NEVADA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
Rare Plant Committee Meeting
NEVADA RARE PLANT WORKSHOP
Thursday, 6 April 2006, Reno

2006 FINAL AGENDA
http://heritage.nv.gov/nrpw/agenda06.htm

The chair reserves the right to prioritize agenda items based on time received, conservation priority, presence of participants with expert knowledge, and/or relevance to other items being discussed, and to curtail lengthy or marginally relevant items, to ensure that the most critical items are addressed. Comments from members and participants on current agenda items can be found on the Member Comments page.

• Las Vegas on Tuesday, 3 April 2007? Barrick Museum still available?
• Lunch Break time and options.
• Overview of the Agenda, consensus process, etc.
• Out-of-order items (to accommodate schedules or otherwise streamline):
  • Some species may be covered during program updates or discussion of other species.
  • Program Updates: immediately after lunch break, 5-10 minutes each.
  • Proposed M-List Additions: discuss, modify, and approve slate (after lunch and program updates); review for inappropriate entries beforehand.

• Astragalus lentiginosus var. stramineus (Straw milkvetch) - recommended for NNPS Watch List by 2002 Workshop, left open for Threatened list by the 2002-2005 Workshops pending surveys in the Mesquite area, where it may be impacted by development. Locally plentiful over a very restricted range in the lower Virgin River valley of Mohave Co., Arizona, and adjacent Clark Co., Nevada. Heritage ranks T2T3, S1S2, three Nevada occurrences documented by collections at UNLV. Jason Alexander (see his comments) considers the Nevada populations intermediate with the common var. fremontii, but still serving as an important conduit and component of the genetic diversity in var. stramineus. Any new information? Add to NNPS Threatened List? Recommend for BLM Sensitive list? Is Nevada State listing appropriate?
• Astragalus pulsiferae var. coronensis (Rams Horn Spring milkvetch) - left open by the 2005 Workshop pending assessment of its status in California. Segregated from var. suksdorfii by Welsh et al. (2002), and now considered endemic to eastern Plumas, Lassen, and Modoc counties, California, and northern Washoe County, Nevada. Already on NNPS Watch List (formerly as var. suksdorfii). California has now placed it on List 4.2 (limited distribution watch list, fairly endangered) with ranks of G4T3 S3.2. Nevada rank is S1. Suggested at the 2003 Workshop for possible transfer to the NNPS M-list. Is NNPS Watch List still appropriate? Agency status recommendations?
• Atriplex argentea var. longitrichoma (Pahrump silverscale) - recently described annual, segregated from Atriplex argentea complex based on presence of long deciduous hairs and different fruit characters, closest to Atriplex argentea var. hillmanii as recognized in Flora of North America, vol. 4, distinguished mainly by the abundant deciduous hairs and subtle differences in leaf shape. Restricted to Pahrump and Stewart valleys, most abundant in abandoned disturbances. Based on specimens cited in the original publication, it is known from one occurrence each in Nevada and California. Threatened by habitat conversion in Pahrump Valley. Heritage ranks currently T1T2, S1, added to the NNPS Watch List by the 2003 Workshop. Any new information? Recommend for BLM sensitive list? NNPS Threatened status more appropriate?
• Botrychium (moonwort) taxa in Spring Mountains - any new information?
• Cirsium arizonicum var. tenuisectum (Keystone Canyon thistle) - added to the NNPS Watch List and recommended for HTNF sensitive status by the 2005 Workshop, but left open pending examination of annotated specimens recently returned to UNLV. Spring Mountains vegetation transects note its presence in several plots. Described as new to science by David Keil in Sida 21(1): 207-219. 2004. Known only from middle elevations of the New York Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, and from lower and middle elevations of the Spring Mountains of Clark County, Nevada, where it has previously been called Cirsium nidulum. A second unnamed variety may be present in the New York Mountains. Provisional Heritage ranks G5T2 S1S2. Any new assessments? Does the variety still merit Watch List and HTNF status?
• Cryptantha insolita (Las Vegas catseye) - Left open by the 2005 Workshop pending possible field work and assessment of historical specimens. Placed on the Nevada list of fully protected plant species in 1979.  Known from one extirpated and one historical report in the Las Vegas metro area, in 1905 and 1942. Placed in synonymy under C. virginensis, a common species, by Intermountain Flora (vol. 4, 1984). Said to differ from C. virginensis by its appressed (not spreading) leaf hairs, relatively numerous flowering branches (cymes), crowded flowers, and blunt (not sharp) tubercles on backs of nutlets.  Said to differ from C. tumulosa by its biennial or short perennial (not strong perennial) habit, stems 1.5-4 dm (not 1-2.5 dm) high, elongate flowering branches, nutlets strongly carinate on back and with definite (not indistinct) tubercles. Sketchy historical habitat information suggests this could be another gypsum soil endemic in need of better searching and documentation. But with no reports since 1942, should this be considered for removal from the Nevada list of fully protect plant species? Or should more intensive searches be initiated on gypsum soil habitats? Arnold Tiehm (see comments) suggests that it may be a good species and that it should be searched for on the deposits in the vicinity of Las Vegas Springs. He also indicated that the existing specimens are good, full collections, and look different from the related species. The historical "Sal Sagev" location is apparently at the intersection of Las Vegas Blvd. and Fremont Street, and is probably completely extirpated.
• Eriogonum mensicola (Pinyon Mesa buckwheat) - Left open by the 2004-2005 Workshops pending verification of its rarity in Nevada (and elsewhere) with UNLV botanists and collections. This distinctive taxon has until recently been synonymized with, or treated as a variety of, Eriogonum panamintense. On the basis of this synonymy, CNPS considered it too common to warrant conservation concern. As a distinct species, it is known only from infrequent encounters in the Panamint, Inyo, and Coso ranges of California, and disjunctly from about 3 occurrences in the Sheep Range of Clark County, Nevada. Reported to intergrade with Eriogonum panamintense along an elevation gradient in the northern Coso Range of Inyo County, California. How rare or common is this species in California? Add to the NNPS Watch or Marginal List?
• Lathyrus grimesii and Trifolium leibergii - any new information on status or monitoring of population(s) infested by leafy spurge or other noxious weeds? Information or discussion of increasing mineral exploration activity in North Fork area of the Independence Range?
• Mentzelia inyoensis (Inyo blazingstar) - left open by the 2005 Workshop because of unverified reports of populations farther south in the Coso and Argus ranges of California. Described as new to science by Thompson and Prigge in Madroño 51(4): 379-383, 2004. Known from about 4 or 5 locations, mainly in the White Mountains of Esmeralda Co., NV, and Mono and Inyo cos., CA, but with one disjunct occurrence in southeastern Churchill Co., NV. Tentative heritage ranks G2 S1. About as rare as M. tiehmii and M. argillicola, previously added to the NNPS Watch List. Said to differ from M. candelariae by its petals 11-18 mm long (vs. 6-10 mm), lower stem leaves more deeply lobed, fruits longer and more narrowly cylindrical on average, and seed coats with 2-6 papillae per cell (vs. 9-15). Said to differ from M. oreophila by the absence of petaloid stamens, fruits 12-16(-25) mm long (vs. 5.5-6.5 mm), and leaves linear-lanceolate and lobed (vs. elliptic to ovate and undulately toothed). Have the Coso and Argus populations been collected and verified yet? Add to NNPS Watch List? Recommendations for other agency status?
• Mimulus "ovatus" sp. or var. - Steamboat monkeyflower. Considered by past Workshops for State listing recommendation, and left open pending better definition of the taxonomy and range. Is an NNPS Threatened species. The population at Steamboat Springs, known to mass-flower in some years, has not been seen for the past three years. Incidental surveys in 2001 and 2003 have documented the continued presence of a very small population just north of Carson Hot Springs in Carson City, but another larger population south of there has been extirpated by residential and freeway construction. A few 2004 surveys found it present in small numbers in altered andesite habitats in the Geiger Grade area. Specimens annotated by Noel Holmgren in the RENO herbarium range from northern Douglas County to the Red Rock area of Washoe County. David Thompson (2005, Syst. Bot. Monogr. 75: 82-87) considers these plants a putative "hybrid" between M. cusickii and M. nanus var. mephiticus. He also re-lectotypified the name to a different Oregon specimen, leaving our plants without a valid name. A preliminary look at specimens in the RENO herbarium by Arnold Tiehm and Jim Morefield suggests that plants from the Steamboat area are distinctive, and they are considering whether to establish a new name for them. Any need for status change(s) at this point?
• Perityle congesta (Grand Canyon rockdaisy) - left open by the 2002-2005 Workshops pending verification of a Nevada specimen. Reported from one Nevada site east of Spirit Mountain in the Newberry Mountains, Clark Co. Any new information? Add to NNPS Watch List?
• Phacelia laxiflora (nodding scorpionflower, =P. perityloides var. laxiflora) - left open by the 2002-2005 Workshops pending further information on its Nevada range. Known only from sheltered, sometimes moist carbonate rock crevices in the Virgin River gorge, Washington Co., Utah, Emory Falls in the Grand Canyon, Mohave Co., Arizona, and the Virgin Mountains, Clark Co., Nevada. Ranked G2G3, S1? in Nevada. Any new information? Add to NNPS Watch or Marginal List?
• Sisyrinchium funereum (Death Valley blue-eyed grass) - add to the NNPS Threatened List by the 2003 Workshop, and recommended for the first time for addition to the Nevada state list of fully protected species. Cholewa and Henderson (Flora of North America vol. 26, p. 362) recognize the species as distinct based on predominantly branched stems, hyaline margins of inner spathe broad, long, apically rounded or truncate, and flowers pale blue, and report it as endemic to the Death Valley and Ash Meadows area, in moist grassy areas along streams and springs where the soil is strongly alkaline. See comments from Anita Cholewa. Heritage ranks G2G3, S1S2. On CNPS List 1B.3, rank S2.3. USFWS Surveys in the Ash Meadows area in 2003 found many of the plants there to fit the description of, and to not be reliably distinct from, Sisyrinchium radicatum (Las Vegas blue-eyed grass, added to the NNPS Watch List in 2003), and specimens from these surveys were sent to Dr. Cholewa in August 2003. As of the 2005 Workshop, 16 of 18 specimens from one area had been determined as S. funereum, the other 2 being tentatively assigned to S. radicatum; 12 specimens from another area had not yet been determined. See comments from Dana York. Wetland habitat of both species highly vulnerable. Has there been any further response from Dr. Cholewa, or any other new information about the problem? Does Sisyrinchium funereum yet merit a second recommendation for addition to the Nevada state list of fully protected species? Should either or both be recommended for the BLM sensitive list?

• Nevada Division of Forestry: updates on species listings and other activities.
• Joanne Baggs, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest: discussion of draft sensitive species list and how their management will be changing (25-30 minutes).
• Jim Morefield, Nevada Natural Heritage Program: program updates.
• Other updates?
• BRIEF Questions and Answers

• Cryptantha mirabunda (wonderful catseye) - previously synonymized under Cryptantha utahensis by Intermountain Flora (1984) and Flora of Nevada (1987), but now recognized as distinct, apparently by Kartesz (1994, 1999).  Described from Rhyolite (Nye County), considered endemic to Nevada, but of uncertain distribution and abundance (G1G3). Any information on the validity and/or occurrences of this taxon?  Any status appropriate at this point?
• Cylindropuntia (Opuntia whipplei var.) multigeniculata (Blue Diamond cholla) - Marc Baker's final 2005 report confirms several large new populations scattered through Clark County and adjacent Mohave County, Arizona.  There are slight differences in fruit spines between the eastern and western populations, with intermediates in the McCullough Range; no further taxonomic subdivisions are being proposed.  Blue Diamond cholla as a whole is considered a species distinct from Cylindropuntia whipplei. Previously known only from the Blue Diamond Hills. Current Heritage ranks T1 S1, on the State of Nevada list of fully protected species, on the BLM Special Status Species list, and on the NNPS Threatened list. Are either of the two fruit forms (presumably genetic variants) rare enough to warrant continued conservation concern? Does the species still merit full protection by the State of Nevada as a Critically Endangered species?
• Draba asterophora var. asterophora (Tahoe draba).  Nearly endemic to the Carson Range of Washoe and Douglas cos., Nevada, and adjacent Alpine and Eldorado cos., California, with an outlying population in the Mount Dana area of the central Sierra Nevada, Mono and Tuolumne cos., California.  Heritage ranks G4T2, S1 in Nevada, S1.3 in California, and on CNPS List 1B.3.  Currently a USFS Sensitive Species, and on the NNPS Watch List.  The species is again under numerous threats from ski area development and expansion.  Is the species yet threatened with extinction?  Should its conservation priorities and ranks be elevated?
• Eriogonum corymbosum var. nilesii (Las Vegas buckwheat).  After a full public hearings process, and in light of ongoing surveys, genetics research, and conservation actions, the Nevada Division of Forestry decided not to add Las Vegas buckwheat to the State list of critically endangered, fully protected species.  Reports of new populations in more remote areas of eastern Clark and southern Lincoln counties continue to come in, including large patches just south of the Coyote Springs area.  Preliminary results of ongoing genetics research suggest that var. nilesii is indeed genetically different from other varieties of the species.  Plans to conserve habitat in the North Las Vegas area continue to evolve.  Review and discussion of recent actions.  Is any further action or status change by this Workshop warranted at this time?
• Erigeron multiceps (Kern River daisy) - reported at the 2005 Workshop to have been found on Bridge Mountain in Red Rock Canyon NCA, and also to be present in Mexico(?). Otherwise known only from fewer than 20 occurrences on the Kern Plateau in Tulare County, California. Heritage rank G1. Currently on CNPS List 1B.2, rank S1.2, and considered endemic to California. Closely related to the common species Erigeron divergens. Has the identity of the Bridge Mountain plants been verified? Any further information on the report from Mexico? Add to NNPS Watch List? Recommend for BLM Sensitive Species List?
• Helianthus deserticola (desert sunflower) - lumped under H. anomalus by Cronquist Intermountain Flora, but still considered distinct by current sunflower researchers, and to be recognized in the upcoming Flora of North America treatment. Known from Utah, Arizona, southern Nevada, and disjunct in west-central Nevada (mainly Churchill Co.) where it could be genetically distinct. Recent observations suggest increasing prevalence of invasive species in the northern Nevada populations. Has anyone else noticed this? Does anyone have long-term familiarity with the species. Any status changes appropriate at this time?
• Physaria (Lesquerella) hitchcockii var. confluens (Quinn Canyon Range bladderpod) and var. hitchcockii (Hitchcock bladderpod) - in Intermountain Flora vol. 2B, Noel Holmgren lumps Lesquerella into Physaria, and divides Physaria hitchcockii into two varieties, var. confluens in the Grant, Quinn Canyon, and Schell Creek ranges of Nye and White Pine counties, and var. hitchcockii remaining only in the Spring Mountains and Sheep Range of Clark County. Both are endemic to Nevada. Physaria hitchcockii as a whole is on the NNPS "D" list (delisted) and Heritage Watch List, with ranks of G3 S3. As split, each variety is considerably rarer, and would rank T2 or T1T2. The NYBG specimen databases document 5 distinct occurrences for var. confluens. Do either or both varieties merit addition to the NNPS Watch List? USFS or BLM Sensitive lists?
• Sclerocactus taxa in Nevada - Sclerocactus spinosior ssp. blainei (S. blainei of Flora of North America vol. 4, including S. blainei and S. schlesseri) is being proposed for elevation from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I, which would prohibit all international commercial trade of the taxon.  This is due to the increasing presence of seeds in international trade, and continued desirability and vulnerability of wild plants to hobby collectors (including seeds) and poachers.  The full proposal can be found at http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/12/prop/E12-P47.pdf.  Flora of North America reports S. blainei from Utah, but this has been disputed by Utah Natural Heritage.  On-line photographs of wild plants in Iron County, Utah, do not appear to be this taxon.  The descriptions and circumscriptions of S. blainei, S. nyensis, and S. schlesseri have been confused and inconsistent within and among recent treatments.  Most of the previously mapped populations of S. schlesseri are reported to be in areas slated for BLM disposal and/or mine development. Any new information on the taxonomy or systematics of this group, or on the reported occurrence in Utah?  Any recommendations for status changes, best taxonomic treatment, etc.?  Do we concur with the CITES proposal?  Should S. schlesseri be elevated in rank?

• Boechera (Arabis) fernaldiana (Fernald rockcress) - both varieties currently on the Nevada Natural Heritage Program watch list, var. stylosa on Inyo National Forest watch list, neither on any NNPS list.  The varieties were not considered very strong by Rollins in 1993, and were lumped by Intermountain Flora vol. 2B in 2005.  Do we have any reason to disagree with sinking the varieties?  Any need for further conservation concern for the species or its varieties?
• Cymopterus ripleyi (Ripley and sanicle biscuitroot) - when discussed at a workshop several years ago, it was decided to continue recognizing the two color forms, var. ripleyi and var. saniculoides, because most populations were reported to be pure, not mixed, and the forms showed differing geographic and ecologic tendencies.  See comments from Jim Morefield.  Recent treatments in the Jepson Manual and Intermountain Flora have lumped the two varieties.  Do we wish to reconsider recognition of the two varieties?
• Eremogone (Arenaria) congesta var. wheelerensis (Mount Wheeler sandwort) - Flora of North America vol. 5 (p. 63) considers this to occur in "only a few sites in Elko, Lincoln, and White Pine counties, Nevada," but includes it in synonymy of var. simulans, of which it is considered to be an alpine extreme, and which is somewhat more widespread.  In the Jepson Manual, the same principal author (Ronald L. Hartman) describes var. simulans as "uncommon" on open rocky slopes at 1300-1700 m in northeastern California and northwestern Nevada. The geographic ranges of the two forms appear entirely separate. The var. wheelerensis is currently on the NNPS Watch List and the NNHP at-risk species list, but has no other conservation status. Do we agree with combining these two taxa? What conservation status is most appropriate for the variety(ies) whether combined or separated?
• Selaginella leucobryoides (Mojave spikemoss) - endemic to the northeastern Mojave Desert of southeastern Nevada, northwestern Arizona, and adjacent California. Known in Nevada from possibly fewer than 20 occurrences in the Virgin and Spring (and Newberry? McCullough?) Mountains, and the Sheep Range, of Clark County. Otherwise somewhat more widespread in Arizona (S2) and California (S3.2), with a global rank of G3. Tracked in Arizona; on CNPS List 4.3. Habitat is rock crevices and surfaces. Said to be difficult to distinguish from S. utahensis. Add to NNPS Watch or Marginal List?
• Spiranthes diluvialis (Ute ladies'-tresses) - Rediscovered at Panaca Spring in Lincoln County, Nevada, in 2005.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering a petition to de-list this threatened species based mainly on the much larger geographic range discovered since it was listed in 1992. On 4 November 2004, USFWS found that the petition provided "substantial biological information to indicate that removal may be warranted," and initiated a formal status review. The species is now known from small populations in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Nevada. The species is on the State of Nevada's list of fully protected species, and is on the NNPS Threatened list. Any recommendations for status change at this time?
• Taxa recommended for addition or transfer to the NNPS "M" list (Marginal and/or disjunct occurrence in Nevada, more widespread elsewhere).

• Androsace occidentalis - known in Nevada from a single collection on Moorman Ridge in White Pine County; widespread eastward through central North America.
• Anelsonia eurycarpa - in Nevada known only from one unusual low-elevation occurrence on ashy soils in Little High Rock valley of northern Washoe County; otherwise found at high elevations in the Sierra Nevada, White, and Sweetwater mountains of California and in the mountains of central Idaho.
• Asplenium trichomanes-ramosum - a fern known from two occurrences in Nevada, in the Ruby and Snake ranges, Elko and White Pine counties. Otherwise circumboreal, widespread but spotty in the northern U.S. and Canada.
• Boechera (Arabis) cusickii - known only two sites in northern Elko County; otherwise known from eastern Washington, northeastern Oregon, and western Idaho.
• Boechera (Arabis) davidsonii - known from about 3 areas of the Santa Rosa Range in Humboldt County; otherwise restricted to Sierra-Cascade and Warner Mountains in California and Oregon.
• Boechera (Arabis) demissa var. demissa - known from one site in the Snake Range of White Pine County; otherwise found in eastern Utah, western Colorado, and southern Wyoming.
• Dodecatheon conjugens - known in Nevada from one occurrence on the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge.  Otherwise widespread from northeastern California to Wyoming to southern Canada.
• Selaginella selaginoides - known in Nevada only from the Lamoille Canyon area of the Ruby Mountains in Elko County, where locally common. Otherwise circumboreal, widespread in Canada and the northern U.S.
• Tetracoccus hallii - known in Nevada from three sites in the Newberry and Dead mountains of southern Clark County. Otherwise somewhat more common in California (S3.3) and Arizona (S3S4), on CNPS List 4.3, globally ranked G4, tracked in Arizona.
• Trisetum projectum (T. canescens var. projectum) - recently recognized as a distinct species by Finot et al. (2005, A revision of Trisetum and Graphephorum ... in North America north of Mexico, Sida 21: 1419-1453), and cited for Nevada by a single Nevada specimen from Glenbrook in 1908.  Otherwise endemic to the central and northern Sierra Nevada of California, except for one disjunct Montana occurrence.

• Mentzelia jonesii - Reported in Nevada as "restricted but locally abundant in the south, from the Newberry Mts. to Empire Wash, 10 miles west of U.S. Hwy. 95 and along State Hwy. 77, between Bridge Canyon and Hiko Spring Wash, Newberry Mts., Clark Co." (Kartesz 1987, p. 352). Otherwise apparently more common but poorly known in California, Arizona, and Utah. Heritage rank G3G4.
• Phacelia neglecta - left open by 2005 Workshop pending further field work in Nevada. May have more than 20 occurrences in the state. Poorly collected, found only on desert pavement. Otherwise known from Arizona and eastern California, where it is reported to have "fairly limited" geographic distribution. Current Heritage ranks G5 S2, not tracked on any CNPS list.

• Bowlesia incana - known from Newberry Mountains only? (offered by Elizabeth Powell, April 2002)
• Chorizanthe corrugata - known from about 5 collections in the Lake Mead / Colorado River corridor, otherwise much more common (G5) in CA, AZ, and northwest Mexico. More than 20 occurrences may exist in Nevada (2004 Workshop).
• Eriogonum nudum var. oblongifolium - known from fewer than a dozen collections along the east slope of the Carson Range and on Peavine Mountain in Douglas and Washoe counties and probably in Carson City, otherwise widespread and common (T5) in northern CA and southern OR. More than 20 occurrences may exist in Nevada (2004 Workshop).
• Eriogonum panamintense (excluding E. mensicola) - known from less than 15 collections in western Esmeralda and southwestern Nye counties and in the Spring Mountains of western Clark County, otherwise somewhat more widespread (G3G4) in eastern Inyo and San Bernardino counties, CA, to Mojave County, AZ. More than 20 occurrences may exist in Nevada (2004 Workshop).
• Eriogonum plumatella - known from fewer than 6 collections in Clark County, otherwise widespread though infrequently encountered (G3G4) throughout the Mojave Desert of southeastern CA and western AZ. More than 20 occurrences may exist in Nevada (2004 Workshop).
• Eriogonum salicornioides - reported from a very imprecisely located collection by Percy Train in northern Humboldt County, and has not been relocated there after some effort.
• Keckiella antirrhinoides - known from Newberry Mountains only? (offered by Elizabeth Powell, April 2002)
• Lycium parishii - known from Newberry Mountains area only? (offered by Elizabeth Powell, April 2002)

9. Nevada Native Plant Society (http://heritage.nv.gov/nnps.htm) regular meeting, 7:00-9:00 pm. Anna Thompson, botany instructor at the Feather River Community College, will speak on Botanizing with Fossil Plants, or PaleoBotany. Directions available at the Workshop.

(last updated 05 April 2006) 

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