July-August 2007 Sego Lily Newsletter, Utah Native Plant Society

8/9/2019 July-August 2007 Sego Lily Newsletter, Utah Native Plant Society

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July 2007 Volume 30 Number 4

In this issue:

Chapter News and Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Presidents Corner: Highlights from the Spring Meeting in

Kanab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Plant Life of Cedar Breaks National Monument . . . . . . . . . . . 4Whats in a Name? Linnaea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Botanica: Carnivorous Plant Turns Vegetarian . . . . . . . . . . . 7

What is Troubling our Oaks? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7TNC Acquires First Portion of White Dome Preserve . . . . . . 8Botanists Bookshelf

Flora of North America Reaches Halfway Mark . . . . . . . . 9Growing Native Plants of the Rocky Mountain Area . . . . 9

The second annual Cedar BreaksWildflower Festival runs this year fromJune 30th through July 22nd. Events in-clude one hour guided wildflower walkstwice each day as well as longer, special-ized workshops on topics ranging fromplant communities, wildflower photogra-phy, nature journaling, and JuniorRanger programs for children. A com-plete schedule of events can be found atthe Zion Natural History Association

website (www.zionpark.org) or the CedarBreaks National Monument website(www.nps.gov/cebr).

This year the Monument sponsoredits first contest for artists and photogra-phers to submit their work for the festi-

val poster (grand prize was $100). Art-ists and photographers should visit Ce-dar Breaks this year to find inspirationfor next years competition. Doug N.

Reynolds

Cover Photo: Townsendia leptotes is oneof the earliest wildflowers to begin flow-ering at Cedar Breaks NM. Photo byDoug N. Reynolds. For more on CedarBreaks, see the article on pages 4-5.

Cedar Breaks Wildflower Festival30 June-22 July 2007


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OfficersPresident: Bill Gray (Salt Lake Co)Vice President: Bill King (Salt Lake Co)Treasurer: Celeste Kennard (Utah Co)Secretary: vacantBoard Chair: Mindy Wheeler (Summit Co)

UNPS Board: Walter Fertig (Kane Co), Robert Fitts (UtahCo), Jackie Freshwater (Box Elder Co), Susan Garvin(Utah Co), Marie Griffiths (Salt Lake Co), Ty Harrison(Salt Lake Co), Kipp Lee (Salt Lake Co), Margaret Malm(Washington Co), Larry Meyer (Salt Lake Co), ThereseMeyer (Salt Lake Co), Jeff Mitchell (Utah Co), Dave Wal-lace (Cache Co), Winnie Washburn (Iron Co), Maggie Wolf(Salt Lake Co), Loreen Woolstenhulme (Utah Co).

CommitteesCommunications: Larry MeyerConservation: Bill King and Tony FratesEducation: Loreen WoolstenhulmeHorticulture: Maggie Wolf

Invasive Weeds: Susan GarvinRare Plants: Walter Fertig

Chapters and Chapter PresidentsCache: Steve RippleEscalante (Garfield Co): Allysia AngusFremont (Richfield area): Rebecca Harms & Ron ParsonsManzanita (Kane Co): Walter FertigMountain (Summit Co): Mindy WheelerPrice (Carbon Co): Mike Hubbard

Salt Lake: Kipp LeeSouthern (Washington Co): Margaret MalmUtah Valley (Utah Co): Celeste Kennard

Sego Lily Editor: Walter Fertig ([email protected]). Newsitems, articles, photos, and illustrations from members arealways welcome and encouraged. The deadline for theSeptember 2007 Sego Lily is 15 August 2007.

Website: For late-breaking news, the UNPS store, the SegoLily archives, Chapter events, links to other websites(including sources of native plants and the digital Utah RarePlant Field Guide), and more, go to unps.org. Manythanks to Xmission for sponsoring our website.

For more information on UNPS:Contact Bill King (582-0432) or Susan Garvin (356-5108), orwrite to UNPS, PO Box 520041, Salt Lake City, UT, 84152-0041 or email [email protected]

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Chapter News

Escalante (Garfield County): The Escalante Chapterhosted a work meeting in May where we discussedcompiling a local water-wise and native plant re-source guide for the public (especially residents new

to the area) who desire to use native plants and wa-ter-efficient techniques in their home landscapes.Members shared their ideas, lessons-learned, andsuggestions of how to best approach the project.

Several members are staying busy helping tomaintain the Escalante Main Street landscaping

which features mostly native and drought-tolerantplantings from one end of town to the other.

The June meeting is the annual chapter potluckBBQ which was held on June 12 at the City Park.

The chapter will take a break for the month ofJuly with no meeting scheduled and then meet everyother month beginning in August.

Fremont (Richfield area): We had a booth at thenatural resources fair. It was a big hit. We gave col-oring books and wildflower posters provided byBLM.

We will have a campout on July 6-7 at Mt. TerrellRanger Station on the Fishlake NF. We have volun-teered to identify wildflower seed collecting sites toharvest seeds in the fall. This seed will be plantedalong the Gooseberry Road (currently being up-graded). We have been asked by Fremont Indian

State Park for advice on what natives to plant in areathat they are restoring. Maria Ulloa

Manzanita (Kane County): The Kanab chapter is offer-ing two summer activities:

Saturday, June 30: Botanizing Cedar Breaks - In

conjunction with the 2nd annual Cedar Breaks NM Wild-flower Festival, we will be exploring some interesting

botanical areas of Cedar Mountain. Our itinerary willinclude some hiking along the rim of Cedar Breaks Am-phitheatre (with great views of the Claron limestone)searching for showy wildflowers and cushion plants,followed by a short excursion along the Rattlsnake/

Ashdown trail through aspen and spruce forests, and iftime and weather permit, exploring around Brian Head.Plan to meet at the Cedar Breaks NM visitor centerparking area at 10 AM (the drive to Cedar Breaks fromKanab takes about 80 minutes depending on traffic).

Saturday, August 18: Flora and Fire Ecology of theKaibab Forest - Last June's Warm Fire scorched a largeswath of the Kaibab National Forest on the north rim ofthe Grand Canyon and touched off local controversyover the role of fire in forest management. We will ex-plore some areas that were lightly burned and others

where the fire raged very hot to see how the vegetationhas responded in one years time. Plan to meet at theparking lot of the Grand Staircase-Escalante NM visitorcenter (next to Walkers) at 8:30 AM to carpool or cara-

van to Jacob Lake and beyond. Walter Fertig


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Presidents Corner-

Highlights from the Spring Meetingin Kanab

The Manzanita (Kane County) chapter hosted ameeting from May 18th to May 20th, which was areal treat for several of us who made the journey

from around the state, plus Dick Hildreth who madeit all the way from Tucson. Friday evening was givenover to a talk by Doug Reynolds, who gave a verysobering account of how incredibly difficult it is tomake meaningful restoration on land that has been

badly damaged by overgrazing or invasive weeds.We hope that Doug will write an article forSego Lilyso that everyone can share his insights.

Saturday morning Walt Fertig led a group ofabout 20 people on a tour of several varied ecosys-tems in the Grand Staircase - Escalante NationalMonument (GSENM) where he has done extensivefieldwork. One site was a section of land that had

been the subject of a restoration attempt by BLM: itwas a sad illustration of the problems and difficultiesthat had been outlined in the previous night's talk.The other sites were much closer to native habitats,

with varying soil types and microclimates giving riseto different plant communities.

Even more people showed up for Sunday's hikeinto Lick Wash, again ably led by Walt. This was afascinating trip into a deep shaded canyon where theair is consistently much cooler than open country-side at the same elevation. This creates an "upside-down mountain" in which plants thrive at lower ele-

vations than would normally be possible largePonderosa Pines grow in the canyon bottom! Near

the mouth of the wash we visited a population of thevery rare Paria Breadroot (Pediomelum pariense), aplant that was the subject of research by AshleyEgan, with funding from UNPS. Probably the favor-ite for most people was Lori's Columbine (Aquilegialoriae) which prefers almost inaccessible cracks inthe canyon walls. It was discovered in 1995, andgrows nowhere except Kane County.

On Saturday afternoon we held a short meetingfor those members of the UNPS board who were pre-sent. In the evening there was a pot luck dinner andsocial hosted by Jana de Peyer at her home perchedon the rim of Kanab Canyon. It was a wonderfulevent: thanks to Walt and Jana, and all the membersof the Manzanita Chapter who worked to make it asuccess.

Although we didn't reach a quorum for the boardmeeting we had a very useful discussion of severalissues that will be taken up by email discussion andat other meetings. One subject was funding a re-search proposal by Dorde Woodruff who has beenstudying Utah's cacti, especiallySclerocactus, forseveral decades. Dorde has also written some finearticles forSego Lily in the past year, and given talksat chapter meetings. Subsequently the full board

voted to approve the award, which will enable her totravel to study sites around the state.

Another subject concerned UNPS's role in workingactively on behalf of Utah's rarest plants, those in thefederal "Threatened or Endangered" category. As sev-eral articles inSego Lily have discussed, there have

been strong efforts to remove federal protection fromsome of these species, most recentlyPenstemon gra-

hamiiandAstragalus desereticus. In these particularcases (though not in several others), we have joined inactive opposition because we feel that the best avail-able science is not being used to judge whether theplants are no longer in danger. In some cases there isa "Catch 22", in that federal funds are not alwaysavailable to get the science done. I would like to seeUNPS play a positive role in building up the scientificdatabase on some of these plants. We have a great

body of trained botanists among our members, andquite a few very knowledgeable amateurs. I proposethat we establish a pool of UNPS volunteers who couldassist with surveying for rare plants, and offer to workin conjunction with the agencies when appropriate. I

shall be contacting many of you directly, but please getin touch with me if you would like to find out more. -

Bill Gray ([email protected])

Below: Relentless in pursuit of a rare plant photo op,UNPS President Gray stalks the wily Loris columbinein Lick Wash. Photoby W. Fertig, inset of

Loris columbine byBill Gray


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Plant Life of Cedar Breaks NationalMonument

By Doug N. Reynolds

Because the growing season at Cedar Breaks is soshort due to its high elevation and heavy snowfall, all

species must flower and reproduce in just a fewmonths rather than the typical six month growingseason at lower elevations. This seasonal compres-sion, along with protection from livestock grazing,

ATVs, and other human disturbance leads to a spec-tacular flowering display during the short summer.The high elevation also allows many northern cir-cumboreal species to flourish at or near their south-ernmost distribution.

Scientists have noticed that for every thousandfeet you climb in our western mountains, tempera-tures drop three to four degrees Fahrenheit and theplant life changes as if you had traveled six hundredmiles north. Thus, leaving Cedar City on the drive

up to Cedar Breaks, you start out in the Great BasinDesert of sagebrush and saltbush at 6000 feet, passthrough Pinyon-Juniper Forest, enter the MixedConifer Zone of Ponderosa pine, White and Douglasfirs, and finally arrive at the CEBR visitor center at10,350 feet in the Engelmann Spruce - Subalpine FirLife Zone surrounded by forests similar to thosefound in Alaska.

Cedar Breaks National Monument itself only en-compasses elevations from about 8000 to 10,500feet and the upper two life zones. The accessibleportions along the road and trails all lie within theSpruce-Fir Zone. But even within this one zone and

its cool, moist climate and short growing season,there are four very different habitats for plants de-pending upon exposure, slope, soils, and drainage.Each of these habitats has a different group of plantspecies that are adapted to its special conditions.

The Rim of the BreaksHere are some of the harshest conditions for plant

life in the Monument. These areas are exposed to allof the elements: strong winds, intense sunlight,

blowing snow, freeze-thaw cycles, and intense thun-derstorms. Only tree species like the Bristlecone andLimber pines can eke out an existence here. But themost diverse group of plants are the non-woody

plants showing the cushion growth form. Theygrow low to the ground, out of the cold wind, wheretemperatures can be 10 degrees or more above airtemperature. Most of their bodies lie undergroundin a root system that anchors them and stores theirenergy reserves in a protected environment. Theexposed soils of the Claron Formation here are easilyerodible and have an unusually high pH which af-fects the availability of nutrients for growth andmakes it difficult for plants to establish. Because ofthese special soil conditions, there are a number of

Above: Rim of Cedar Breaks Amphitheatre showingwhite and red layers of the Claron Formation derivedfrom an ancient lakebed. Photo by D.N. Reynolds.

species such as Cedar Breaks gilia (Ipomopsis tri-

dactyla), Podunk groundsel (Senecio malmstenii),and Maguire campion (Silene petersonii) that growalmost nowhere else except on similar soils betweenCedar Breaks and Bryce Canyon. Other commonspecies found are Desert parsley (Lomatium mini-mum), Cushion phlox (Phlox pulvinata), Sulfur

buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum), and Mountainlocoweed (Oxytropis oreophila).

Spruce-Fir ForestsWhere trees are able to establish at these high

elevations, Engelmann spruce and Subalpine firform the dominant forest type. Groves of Aspen may

also be found in areas where there have been pastdisturbances although they are eventually replacedby the conifers. These forests trap snow, and theshade provided by the trees slows melting and low-ers evaporation so that there is more moisture andless wind than out on the rims. As a result, the un-derstory is much lusher and dominated by tall, up-right, herbaceous plant species like Colorado colum-

bine (Aquilegia caerulea), Southern ligusticum(Ligusticum porteri), and Aspen bluebells (Mer-tensia arizonica). While many visitors think that thedeath of Engelmann spruce trees from an epidemicof bark beetles is unfortunate, the gaps created bythe dead trees allow in more light which benefits the

understory plants and increases their growth andflowering.

Cedar Breaks Wildflower Photography: Zion Can-yon Field Institute is offering a one-day workshopon wildflower photography at Cedar Breaks on

Wednesday, July 11, hosted by professional pho-tographer Michael Plyler. See the Zion NaturalHistory Association website (www.zionpark. org/prod.php?id=30) for more information on this andother summer and fall programs.


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Open, semi-moist meadowsBack from the rims where there is more protec-

tion from the wind, snow accumulates over the win-ter on the gentle slopes and protects the underlyingplants. As the snow melts in the spring and providesa good water supply, we find the greatest diversity ofspecies and the most spectacular wildflower displaysin summer. Here the meadows are filled with such

species as the endemic Markagunt penstemon(Penstemon leiophyllus), Elkweed (Swertia ra-diata), Little sunflower (Helianthella uniflora), andScarlet paintbrush (Castilleja miniata).

Subalpine Marshy MeadowsSnow accumulates to the greatest depths during

the winter along drainagesand in depressions. Theseare the last areas to melt out in the spring and thesoils remain wet for most of the summer. Trees can-not establish here but we find another set of herba-ceous plants adapted to the wet soils and short grow-ing season. Species such as Marsh marigold (Calthaleptosepala), Plantainleaf buttercup (Ranunculus

alismifolius), Shootingstar (Dodecatheon pulchel-lum), and Elephanthead (Pedicularis groenlandica)are amongst the most colorful and showy speciesfound.

Long after hot temperatures and drying soils haveended the wildflower season over much of Utahslower elevations, Cedar Breaks provides a spectacu-lar locale for those who enjoy wildlfowers as well asthe geologic formations and scenic vistas.

Above: Rydbergs penstemon (Penstemon rydbergii).Below: a colorful carpet of lupines and sunflowers abovethe rim of Cedar Breaks. Photos by Doug Reynolds.


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Whats in a Name?Linnaea

The genusLinnaea consists of a single species,L.borealis, distributed widely across the boreal forestsor taiga of Northern Europe, Siberia, Alaska, andCanada, and south through the Sierra Nevada, Rocky

Mountains, and Appalachians. The species is com-monly known as Twinflower in recognition of its pairof nodding, pinkish-white tubular flowers at the tipof a short, Y-shaped stalk. Twinflower is an ever-green subshrub that spreads by trailing branches

which form loose mats over shady conifer forestfloors. Taxonomists recognize two varieties thetypical form with rounded leaves and short floraltubes found in Eurasia and western Alaska, and var.longiflora with more elliptic, toothy leaves andlonger corollas from North America.

The nameLinnaea commemorates Carl Linnaeus(1707-1778), the Swedish botanist from Uppsala Uni-

versity who invented and popularized the system of

naming plants and other organisms used by taxono-mists since the mid 1700s. Prior to Linnaeus, plantand animal names were not standardized, nor werethe conventions for naming species. Plant namestypically consisted of long descriptive phrases, orpolynomials, such as Conyza foliis ovalibus integer-rimus scabris subtus hirsutus (roughly translated asHorseweed with oval leaves covered with rough andstiff hairs). Linnaeus chief innovation was develop-ing a unique two-word name (or binomial) for eachspecies (such as Conyza hirsuta for the Hairy horse-

weed). The generic name (i.e. Conyza) was theequivalent of a family surname and was used by Lin-

naeus to group species of similar appearance. Thespecific epithet (i.e. hirsuta) was analogous to a per-sons first name and was used as an adjective toidentify and briefly describe each unique member ofa genus. This relatively simple concept, first pub-lished by Linnaeus inSpecies Plantarum in 1753,revolutionized the study of natural history by allow-ing researchers to better communicate among them-selves and to name the vast number of new species

being documented around the world during the Ageof Discovery.

Linnaeus also devised an early system for classify-ing the worlds plant diversity based on the numberof stamens and pistils in a plants flower. This

sexual system was widely regarded as artificialeven in its day (including Linnaeus himself), but wasuseful for bringing some order to an otherwise cha-otic mishmash of plant taxa. The sexual system wasalso considered somewhat scandalous in the mid1700s for its racy terminology that implied variousnumbers of wives (pistils) and husbands (stamens)

within the same bed (flower). Johann Siegsbeck, abotanist who oversaw the czars botanical garden inSt. Petersburg, was particularly offended by the sex-ual system and banned Linnaeus papers from

Above: Linnaea borealis reaches the southern edge of itsrange in the Rocky Mountains of Utah, occurring spo-radically from the Uinta and Wasatch ranges souththrough the Wasatch Plateau to the Tushars. Illustrationby W. Fertig

Russia. Linnaeus, whose intellect was coupled witha streak of vanity and pettiness, had his revenge bynaming a small genus of unattractive sunflowers

Siegsbeckia in honor of his critic. The sexual sys-tem quickly fell out of favor for more legitimate, sci-entific reasons as botanical scholars such as Adan-

son, de Jussieu, and de Candolle began criticallystudying fresh and herbarium material from acrossthe globe to identify more natural features to depictrelationships among genera.

According to legend, Twinflower was one of Lin-naeus favorite wildflowers and became his officialfloral emblem when he was granted nobility by theSwedish crown in 1761 (becoming Carl von Linne).Twinflower was originally thought to be a Cam-

panula (harebell), but was renamedLinnaea bore-alis by J.F. Gronovius, a Dutch botanist and earlymentor of Linnaeus. In a bit of uncharacteristic self-mocking, Linneaus noted inSpecies PlantarumLinnaea was named by the celebrated Gronovius

and is a plant of Lapland, lowly, insignificant anddisregarded, flowering but for a brief space - fromLinnaeus who resembles it." The International Codeof Botanical Nomenclature recognizes Linnaeus1753 publication as the starting date for all validplant names, and soLinnaea borealis is now attrib-uted to Linnaeus as the author, giving the false im-pression that Linnaeus named the genus and speciesfor himself (a serious error in taxonomic etiquette,and one that is avoidable by getting grad students orpeers to do such naming for you!).


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The name Linnaeus also commemorates anotherplant group. Linnaeus father, Nils (son of Inge-mar), adopted the surname Linnaeus out of neces-sity when he entered University in the late 1600s.The name is derived from the Swedish word lind orlinden (Tilia cordata), perhaps better known inNorth America as basswood.

Traditionally,Linnaea borealis has been placed

in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). It issomewhat anomalous within this family in havingonly 4 stamens and in its bristly, indehiscent fruits.Recent genetic and morphological analysis of theCaprifoliaceae has suggested that the group is arti-ficial and should be subdivided. In 1998, Swedish

botanist Anders Backlund and his Belgian collabo-rator Nancy Pyck proposed a new family, Lin-naeaceae, for the twinflower. Perhaps it should beno surprise that Dr. Backlund hails from UppsalaUniversity long time academic home of Carl Lin-naeus. - Walter Fertig

Above:Modified leaf tip ofNepenthes bicalcarata, apitcher plant from Indonesia. MostNepenthes specieshave their leaf tips modified into an urn-like pitcher filledwith liquid that dissolves arthropods unfortunate enoughto get trapped inside. Illustration by W. Fertig.

consume falling leaves. This vegetarian pitcher plantcaptures nutrient-rich leaf debris that would other-

wise land on the ground, ensuring a meal for itselfrather than soil bacteria and fungi.

All of this begs the question: does eating leavesmake a plant a cannibal? Walter Fertig

Botanica(Or Odds and Ends from the Botanical

World)

Carnivorous Plant Turns Vegetarian

Because of their peculiar habit of trapping and con-suming insects and other small animals for nourish-ment, carnivorous plants are among the most intrigu-ing species in nature. The carnivorous habit hasevolved independently among several groups of plants,including the Venus flytrap (Dionaeaceae), sundews(Droseraceae), bladderworts (Lentibulariaceae), andpitcher plants (Sarraceniaceae and Nepenthaceae).Most insectivorous plants occur in nitrogen-poor soils

where consumption of animal protein gives them anadvantage over more traditional, solely photosyntheticplants.

But one carnivorous plant in southeast Asia andNew Guinea has apparently had a change of heart.

Nepenthes ampullaria is one of 80 some species ofcarnivorous vines and climbers in the genusNepen-thes found in tropical areas of Asia, Indonesia, andnorthern Australia. MostNepenthes species have jug-like structures at the tips of their leaves (actually

modified tendrils) capped by a small leafy awning tocapture insects. The jug is filled with weakly acidicfluid (about the same acidity as soda pop) that is usedto slowly dissolve the nutritious tissues of trappedprey. The rim and upper lining of the jug is smoothand slippery, causing visiting insects to fall into thecaustic pool below and preventing their escape.

N. ampullaria has the jug-like leaf tips of typicalNepenthes, but instead of climbing over other vegeta-tion grows at ground level. It also lacks the leafy capand slick inner-lining of the jug. Instead of trappinginsects,N. ampullaria has evolved to catch and

What is Troubling Our Oaks?

Reports are coming in from all along the WasatchFront this spring of sickly looking Gambels oaks(Quercus gambelii). For the most part the trees beganthe season in good health and produced a normal com-plement of leaves and shoots. But then in early Junethe leaves became withered, stunted, and brown. Con-cerned plant lovers began to worry was it pollution,global warming, or disease?

There is some justification for worrying about oaksthese days. Several diseases have played havoc withthe oak forests of northern California and southernOregon over the past decade. Sudden Oak Death, adisease caused by a fungal pathogen related to the Po-tato Blight, has killed an estimated 100,00 Tan, Black,and Coast live oaks in California by attacking bark,

wood, and leaves. Oak Wilt, caused by a different fun-gus, has also claimed a large number of trees by clog-ging their vascular tissue. Foresters are concernedthat these and other oak diseases could spread to newareas where oaks are abundant.


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Above: Wilted leaves of Gambels oak by Dave Wallace,June 2007.

Fortunately, the explanation for the poor vigor ofour Wasatch oaks is probably more benign. The cold

snap in early June (which resulted in heavy, latespring snow at higher elevations) appears to be theculprit. Although oaks are generally adapted toavoid frosts by leafing out later than many othertrees, they can still be tricked by an unusually latecold spell. Young trees and seedlings are especiallysensitive to frost, which helps explain the absence ofGambels oak much above 9000 feet and their strik-ing rarity across the state line in Wyoming. Hope-fully a fresh crop of leaves (held in reserve in un-opened buds) should emerge shortly to replace thoselost to the cold. Walter Fertig

TNC Acquires First Portion ofWhite Dome Preserve

By Elaine York, TNC

The Nature Conservancy has announced its pur-chase of 55 acres of habitat in St. George. The pur-chase is the first step in an ambitious plan to create anew 800-acre preserve that will benefit several glob-ally rare and federally-listed species in WashingtonCounty. Located in the fast-developing SouthBlock in south St. George, the preserve will provide

an oasis for plants, animals and peoplewith plansin the works for public nature trails and educationalsignage.

Working with a diverse range of partners, includ-ing the School and Institutional Trust Lands Ad-ministration (SITLA), the Bureau of Land Manage-ment (BLM), the Utah Department of Transporta-tion (UDOT), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(FWS) and the City of St. George, The Nature Con-servancy has laid out plans for the creation of the

White Dome Nature Preserve, which would pro-tect habitat for several at-risk species, includingthe harbor some of last remaining populations ofthe Threatened Siler pincushion cactus, zebra-tailed lizard and loggerhead shrike, as well as ex-tremely rare native wildflowers. The Preserve willharbor some of last remaining populations of theThreatened Siler pincushion cactus,Pediocactus

sileri, and the Endangered dwarf bear poppy,Arc-tomecon humilis which is found in WashingtonCounty and nowhere else on Earth.

The purchase was funded through private do-nations from Conservancy supporters and fund-ing from FWS. The purchase marks the firstphase of acquisition in a plan that was initiated in2005 when SITLA signed an agreement to make800 acres in the South Block available for sale tothe Conservancy and UDOT with the intention ofestablishing a nature preserve with public-accesshiking trails.

Additional land acquisitions in the South Blockby the Conservancy and UDOT will take place in

2007-2008, with a goal of piecing together all800 acres of the White Dome Nature Preserve.The Nature Conservancy is seeking additionalprivate funds from individuals and companies forfuture White Dome acquisitions. Every little bithelps, so please contribute if you can. For moreinformation contact Alice Storm at (801) 238-2337 or [email protected].

Above: Dwarf bear poppy (Arctomecon humilis), quite pos-sibly THE most charismatic and endangered plant in Utah,will receive a boost with the protection and fencing of habi-tat on White Dome, just south of St. George. Photo by W.Fertig.


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Botanists Bookshelf

Growing Native Plants of theRocky Mountain Area. By Robert D.Dorn and Jane L. Dorn. 2007. 252 pages. Book ver-sion: $82.94 plus postage, available at. CD-rom version:

$7.50 plus postage, available at .

Review by Walter Fertig

Perhaps unique among all animals, humans havean innate need to garden. The earliest gardeners(dating back 14,000 years) were driven primarily by aneed for food and fiber. Besides cereal grains, some ofthe earliest edible crops grown by people includedshowy flowers such as dahlias, sacred lotus, violets,and primroses. These latter species eventually fell outof favor as new edible species were brought into culti-

vation, yet they continued to be grown into moderntimes. Though we may never know if our Neolithicancestors had an aesthetic sense, is it so far-fetched toassume that they didnt also enjoy the beauty of thecrop flowers that they grew?

Nearly as ingrained as the need to garden is the de-sire to grow new and unusual plant species. Since the15th Century, European explorers and traders havescoured the Earth for previously unknown plants toname, categorize, and introduce into horticulture.

While many introduced species have been beneficial,others have escaped to become serious pests, disrupt-ing natural habitats, displacing vulnerable nativeplants, and competing with more desirable crop spe-

cies for space and nutrients.The invasive species crisis has contributed to a re-

newed interest in using native plants in gardens andpublic landscaping. Natives are increasing in popular-ity due to their adaptability to local soils and climatesand because they usually require less water and lesscare once established. Gardeners are also learningthat native species are just as attractive as introducedspecies. With rising demand, natives are becomingmore readily available commercially.

The surge in popularity of native plants is reflectedin the growing number of books devoted to nativeplant cultivation and garden design. A new entry into

this field is Growing Native Plants of the RockyMountain Area, self-published by Robert and JaneDorn. The Dorns are among the best known botanistsand naturalists of Wyoming, having written the statesmost comprehensive plant identification manual and apopular guide to Wyoming birds and birding areas.This foray into horticulture may seem like a new direc-tion, but actually the Dorns are long-time amateur na-tive plant gardeners in eastern Wyoming. Their 30plus years of experience growing Rocky Mountain na-tive plants, coupled with their intimate knowledge ofthe regional flora, is captured in this new book.

Flora of North AmericaReaches Halfway Mark

By Nancy Morin

More than 900 botanists, working as part of theFlora of North America project, have now catalogedover half of the genera of higher plants native ornaturalized in North America north of Mexico andhope to finish by 2011. This is the first comprehen-sive and scientifically authoritative publicationtreating the 20,000+ species of plants in U.S. andCanada together.

Thirteen volumes have been published(including an introductory volume), one is beingprinted, and publication of two more is expectedthis year, out of a total of 30. The second volume ofgrasses (Poaceae, Volume 24) came out in early2007, completing the monocotyledonous plants.The first of three volumes on mosses, liverworts,and hornworts is in press. Especially exciting wasthe publication of all three volumes on the sun-flower family (Asteraceae, Vols. 19, 20, 21) last

year. The treatments include identification keys,nomenclatural information, common names, de-scriptions, distributions (including maps), and dis-cussions. Every genus and 1/3 to 1/6 of the speciesis illustrated.

FNA makes many lifetimes of study, and the bestknowledge from regional floras, available in printand electronically. Editorial centers are locatedat Missouri Botanical Garden, the Hunt Institute

for Botanical Documentation, Universit de Mon-tral, and University of Kansas. Authors base their

work on knowledge of plants in the field, herbar-ium specimens, and review of the literature. Theproject also has a network of regional reviewers.

Authors and editors work as volunteers; grants anddonations support technical editors and botanicalillustrators. The books are published by OxfordUniversity Press--US and currently are on sale atthe discounted price of $76/volume (available at

www.oup.com/us/fnaseries with promo code25316). More information on Flora of North Amer-ica and treatments from published volumes areavailable at www.fna.org.

For more information contact Nancy R. Morin,FNA Business Office, P. O. Box 716, Point Arena,California, 707/882-2528, [email protected].


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Unlike many other native gardening books on themarket, Growing Native Plants of the Rocky Moun-tain Area is geared specifically for the demandinggrowing conditions of the Rocky Mountain states(defined by the Dorns as all of Montana, Idaho,

Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, the NE corner of Ne-vada, northern New Mexico, and the western quarterof the Dakotas and Nebraska). Dorn and Dorn have

recognized that the conventional USDA hardinesszone criteria (based on the average lowest wintertemperature of an area) are inadequate in predictinghow well many native and non-native plants will ad-

just to the Rocky Mountain climate where tempera-ture extremes (as great as 140 degrees F between

summer highs to winter lows) truly dictate whichplants will persist. In place of the familiar USDA sys-tem, the Dorns have developed a more appropriate,ecologically-based system for classifying the 9 majorplant regions of the Rocky Mountains. Each plant re-gion has a characteristic flora shaped by differences insoils, topography, and the timing and quantity of

Below: Map of 9 major plant regions of the Rocky Moun-tain states from Dorn and Dorn (2007), reprinted with per-mission.


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precipitation. By recognizing the needs of a par-ticular species according to its preferred plant re-gion, the home gardener has a better chance ofidentifying plants that will be suited for their par-ticular garden. Homeowners can also make betterdecisions about what specific microsites are bestsuited for a particular plant (such as warm, south-facing slopes for drought-hardy species), or

whether they will need to ameliorate their growingconditions through seasonal irrigation or soiltreatments. For example, New Mexico locust(Robinia neomexicana), a common floweringshrub from the Southern Mountains Region ofsouth-central Colorado, the Utah High Plateaus,and northern New Mexico, is adapted to the highsummer precipitation of this region. Thus, it maynot thrive in otherwise similar mountainous areasthat lack a monsoon unless supplemental mois-ture is provided. This kind of Rocky Mountain-specific gardening information is often lacking inother guides that are geared for more general,

widespread audiences, or assume everyone has

great loamy soil, adequate water, and plenty offrost free days (ok for California maybe, but notperhaps for Panguitch, or Ogden, or where youactually live).

The introductory chapters describe specificenvironmental factors affecting plant distributionand survival (such as soils, moisture availability,topography, light, temperature, and snow cover),how these factors affect how a garden should belaid out to mimic natural habitats, treating weeds,plant pests, and how to attract birds. Scatteredamong these chapters are seven principles thatpithily summarize the take-home lessons of gar-

dening with native plants in the Rockies. Theseprinciples all seem straightforward (e.g. principle5: the major enemies of plant seedlings are notenough water, too much water, molds, animalconsumers, and competition from other plants),

but all provide a succinct summary of the typicalerrors novice gardeners make when trying to grownew plants. There are books that go into greaterdetail on all of these topics, but the Dorns havedone a nice job of condensing these concepts intoone easy to comprehend reference appropriate toour local conditions.

Most ofGrowing Native Plants is devoted to afull color section describing over 400 native tree,shrub, grass, and wildflower species suited forgarden use in the Rocky Mountain region. Thespecies accounts include information on which ofthe nine regions of the Rockies the plant is bestsuited for, along with a brief description of itsgrowth habit and appearance, habitat, cultivation,and means for propagation. The photos accompa-nying the descriptions are of high qualityand large size (one of my pet peeves with manyhorticulture books is how tiny and grainy the pho-tos are) and show just how beautiful our native

Above: Sample from Dorn and Dorn (2007).

plants can be. For those who are not swayed by ap-peals to reduce global homogenization, save water,or lessen demands for fertilizer, the photos alone areperhaps the best promotion for going native.

Plant descriptions are arranged alphabetically byscientific name. This may prove a challenge forthose who are squeamish about taxonomic names(especially since the nomenclature follows more re-cent treatments and uses some unfamiliar names forasters, ricegrass, and others). Fortunately the indexis cross-referenced by widely used common namesand taxonomic synonyms. Besides, if a gardener canlearn to recognize common names like Chrysan-themum, Forsythia, and Geranium (all Latin genusnames too), they can expand their vocabulary with afew more native scientific names! The book con-cludes with several appendices depicting sample pre-cipitation tables, examples of designing plant beds,and tables comparing various attributes of the spe-cies described previously.

Growing Native Plants of the Rocky MountainArea is currently available in printed form for con-

ventional bibliophiles, or as a cd-rom for the techno-savvy or bargain-hunter. Me, Ill stick with theprinted version and read it in the comfort of a ham-mock and enjoy the solitude of being away from thecomputer while Im planning for my native garden-in-progress.

Note: For a limited time, individuals interested in purchas-ing the book version ofGrowing Natives can do so directlyfrom the Dorns for $50 (postage included) through Moun-tain West Environmental Services (contact Bob Dorn [email protected] for details).

Aconitum columbianum

ackohniteumkolumbeeanum

CommonName:Monkshood


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Utah Native Plant Society

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July-August 2007 Sego Lily Newsletter, Utah Native Plant Society

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Transcript of July-August 2007 Sego Lily Newsletter, Utah Native Plant Society