IRIS Feb-09.Indd
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Iris No. 59 • February 2009 The Alberta Native Plant Council Newsletter Russian Thistle Research in Jasper National Park By Tim Antill For the past year I have been studying Russian thistle (Salsola kali L.) in Jasper National Park as a Master of Science project at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Anne Naeth. Russian thistle is a non-native plant that has been invading native montane grassland communities used for winter grazing by bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis Shaw) in Jasper National Park. Parks Canada has identified a concern that these areas of invasion may be increasing in size. Areas invaded by Russian thistle appear to coincide with areas subject to sustained use by sheep, elk (Cervus Linnaeus) and possibly deer elaphus Montane grassland in Jasper National Park. (Odocoileus spp.). Areas of critical Photo T. Antill winter sheep habitat are believed to be overgrazed, reducing range condition become established and compete with, assess management options to control and permitting Russian thistle to or replace, already stressed native plant this invasive plant. species and reduce wildlife forage. Russian thistle, commonly referred to as The research project tumbleweed, is almost synonymous with In this Issue ... objectives are to gain a iconic images of the American old west. better understanding of It is not too difficult to picture the dried Botany AB 2009 set for June ....................3 the biology of the plant blonde skeleton of this plant slowly ANPC Contacts List ..................................3 in the park, to determine rolling down some empty dusty street Puzzling Rare Pairs: the influence of ungulate in a ghost town straight out of an old Golden & Green Saxifrage .......................4 grazing on Russian thistle Hollywood western movie. However, New Orchid for Alberta .............................6 establishment, and to Russian thistle is not native to North Workshop & AGM Registration .................7 See Russian thistle, page 2 Russian thistle, from page 1 a native seed mix; seeding with a native Although seed mix with 25% perennial ryegrass Russian thistle (Lolium perenne L.); and a combination is common of a grazing cage, herbicide application throughout the and seeding with a native seed mix. southern and Control plots did not receive any central portion modification or specific treatment and of the Prairie will be used as a baseline from which Provinces, to compare the effectiveness of all it is absent other treatments. The effectiveness of in northern the treatments were monitored during Alberta. summer 2008 and monitoring will Russian thistle continue throughout summer 2009. A in the Jasper number of other studies investigating area is near animal use, grazing and litter thickness, the northern and Russian thistle movement are also Bighorn sheep on heavily grazed winter range. Photo T. Antill limit of the plant’s range in currently underway. the province. Current climate change models predict the America. The plant originates from warming of Alberta’s climate. This southeastern Russia. Russian thistle first winter experiments will be conducted in appeared on the continent in South growth chambers to investigate Russian Dakota in 1873 brought by Russian thistle’s response to future climate immigrants in contaminated flax seed. forecasts. It is expected that this arid C4 After its introduction, Russian thistle plant will benefit from global warming spread quickly across the continent by and will become more problematic for contaminated seed, threshing crews, park management in the future. railroad cars and by its natural wind blown dispersal mechanism. By 1894 A number of field studies were Russian thistle had arrived in Canada, established in summer 2008 and will first being reported in Ontario. Russian continue until September 2009. Study thistle has been in Jasper National Park sites have been established in the Jasper since as early as 1946. Lake area to examine effectiveness of seven treatment methods for the Seeds develop at each leaf axil control of Russian thistle. The seven on Russian thistle. Photo T. Antill treatments included a control This research is attempting to address (reference); the extent and character of Russian exclusion thistle infestations in the Athabasca of grazing River valley, mechanisms of Russian by grazing thistle invasion, the role of wildlife cages; manual grazing on Russian thistle establishment, pulling of and strategies that may aid in managing Russian this species. It is anticipated that thistle; the research results will benefit land spraying with managers within the park, and other the herbicide land managers throughout the province metsulfuron who are involved with ungulate grazing methyl and invasive species. Russian thistle skeleton blowing along the edge of (Escort); Jasper Lake in November. seeding with Photo T. Antill 2 Iris No. 59 • February 2009 Alberta Native Plant Council Botany Alberta 2009 – Waterton Area Garneau P.O. 52099 June 13 & 14 Edmonton, AB T6G 2T5 website: www.anpc.ab.ca e-mail: [email protected] President Kelly Ostermann [email protected] Past President Ed Karpuk [email protected] Secretary Lorna Allen [email protected] Treasurer Mryka Hall-Beyer [email protected] Directors Patricia McIsaac (Northern) [email protected] Tony Blake (Central) [email protected] Cheryl Bradley (Southern) NCC volunteers at a Waterton property take a lunch break. Photo C. Cole [email protected] FAN Directors Mark your calendars! MaryAnn Johnson [email protected] Elaine Gordon (alternate) This year ANPC and Adopt-a-Plant Alberta are again collaborating with the [email protected] Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in order to plan Botany Alberta 2009. Conservation Action The trip will be held June 13 and 14 at an NCC property in the Waterton Terry-Lin Fedorus area. Stay tuned for more information about this event in the next issue of [email protected] Iris. Also check the ANPC website at www.anpc.ab.ca or the NCC website at Membership Secretary http://www.natureconservancy.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=ab_ncc_work. Kelly Ostermann [email protected] Education and Information Mari Decker [email protected] Jim Posey [email protected] Rare Plants Dana Bush [email protected] Ed Karpuk [email protected] Reclamation and Horticulture Vacant Webmaster Kara Tersen [email protected] Newsletter Committee Laurie Hamilton [email protected] Pat McIsaac [email protected] Alfred Falk [email protected] Research study site near Talbot Lake. Plots at this site have been established to compare different methods of Russian thistle control. Photo T. Antill No. 59 • February 2009 Iris 3 Puzzling Rare Pairs: Golden and Green Saxifrage By C. Dana Bush Here is another puzzle for field biologists — do you have the rare golden saxifrage, or the common green saxifrage? According to Todd Kemper, the senior botanist at the Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre (ANHIC), golden saxifrage (Chrysosplenium iowense) is currently ranked as possibly globally rare (G3?). Alberta appears to be at the centre of the range for this species, though the complete distribution may not be fully understood. Unfortunately, golden saxifrage is often confused with green saxifrage (Chrysosplenium tetrandrum), a similar but more common species, as they share several overlapping characteristics. To confuse things even more, the two species grow in similar habitats and may grow together (Packer 1963). Until enough reliable data has been acquired © Province of British Columbia to inform a status update, both species will likely remain ranked S3 in Alberta, and golden saxifrage will likely remain G3. These species are best identified with fresh specimens in the field — it’s nearly impossible to identify them from carelessly pressed specimens. You’ll need to look for young flowers (before capsule formation) to count stamens, and be sure to look at both the centre flowers and the lateral flowers because they are different sizes, and have a different number of stamens. When you press them, make sure that the stamens and the sepals can be clearly seen, and note the sizes and numbers while your plant is still fresh. These data can go onto the herbarium specimen (in pencil) or on the label, as the stamens are fragile and may fall off. Addenda for the Rare Vascular Plants of Alberta are now available! © University of Washington Press © University of Washington References For information, drawings and Kemper, Todd. Personal Communication, October 16, 2008. Senior Botanist, Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre, Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, Edmonton, AB. range maps of rare vascular plant Moss, E.H. 1983. Flora of Alberta. 2nd edition (revised by J. G. Packer). University of Toronto Press. species of Alberta not found in Toronto, ON. 687 pp. NatureServe. 2008. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version the Rare Vascular Plants of Alberta 7.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: (Kershaw et al. 2001) please visit October 31, 2008). the Alberta Native Plant Council’s Packer, J.G. 1963. The taxonomy of some North American species of Chrysosplenium L., section alternifolia Franchet. Can. J. Bot. 41: 85–103. website at www.anpc.ab.ca under Packer, J.G. In prep. Saxifragaceae For: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Publications. This is an ongoing Flora of North America North of Mexico. 12+ vols. New York and Oxford. Vol. 6.