PORTLAND — A vibrant yellow flower found in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington is up for removal from the federal list of threatened and endangered species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed delisting Bradshaw’s desert parsley, citing efforts by public and private landowners to help the perennial herb recover throughout its range.

Despite its name, Bradshaw’s desert parsley — also known as Bradshaw’s lomatium — grows in wet prairies extending from Clark County, Wash., to the southern end of Oregon’s rainy Willamette Valley, with the greatest density of populations near Eugene, Ore.

Historically, a combination of natural fires and intentional burns helped Bradshaw’s desert parsley to thrive by keeping woody plants from encroaching on open habitat. The species began to decline as fire suppression and urbanization led to a loss of undeveloped prairies.

Bradshaw’s desert parsley was listed as endangered in 1988. At the time, there were just 11 populations and fewer than 30,000 total plants.

Now the USFWS says Bradshaw’s desert parsley is flourishing again with more than 24 populations and 11 million plants, thanks to local partnerships to improve habitat and combat invasive species.

Paul Henson, the agency’s Oregon state director, said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has done a good job of managing its lands for Bradshaw’s desert parsley. The Corps operates 13 Willamette Basin dams for irrigation, flood control and wildlife.

Private landowners too have contributed to the recovery of habitat for Bradshaw’s desert parsley, Henson said, with assistance from the USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Wetland Reserve Program.

“These efforts played a big role in protecting almost all sites and individuals from further habitat loss and fragmentation,” Henson said.

Environmental groups hailed the recovery of the flower as a success story for the Endangered Species Act.

“It’s always good news when a plant or animal is saved from extinction, so today we celebrate Bradshaw’s desert parsley and the (ESA),” said Tierra Curry, a scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity based in Portland. “This lovely wildflower is yet another success for America’s most effective conservation law.”

The statement comes as the Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of intent to sue the USFWS on Nov. 20 for failing to decide whether 274 plants and animals across the country should be federally protected. The agency has a backlog of more than 500 species awaiting ESA decisions, according to the group.

The public has until Jan. 27 to comment on the proposed delisting for Bradshaw’s desert parsley. For more information, visit www.fws.gov/oregonfwo.