NORTHERN NEVADA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
Rare Plant Committee Meeting
1999 MEMBER COMMENTS
http://heritage.nv.gov/nrpw/commnt99.htm
The following comments on 1999 agenda items were offered by participants and/or non-participants prior to the 1999 Workshop, and were made available at the workshop as a handout to participants. Those unable to attend but with thoughts or information to contribute are especially encouraged to submit them!
Member: Barbara Ertter
Comments: see web page for proposed Far West Floristic Initiative, to be discussed further at the Workshop ( http://ucjeps.herb.berkeley.edu/far_west_initiative.html ).
Member: David Charlet
Comments [regarding Lauria's and Brayshaw's proposition that Washoe pine is identical to the North Plateau race of ponderosa pine]: I remain unconvinced by the "weight" of the evidence. However, the authors make an excellent point about the north Plateau race being the typical form, and not the west slope Sierra populations. However, I have not seen North Plateau material that I cannot distinguish from Washoes by ordinary means from their cones, except in areas of "transition", such as the dunes pines and the lone tree in Mosquito Mountains. I need to go look at more ponderosas in the Pacific NW though before I'll be comfortable in asserting this. Conservation in Nevada, however, I think is still really important for whatever these non-Jeffrey yellow pine trees are that are not west-slope ponderosas.
Member: James L. Reveal
Comments: In looking over your 1998 comments, I find a note on Eriogonum corymbosum var. aureum with a question on the taxonomic status of this plant. The note in Welsh is my fault. An examination of the original type material of both var. glutinosum and var. aureum reveals two elements, not one as I had in the past. The var. aureum is restricted to a few populations in the St. George area while the var. glutinosum is the more widespread entity. Having visited the Las Vegas area last spring, I am surprised any of it is left in the area!
I am a bit concerned about the delisting of the Ash Meadow plants, but am pleased to see that Astragalus phoenix and Mentzelia leucophylla are not included on the proposal. Efforts to associate the n=17 Centaurium namophilum var. nevadense (a member of a group of New World plants) with the n=40 Centaurium exaltatum (a member of an Old World complex) can not be supported. The var. namophilum (n=17) is restricted to a few populations in Ash Meadows and in Death Valley. I grant you the var. nevadense and C. exaltatum are difficult to tell apart without knowledge of the group for a simple, evolutionary reason - the two have converged in flower color to share a common pollinator in the isolated springs of central Nevada and western Utah. One can learn to tell the two apart, and chromosome counts confirm the differences (e.g., work done at Fish Slough and the type locality of var. nevadense).
Member: Kent Ostler
Comments: I would be glad to take just a couple of minutes and discuss our work with Clokey eggvetch at the meeting. It appears to me that the parmeters used to seperate the varieties, number of ovules, size of calyx/corolla, are intermediate on the NTS. It appears that this taxonis clinal with fewer ovules as you proceed south and increase in elevation. I have seen only two other populations of A. oophorus outside the NTS so I would defer to [Frank] Smith's expertise regarding status or taxonomic uniqueness of the varieties.
Member: Wes Niles
Comments: EUSTOMA EXALTATUM (catchfly-gentian), Gentian family (Gentianaceae).
Description: Annual or short-lived perennial herb; stems one to several, erect, glaucous, to 0.5 m high; leaves opposite, sessile to clasping; basal leaves obovate to spatulate, 4-5 cm long; cauline leaves oblong, 4-9 cm long; uppemost leaves bractlike; calyx deeply cleft, the lobes keeled and acuminate; corolla campanulate to funnelform, 5-6 lobed; petals 2.5-3 cm long, blue or lavender; stamens 5-6, epipetalous; pistil uniloculate; style filiform; stigma 2-lobed; fruit a many-seeded, oblong to ellipsoid capsule 8-12 mm long; flowering (in Nevada) from June to August.
Nevada occurrences: This obligate wetland species has been reported from two sites in Nevada. It was collected in 1964 (UNLV 1486) "in a marshy site along the Colorado River, one-half mile north of the Nevada-California boundary." This portion of Clark County has since undergone large-scale urban development, and it is not known if the Colorado River population still persists.
The plant was collected again in 1997 (UNLV 35192, 37518) at Red Rock Springs, in the Gold Butte area of Clark County. Over 200 individuals were counted along the moist drainage from the springs. Most of the plants showed damage from grazing and/or trampling by cattle.
Distribution: Catchfly-gentian is a wide-ranging taxon, found from California eastward across the Sonoran Desert to southeastern United States, and into Mexico and beyond (Hickman, 1993). It is, however, never abundant in its occurrence, and in our southwestern deserts it is often rare (Kearney & Peebles, 1960). The Red Rock Springs population probably represents the plant’s most northerly present-day distribution. The spring area might be the only surviving eastern Mojave Desert outpost for the species.
Threats: The Red Rock Springs area, administered by the Bureau of Land Management, supports the most extensive (approximately one mile) riparian community in the Gold Butte area, independent of the Lake Mead shoreline. The springs are located along the boundary of the Bunkerville and Gold Butte grazing allotments. They are presently accessible to livestock from both allotments. The springs are scheduled for Tamarix eradication and fencing during 1999. But final settlement with the allotment permittees has not yet been reached. Livestock use of the area continues, with the permittees in trespass.
Livestock impact on the area is considerable, endangering the survival of Eustoma in Nevada. Two other taxa of special concern, Astragalus geyeri var. triquetrus and Eriogonum viscidulum, are known from the area.
Recommendation: Eustoma exaltatum should be added to the NNPS Watch List.
References:
Hickman, J.C. (ed.). 1993. The Jepson manual: higher plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1400 pp.
Kearney, T.H. and R.H. Peebles. 1960. Arizona flora. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1085 pp.
Member: Gary Schoolcraft
Comments: The following are my comments from the list I took off the Web page concerning plants I have on the Susanville District (SUS) of BLM:
SENSITIVE PLANTS
Astragalus pulsiferae var. pulsiferae: A BLM CA Sensitive. SUS has occ. In Sierra Valley. None known in NV. There is some question on the var.s of this species. Plumas NF, along with the Lassen and Modoc NF’s are doing some distribution wide collecting and taxonomic studies with these this summer. Probably will be sent to R. Barneby. This is the rarer of the two, unless there turn out to be 3 var.s.
Astragalus pulsiferae var. suksdorfii: A BLM CA Special Status Plant (SSP). SUS has several occ. in CA. None in NV.
Astragalus tiehmii: No change in status. Waiting for Status Report.
Cryptantha schoolcraftii: No change in status. Waiting for Status Report.
Eriogonum crosbyae: No change in status. Waiting for Status Report. Isn’t it sort of magical how all three of these end up together alphabetically?? Will the magic work??
Eriogonum prociduum: No change in status. Your list says 2 NV occurrences. SUS BLM has one NV occ., what I thought was the only one, east of Eagleville in upper Hays Canyon, Washoe, Co. Where is the other one?
Ivesia aperta var. aperta: No change in status. Known from Sierra Valley in CA. SUS BLM has no known NV occ. A BLM CA Sensitive. SUS has occ. in Sierra Valley.
Ivesia rhypara var. rhypara: No change in status. SUS BLM still only has 3 proximate occ. in Yellow Rock Canyon area.
Ivesia webberi: SUS BLM has no known NV occ. A BLM CA SSP. Known from Sierra Valley (SE, Dog Valley, and NE corner) in CA. New occ. also in Lassen Co. northwest of Bordertown near Hallelujah Junction. G. Clifton found.
Lomatium roseanum: No known NV occ. on SUS BLM. May have some CA occ. in Lassen, Plumas, and Modoc Cos., I think. Has been confused with some of our L. hendersonii populations, I think. Glenn Clifton can reflect on these. Will probably be listed by CNPS. L. hendersonii already is.
Phacelia inundata: Have one known NV occ. at Boulder Lake, n. Washoe Co. Also have 1 CA occ. near Eagle Lake, Lassen Co. Also a CNPS List 2 plant. Possible new BLM SUS Sensitive.
Polyctenium fremontii var. bisulcatum: SUS BLM has two NV occ. as reported by Bob Holland north of Leadville in Butte Spring Mtns. in Washoe Co. Jerry Tiehm and I visited this site on June 2, 1998. Collections were made. Even though not totally mature, the fruit did not appear bisulcate and were approx. 1 mm. wide, more fitting var. fremontii. I, nor did Jerry, feel real comfortable calling this var. bisulcatum. Have you looked at what Bob collected at this site. I am by no means a "Mustard" expert. Is there one?
Polyctenium williamsiae: SUS BLM has no known NV occ. SUS BLM has I CA occ. according to Bob Holland report. Located at Mud FLat in Lassen Co. I visited and collected this site last year. Fits P. williamsiae pretty good except pedicels are 5 mm. rather that 2-4 mm. This will become a CNPS List 1B and BLM SUS Sensitive, I think. Also Mono Co. CA according to B. Holland Report. No known SUS BLM NV populations.
Potentilla basaltica: No status change. SUS BLM has no known NV occ. It is also CNPS Listed 1B. SUS BLM has one CA occ. in Ash Valley, Lassen Co. on private lands.
Scutellaria holmgreniorum: Your Heritage List states there are 21 NV occ. I counted the dots on my map (each at least 1/4 mile apart) and there are 44 in NV (you should have all the field forms from me). I also have 30 CA occ. CNPS probably moving this plant from List 3 (Taxon. ?) to List 4. It is a borderline List 2 (less than 50 occ.) for CA. The world distribution of this plant occurs on SUS BLM, Lassen and Washoe Cos. There are no known threats to the plant except maybe for the encroachment of medusahead into some populations. Think ranking should be a T3 rather than T2.
WATCH-LIST PLANTS
Hackelia cusickii: SUS BLM has 2 known NV occ. in Washoe Co. One in Coppersmith Hills west of Duck Lake and one n. of Cottonwood Canyon s. of the Sheldon Antelope Refuge. It is a CNPS List 4 plant in CA with several Lassen, Modoc, and Siskiyou CO. locations. Not threatened unless we get rid of all the junipers under which it likes to grow.
Perideridia lemmonii: No known NV or CA occ. for SUS BLM. This plant occurs in CA and apparently not rare in CA according to Jepson Manual and CNPS.
Trifolium lemmonii: SUS BLM has no known NV occ. Have 1 CA occ. in Sierra Valley. List 4 by CNPS.
Member: Joan Reynolds
Comments: Here is some general information concerning the ecology of the Churchill Narrows buckwheat (CNB, undescribed). CNB occurs at the north end of Adrian Valley, just south of the Carson River in the Pine Nut Range. It presently has a 3 sq mile known distribution with an estimated 43,000 individual plants within 16 occurrences on approximately 83 acres of BLM land. This species has not yet been published, currently in process with Dr. James Reveal at the University of Maryland. There are no published dichotomous keys for identification of the species, although there is a preliminary key developed by Dr. Reveal that can be made available.
Surveys have been performed in areas with the same soil type as CNB, 26 miles south of the known occurrence area, near Wilson Canyon outside of Yerington, and no plants were found throughout the area surveyed. The northwest corner of the Desert Mountains was surveyed approximately 4 miles east of the known occurrences of CNB and no plants were found within the same soil type. Additional surveys were performed approximately 5-10 miles east and southeast of the occurrence area with the same soil type in the Desert Mountains and no plants were found.
There is potential for this new species to exist in additional areas, but it is only known from the Adrian Valley area at this time. A Species Status Survey and Report will be completed this fall for the NNHP for the Churchill Narrows wild buckwheat.
Current Potential Impacts include: 1.) Mineral extraction at the occurrence area site; 2.) Power line construction and installation - Sierra Pacific Power - 1999- Desert Mtns. through Fort Churchill area; 3.) Off-road vehicle use - annual event and other recreational uses; 4.) Grazing.
Concerns:
(last updated 1 April 1999)