (see paragraph (g) of this section). If the scientific name in ITIS differs from the scientific name adopted for use under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the CITES nomenclature will be provided in brackets “[ ]” within the “Scientific name” column following the ITIS nomenclature.

(c) “Common name” column. Although common names are included, they cannot be relied upon for identification of any specimen, since they may vary greatly in local usage. In cases where confusion might arise, one or more synonyms are provided in parentheses within the “Common name” column.

(d) “Where listed” column. The “Where listed” column sets forth the geographic area where the species is listed for purposes of the Act. Except when providing a geographic description of an experimental population designation, “Wherever found” will be used to indicate the Act's protections apply to all individuals of the species, wherever found.

(e) “Status” column. Within the “Status” column, the following abbreviations are used:

(f) “Listing Citations and Applicable Rules” column. The “Listing Citations and Applicable Rules” column is nonregulatory in nature and is provided for informational and navigational purposes only. Please note that the sections of part 17 that include designations of critical habitat for plants are organized by family name. A link to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), which displays the taxonomic hierarchy of a species, including its family name, is provided on each species' profile page accessible through the Service's Web site (http://www.fws.gov/endangered/) or information is available directly through the ITIS (http://www.itis.gov/).

(1) Within the “Listing Citations and Applicable Rules” column, the following superscripts are used:

(2) Listing citations contain the volume, document starting page number, and publication date of the Federal Register publication(s) in which a species' status was assessed. At least since 1973, these documents have included a statement indicating the basis for the listing or reclassification, as well as the effective date(s) of the listing or other rules that changed how the species was identified in the list in paragraph (h) of this section.

(3) “Critical habitat” and “Species-specific” rules superscripts provide cross-references to other sections in part 17 or part 222, 223, or 226 of chapter II of this title where critical habitat and species-specific rules are found. The species-specific superscripts also identify experimental populations. Experimental populations (superscript “10j”) are a separate citation, with one of the following symbols in the “Status” column: “XE” for an essential experimental population and “XN” for a nonessential experimental population.

(4) This column is for reference and navigational purposes only. All other appropriate rules in part 17, parts 217 through 226 of chapter II of this title, and part 402 of chapter IV of this title apply, if no species-specific rules are referenced. In addition, other rules in this title could relate to such species (for example, port-of-entry requirements). The references in the “Listing Citations and Applicable Rules” column do not comprise a comprehensive list of all regulations that the Services might apply to the species or to the regulations of other Federal agencies or State or local governments.

(g) The Services will rely to the extent practicable on ITIS (http://www.itis.gov) and standard references adopted for CITES (http://cites.org).

(h) The “List of Endangered and Threatened Plants” is provided in the table in this paragraph (h):