Botanist Corvallis, Oregon Funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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T H R E A T E N E D A N D E N D A N G E R E D V A S C U L A R P L A N T S 0 F 0 R E G 0 N: A N I L L U S T R A T E D G U I D E By Robert J. Meinke, Botanist Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon EAigmon delicate Cronquist Funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Endangered Species Region I Portland, Oregon With assistance from U.S. Forest Service Bonneville Power Administration Bureau of Land Management Region 6 Portland Oregon State Office Portland Portland Corps of Engineers Walla Walla, Washington Cover: Erigeron decumbens var. decumbens L L L 6t C . 6 U L'4 S L I xipuaddV JO @N@6LL@UI POULWaa4Ra PUP PaMaLAa@ S@LoadS li Ltc ................... p@4PAjsnLjj JOU'MaLA@d @Aapun SDLDadS 'I XLpuaddV Lee .................................................... pace @,04P.A@-4@j 6 ..................................................... PaAa5uPPU3 JO PaU@4Paaqj SP 6ULISLI @Wj MDLAa@ japun SluPLd APLnosPA uO6@JO T -S4LIPLd APLnOsPA paja6uppu3 pup paua,4pajqi pasodOJd .10 P@;SLI UO6@-AO LLAY .................................... SUOL4e.A;snLLI Pup 4xal JO ;PwJ0A L LX . M@LA@d Aapun Pup LlO6@,AO ';SL. :s4uQld JO .1 LPOLzaqpqdLV 'T @Lqei LX . SUOL4PAaptsuoo Emnjn4 * ....................................... papnLoul expi lo kjL)wwnS * ........................ UOL4tULjap P :[email protected]@buPPu3 PUP P@u@4eaAql XL ........................................................ UOL;onpoA4uI L LA . S;UaWBPGLMOUJOV A ............................................................. @3PJ9,Ad 39Vd SIN31NOO JO llgVi PREFACE The following document presents a series of one-page descriptions of those vascular plants in Oregon currently being reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service for possible protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, T+ nn +ha ecologys and -^-A-A. @ ' ' @ k@,4, i,Fo,M.i-4nn@ identifirn+inn. ' -@ffp,Z' @'@ " ." - -1- .. geo graphic distribution of each taxon. Its purposes are to summarize current knowledge of each of these species and to stimulate further research on them. It is anticipated that this guide will be useful to both the professional and the concerned layperson. It should be of interest to anyone working with the rare plants found in Oregon. However, it has been designed primarily for those government land managers and field personnel who are responsible for determining and implementing public land policy affecting the majority of candidate species within the state. It is not a substitute for technical floristic works or detailed local reports, but provides the degree of famil- iarization necessary for land managers who wish to recognize the potentially threatened or endangered plants which occur in their areas. What is presented here is an initial effort and should not be interpreted as a definitive statement on the status of the plants described. Comprehensive information is not available on all the species, particularly those found east of the Cascades where field work has not been as extensive as in western Oregon. Species thought to be endangered or possibly exinct one year have been discovered to be plentiful the next, while those believed "secure" have been suddenly faced with extirpation. The list must change as necessary to reflect new information, but this dynamic quality should not be taken as an indication of lessened importance. Comments concerning the content of this manual are welcome and should be addressed to the author or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Endangered Species in Portland. Correspondence is especially solicited from readers with new or overlooked data which may have a bearing on the status of any of the plants discussed in the following pages. Robert J. Meinke Post Office Box 1825 Corvallis, Oregon 97339 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many individuals and several Federal agencies have made contributions essential to the completion of this manual. Research space and access to specimens was made available by the Oregon State University Herbarium in Corvallis. Work space was also donated by the Nature Conservancy in Portland. Financial support was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the AAM 4 Bonneville Power nu inI 1 scratch6 6 V... A number of outstanding botanical illustrators lent their talents to the project. Artists who prepared illustrations specifically for the manual are: Bobbi Angell (New York Botanical Garden), Kim Brandon (Humboldt State University), Natalie Geiger (Southern Oregon State College), Kate vanGelder (Portland State University), Bonnie Heidel (Fish and Wildlife Service), Frank Lang (Southern Oregon State College), Chuck Meinke (Oregon State University), and Linda Vorobik (University of Oregon). The University of Washington Press gave permission for the use of certain illustrations by Jeanne Janish from the first four volumes of Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest by C.L. Hitchcock et al. (1959-1969), as well as a few drawings of mem6-e-rs---of--Te family Compositae (Asteraceae) by John Rumley from volume 5 of the same work. Drs. Peter Hoch and Peter Raven (Missouri Botanical Garden) graciously provided illustrations of OenotheAa wof6ii by Wanling Peng, and Ep,@tobiuyn zisk@youen6e by Keith West, both of which will be used in forthcoming publications. Finally, Dr. James Reveal (University of Maryland) permitted use of Jeanne Janish's recent drawing of Etuiogonum c@Lozbyae (Brittonia 33:443. 1981), a welcome last minute addition. Individuals who have contributed unselfishly of their time and expertise with regard to preparation of the text include: Dr. Kenton Chambers (Oregon State University), who offered critical advice and the use of personal plant species files; Mary Sue Henifin (New York Botanical Garden), for preliminary data compilation; Dr. Janet Hohn (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) for logistic support and invaluable assistance throughout the manual preparation; and Jean Siddall, for sharing information on a number of taxa. Others who provided valuable assistance were Dr. Douglass Henderson (University of Idaho), Dr. Fred Johnson (University of Idaho), Dr. Pat Packard (College of Idaho), Dr. James Smith (Humboldt State University), Dr. Robert Steele (U.S. Forest Service), Karl Urban (Blue Mountain Community College), Dr. David Wagner (University of Oregon), and Margaret Williams (Northern Nevada Native Plant Society). Special thanks are extended to Jacque Greenleaf and Jack Kennison, compatriots in the basement of The Nature Conservancy in Portland and exceptional morale boosters during the early stages of the work. Appreciation also to Sadie Airth and Jane Tuor, typists. Undoubtedly the greatest share of credit due, however, goes to the many field botanists in Oregon, amateur and professional alike. These are the individuals who, often with little or no remuneration, have fanned out across the state in the last few years in search of rare plants, diligently compiling an excellent and impressive record of our threatened and endangered flora. It is largely their efforts which are reflected in this guide and their efforts which will be so vital to future revisions. To all these and to those who follow, the author extends his sincerest thanks and best wishes. vii Union Clackamas Wage on a a el-son Linn Grant Too a Desch es Harney Malheur u as Lake Klamath OREGON 96981 SQUARE MILES 251180 SQUARE KILOMETERS INTRODUCTION With the passage of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973, the plight of thousands of plants and animals facing extinction in the United States and elsewhere, was impressed upon the national consciousness. Threatened and Endangered plants, in particular, long overshadowed by more conspicuous creatures, began to gain a measure of recognition. Plants like the Furbish lnllcakan@t klirniniA rmindleaf birrh anrl Furpka Vallev duneareass could now share the spotlight with such notables as the whooping crane and gray wolf. Since its inception, the Endangered Species Act has provoked contrasting reactions. Some see its potential to interfere with economic development; others its ability to contribute to broad goals of environmental conservation. In practice, the potential for irresolvable conflict has rarely been realized. The more usual effect of considering endangered species in land use planning has been to lessen undesirable environmental effects while allowing planned projects to go forward. In 1973, the Smithsonian Insititution was directed by Congress to prepare an initial list (House Document Number 94-51) indicating plant taxa suspected at that time of being extinct, or in danger of extinction. Over 3,000 plants were included. This list was subsequently published in the Federal Register as a Notice of Review. A year later (June 16, 1976), the Fish and Wildlife Service published a proposal to list nearly 1700 species of plants. This proposal was withdrawn in October 1978. Of the numer ous plants which have been reviewed for listing, 63 are at this time officially' listed as Threatened or Endangered. Approximately 170 native plants of Oregon are under review for listing as Endangered or Threatened, and one has been proposed for inclusion on the Federal List of Threatened or Endangered Species (listing under Federal law is a regulatory process and requires publication of a proposed rule and provision of an opportunity for public comment before becoming final). Nearly a hundred Oregon plants have been reviewed and subsequently deleted after it was determined that they did not fit the definition of Threatened or Endangered under the Act; many of these were officially deleted in the most recent Federal Regisler Notice of Review published by the Fish and Wildlife Service7 on December 5, 1930. This illustrated guide is limited to Oregon plants that appear in the last Federal Register Notice of Review (December 15, 1980) entitled, "Endangered Yn-dThreatened Wildlife and Plants: Review of Plant Taxa for Listed as Threatened or Endangered Species (45:82480-82569)". Only vascular plants are considered and only those with the taxonomic rank of species, subspecies, or variety.