Conservation Assessment for False Hop Sedge (Carex Iupuliformis
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ILLINOI S UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN__ PRODUCTION NOTE University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Large-scale Digitization Project, 2007. TAUHS Soo (Ili) ConservationAssessment for the False Hop Sedge (Carex lupuliformis Sartwell ex Dewey) 3 August 2006 Steven R. Hill, Ph.D. Illinois Natural History Survey Center for Wildlife and Plant Ecology 1816 South Oak Street Champaign, Illinois 61820 ILLINOIS NATUR AL HISTORY SURVEY Illinois Natural History Survey Center for Wildlife and Plant Ecology Technical Report 2006 (11) Cover photo: Carex lupuliformis Sartwell ex Dewey, from Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants. Photograph by Shirley Denton. http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/images.asp?plantID=2966# This Conservation Assessment was prepared to compile the published and unpublished information on the subject taxon or community; or this document was prepared by another organization and provides information to serve as a Conservation Assessment for the Eastern Region of the Forest Service. It does not represent a management decision by the U.S. Forest Service. Though the best scientific information available was used and subject experts were consulted in preparation of this document, it is expected that new information will arise. In the spirit of continuous learning and adaptive management, if you have information that will assist in conserving the subject taxon, please contact the Eastern Region of the Forest Service - Threatened and Endangered Species Program at 310 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 580 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203. Table of Contents A cknow ledgm ents...........................................................................................................................4 Executive Summ ary................................................................................................................... 5 N om enclature and Taxonom y................................................................................................... ... 6 D escription of the Species...........................................................................................................7 H abitat and Ecology................................................................................................................... 9 D istribution and Abundance....................................................................................................12 Protection Status......................................................................................... ........................... 14 Life H istory.................................................................................................................................... 16 Population Biology and Viability............................................................................................ 18 Potential Threats............................................................................................................................19 Research and M onitoring.........................................................................................................21 Restoration.......................................................................................................... ..................... 23 Sum m ary. ................. ..... ....................................................................... ................................... 25 References................................................................................................................................26 W ebsites Consulted................. ................................................................................................... 29 Contacts .......................................................................................................................................... 30 Appendix 1. Representative United States specimens of Carex lupuliformis examined or cited in the literature......................................................................... ..................................... 32 Appendix 2. The historic distribution of Carex lupuliformis in the United States. Information from herbarium specim ens and the literature...................................................... 35 Appendix 3. Natural Diversity Database Element Ranking System..............................................38 /7 ____ ___ _ _~,~ _ __ 1 _ _ _ _ ____ ___, ~_ _~ ~I_ _ ~ _~I_ _ ~~ _ __ C1 _ 3_ _ ~1 _~_~__ ~ I_.__ ~ ~II~- _.___f_ C1I_~I .. - II --- ~ ,- .. ,-.~ conservaton Assessmentjor mne raisenop ,eage (Larex tuputijormis cartweui ex Dewey) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the staffs of the United States Forest Service, Shawnee and Hoosier National Forests, for the opportunity to compile these conservation assessments and for their invaluable assistance with data and field opportunities. Beth Shimp and Steve Widowski have been particularly helpful in facilitating these cost share agreements. I would also like to thank the grants and contracts staff of the Illinois Natural History Survey and the University of Illinois, Champaign, for their assistance with logistics necessary to complete these reports. Margaret Wingard has been especially helpful. Several people assisted by contributing information on this rare sedge. Mike Homoya provided information on the plant in Indiana, Tony Reznicek provided several herbarium records and other information, and George Yatskievych provided information on Missouri populations. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Eastern Region, under Cost Share Award No. AG03-CS-11090804-024. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Eastern Region. ConservationAssessment for the False Hop Sedge (Carex lupuliformis Sartwell ex Dewey) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Conservation Assessment is a review of the taxonomy, distribution, habitat, ecology, and status of the False Hop Sedge, Carex lupuliformis Sartwell ex Dewey, throughout the United States and Canada, and in the U.S.D.A. Forest Service lands, Eastern Region (Region 9), in particular. This document also serves to update knowledge about potential threats and conservation efforts regarding this sedge to date. The False Hop Sedge is a tufted, rhizomatous sedge that grows up to 130 cm tall. There is only the typical variety and it has been found in twenty-three to thirty-one states and in two Canadian provinces, from Maine to Minnesota south to Texas and Florida, and in limited adjacent portions of Quebec and Ontario. It grows mainly in seasonally inundated swamp forests. It appears to reproduce normally by seed but it can also propagate by its extensive rhizome system. One of the greatest difficulties in working with this plant is the difficulty with identification, and this has resulted in some confusion as to the exact range and status of the species. Globally, its ranking is G4 or G3G4, indicating uncertainty as to whether the species is globally threatened or apparently secure. Carex lupuliformis has been listed as Endangered in CT, MA, NJ, and WS and as Threatened in MI and OH. This sedge has been designated as either Rare or of Special Concern in IN, IA, and NY. In AR, Carex lupuliformis is tracked and is included on the list of State Species of Special Concern. This sedge is considered to be vulnerable in Illinois, but it is not listed as threatened or endangered nor is it tracked in the state. Carex lupuliformis has been included on the Regional Forester Sensitive Species list (RFSS) for the Eastern Region (Region 9) in the Shawnee National Forest (IL) and the Finger Lakes National Forest (NY). It has not been included on the RFSS list for the Hoosier National Forest, where it has not been found. It is considered at risk in these forests because of its scarcity in the Midwest. It is known from several southern national forests. In addition to species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), or species of Concern by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service lists species that are Sensitive within each region (RFSS). The National Forest Management Act and U.S. Forest Service policy require that National Forest System land be managed to maintain viable populations of all native plant and animal species. A viable population is one that has the estimated numbers and distribution of reproductive individuals to ensure the continued existence of the entity throughout its range within a given planning area. The objectives of this document are to: -Provide an overview of the current scientific knowledge on this species. -Provide a summary of the distribution and status on the species range-wide and within the Eastern Region of the Forest Service, in particular. -Provide the available background information needed to prepare a subsequent Conservation Approach. Conservation Assessmentfor the FalseHop Sedge (Carex lupuliformis Sartwell ex Dewey) NOMENCLATURE AND TAXONOMY Scientific Name: Carex lupuliformis Sartwell ex Dewey [1850] Common Names: False Hop Sedge; False Hop-sedge; Hop-like Sedge; Knobbed Hop Sedge; Mock Hop Sedge Synonymy: Carex lupulina Muhl. ex Willd. var. polystachia Schweinitz & Torr. [1825] Carex lurida Wahlenb. var. polystachia (Schweinitz & Torr.) L.H.Bailey [1886] Carex giganteaRudge f. minor Farw. [1921] Class: Liliopsida (Flowering Plants - Monocotyledons) Family: Cyperaceae (The Sedge Family) Plants Code: CALU3 (USDA NRCS plant database, W-1) http://plants.usda.gov/