Peter Lesica Conservation Biology Research 929 Locust Missoula, MT 59802
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THE FLORA OF LOST TRAIL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE 2014 Final Report Prepared by: Peter Lesica Conservation Biology Research 929 Locust Missoula, MT 59802 Prepared for: Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge 6295 Pleasant Valley Road Marion, MT 59925 December 2014 INTRODUCTION Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge (hereafter Lost Trail NWR) is a large biological reserve (ca. 8,000 acres) in the Northern Rocky Mountains of northwest Montana. Lost Trail NWR is a mosaic of wetlands, foothills grasslands and montane coniferous forest and provides habitat for a large number of native plants. This vegetation, in turn provides habitat for a large number of vertebrate and invertebrate animals. A comprehensive baseline inventory is an essential step in implementing a program to protect biological diversity for several reasons. Results of the inventory can be used to monitor the loss or gain of native and exotic species diversity. Populations of rare or endangered species can be protected from inappropriate management activities, such as livestock grazing, herbicide application and timber harvest. On the other hand, infestations of invasive exotic plants capable of replacing native species can be controlled. Weed control is most efficient when infestations are detected at an early stage. An on-site herbarium is another important product of a floristic inventory. A complete herbarium is an important tool for documenting the baseline survey, for training personnel and can be useful for education projects. Both a herbarium and an annotated checklist are important aids for plant identification. The purpose of this study was to obtain a comprehensive inventory of vascular plants present on Lost Trail NWR. This inventory includes plant collections appropriate for creating a herbarium and an annotated checklist. In addition I documented all locations of noxious weeds and species of concern listed by the Montana Natural Heritage Program. METHODS I conducted field work May 26-29, June 27-29, July 20, and August 21 in 2005 and May 23-25, June 18-22, July 14-17 and August 16-18 in 2014. I used aerial photos and USGS topographic maps to select ca. 20 areas across Lost Trail NWR that represented the full range of community types. These representative areas were thoroughly surveyed on several of the above dates. I collected specimens of all vascular plant species encountered in flower or fruit and pressed them for herbarium vouchers. The locations of populations of species of concern and noxious weeds were recorded with a Garmin GPS unit. Vascular plant nomenclature follows Lesica (2012). 1 RESULTS I observed 346 species of vascular plants on Lost Trail NWR during 2005 field work (Lesica 2005) and added an additional 9 species in 2014 for a total of 436 species. I made collections of 387 of these species (Appendix A). Seventy-three of the species encountered were introduced. Fourteen of these species are considered noxious in Montana: Bromus tectorum, Carduus nutans, Centaurea maculosa, Cirsium arvense, Cynoglossum officinale, Hieracium aurantiacum, H. caespitosum, Hypericum perforatum, Leucanthemum vulgare, Linaria vulgaris, Potamogeton crispus, Potentilla recta, Ranunculus acris, and Senecio jacobea. Location information for these noxious weeds is provided in Appendix B. I encountered four species that are currently listed as species of concern by the Montana Natural Heritage Program. Carex amplifolia occurs in permanently wet soil along Pleasant Valley Creek. Hornungia procumbens is uncommon on soil hummocks in a saline wetland on the west end of the refuge. Idahoa scapigera is locally common in vernally moist shallow soil of rock outcrop areas on the west end of the refuge. Silene spaldingii is scattered in rough fescue grasslands on the north and east sides of the refuge. It is also listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Although not currently listed by the Montana Natural Heritage Program, one other species that is rare in Montana also occurs on the refuge. Allium geyeri var. geyeri is common in moist grasslands and meadows. Locations for these species are provided in Appendix C. LITERATURE CITED Lesica, P. 2005. The flora of Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge, 2005 Progress Report. Unpublished report to Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge, Marion, Montana. Lesica, P. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press, Fort Worth, Texas. 2 Appendix A. Vascular plant species occurring on Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge. Species are identified if they are not native (introduced), non-native weeds listed as noxious by the Montana Department of Agriculture, or species of conservation concern listed by the Montana Natural Heritage Program (MNHP). Voucher specimens for most species have been deposited with Lost Trail NWR. Nomenclature follows Lesica (2012). Genus Species Family Status Voucher Achillea millefolium Asteraceae Yes Actaea rubra Ranunculaceae Yes Agoseris glauca Asteraceae Yes Agoseris heterophylla Asteraceae Yes Agropyron cristatum Poaceae introduced No Agropyron dasystachyum Poaceae Yes Agropyron intermedium Poaceae introduced Yes Agropyron repens Poaceae introduced Yes Agropyron smithii Poaceae Yes Agropyron spicatum Poaceae Yes Agropyron trachycaulum Poaceae Yes Agrostis scabra Poaceae Yes Agrostis stolonifera Poaceae introduced Yes Alisma plantago-aquatica Alismataceae Yes Allium geyeri Liliaceae MNHP? Yes Alnus incana Betulaceae Yes Alopecurus aequalis Poaceae Yes Alopecurus arundinacea Poaceae introduced No Alyssum alyssoides Brassicaceae introduced Yes Alyssum desertorum Brassicaceae introduced Yes Amaranthus blitoides Amaranthaceae Yes Amelanchier alnifolia Rosaceae Yes Anemone cylindrica Ranunculaceae Yes Anemone multifida Ranunculaceae Yes Angelica arguta Apiaceae No Antennaria anaphaloides Asteraceae Yes Antennaria dimorpha Asteraceae Yes Antennaria luzuloides Asteraceae Yes Antennaria microphylla Asteraceae Yes Antennaria neglecta Asteraceae Yes Antennaria parvifolia Asteraceae Yes 3 Genus Species Family Status Voucher Antennaria racemosa Asteraceae Yes Antennaria rosea Asteraceae Yes Antennaria umbrinella Asteraceae Yes Apera interrupta Poaceae introduced Yes Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Ericaceae Yes Arenaria congesta Caryophyllaceae Yes Arenaria serpyllifolia Caryophyllaceae introduced Yes Arnica chamissonis Asteraceae Yes Arnica cordifolia Asteraceae Yes Arnica sororia Asteraceae Yes Artemisia absinthium Asteraceae introduced Yes Artemisia biennis Asteraceae No Artemisia dracunculus Asteraceae Yes Artemisia frigida Asteraceae Yes Artemisia ludoviciana Asteraceae Yes Artemisia tripartita Asteraceae Yes Astragalus agrestis Fabaceae Yes Astragalus americanus Fabaceae Yes Astragalus canadensis Fabaceae Yes Athyrium filix-femina Polypodiaceae Yes Balsamorhiza sagittata Asteraceae Yes Barbarea orthoceras Brassicaceae Yes Beckmannia syzigachne Poaceae Yes Berberis repens Berberidaceae Yes Bidens cernua Asteraceae Yes Boechera pendulocarpa Brassicaceae Yes Boechera retrofracta Brassicaceae Yes Bromus hordaceus Poaceae introduced Yes Bromus inermis Poaceae introduced Yes Bromus japonicus Poaceae introduced Yes Bromus tectorum Poaceae Noxious Yes Calamagrostis canadensis Poaceae Yes Calamagrostis purpurascens Poaceae Yes Calamagrostis rubescens Poaceae No Callitriche hermaphroditica Callitrichaceae Yes Callitriche palustris Callitrichaceae Yes 4 Genus Species Family Status Voucher Calochortus apiculatus Liliaceae Yes Calochortus macrocarpus Liliaceae No Calypso bulbosa Orchidaceae Yes Camassia quamash Liliaceae Yes Campanula rotundifolia Campanulaceae Yes Canadanthus modestus Asteraceae Yes Capsella bursa-pastoris Brassicaceae introduced No Cardamine pensylvanica Brassicaceae Yes Carduus nutans Asteraceae Noxious Yes Carex amplifolia Cyperaceae MNHP Yes Carex athrostachya Cyperaceae Yes Carex aurea Cyperaceae Yes Carex bebbii Cyperaceae Yes Carex canescens Cyperaceae Yes Carex capillaris Cyperaceae Yes Carex concinnoides Cyperaceae Yes Carex deweyana Cyperaceae Yes Carex disperma Cyperaceae Yes Carex douglasii Cyperaceae Yes Carex eleocharis Cyperaceae Yes Carex filifolia Cyperaceae Yes Carex hoodii Cyperaceae Yes Carex microptera Cyperaceae Yes Carex pachystachya Cyperaceae Yes Carex petasata Cyperaceae Yes Carex praegracilis Cyperaceae Yes Carex praticola Cyperaceae Yes Carex rossii Cyperaceae Yes Carex sartwellii Cyperaceae Yes Carex utriculata Cyperaceae Yes Castilleja cusickii Orobanchaceae Yes Castilleja hispida Orobanchaceae Yes Castilleja lutescens Orobanchaceae Yes Castilleja miniata Orobanchaceae Yes Catabrosa aquatica Poaceae No Centaurea maculosa Asteraceae Noxious No 5 Genus Species Family Status Voucher Cerastium fontanum Caryophyllaceae introduced Yes Cerastium nutans Caryophyllaceae Yes Ceratophyllum demersum Ceratophyllaceae Yes Chamerion angustifolium Onagraceae Yes Chenopodium album Amaranthaceae introduced Yes Chenopodium glaucum Amaranthaceae Yes Chenopodium leptophyllum Amaranthaceae Yes Chenopodium rubrum Amaranthaceae Yes Chimaphila umbellata Ericaceae No Chrysothamnus nauseosus Asteraceae No Cirsium arvense Asteraceae Noxious Yes Cirsium hookerianum Asteraceae No Cirsium scariosum Asteraceae Yes Cirsium undulatum Asteraceae No Cirsium vulgare Asteraceae introduced Yes Claytonia lanceolata Portulacaceae Yes Claytonia rubra Portulacaceae Yes Clematis occidentalis Ranunculaceae Yes Collinsia parviflora Plantaginaceae Yes Collomia linearis Polemoniaceae Yes Comandra umbellata Santalaceae Yes Comarum palustre Rosaceae Yes Conyza canadensis Asteraceae Yes