Oklahoma Native Plant Record 53 Volume 17, December 2017 VASCULAR FLORA OF E. C. HAFER PARK, EDMOND, OKLAHOMA Gloria M. Caddell Katie Christoffel Carmen Esqueda Alonna Smith Department of Biology University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, OK 73007 [email protected] Keywords: floristic inventory, urban park, Cross Timbers, non-native, invasive ABSTRACT E. C. Hafer Park is located on the western edge of the Cross Timbers ecoregion, in central Oklahoma within the City of Edmond. The park contains post oak-blackjack oak forest, tallgrass prairie, riparian forest, and areas developed for recreational activities. A vascular plant inventory conducted during 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017 yielded 270 species in 190 genera and 65 families. The largest families were the Asteraceae (46 species), Poaceae (42), and Fabaceae (27). There were 96 annuals, four biennials, and 170 perennials. Sixty species (22.2%) were not native to the United States. No rare species currently being tracked by the Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory were present. Compared to floristic inventories for other sites of similar size in Oklahoma, Hafer Park has a relatively high number of species. However, it also has a relatively high percentage of exotic species from other continents, some of which are invasive and are threatening the native forest, grassland, and riparian plant communities. INTRODUCTION groups. For vascular plants, however, urban parks often have a large percentage of exotic Efforts to protect biodiversity often species, sometimes over 50% (Nielsen et al. focus on large natural habitats outside of 2013). highly urbanized locations, but efforts Palmer et al. (1995) summarized the should also be made to preserve and importance of floristic inventories in promote biodiversity in urban forests and providing data for research on biodiversity, other urban green spaces that have environmental impact assessment, and maintained relatively high levels of management decisions. The Floras of North biodiversity including species of America project (Palmer 2017) promotes conservation concern (Alvey 2006). In a the compilation of floras, emphasizing their literature review of species richness in urban importance as “baselines for understanding parks on five continents, Nielsen et al. patterns of, and threats to, modern (2013) found that those with a diversity of biodiversity”. habitats and microhabitats can be We conducted a floristic inventory of biodiversity hotspots with large components E. C. Hafer Park, an urban park in central of native species of all plant and animal Oklahoma, from 2013 to 2017. Our Gloria M. Caddell et al. https://doi.org/10.22488/okstate.18.100006 54 Oklahoma Native Plant Record Volume 17, December 2017 objectives were to 1) document the vascular Annual precipitation for Oklahoma County plant richness of a central Oklahoma urban varied considerably for the four years during park; 2) contribute to our knowledge of which this vascular plant survey was plant distributions in Oklahoma; 3) assess conducted, ranging from 75.4 cm to the threat that exotic species, i.e., from 131.3 cm. other continents, pose to the biodiversity of E. C. Hafer Park is in the Central Red- this urban park; and 4) provide a resource Bed Plains physiographic province, in which that can be used by the City of Edmond to "Permian red shales and sandstone form conserve the biodiversity of Hafer Park and gently rolling hills and broad, flat plains" to educate the public. (Curtis et al. 2008). It is on the western edge of the Cross Timbers ecoregion (Oklahoma STUDY AREA Forestry Services 2017) and is in the Northern Cross Timbers Level III E. C. Hafer Park is located in the City of Ecoregion (Environmental Protection Edmond, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Agency 2017). The dominant potential (T14N, R2W, SW1/4 of Sec 31). Latitudinal vegetation is post oak-blackjack oak extent is from 35o 38’17” N to 35o 38’ 44” woodland (Duck and Fletcher 1943). N, and longitudinal extent is from 97o 27’ 6” King and Cheek (2015) documented the W to 97o 27’ 37” W. The park consists of land-use history of the site. From the early approximately 49 hectares (=121 acres). 1900s to the 1940s, historical documents Spring Creek flows west to east along the indicate that it was privately owned and southern edge of the park. Elevation ranges farmed. From 1952 to 1972, a portion of from approximately 326 m to 345 m. Soils the site housed a sewage treatment facility are Stephenville-Darnell-Niotaze shallow, operated by the City of Edmond. Following sandy and loamy soils that are moderately decommissioning of the facility in 1972 and acidic and humus-poor, and occur on steep the acquisition of additional small tracts of slopes up to 18% (Carter and Gregory land, the site was commissioned as E. C. 2008). Hafer Park in 1979. Paved trails, The climate is continental. According to playgrounds, picnic areas, and pavilions climate data for the past 15 years (2002– have been constructed, but the eastern half 2016) from Mesonet stations in Oklahoma of the park is primarily post oak-blackjack County (Oklahoma Climatological Survey oak forest with tallgrass prairie in the 2017b), average annual precipitation was northeast corner. 89.8 cm. The mean annual temperature for 2002–2016 was 16.1oC, with daily average METHODS temperatures ranging from 3.9oC in January to 27.8o C in July. Temperatures ranged We surveyed the park during the from an average low temperature of -1.7oC growing seasons (March through October) in January to an average daytime high of of 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017. During those 33.3oC in July. Average wind speed was 8 years, we visited the site 23 times, with 6 mph. collecting dates in the spring, 10 in the The climate averages for the past 15 summer, and 7 in the fall. We recorded the years differ somewhat from longer-term vascular plant species encountered and historical trends. For example, from 2002– collected voucher specimens. We collected 2016 spring and summer had the highest non-native and exotic species only from average precipitation, but historically fall naturalized populations, excluding cultivated and spring have been the wettest seasons species in flower beds, picnic areas, (Oklahoma Climatological Survey 2017a). playgrounds, etc. A few species were Gloria M. Caddell et al. Oklahoma Native Plant Record 55 Volume 17, December 2017 identified by sight and documented only by (annual, biennial, or perennial), and its photographs because of their rarity at the growth form (forb, graminoid, shrub, tree, site or because the steep slope of Spring or woody vine). If duration varied or if Creek made a collection impossible. more than one growth form was listed in References used for specimen identification the PLANTS Database, the duration and included Great Plains Flora Association growth form listed for Oklahoma by Taylor (1986), Diggs et al. (1999), Yatskievyich and Taylor (1994) was used. Voucher (1999), Barkworth et al. (2007), and Tyrl specimens were deposited in the University et al. (2015). In addition to our collections, of Central Oklahoma (CSU) Herbarium. we searched the University of Central Our reporting of site location and Oklahoma Herbarium (CSU) database and geography, taxonomy, voucher specimens, added a few previously collected species botanical effort, exotic species, taxonomic from the park. Specimens were identified list, and summary table follows only to the species level. recommendations by Palmer and The organization of taxa in our species Richardson (2012) for published floras. An list is based on Angiosperm Phylogeny "invasive species", as defined by Executive Group (APG III) recommendations Order 13112, is one that is “1) non-native (Stevens 2017). Nomenclature follows the (or alien) to the ecosystem under Integrated Taxonomic Information System consideration and 2) whose introduction (2017). The PLANTS Database (USDA causes or is likely to cause economic or NRCS 2017) was used for common names environmental harm or harm to human and to determine whether each species was health” (USDA National Agricultural native to the United States, its duration Library 2017). Table 1 Summary of floristic collections from E. C. Hafer Park in Edmond, Oklahoma* Taxonomic Native Non-native Families Genera Species Group spp. spp. Monilophyta 1 1 1 1 0 Pinophyta 1 1 1 1 0 Magnoliophyta Eudicots 55 146 206 162 44 Monocots 8 42 62 46 16 * Table format follows Palmer (1995) Gloria M. Caddell et al. 56 Oklahoma Native Plant Record Volume 17, December 2017 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Pistacia chinensis were found in the forest, and these cultivated species are considered We identified 270 species in 190 genera invasive in Texas and other southeastern and 65 families (Table 1; Appendix). These states (Texas Invasives 2017). included one monilophyte, one The major plant communities at Hafer gymnosperm, 206 eudicots, and 62 Park and brief descriptions of common monocots. Species in the Asteraceae (46), species are as follows: Poaceae (42), and Fabaceae (27) far outnumbered those in other families. Only 1. Quercus stellata-Quercus six other families were represented by more marilandica/Schizachyrium scoparium than five species: Euphorbiaceae (9), woodland association (Hoagland 2000) Cyperaceae (8), Rosaceae (8), Rubiaceae (7), Post oak/blackjack oak woodland is the Plantaginaceae (6), and Polygonaceae (6). predominant vegetation association in the The largest genera, each with five species, park. Common species included Celtis spp., were Quercus, Solidago, and Bromus. Ninety-six Cornus drummondii, Juniperus virginiana, Morus species (35.5%) were annuals, four (1.5%) rubra, Quercus muehlenbergii, Sideroxylon were biennials, and 170 (63%) were lanuginosum, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, and perennials. Thirty-eight species were trees, Ulmus spp. Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Prunus 12 were shrubs, and 10 were woody vines. mexicana, Quercus shumardii, and Viburnum There were 157 forbs and 53 graminoids. rufidulum were occasionally encountered. No rare species tracked by the Exotic woody plants found in this Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory community included Ligustrum sinense, (2017) were present.