July-August 2008 Sego Lily Newsletter, Utah Native Plant Society

8/9/2019 July-August 2008 Sego Lily Newsletter, Utah Native Plant Society

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Sego Lily July 2008 31 (4)

July 2008 Volume 31 Number 4

In this issue:

Salt Lake Chapter Trek to the Beaver Dam Mountains . . . . . . 1UNPS and Chapter News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Q and A: Growing Sego Lilies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Richard Joshua Shaw (1923-2008) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Ten Things You Always Wanted to Know About Sagebrush

(But Were Afraid to Ask) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Whats in a Name? Rafinesque and Rafinesquia . . . . . . . . . . 10UNPS Scholarship: What can the Wild Buckwheats Tell Us? . 11Noteworthy Discoveries: NewPotentilla in Utah and Nevada . 11

Copyright 2008 Utah Native Plant Society. All Rights Reserved.

Salt Lake Chapter Trek tothe Beaver Dam

Mountains

By Bill Gray

In April, eight Salt Lake Chaptermembers took a break from theirlong winter and headed south as faras they could get, actually ending up

just over the border in Arizona.Somehow the Virgin River gorge andthat part of the Beaver Dam Moun-tains feel as though they really be-long in Utah.

Most of you have probably driventhrough the gorge on Interstate 15

en route to/from Las Vegas orSouthern California, and have ad-mired the steep rugged cliffs wherethe river has carved its way down.From a speeding car it is possible tospot a few of the obvious standoutplants of the Mojave Desert Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia),Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata)and rather modest specimens of Le-conte's barrel cactus (Ferocactusacanthodesvar. lecontei).

But we wanted to take time to getout and really experience first handthe other unusual plants from thisarea. In this we were very fortunateto have one of the best possibleguides in Dr. Larry Higgins. Larrygrew up in the area, getting to knowit like the back of his hand. Al-though he moved away to pursue hisdoctorate and a career in botany, hereturned "home" a number of yearsago. As one of the principal authorsofA Utah Flora he presented a greatcombination [continued on page 4]

Above: Crevice penstemon, Penstemon petiolatus, grows inmostly inaccessible crevices in rugged limestone cliffs inUtahs Beaver Dam Mountains. Photo by Bill Gray


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Utah Native Plant Society

Officers

Co-Presidents: Bill Gray (Salt Lake Co)and Bill King (Salt Lake Co)Treasurer: Celeste Kennard (Utah Co)Secretary: Mindy Wheeler (Summit

Co)Board Chair: Larry Meyer (Salt Lake

Co)

UNPS Board: Walter Fertig (Kane Co),Robert Fitts (Utah Co), Susan Garvin(Utah Co), Marie Griffiths (Salt LakeCo), Ty Harrison (Salt Lake Co), Char-lene Homan (Salt Lake Co), Kipp Lee(Salt Lake Co), Margaret Malm(Washington Co), Therese Meyer (Salt

Lake Co), Jeff Mitchell (Utah Co), LeilaShultz (Cache Co), Maria Ulloa (SevierCo), Dave Wallace (Cache Co), MaggieWolf (Salt Lake Co), Loreen Woolsten-hulme (Utah Co).

CommitteesCommunications: Larry MeyerConservation: Bill King and Tony

Frates

Education: Ty HarrisonHorticulture: Maggie WolfInvasive Weeds: Susan GarvinRare Plants: Walter Fertig

Chapters and Chapter PresidentsCache: Steve RippleEscalante (Garfield Co): Allysia AngusFremont (Richfield area): Rebecca

HarmonManzanita (Kane Co): Walter FertigMountain (Summit Co): Mindy

WheelerPrice (Carbon Co): Mike HubbardSalt Lake: Kipp LeeSouthern (Washington Co): Margaret

MalmUtah Valley (Utah Co): Celeste Ken-

nard

Website: For late-breaking news, theUNPS store, the Sego Lily archives,Chapter events, links to other websites(including sources of native plants and

the digital Utah Rare Plant FieldGuide), and more, go to unps.org.Many thanks to Xmission forsponsoring our website.

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

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

canyon bottom. In the afternoon,Fishlake National Forest ecologist

Bob Campbell gave an informativeslide presentation on fire ecologyand aspen biology in the local area.The day was capped by a deliciousmeal provided by the FremontChapter at the Sunglow Camp-ground. Local cowboy poet C.R.

Wood and country musician KenStevens of the band Latigo regaledus well into the night. Thanks toeveryone in the Fremont Chapterfor making us all welcome andproviding a wonderful weekend of

botanical funW. Fertig

Escalante (Garfield County):The chapter held its annual pot-luck/BBQ at the home of Ricki andSandy Brown in early June. Rickishared information he has gainedutilizing water-conserving irriga-tion techniques in his gardens.

We will take a break from thebi-monthly meeting schedule dur-ing the summer. Expect another

Sego Lily Editor: Walter Fertig([email protected]). News items, arti-cles, photos, and illustrations frommembers are always welcome. Thedeadline for the September 2008SegoLily is 15 August 2008.

Copyright 2008 Utah Native PlantSociety. All Rights Reserved

TheSego Lily is a publication of theUtah Native Plant Society, a 501(c)(3)not-for-profit organization dedicatedto conserving and promoting steward-ship of our native plants. Use of con-tent material is encouraged but re-quires permission (except where ex-empted by statute) and must be cor-rectly credited and cited. Articles,photographs and illustrations submit-ted to us remain the property of thesubmitting individuals or organiza-tions. Submit permission requests [email protected]. We encourage read-

ers to submit articles for potentialpublication. By submitting an article,an implicit license is granted to printthe article in the newsletter or otherUNPS publications for reprint withoutpermission (in print and electronicmedia). When submitting an article,please indicate whether it has beenpreviously published or submitted forconsideration to other publications.

UNPS and Chapter News

Annual Field Trip: At least twodozen UNPS members and friendsattended the Societys annualspring field trip at Capitol ReefNational Park on May 17, ablyhosted by the Fremont Chapter.BLM botanist Maria Ulloa led thegroup on a tour of the CapitolGorge area. Although this springsdry, cool weather put a damper onthe parks usual wildflower show,the group was still treated to manycolorful and interesting species,including Claret cup cactus(Echinocereus triglochidiatus),Eatons beardtongue (Penstemoneatonii), Circle Cliffs milkweed(Asclepias labriformis), Northernhedysarum (Hedysarum boreale),and Western blanketflower(Gaillardia spathulata). Best inshow honors, however, was givento the enormous purple mounds ofSpiny milkwort (Polygala sub-spinosa) found at one site in the

chapter meeting in October.Allysia Angus

Manzanita (Kane County):This spring the chapter sponsoredfield trips to the Toroweap area ofthe Grand Canyon and Snow Can-

yon State Park, as well as in ourown backyard in Kanab. Addi-tional field trips are slated for theRed Canyon area (near Bryce Can-

yon) and Twisted Forest (nearBrian Head) in July and on theKaibab Plateau in August. Ourindoor meeting schedule will re-

sume in early OctoberW. Fertig

Southern (Washington Co.)Our July 7th meeting will have apowerpoint presentation showingplants and landscaping by severallocal gardeners. What grows bestplus tips about what works will beshared. The event will be held atthe Canyon Community Center126 Lion Blvd, Springdale.Bar-bara Farnsworth


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Bulletin Board

Coming in September! Gala30th Anniversary issue of the

Sego Lily: The next issue of theSego Lily will be a special themeissue dedicated to the 30th anni-

versary of the Utah Native PlantSociety. Anyone with a story toshare about UNPS, especially thesocietys early years, is encouragedto submit a short article or anec-dote to [email protected]. Deadlinefor the next issue is 15 August2008.W. Fertig

UNPS Annual Members Meet-ing: Our annual members meet-ing will take place in Salt Lake Cityin late October. This is the time

when we elect a new board of di-rectors for the following year.

Currently we are aiming for Satur-day October 25th, but might haveto shuffle a bit depending on avail-ability of an appropriate venue.Given that this is our 30th anni-

versary we plan to have some spe-cial presentations, and hope toattract many members and offi-cers from the early years. So try tokeep that date in mind as you plan

your Fall schedules and come helpus celebrate.Bill Gray

Sego Lily Archive Project:Thanks to our earlier appeal formissing items we now have a com-plete set of all issues. These have

been scanned and built into asearchable .pdf document that will

be made available as a DVD. I amlooking for some volunteers whocan help create a user-friendlyindex. Depending on how manypeople participate, each personmay need only cover one or two

years. To help, please contact BillGray, and he will provide a copy of

the DVD. - Bill Gray

Life Member Update: JaredFuller of Provo recently becamethe 31st (and newest) life memberof UNPS. - Tony Frates

Volunteers Needed for PlantSurveys: Mary O'Brien of theGrand Canyon Trust has asked

whether UNPS could providesome volunteers for help with twoplant surveys in central/southern

Petersons campion(Silene petersonii), thesignature plant of CedarBreaks National Monu-ment. Photo by Douglas

N. Reynolds.Print subscribers: go towww.unps.org to seethis and other photos infull color (as natureintended)!

Throughout the Festival, the visi-tor center will be hosting an ongo-ing electronic display of wild-flower images, providing free

wildflower photography tip sheets,and offering discounts on wild-

flower related books and salesitems.Lastly, the park will host several

Zion Canyon Field Institute(ZCFI) classes to round out theschedule. The classes include:Wildflower Photography: CedarBreaks on Tuesday, the 8th,Wildflower Journaling at CedarBreaks on the 10th, , andLifezones II: Zion to CedarBreaks on the 12th. Please contactZCFI at 435-772-3264 for moreinformation and to pre-register.

Cedar Breaks National Monu-ment is located 23 miles east ofCedar City along Highway 148 be-tween Highway 14 and BrianHead. The park entrance fee is$4.00 per person ages 16 andolder. Those traveling to the Fes-tival should come prepared forcool weather at 10,000 feet: Day-time temperatures could be in the60s and summer thunderstormsfrequently rise over the mountain.

Updated Festival events and

activities, reference lists, and moreare available for downloading atthe Cedar Breaks National Monu-ment website:www.nps.gov/cebr.Schedules and events are alsoavailable at the Visitor Center andat the Monuments administrativeoffice in Cedar City which is lo-cated at 2390 W. HWY 56 Suite#11. Call 435-586-0787 or 435-586-9451 for more information.

NPS Press Release

Utah. Volunteers would need tohave good plant identificationskills, particularly on the first ofthe events.

July 10-12 Tushar Mountainsnear Beaver, in collaboration with

the US Forest Service and others.Volunteers will help to resurveytransects that are being monitoredfor the effects of grazing.

July 25-27 Two surveys. First, ofan exclosure near Teasdale, tocompare grazed and ungrazed ar-eas. Second, a high elevation wet-land area near Fish Lake, that maynever have been thoroughly sur-

veyed before.If you are interested in learning

more, please contact Bill Gray (801

-532-3486; cyberflora@ xmis-sion.com)

Third Annual Cedar BreaksWildflower Festival: CedarBreaks National Monument willhost its third annual WildflowerFestival from July 3rd to July 20th.Festival highlights include guided

walks, photography workshops,Junior Ranger scavenger hunts,and Zion Canyon Field Instituteclasses. Guided hikes, which willmeet at the Visitor Center, will be

offered twice a day during all 18days of the festival. The hikes willtake place at 10am and 1pm. Kidsactivities include a Junior RangerWildflower Scavenger Hunt at3pm every Friday and Saturday.On the 19th of July the park willoffer a free photography workshopat 10:00 AM. This workshop,

Wildflower Photography for Be-ginners, is open to amateur pho-tographers of all ages and abilities.
http://www.nps.gov/cebrhttp://www.nps.gov/cebrhttp://www.nps.gov/cebr


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Salt Lake Chapter Trek to the Beaver Dam Mountains

[continued from page 1] of technicalknowledge and direct natural his-tory. For instance, one of the fa-

vored foods of the Threatened De-sert tortoise is the introduced weed

Erodium cicutarium (Heronsbill).We were joined by two members of

the Southern Chapter who addedgreatly to the trip.

Friday night (April 25th) westraggled into the Cedar Pocketcampground just off of the freeway:far enough to be free of traffic noise,

but right in the wind tunnel! Someof us arrived in time to hike down tothe river, which had a strong flow of

water. We were delighted with thedisplay that promised good thingsfor the main event.

On Saturday morning we spent

time around the campground identi-fying plants that had intrigued usthe previous evening. One of themost dramatic was a Fishhook cac-tus (Mammillaria tetrancistra) withred fruit, growing right out of a vol-canic boulder. Also gone to seed

were the many plants of Moonpod(Selinocarpus diffusus). Then wecrossed the freeway and took off ona gravel road that makes an anti-clockwise loop through the BeaverDam Mountains: it was a bit bumpyin spots, but none of our assortmentof cars had any problems. Beforelong we were into a routine of stop-ping where Larry knew the hunting

would be good, wandering around tofind the local celebrities, photo-graphing them to our hearts' con-tent, and then piling back into thecars for the next leg.

Our stops included gravel slopesand roadsides with little beautieslike Desert-snow (Linanthus demis-sus) and our only Utah citrus Tur-pentine bush (Thamnosma mon-

tana). The fruits taste just like . . .well, turpentine! Next came a briefvisit to a gypsum quarry area to seePalmer's phacelia (Phacelia

palmeri), a rather rank member ofthe genus that specializes on thiskind of soil. Higher up we were

treated to some spectacular Purpletorch cactus (Echinocereus engel-mannii), Silverleaf (Enceliopsisargophylla), and Fremont's indigo

bush (Psorothamnus fremontii).After a leisurely lunch we made

our way down the long west slopeof the mountains. Once we reachedthe paved roads we took two fur-ther stops along the way back tothe camp site. First was at an areaof stabilized sand dunes near the

junction of Beaver Dam Wash andthe Virgin River. It is clearly get-ting overgrown by the invasivemustard Brassica tournefourtii

but still has some neat nativeplants. Birdcage evening-primrose(Oenothera deltoides) has a pecu-liar growth habit in which thespreading recumbent stems curlup to create a little cage. The

beautiful Sticky sand verbena

(Abronia villosa) is widespread inthe Mojave Desert, and barelymakes it into Utah in the extremesouthwest corner. From the loosesand of this stop we went to thesteep limestone cliffs of the gorgeproper. Our goal here was to see

This report, plus more photos and a Google Earth tour, has been posted at: http://web.mac.com/wasatchgrays/Wildflower_Hotline/Zion_%26_SW_Utah/Entries/2008/4/26_Beaver_Dam_Mountains.html

Above: Trip participants in front ofJoshua Tree (already gone to seed afterflowering in February).Left to Right:Maggie Wolf, Sandra Bray, MarnieAmbrose, Bill Gray, Ben Everitt, DougReynolds, Larry Higgins, Kipp Lee(Photo by Kipp Lee).

the rare Crevice penstemon(Penstemon petiolatus), eventhough we knew it would not be inflower yet. Larry led us up a steepgully that seemed to have been dis-solved out of the solid limestone,and pointed out the clusters of gray-green leaves that were almost hollylike. Enroute we were rewarded by afine Utah agave (Agave utahensis),the first that we had found bloomingon the trip. On my return from asubsequent journey to California I

was able to revisit and catch the

penstemon in bloom (see cover).After a fine pot luck dinner back

at the camp we turned in for a well-deserved rest. Thanks to severalpeople who made this happen, butespecially to Larry Higgins for show-ing us around his 'playground'.


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Beaver Dam Mountain Plant ListApril 2008 Field Trip

AGAVACEAE Agave FamilyAgave utahensis Utah agave FYucca brevifolia Joshua tree -SYucca utahensis Utah yucca -V

APOCYNACEAE Dogbane FamilyAmsonia tomentosa Woolly bluestar -F

ASTERACEAE Sunflower FamilyAmbrosia salsola Burrobush -SBaileya multiradiata Desert marigoldFBaileya pleniradiata Annual baileya -FBebbia junceavar. aspera Sweetbush-FChaenactis stevioides Stevia dusty-

maidenFChrysothamnus paniculatus Mohave

rabbitbrush -VCirsium neomexicanumvar. neomexi-

canum New Mexico thistle -FEncelia frutescens Bush Encelia -FEnceliopsis argophylla Silverleaf -FErigeron utahensis Utah daisy -FEriophyllum lanosum Gray's woolly-

leafFPalafoxia arida Spanish needle -FPsilostrophe cooperi Whitestem paper

flower -FSenecio douglasiivar. monoensis Mono

groundsel -FThymophylla pentachaetavar.

belenidium Scale glandweed -F

BORAGINACEAE Borage Family-Cryptantha confertiflora Golden

cryptanth -F

BRASSICACEAE Mustard Family

Lepidium fremontii Fremont's pepperweed F

CACTACEAE Cactus FamilyEchinocereus engelmanniivar.

chrysocentrus Purple torch -FFerocactus acanthodesvar. lecontei

Leconte's barrel cactus -VMammillaria tetrancistra Common

fishhookSOpuntia echinocarpa Silver cholla -FOpuntia erinacea Common prickly

pear -F

CARYOPHYLLACEAE Pink Family

Arenaria macradenia Shrubby sand-wort -F

CELASTRACEAE Stafftree Family-Mortonia scabrellavar. utahensis Utah

mortonia F

CHENOPODIACEAE GoosefootFamily

Krascheninnikovia lanata WinterfatS

FABACEAE Pea FamilyPsorothamnus fremontii Fremont's

indigo bush -F

Above: Jelly-bean fruits of the Com-mon Fishhook Cactus, Mammillariatetrancistra. This is the onlyMammillaria native to Utah. Photo byBill Gray.

GERANIACEAE Geranium FamilyErodium cicutarium Heronsbill FErodium texanum Texas storksbill SHYDROPHYLLACEAE Waterleaf

FamilyPhacelia crenulata Narrowleaf

phacelia -FPhacelia palmeri Palmer's phacelia F

KRAMERIACEAE Ratany FamilyKrameria grayi White ratanyF

LAMIACEAE Mint FamilySalazaria mexicana Bladder sage F

LILIACEAE Lily FamilyCalochortus flexuosus Winding mari-

posa lily-F

LOASACEAE Stickleaf FamilyEucnide urens Rock nettle -BMentzelia multiflora Desert stick-

leafB

MALVACEAE Mallow FamilySphaeralcea parvifolia Small-leaf

globemallow -F

NYCTAGINACEAE Four O'ClockFamily

Abronia villosa Sticky sand verbena-FAllionia incarnata Desert windmills-FSelinocarpus diffusus Moonpod -S

ONAGRACEAE Evening-primroseFamily

Camissonia multijuga ManylobeCamissonia -F

Gaura coccinea Scarlet gaura FOenothera deltoides Birdcage evening-

primrose -FOenothera pallida Pale evening-

primrose -F

PAPAVERACEAE Poppy FamilyArgemone munita Armed prickly-

poppy-F

POLEMONIACEAE Phox FamilyEriastrum diffusum Spreading erias-

trum FEriastrum eremicum Mohave eriastrum

FLinanthus demissus Desert-snow -F

POLYGONACEAE Buckwheat FamilyEriogonum brachypodum Parry's buck-

wheat -VEriogonum heermanniivar. sulcatum

Limestone buckwheat -B

ROSACEAE Rose FamilyPrunus fasciculata Desert peach -SPurshia glandulosa Desert bitter-

brush -F

RUBIACEAE Madder FamilyGalium stellatum Crevice bedstraw -S

RUTACEAE Citrus FamilyThamnosma montana Turpentine-

bush S

SCROPHULARIACEAE SnapdragonFamily

Penstemon petiolatus Crevice pen-stemon -V

SOLANACEAE Potato FamilyDatura wrightii Sacred datura -FLycium andersoniivar. andersonii

Anderson's wolfberry -SNicotiana trigonophylla Coyote tobacco

-F

ZYGOPHYLLACEAE Caltrop FamilyLarrea tridentata Creosote bush -F

Key: B = buds; F = flowers; S = seeds/fruits; V = vegetative.

List compiled by Bill Gray


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Q Where can I buy Sego Lily bulbs?The nurseries say they don't carrythem because they're difficult togrow. One nursery said it wasagainst the law to sell the bulbs. TheForest Service said it's not against

the law; in fact, you can get a permitto go dig them up and plant them inyour yard. Red Butte Gardens saidthe lily has a tap root, so it's impos-sible to dig them up and transplantthem, and so they cannot be sold asa bulb either. What is the real an-swer? - Confused in Lehi

ADear Confused: Sego lilies(Calochortus nuttallii) are difficultto grow and maintain in garden set-tings, probably for several reasons. I

have grown them from seed, briefly,but they are difficult to maintain asseedlings.

Sego lilies are ephemeral grow-ers: the plant sends up a few narrowleaves either in the early spring orfall, I cannot remember, and theflower stem arises in the early sum-mer, and then withers, and for mostof the year no part of the plant is

visible above ground. The bulb issmall (1", max) and is found quitedeep in the soil (I think >6" deep).Like most lilies, I do not think

they have a persistent tap root, butthe bulbs are so deep and often insuch gravelly-stony soil that it ishard to dig down to the bulb.

Collecting seed and growing themfrom seed could be done, but myexperience (and others I have talked

with) was that it is hard not to overwater them. I think you would haveto plant the seed in some forgottencorner of the garden and never wa-ter or till, and hope to be surprisedsomeday.

They are slow growers. Severalnative lilies have a neat mechanismof germinating the seed just belowor at the soil surface, and growing asmall blade or two, which then se-nesces. Over the late summer thedying root becomes like a shrinkingrubberband which pulls the tiny

bulb a bit deeper into the soil. Witheach passing summer the enlarging

bulb gets drawn deeper into the soil.

Richard Joshua Shaw(1923-2008)

Dr. Richard J. Shaw, former di-rector of the Intermountain Herbar-ium of Utah State University andauthor of numerous popular wild-flower guides and floras of northern

Utah and Wyoming, passed away inApril 2008 in Logan, Utah. Shawwas born in Ogden in 1923 andserved for several years in the Navyas a Pharmacists Mate during World

War II. After the war, he receivedhis bachelors degree in biology fromUtah State, followed by a Mastersdegree in 1950 and a doctorate fromthe Claremont Graduate School in1961. Shaw was a botany professorat Utah State University from 1951until 1987 and worked seasonally as

a naturalist in Grand Teton NationalPark for over 30 summers. Drawingon his years of field studies, Shaw

wrote a series of illustrated fieldguides and floras, including Utahwildflowers: a Field Guide to

Northern and Central Mountainsand Valleys; Wildflowers of Yellow-stone and Grand Teton National

Parks; Field Guide to the vascularplants of Grand Teton NationalPark and Teton County, Wyoming.-W. Fertig

Q & A (Gleanings from theSego Lily Mailbag): Growing Sego Lilies

Above: Winding mariposa (Calochortus flexuosus) and yellow bladderpods. Photoby Max Licher.

Intermountain Flora vol.6 (TheMonocotyledons) by Cronquist etal., has a great description of at-tempts to cultivate this genus:"Calochortus is widely noted for itsremarkable beauty and is thereforehighly prized by gardeners. Alas,many of the species do not readily

accept ordinary garden conditionsand most attempts to introducethe genus into the horticulturaltrade have not been greatly suc-cessful. With care, sandy well-drained soil, and only natural rain-fall, some species will flower ingardens in our area. If one remem-

bers that most species ofCalo-chortus are basically desert plantsand treats them accordingly, somesuccess may be expected."

Sego Lilies are not a protectedspecies in Utah, so it is not illegal

to have them, but to collect any-thing (plants, bulbs, seeds, timber,rocks, gravel, etc.) on any land not

belonging to the collector, he/sheneeds to have written permissionor a permit. Therese Meyer

Do you have a question for the crackSego Lily answer staff? Email us atunps.org.


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By Walter Fertig

Sagebrush is one of the mostwidely distributed and iconic plantsof the American west, and yet alsoone of the least understood and ap-preciated. In the interests of in-

creasing the SIQ* of our readers, theSego Lily offers the following tensagebrush factoids (in no particularorder):

# 1. Not all "sages" are sagebrush.True sagebrush belongs to the genus

Artemisia, a group of more than 100species in the sunflower family(Asteraceae or Compositae) distrib-uted across northern Asia, Europe,

western North America, and SouthAmerica. The common name sagecomes from the aromatic foliage that

smells much like culinary sage (see# 3) and its relatives in the genusSalvia, which are all in the mintfamily (Lamiaceae or Labiate). Pio-neers traveling across the westernprairies and deserts applied theterm "sage" to a number of shrubbyspecies that had bluish-green foli-age, inconspicuous flowers, or odor-iferous leaves that are not true mintsor members of genusArtemisia.The Latin name comes from Ar-temisia, queen of Caria (in modernTurkey) in the 4th Century BC, who

was an amateur botanist and herbal-ist. She in turn was named after

Artemis, the Greek goddess of themoon, hunting, and wild animals.

#2. There isn't just one kind ofsagebrush, there are 69! Dr. LeilaShultz of Utah State University andauthor of the chapter onArtemisiain theFlora of North America(2006) accepts 51 species and 18subspecies ofArtemisia and

Picrothamnus (traditionally in-cluded inArtemisia) in North Amer-

ica north of Mexico. In Utah, Dr.Stanley Welsh of Brigham YoungUniversity recognizes 23 taxa (31 ifsubspecies are included) of sage-

brush. Only half of our sagebrushspecies are woody shrubs or sub-shrubs - the others are annual orherbaceous perennials that are oftencalled sageworts or mugworts. Allsagebrushes are characterized bynumerous small flower heads with

* Sagebrush Intelligence Quotient

Ten Things you Always Wanted to Know about Sagebrush (But were Afraid to Ask)

rayless florets and tiny seeds lack-ing a pappus of bristles or scalesfor dissemination. Within the as-ter family, sagebrushes are mostclosely related to yarrow, chamo-mile, ox-eye daisy, and chicken-sage (Sphaeromeria).

Of our shrubby species, Bigsagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)is the most abundant and variable.Shultz recognizes 4 subspecies inUtah, each adapted to differentsoil types or elevation zones. Ba-sin big sagebrush (ssp. tridentata)is our most common form and oc-curs abundantly on deep sandysoils or stream terraces. Mountain

big sagebrush (ssp. vaseyana) oc-curs in mountain meadows and

Wyoming big sagebrush (ssp. wyo-

mingensis) is found on clay-richsites. Other common shrubbyAr-temisia species in Utah includeBigelow's sagebrush (A. bigelovii)found mostly on rocky ledges; Sil-

ver sagebrush (A. cana), of mon-tane riparian habitats; Black sage-

brush (A. nova) from limestone orshallow soils;and Sand sagebrush(A. filifolia) with very slenderleaves found mostly on sanddunes.

# 3. If the recipe calls for "sage",don't put in sagebrush! Culinarysage (Salvia officinalis) is the spiceused for seasoning foods with asage smell. Native Americans didnot cook with sagebrush, but diduse it as a medicinal plant. Mostoften it was used as a tea or poul-tice to treat colds, fever, toothache,or to induce vomiting (an outcomemost chefs are not looking for!).Branches were also burned to pu-rify the air.

#4. Sagebrush really is a flow-ering plant. Individual sagebrush

flowers are quite tiny (1.5-3 mm),lack showy petal-like ray flowers,and are brownish-green. Likeother members of the sunflowerfamily, the flowers are aggregatedinto small heads, each of which isenclosed in an involucre of green-ish-gray leaf-like bracts. Theseflower heads are themselves ar-ranged in branching, panicle-likeflower stalks (inflorescences) thatoften stick out well above the

Above: Fringed sagebrush (Artemisiafrigida) by Kaye Thorne.

Fringed Sage

Fringed sage begins the season inthe garden as a twiggy mat, woodyat the base, with dense gray-greenfoliage. The leaves are alternate,

with very little petiole, and theblade is divided into 3-5 linear seg-ments, up to 3/8 inch long. A stipu-lar appendage is attached at the

base of the petiole. Initial growthproduces a soft silvery cushion. Asa mass planting the effect is of anundulating carpet. However, in or-der to maintain this growth form itis necessary to either prevent flow-ering and fruiting or to pinch, clipor mow the flowering shoots off be-fore they become mature. Nylonstring weedeaters work well as doesa rotary mower. If the flowers ma-ture the plants tend to become laxand open and rather unsightly.Richard Hildreth from his columnNaturally Native in the April 1982issue ofSego Lily.


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and rockiness of the soil. Big sage-brush also produces lateral rootsthat radiate out from the plant ashort distance below the soil surface.These roots are especially effectiveat capturing surface moisture fol-lowing rain or snowmelt. The rangeof sagebrush strongly correlates

with areas where precipitation

comes mostly from snow. This ac-counts for the rarity or absence ofsagebrush vegetation in grass-dominated ecosystems such as theGreat Plains where most precipita-tion comes as summer rain.

The presence of lateral roots andcompetition for water may help ex-plain the natural spacing of sage-

brushes and gaps that form betweenplants. In the past, range managerssuspected that sagebrush leaves androots exuded chemicals into the soil

that inhibited growth of competingplants (a condition called allelopa-thy). Scientific analysis of leaf andsoil chemicals, however, provide no

basis for this assumption. In fact,grass and forb species are morelikely to grow under the canopy ofsagebrush where they are partly pro-tected from herbivores and providedshade (which also keeps the soilmoister). Rather than inhibitingother plants, sagebrush acts as anurse plant that improves the prob-ability of seedling survival.

#9. Big sagebrush produceswood and annual growth rings, justlike many trees. Although not espe-cially thick, the main stems of Bigsagebrush regularly grow a new ringof woody tissue (water-conductingxylem) each year. These growthrings reflect climatic conditions,

with thicker rings produced duringwetter years and thin rings duringtimes of drought. Patterns in theannual production of rings can beused to date the age when a sage-

brush plant became established andto assess variations in past climate.Researchers studying age rings

within sagebrush populations typi-cally find that shrubs are of similarages, suggesting that seedling estab-lishment is infrequent and episodic.They have also found that stem sizedoes not reflect age - large sage-

brushes attain their size becausethey grow in favorable environmentsand not because of their longevity.

foliage. The flowers are designed forwind pollination. Nearly all sage-brush species flower in late summeror early fall (the exception beingBud sagebrush,Artemisia spines-cens, which flowers in mid spring).

Wind-pollinated plants typicallyproduce large quantities of verysmall pollen that waft through the

breeze to randomly reach receptivestigmas on other plants. Many peo-ple with fall "hay fever" are allergicto sagebrush pollen, or pollen ofherbaceous ragweeds (Ambrosiaspecies). Old flowering stalks typi-cally persist for nearly a year and areuseful for distinguishing some spe-cies, such as Black sagebrush andBig sagebrush. Sagebrush speciescan produce large crops of tiny seedseach fall, which can be spread overlarge distances by wind gusts or,

more frequently, fall near the parentplants.#5. Some sagebrush species and

subspecies can be identified by theirunique leaf chemistry. Scientistshave discovered that the presenceand quantity of coumarin in leaf tis-sues can be used to differentiatesome sagebrush taxa based on fluo-rescence of twigs placed in waterunder UV light. The higher the con-centration of coumarin, the brighterthe sample will fluoresce, whilespecimens without coumarin won't

fluoresce at all. Presence of cou-marin is also correlated with palat-ability. Those taxa with high con-centrations generally are favoredover those without (one exception is

Wyoming big sagebrush, which doesnot fluoresce but is one of the morepalatable taxa).

All sagebrushes get their distinc-tive sage odor from chemical com-pounds such as terpenes and ses-quiterpene lactones. The intent ofthese chemicals is to reduce herbi-

vory by insects and large mammals(including livestock). But not allchemicals are the same - their quan-tity and type directly influences thepalatability of sagebrush foliage.Sage grouse and mule deer preferen-tially forage on sagebrush species

with lower concentrations of thesecompounds. The amount of leafchemicals differs between plants

based largely on genetics, but canalso vary seasonally and even frommorning to evening.

#6. Big sagebrush produces twodifferent kinds of leaves. Likemost shrubby sagebrushes, Bigsagebrush is evergreen, but indi-

vidual leaves may be relativelyshort-lived. Overwintering leaveslast for about a year and are shortand typically clustered. These arecapable of undergoing photosyn-

thesis, even at relatively low wintertemperatures. Longer ephemeralleaves are formed in the springand occur singly on the stems.These leaves are shed when hot,droughty conditions occur in thesummer, as their larger surfacearea makes them more prone to

water loss than the evergreenleaves. Overwintering and ephem-eral leaves usually have three lobesacross their tip, while leaves asso-ciated with flowering stalks are

often entire (unlobed). Leaf shape(elongate vs. bell-shaped) andlength are used for distinguishingBig sagebrush subspecies, but canoften be extremely variable on thesame plant.

The distinctive bluish-greencolor of sagebrush comes from thedense mat of hairs that cover mostof its foliage. These hairs reflectsome sunlight and provide shadeto the leaf and stem surface, keep-ing them cooler and reducing wa-ter loss through transpiration. The

hairs may also interfere with her-bivory by insects.

#7. Sagebrush can be com-pletely defoliated and survive. Se-

vere drought in southern Utah in2002 prompted many sagebrushesto shed their leaves to preserve

water. The drought was followedby an outbreak of Army cutwormcaterpillars which subsequentlydefoliated many plants. Thoughthey appeared dead, most of theshrubs survived this one-two

punch. Big sagebrush does notsurvive after a fire, however, and isnot able to resprout from its roots.The related Silver sagebrush isable to resprout if burned.

#8. Big sagebrush producestwo kinds of roots. Like manyaridic shrubs, Big sagebrush growsdeep taproots up to 20 feet long.In general, root depth is 3-4 timesgreater than the height of the plantand varies depending on the depth


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#10. Contrary to what you mayhave heard, sagebrush is quite valu-able to wildlife for food and shelter.

As discussed under #5, aromaticchemicals in sagebrush foliage aredesigned to reduce herbivory, butmany animals (especially mule deerand sage grouse) are able to toleratesagebrush browse, and in fact rely

on it extensively in their diet. Sage-brush is an important source of pro-tein for mule deer on their winterrange. The Greater and Gunnisonsage grouse feed almost exclusivelyon sagebrush from October to April(their gizzards are not adapted forgrinding hard seeds like other up-land game birds). Sage grouse alsorely on sagebrush for nesting coverand feed their chicks insects,grasses, and forbs that grow underthe sagebrush canopy. Brewer's

sparrows, Sage sparrows, and Sagethrashers are other "sagebrush obli-gates" because of their reliance on

Artemisia for hiding cover, nestingsites, and feeding areas. More thana dozen other bird species are highlydependent on sagebrush and grass-land habitats, including Black-throated sparrows, Vesper sparrows,Lark sparrows, Green-tailed tow-hees, Burrowing owls, Short-earedowls, Long-billed curlews, Sharp-tailed grouse, Prairie falcons, Fer-ruginous hawks, and Swainson's

hawks. At least 16 species of rodentsand rabbits feed on sagebrush, as

well as hundreds of insect taxa (52species of aphids alone according toone study).

Big sagebrush is also less respon-sible for the decline of native grassesand deterioration of range condi-tions than is often depicted. Anec-dotal evidence that sagebrush is sig-nificantly more common today thanin pre-settlement times is not sub-stantiated by historical records of

pioneers and early photographs.One famous photo used in textbooksfor years to illustrate the increase ofBig sagebrush in the last 130 yearsactually depicts an area that wasrecently burned (and thus devoid ofsagebrush), rather than a site natu-rally dominated by grasses.Changes in the abundance, density,and composition of native perennialgrasses and forbs since settlementare better explained by past grazinghistory and changes in climate

A New Sagebrush for Utah?In August 1980, Robert Dorn discovered an unusual population of Bien-

nial wormwood (Artemisia biennis) on clay barrens near the Jim BridgerPower Plant, northeast of Rock Springs, Wyoming. Dorn observed hun-dreds of plants at this site, all of which were uniformly short (less than 30cm tall) with numerous branches originating from the base of the stem. Theplants also had atypically short leaves (8-17 mm) and extremely long inflor-escences relative to the overall stem length. Eight years later, Dorn de-scribed the unusual sages from Sweetwater County as a new taxon:Ar-temisia biennisvar. diffusa.

Var. diffusawas given the common name Mystery wormwood becauseit remained undetected for nearly 20 years (the type population is nowthought to be extirpated). In September 1999, Kim Anderson of Dixie Na-tional Forest discovered an unusual population ofA. biennis-like plantsnear Pollywog Lake on the Aquarius Plateau in south-central Utah. RobertDorn verified that the Utah plants matched the holotype of var. diffusa.

Anderson later discovered additional populations of the Mystery worm-wood elsewhere on the Aquarius Plateau.

The Utah populations occur in a much different habitat than those fromWyoming. Near Pollywog Lake, I have found diffusa growing on rocky claysoil of roadsides and adjacent drainage channels at the edge ofArtemisiacana-Antennaria communities bordering aspen woods at elevations of 9160feet. The type locality in Wyoming is a clayey playa dominated byHordeum

jubatum and Chenopodium glaucum at 6500 feet. The Wyoming popula-tion may have become established during construction of the Jim BridgerPower Plant, possibly hitching a ride on construction equipment or live-

stock transported from Utah.Recent taxonomic treatments either do not recognize var. diffusa or treat

it as a synonym ofA. biennis. Although the characteristics of var. diffusaare striking in the field, individually none of its diagnostic traits are unique

withinA. biennis. It is possible that the combination of low stature, smallleaves, and elongate inflorescences has developed independently in Utahand Wyoming populations (and perhaps elsewhere) and merely reflects

variability within the whole species. However, with fresh material ofdiff-usa-like plants now available from the Aquarius Plateau it ought to be asimple matter to conduct a genetic assay of the populations to determine ifthey are, in fact, unique. Such a study could help take the mystery out ofthe Mystery wormwood.W. Fertig

and fire regimes. Despite decadesof removing sagebrush by chain-ing, thinning, burning, and apply-ing herbicides, sagebrush habitatshave rarely been permanently con-

verted to perennial grasslands be-cause shrubs are better adapted to

winter precipitation, drought, andgrazing pressure. Modern sage-

brush systems are being impactedby changes in natural fire fre-quency from invading annual

weeds (such as cheatgrass, redbrome, and Arabian grass) andconversion to agriculture and ur-

banization to such a degree thatmany sagebrush obligate species(especially sage grouse) are in sig-nificant rangewide decline. It issurprisingly difficult to find unal-tered sagebrush vegetation any-more!

Above:Artemisia biennis var. diffusa.Illustration by Isobel Nichols.


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Whats In a Name: Rafinesque andRafinesquia

By Walter Fertig

Over the centuries the study oftaxonomy has attracted its fair shareof eccentrics, but few rival Constan-tine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz.

Born of a French father and Germanmother in Turkey in 1783, Rafi-nesque was a successful, self-mademerchant and businessman in Sicilyand earned enough money to retireat the age of 25 to pursue his inter-ests in natural history. In 1815 heemigrated to the United States, sur-

viving a shipwreck off the coast ofConnecticut, but losing his personallibrary and possessions. For theremainder of his life, Rafinesquetraveled throughout eastern North

America to collect specimens and

published hundreds of book andarticles on topics ranging from zool-ogy, geology, and meteorology toIndian languages and history.

Rafinesque was especially inter-ested in naming and describing newspecies of plants and animals. Hetook to describing species with a zealalmost unmatched in American his-tory, naming 2700 new genera and6500-6700 new species. Unfortu-nately, Rafinesques enthusiasm didnot match his skill and only about

30 of the genera and 100 speciesthat he named are still recognizedtoday.

Early 19th Century taxonomistsfound Rafinesques methods sloppyand his conclusions poorly sup-ported. Many of Rafinesques newspecies proved to be already named,or had inadequate Latin descrip-tions. Some of his species werenamed on the basis of hearsayrather than physical evidence, in-cluding an imaginary MississippiRiver fish he learned about from a

practical joker named John JamesAudubon. Although Rafinesque col-lected numerous type specimens,many lacked proper labels or werelost when his personal herbarium

was split up after his death (in partto pay outstanding debts).

Sadly, Rafinesques immodestand peculiar personality did little to

win over his colleagues. Some au-thorities even suggest he may havegone mad. Asa Gray, one of the pre-eminent botanists of the 19th Cen-

tury, captured the prevailing viewof Rafinesque in an 1841 euology: a gradual deterioration will beobserved in Rafinesques botanical

writings from 1819 to 1830, whenthe passion for establishing newgenera and species appears to have

become a complete monomania.Rafinesques reputation has

enjoyed a bit of a comeback in re-cent years, as molecular studiessuggest some of his segregate gen-era have merit. Colorado botanist

William Weber has been amongthose championing old Rafinesquenames and even dedicated his1987Flora of Colorado: Western

Slope to Rafinesque and severalother prominent splitters.On two occasions Rafinesque

proposed the genus nameRafines-quia, only to have it not accepted.The third time proved the charm

when Thomas Nuttall publishedthe nameRafinesquia californicafor a white flowered, chicory-likecomposite from San Diego in 1841.

Asa Gray described a second spe-cies,R. neomexicana, from the Rio

Grande valley near El Paso in 1853.The two species, commonly calleddesert chicories, can be recognized

by their white ligulate flowers, plu-

mose (feathery) pappus bristles sur-mounting an elongate beak and pin-nately lobed stem leaves. Both taxaare spring-flowering annuals thatoccur in the Mojave Desert portionof Utah. New Mexico desert chicory(R. neomexicana) is the more showyand widespread of the two, and can

be found in Creosote bush andJoshua tree communities on sandyor gravelly soils over much of west-ern Washington County. It oftengrows among the branches of spiny

desert shrubs which offer protectionfrom herbivory and support for theplants spindly stems. Californiadesert chicory (R. californica) isknown from a single location in thestate in Cedar Pocket Canyon andcan be recognized by its relativelysmall fl0wer heads.

References:Gilbert, B. 1999. An odd fish whoswam against the tide. Smithsonian 29(10):112-125.

New Mexico desert chicory (Rafinesquia neomexicana), a white-flowered memberof the Aster family found in Creosote bush communities of the Mojave Desert insouthwestern Utah and the southwestern United States. Photo by W. Fertig.


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By Ben GradyDepartment of Botany University of

Wisconsin

Many have wondered and specu-lated, what role does soil play in

plant speciation? Edaphic endemics,species found only on one type ofsubstrate, are prevalent in the florasof western states. Soil types are alsoextremely diverse and patchily dis-tributed in the west, providing manypotential niches for plant species.One group of plants that is nearly asdiverse as the topography and soilsof the western U.S. isEriogonum(Polygonaceae), more commonlyknow as wild buckwheat.Eriog-onum is a large genus of about 250

species, limited to North America,with centers of diversity in Califor-nia and the Great Basin. Nearly onethird of these species are considereduncommon to rare in their distribu-tion. Additionally, many wild

Noel Holmgren) is endemic to thehigh peaks of the Schell Creek andSnake ranges of White Pine

County, Nevada and the DeepCreek Range of western JuabCounty, Utah. Traditionally, thisspecies has been included withinSnow cinquefoil (Potentilla nivea),a widespread arctic-alpine speciesof Alaska, Canada, and scatteredlocations in the Rocky Mountainssouth to Colorado. Potentillaholmgreniidiffers from its closerelative in having a more denselycompacted growth form, basalleaves that are more tomentoseabove with blunt to rounded teethon the leaflets, marginal teeth onthe leaves that overlap with theterminal tooth, epicalyx bractletsthat are shorter and narrower thanthe sepals, and longer styles with-out warty papillae at the base.Noel Holmgren noted many ofthese differences in his treatmentofP. nivea in volume 3, Part A oftheIntermountain Flora in 1997,

but did not recognize the GreatBasin plants as a separate taxon at

that time. The sole population inUtah cited by Murray and Elven isfrom a collection made by Sherel

Goodrich in July 1983 (Goodrich19024 BRY, NY).

Cottam's cinquefoil (P. cottamii),also of the Deep Creek Mountainsand adjacent Great Basin ranges ofeastern Nevada and western Utah, isanother local endemic apparentlyderived from an arctic relative,P.hyparctica. It differs from Holm-gren's cinquefoil in having basalleaves that are green on the upperand lower surfaces. - Walter Fertig

References

Murray, D.F. and R. Elven. 2007. A newspecies and two new combinations inPotentilla Sect.Niveae (Rosaceae).Journal Botanical Research Institute ofTexas 1 (2):811-814 (formerly Sida).

Do you have a noteworthy discov-ery to share? A new record for thestate or a county in Utah? Attain

fleeting botanical glory by emailingyour findings to unps.org.

UNPS ScholarshipSpeciation and Soils: What can the Wild Buckwheats Tell Us?

buckwheat species are often onlyfound on certain soils. If there isan unusual soil type in the arid

west, you can bet there is a speciesofEriogonum growing there!

The focus of my graduate re-search will center on inferring theevolutionary history of theE.ochrocephalum complex, a groupof about 25 closely related species,found mostly within the Great Ba-sin. DNA sequencing, greenhousetransplants and measurements ofsoil properties will provide thenecessary data for this study.Many of the species in thiscomplex are narrow endemics,often found growing on unusualsubstrates. A prime example is theFrisco wild buckwheat,E. sored-ium. This rare species is onlyknown from calcareous soils in theSan Francisco Mountains in west-Central Utah. I will determine if

taxa, such as the Frisco wild buck-wheat, are specifically adapted tocertain edaphic conditions or if spe-cies ofEriogonum are edaphic gen-eralists that can tolerate a wide vari-

ety of soil conditions. My work willshed light on the evolution of soilspecialists and aid conservation ef-forts by highlighting suitable eco-logical areas to search for additionalpopulations of rare species of

Eriogonum.Finally, I would like to thank the

Utah Native Plant Society for sup-port with this project. Field studies

will be essential for this project andwithout the support of the UNPS,this research would not be possible.

Editors Note: Ben received a $1000scholarship from the UNPS boardin 2008 with funds provided fromgenerous contributions by societymembers. Thanks!

NewPotentilla in Utahand Nevada

The alpine summits of the RockyMountains and higher peaks of theGreat Basin share many characteris-tics with the tundra environments ofthe high arctic, and not surprisingly,have similar (though not identical)floristic elements. Whether theranges of these species were oncecontinuous and subsequently frac-tured following retreat of the lastcontinental glaciers, or populationshave taken hold following long-distance seed dispersal, alpine spe-

cies are often widely isolated(disjunct) from related arctic popu-lations. Over time, limited gene flow

between populations has fuelednatural selection and the evolutionof new varieties or full species.

One such taxon is Holmgren'scinquefoil (Potentilla holmgrenii),described as a new species in 2007

by David Murray of the University ofAlaska and Reidar Elven of the Uni-versity of Oslo, Norway. Holmgren'scinquefoil (named in honor of

Noteworthy Discoveries


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July-August 2008 Sego Lily Newsletter, Utah Native Plant Society

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Transcript of July-August 2008 Sego Lily Newsletter, Utah Native Plant Society