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Home , Oxytropis, Oxytropis campestris

Great Basin Naturalist

Volume 50 Number 4 Article 14

12-31-1990

New variety of campestris () from the Columbia Basin, Washington

Elaine Joyal Arizona State University, Tempe

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Recommended Citation Joyal, Elaine (1990) "New variety of (Fabaceae) from the Columbia Basin, Washington," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 50 : No. 4 , Article 14. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol50/iss4/14

This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Great Basin N(\turali~t 50(4), 1990, pp. 373-377

NEW VARIETY OF OXYTROPlS CAMPESTRIS (FABACEAE) FROM THE COLUMBIA BASIN, WASHINGTON

Elaine loyall

In 1984 1 found an Oxytropis in ~",ntral to short-stipitate, erect, I-celled with the su­ Washington that I was uoable to identify. Col­ ture not or only slightly intruded, the wall lection was made and sent for determination membranous-leathery, 10-20 mm long, beak to Rupert Barneby, who puzzled over it lor about 6 mm long. some time before concluding that it lacked a TYPE, UNITED STATES, Washington, Grant published name. What follows is a description County, Saddle Mountain, above Lower Crab of that taxon. This is a rare taxon. presently Creek and E of Beverly, Tl5N, R24E, S2, known from a single population on an isolated N1I2, elev. ca 550 m, NNE aspect at crest of mountain. Habitat and ecological notes are ridge, in sandy (volcanic ash) soils above steep included, therefore, to facilitate understand­ basalt talus, 25 May 1987 (flower and early ing ofthe taxon's conservation status, fruit), Joyal 1264 (Holotype: US; Isotypes: BRY, CAN, CAS, ISC, K, MO, MONTU, Oxytmpi:J campestris (L.) DC. NY, OSC, S, UBC, WS, WTU). var. wanapum Joyal, var. nov. PARATYPK UNITED STATES: Washingtnn, Fig. 1 Grant County, Saddle Mountain, above O. campestri(L.) DC. val'. gmcili(A. Nels.) Lower Crab Creek, Tl5N, R24E, S2, elev. ca Barneby affinis, plantis dense sericeo pilosis, 550 m, NNE aspect at crest ofridge, in sandy robustis, foliolis 20-25, col'ollis lavandulis, soil, 15 May 1984 (flower), Joyal 467 (BLM­ carinis maculatis. differt. Spokane, NY, asC). Caespitose perennial, acaulescent, 17-30 There are currently at least 10 varieties of em tall; herbage silvery, densely silky-pilose O. campestris recognized in North America to villous; stipules membranous, pilose to (Barneby 1952, Elisens and Packer 1980, densely pilose, the blades free for half their Welsh, personal communication). Characters length, (5) 6.5-9 (16) mm long, margins ciliate used to distinguish the infraspeciflc taxa are: to densely ciliate; leaves (11) 14-18 (22) em length of leaves and of scapes, number of long, with (13) 19-26 (32) linear to narrowly leaflels, numbers of flowers per raceme, oblong leaflets, (8) 15-25 (33) mm long, scat­ length and density offlowers in raceme, color tered, sub·opposite; scapes erect to spread­ of corolla, habitat, and distribution. There ing, (10) 17-21 (30) dm long, pubescence are notable differences in these characters in spreading-appressed; racemes in part exceed­ variety wanapum when compared with other ing the leaves, (5) 6-12 (17) flowered, con­ varieties ofO. campeshis. The three varieties gested in flower, (4) 6-8 (12) em long in fruit; that occur in eastern Washington with var. calyx sericcous-pilose, 7-9 mm long, greater wanapum are compared below; a key also is than half the length ofthe corolla, with a few provided to separate these four varieties (see dark hairs, the tube 5-7 mm loog, the teeth Barneby 1952, Elisens and Packer 1980, (1) 2-3 mm long, linear-Ianccolate; corolla Welsh, personal communication, for compari­ pale lavender with darker penciling, keel son with other O. campestris varieties). On maculate. drying blue; banner obovate, the average, ofvar. wanapum are more 14-16 (23) mm long; wings 13-15 (19) mm robust and have a greater number of leaflets. long; keel (10) 11-14 (17) mm long; pod sessile The length of the leaves (16 em) averages

l[)epvtmenl of Botany, Ariz""a Stale Unlvenity, Tempe.. Arl7.oIlR 85287.

373 374 NOTES [Volume 50

Fig. 1. Oxytropis campestris val'. wanapum. Habit. Flower (bar = 1 em). Composite drawing from Joyal 467. 1264, and photos o(the Saddle Mountain population. 1990] NOTES 375 greater than those of var. columbiana (St. 3' Corolla p<.llc lavender with darker penciJing. John) Barnehy, cusickii (Greenm.) Barneby, maclIlilte keel, drying blue; leaDets 20-25; lar~cr and gracilis (A. Nels.) Barneby (Il, 6, and Il plants than the preceding. scapes averag­ ing 20 em; desert plants; at low elevation in the cm, respectively); leaflet length (20 mm) like­ Columbia Basin ofcentral Washi.ngton . wise averages greater than those ofthe other ...... var. U'tlflOplHtI three varieties, (14, 8, and 12 mm); scape length (20 em) is also greater than the other Elisens and Packer (1980) most recently three (17, 7, and 16 em); the mean number of treated the O. campestTis complex in north­ leaflets (22) is greater than the first two vari­ western orth America. They introduced eties (each = 15) and within the range of the new cytological information for several of the third variety (17); the average number offlow­ taxa in this difficult complex; on the basis of ers per raceme (8.5) is within the range of these data they reelevated several taxa, in­ tluee related taxa (8-12), with columbilllw cluding the eastern Washington var. colt"n­ and gracilis occasionally having as many as 30 biana, to full species status. While accepting Dowers/raceme; keel length (12 mm) is similal" their findings, I do not see that it necessarily for aU four taxa, with gracilis showing slightly follows that taxa such as O. campestris var. larger dimensions; the pale lavender flower "columbiana" should be given specific status color. whjle not unique in the group, is un­ based on Eliscns and Packer's newdata. More known among northwest members of o. importantly, Barneby (personal communica­ campestris. Some of these differences might tion) and I agree that it is preferable to treat be explained as a phenotypic response of a the undescribed taxon in a conservative fash­ primarily montane taxon to a desert environ­ ion and place it at what we L'Onsider the appro­ ment. Its desert habitat sets this taxon apart priate rank a..<.; a variety ofO. campestris, near from its close relatives in nearby mountains; var. gracilis. It may well be that future studies precipitation is about half that of the moun­ (Welsh, personal communication) in the O. tains (20 em vs 40 em/yr), the climate is campestris complex will result in this entity warmer. the vegetation is shrub-steppe rather being; raised to a higher rank. However, until than forested, the geologic substrate is sedi­ that work is completed, varietal status under mentary and volcanic rather than intrusive O. campestris seems more appropriate. with some volcanic rocks, and it lies south of Oxytropis campestris var. wanapum is the glaciated portions of the Okanogan High­ presently known only Ii-om Saddle Monntain lands and Cascade Range. in the Columbia Basin ofcentral Washington (Fig. 2). Saddle Mountain is an isolated east­ Key to closely related varieties of west trending ridge lormcd from a partly Oxytropi8 campest,is in the Pacific Nurthwest (after Hitchcock amI Cronqu.ist 1973) faulted anticline that stretches approximately 50 km, being cut by the Columbia River at I Corolla white with maculate keel; leaUcts 12-17 (23); in wet gnwel along the Columbia River in Beverly. Several ranges to the southwest con­ Washington (historically) and near Flathead ceivably may contain habitat suitable for var. Lake, Montana vaL columbiana tVllnap·W11.. ''''hereas the north slope is steep l' Corolla other than white with maculate keel; ha'alt talus, the south slope is gentle and leaflets onen more than 17 sandy and dominated by Artemisia tridentata. 2 Stipules glabrous or glabrate; scapes rarely The Oxytropis grows in a narrow band ofdeep greater than 15 em; leaflets seldom greater than sand, derived from volcanic ash, slightly be­ 17; range of var. graciliS, but not above 2000 m low the crest of the north-facing ridge. The elevation and not west ofthe Cascades . community is very open, as is typical ofmany ...... vaL CUStCkil sandy habitats. [t is dominated by ChnJso­ 2' Stipules vcry hairy; scares mostly greater than thamnus nauseosus, Salvia dorrii, Monar­ 15 em; leaRets gencrdlly ",'Teater than 17 della Od01"atissima. Agropyron spicatun~. and 3 Corolla ochraleu(.'ous or white. keel rarely mac· Bromus tecto1·U1ll.. Other species present in­ 1Ilate; leaflets 15-20; plants averaging smaller clude Achillea m.iU~folium, ArelWrla frank­ than the next. scapcs averaging IG cm; usually linii, caridnus. A. pursh-ii, Cas­ montane plants (in prairies east of the Rocky tilleja cf. thompsonii, Chaenoctis dougwsii, Mount-dins); westem Washington (0 Alberta and South Dakota, south ill Rocky Mountains (0 Col­ Comandro umbeUata, Crepis 1nodocensis, orado ...... var. gracilis Cryptantha pterocarya, Erigeron linearis, 376 NOTES [Volume 50

, a 45-degree angle from the rachis, or higher, 0, ~ a ae-, a a a -= becoming erect in fruit The only floral a '0, • 0 I visitors I observed were several iridescent , o 1t.1l1a Ut- ,, 1 blue-green metallic-leafcutter bees (Osmia ,, , integra Cresson, Hymenoptera: Megachili­ , , ,v ~l " dae), working Oxytrapis flowers on the upper lIti1i hsulu ~ - slope, The pods have a short pubescence and a redden as they mature, Seed set appeared to be good, but predation of seed pods was high. •o~ ------\ Some pods had their sides chewed out in a --,----- C,II~billllil ,, pattern typical of departing larvae with not a 00 ,, ,, o~ single seed remaining within; more often the I•• , \ upper one-half or one-third of the pod had , r .... , been eaten away entirely, along witl, all de­ , , ,--- "- ,r '-, ,, , '-,- veloping seeds, No larvae were observed, but f)-- .!!._ !_. _." -'~'-i -~:·/i··~' several small weevils collected from the pods 01,t'Gf'! c.. =~r}tr;s ...... !' :1;... " I I /' ";'1 .• ~7.. ,.. 111 CalWn!li'U , .' c were identified as species ofTychius (Coleop. * d;ii ,, •0 'I' luei;, , II...i~ -' J• tera: Tychinae). , J • ~ , 0 .it .aM..... , OXyt1'Opis campestris var. wana.pum. occurs , / - r;:,·.. i ... / , , , i ;' • • • on laud that is a "checkerboard" of Bureau of , , • ..oJ Land Maoagement (BLM) and private lands. The primary land use is grazing; some recre­ Fig. 2. Distribution ofOxytropis campestris varieties ational vehicle use occurs on the mountain as in eastern Washington and adjacent Oregon. Data points does natural gas exploration, The area in are ofrepresentative specimens from MO, OSC, US and which the Oxytropis grows is isolated by low \VfU. Elevations in the Columbia Basin physiographic province average less than 500 m (unshaded); those in the rimrock from the bulk ofthe grazing activity to Blue Mountain, North and South Cascade, and Okanogan the south. The BLM's Spokane District is Highland physiographic provinces average greater than treating the taxon as a "sensitive" species. 500 m (,haded). The varietal epithet honors the Wanapum tribe, who originally called Saddle Mountain Eriogonum microthecum, E. rmalifolium. and the desert surrounding it home. The Eri(}phyllum lanatu"" Galium multiflartl1n, Wanapum, except for one small community Cilia sinuata, Hackelia ariela, Lupin,.. sp., on the south side of the mountain, have Pensternan richa,.,lsonii, and Poa sp, (taxon­ mostly disappeared from the landscape, omy follows Hitchcock and Cronquist 1973), o other Oxytrapis spp, were noted in the ACKNOWLEDGMENTS immediate vicinity. The original discovery of this laxon was Plants of this taxoo are frequent (several made while I was employed by the Spokane hundred individuals) in this restricted area, District Office ofthe Bureau ofLand Maoage­ and there is a good size-elass distribution of ment, U.S, DepartmentofInterior. Cary Par­ individuals. I observed seedlings, which 1 sons identified insects; Richard Rust provided presumed to be from the previous year, small the specific epithet for Osmia; Kay Thorne did vegetative individuals, and flowering plants, the illustration; Kenton Chambers of Oregon The largest plants had many flowering stems State University provided work space and (as many as 48 stems per observed) and herbarium support on a regular basis during covered areas up to 0,5 meter across. This my western tenure; the Smithsonian Institu­ Oxytrapis flowers profusely, My first collec­ tion staff has generously aUowed me use of tion of the taxon was made at peak flowering. their herbarium; and Rupert Barneby and in the middle ofMay 1984, an average season Stan Welsh provided valuable comments on with respect to temperature and precipita­ the manuscript. I am especially indebted to tion, During my second visit in late May Rupert Barnehy, for whom 1 first thought of 1987, an early and dry spring, 1 found the collecting this taxon. It was he who later con­ plants mostly past flower and well into fLmled why 1 was unable to put a name on it, fruit, The flowers ofthis Oxytrapis are held at and who encouraged me to write this paper, 1990] NOTES 377

LITERATURE CITED in northwestern North America. Canadian Journal ofBotany 58: 1820-1831. BARNEBY R. C. 1952. A revision of the North American HITCHCOCK, C. L., AND A. CRONQUIST. 1973. Flora of species ofOxytropis DC. Proceedings ofthe Cali­ the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington fornia Academy ofScience IV, 27: 177-312. Press, Seattle. ELISENS, W. J., AND J. G. PACKER. 1980. A contribution to Received 9]anuary 1991 the ofthe Oxytropis campestris complex Accepted 28 January 1991