I L L IN 0 I S UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN PRODUCTION NOTE University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Large-scale Digitization Project, 2007. /INHS oo03 ((3) Conservation Assessment for Yellow Honeysuckle (Lonicera flava Sims) Steven R. Hill Center for Biodiversity Technical Report 2003 (13) Illinois Natural History Survey 607 East Peabody Drive Champaign, Illinois 61820 Prepared for: U.S.D.A., Forest Service Vienna Ranger District Shawnee National Forest P. 0. Box 37 Vienna, IL 62995 4 April 2003 Photo: Loniceraflava Sims, from the website of North Carolina State University, Department of Horticultural Science, Raleigh. Photograph probably taken at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum, NC State University, Raleigh, NC. Copyright: Erv Evans, NC State University. Used with permission. http://www. ces.ncsu. edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/vines/lonicera flava.html This Conservation Assessment was prepared to compile the published and unpublished information on the subject taxon or community; or this document was prepared by another organization and provides information to serve as a Conservation Assessment for the Eastern Region of the Forest Service. It does not represent a management decision by the U.S. Forest Service. Though the best scientific information available was used and subject experts were consulted in preparation of this document, it is expected that new information will arise. In the spirit of continuous learning and adaptive management, if you have information that will assist in conserving the subject taxon, please contact the Eastern Region of the Forest Service - Threatened and Endangered Species Program at 310 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 580 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203. ConservationAssessment for Yellow honeysuckle (Loniceraflava Sims) Table of Contents Acknow ledgm ents............................................................................................................................4 Executive Summary........................................................................................5 Nomenclature and Taxonomy.....................................................................................................6... Description of Species.................................... ............ .... .... ................................................... 8......8 H abitat and E cology........................................................................................................................ 11 Distribution and Abundance..................................................................... 13 Protection Status........................................................................................................... .......... ... 16 Life History.................... ........................................................................ .....17 Population Biology and Viability................................................ .................................................. 18 P otential T hreats.................................................................. ..................................... .. ....... 19 R esearch and M onitoring.............................................................................................. ................... 2 1 R estoration ................ ............ .......... .... .... ......... .......... ..................... ............ .............................. 22 Sum m ary ................ ................... ........ ......... .................. ............... .... ............................................. 24 R eferen ces.......................... ... ............................................................... ...... .. ............................. 25 W ebsites C onsulted.............. ............. .............. ....... ................... .................................. ............. 27 C ontacts................................ ..................... ..... .......................................................................... 29 Appendix 1. Representative specimens of Loniceraflavaexamined or cited in the literature..........30 Appendix 2. The distribution of Loniceraflava in the United States. Information from herbarium specimens and the literature.............................. ............................. ............................. 32 Appendix 3. Natural Diversity Database Element Ranking System..............................................33 Conservation Assessment for Yellow honeysuckle (Loniceraflava Sims) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the staffs of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Shawnee and Hoosier National Forests, for the opportunity to compile these conservation assessments and for their invaluable assistance with data and field opportunities. Mark Basinger, Stan McTaggart, Steve Olson, Beth Shimp, and Steve Widowski were particularly helpful in facilitating both the cost share agreement and fieldwork. I would also like to thank the staff of the Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, for their assistance with logistics necessary to complete these reports. I would especially like to thank John Taft for help in initiating these studies. Several people assisted by contributing information on this vine. Among these, John Schwegman was particularly helpful in providing information on Lonicera in southern Illinois, Anita Cholewa provided information on the plant from the University of Minnesota collections, George Yatskievych provided information on Missouri populations, and Steve Ginzbarg provided collection information from the University of Alabama herbarium (UNA). Gordon Tucker and John Ebinger provided specimens for this study from the Eastern Illinois University herbarium, and the staff of the University of Wisconsin herbarium were especially helpful during a visit to their herbarium for ane examination of their specimens. Dr. K. Gandhi, Harvard University, kindly confirmed information regarding the nomenclature for this species. Additional thanks are extended to Ariane Hoard, my student at the University of Illinois during the summer of 2002, for her help in searching for information on the Internet and literature in support of several of these assessments (W-1), and to my assistant Sherry Weaver for her continuing assistance in database management and processing the plant specimen vouchers. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Eastern Region, under Cost Share Award No. AG 01CS-11090804-032 (1-5-28861). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Eastern Region. ConservationAssessment for Yellow honeysuckle (Loniceraflava Sims) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Conservation Assessment is a review of the distribution, habitat, ecology, and population biology of the Yellow honeysuckle, Loniceraflava Sims, throughout the United States, and in the U.S.D.A. Forest Service lands, Eastern Region (Region 9), in particular. This document also serves to update knowledge about the status, potential threats, and conservation efforts regarding the Yellow honeysuckle to date. The Yellow honeysuckle is a perennial fibrous vine that has pale yellow, yellow-orange, to orange flowers, globose reddish-orange berries, and it has leaves that have a hairless upper surface and a glabrous to somewhat villous-pubescent undersurface; the hairs, if present, are normally restricted to the larger leaf veins. The undersurface of the leaves is slightly gray green or pale but not conspicuously whitened (glaucous) at maturity. The species is generally recognized as distinct by botanists, but there is some disagreement in the literature regarding varieties. In addition, the Yellow honeysuckle may be of hybrid origin or it may have hybridized extensively with other species in some portions of its range, including Illinois. The vine grows mainly in rocky open forests, bluff ledges and cliffs, and in rocky ground along streams. The species is found only in the central to southeastern United States (historically in 12 states) and nowhere else in the world. It propagates primarily by seeds, but its stems are capable of rooting and new plants are easily established. Globally, the species ranking is G5? (probably secure world-wide, but some additional information is needed). The Yellow honeysuckle is listed as Endangered in Illinois, of Special Concern in Tennessee, and Presumed Extirpated in Ohio. It is also considered to be critically imperiled in Kansas. The Yellow honeysuckle has been included on the Regional Forester Sensitive Species list (RFSS) for the Shawnee National Forest but not the Hoosier National Forest, where it has not been reported. In Illinois the species is critically imperiled and it is considered vulnerable because it has very few known occurrences. It faces extirpation in Illinois if it is not properly protected. In addition to species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), or species of Concern by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service lists species that are Sensitive within each region (RFSS). The National Forest Management Act and U.S. Forest Service policy require that National Forest System land be managed to maintain viable populations of all native plant and animal species. A viable population is one that has the estimated numbers and distribution of reproductive individuals to ensure the continued existence of the species throughout its range within a given planning area. The objectives