TECHNICAL NOTES 269 cue from close clipping under green- northern Mixed Prairie than warm LARSON, E. AND W. WHITMAN. 1942. house conditions. season species. Weather normally A comparison of used and unused grassland mesas in the Badlands of Summary and Conclusions favors their growth soon after spring thaw. A wider annual yield varia- South Dakota. Ecology 23: 438-445. A sampling study was made of tion occurs on warm season species LEMKE, RICHARDW. 1960. Geology herbage yields by specific soil types of the Souris River area, North which are more dependent on timely in the Souris River area of North Dakota. Geol. Survey Professional summer rains. Dakota during 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962 Paper 325. On native perennial grasslands the and 1963. Sampling areas were se- QUINNILD, C. L. AND H. E. COSBY. potential average annual yields may lected from representative soil types 1958. Relicts of climax vegetation vary greatly among mature soils of on two mesas in western North and Excellent range condition. a catena. When the yield from a Dakota. Ecology 39: 29-32. A common catena was sampled in climatically normal soil was com- SARVIS, J. T. 1941. Grazing investi- which Williams loam, a typical zonal pared with yields from other mature gations on the Northern Great representative of the Chestnut soils, upland members of a soil catena in Plains. N. Dak. Agric. Expt. Sta. was indicative of ordinary uplands Bul. 308. 110 pp. the same macroclimate, differences on which vegetation can make a WEAVER,J. E. AND F. W. ALBERTSON. approximated 25% over and under normal response to climate, reflect- 1956. Grasslands of the Great the yield from the normal soil. If ing regional climax. Average herb- Plains. Johnson Publishing Com- immature and depressional members age yield was 2016 lbs. per acre, air pany, Lincoln, Nebraska. 395 pp. of the catena are included, the vari- WHITMAN, WARREN C. 1954. Yield dry, for the five years. The largest ation may approximate 100% up or characteristics of native grass yield was from Parnell silt loam be- down from the normal soil. More- ranges. Proc. N. Dak. Academy of cause of superior moisture availa- over, production on any upland Science. Vol. VIII. bility from trapped run-in water. member of such a catena in wet The greatest total annual yield from years may be double that in dry this soil (7920 lbs per acre) was ap- Evidence of Hybridization years -with even greater differences proximately 3 times the highest yield Between Certain Browse Plants on members subject to ponding. from Williams loam. The most xeric ARTHUR D. SMITH Differences in kinds of plants of all soil types sampled was coarse Professor of Range Management, composing climax plant communities dune-sand. The average herbage Utah State University, on a single member of a catena, in yield of all plots for one favorable Game Biologist, Utah State Depart- the same macroclimate, generally year (1962) was 1135 lbs. per acre, ment of Fish and Game, Logan, Utah produced essentially the same total 42% of Williams loam for the same annual yield. However, a consocia- In the fall of 1935, plants were ob- year. tion of rough fescue on a normal served in Logan Canyon, Utah, that Cool season grasses are more com- profile produced more than other had certain characteristics resem- mon to climax vegetation of the communities sampled on the com- bling birchleaf mahagony (Cerco- parable soil. carpus montanus) and others resem- In areas long protected from graz- bling curlleaf mahogany (C. Zedi- ing, the average amounts of both jolius) . Subsequently similar appar- fresh and humic mulch varied di- ent hybrids were found elsewhere rectly with the natural productivity in the state. of soil members in a catena. During the winter of 1948, plants Literature Ciied were found in the vicinity of Provi- COSBY, H. E. 1960. Rings on the dence Canyon in northern Utah range. Jour. Range Mangt. 13: which were not typical of antelope 283-288. bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) nor COUPLANDR. T. ANDT. C. BRAYSHAW. cliffrose (Cowania stansburiana), 1953. The Fescue grassland in Sas- but resembled both. Subsequently katchewan. Ecology 34: 386-405. plants showing similar intergrada- DIX, R. L. 1960. Some slope-plant tions have been observed throughout relationships in the grasslands of Utah by the writer and others. the Missouri Badlands of North Dakota. Jour. Range Mangt. 11: Field observations and feeding 88-92. tests indicate that the Cercoca?‘pus DYKSTERHUIS,E. J. 1949. Condition hybrids provide excellent forage for and management of rangeland deer. In view of the increasing need based on quantitative ecology. to revegetate overused browse Jour. Range Mangt. 2: 104-115. ranges, further information regard- DYKSTERHUIS, E. J. AND E . M. ing these suspected hybrids may be FIGURE3. Top: Two plots in rough fescue SCHMUTZ. 1947. Natural mulches valuable. community on Williams loam, 15% north or “litter” of grassland: with kinds slope. Upper plot not previously clipped; and amounts on a southern prairie. Methods Ecology 28: 173-179. lower plot clipped 1960 and 1961. Bot- Attempts were made to cross the JOHNSTON,A. 1961. Comparison of tom: L. to R.: Forage from previously two species of Flowers lightly grazed and ungrazed range Cercocarpus. clipped plot ; forage, fresh mulch, and in the Fescue grassland of south- from selected branches were emas- humic mulch from plot unclipped pre- ern Alberta. Canadian Jour. Plant culated and enclosed in bags to pre- viously. Science 41: 615-622. vent natural pollination. Later pol- 270 TECHNICAL NOTES len from known sources was intro- in Logan Canyon, curlleaf mahogany tures of 35” to 45°F. The 1957 mate- duced into the bags. Some individual had completed flowering except at rials were held in a cold chamber 30 flowers were enclosed in drug cap- the mountain summit. This greatly days, the 1958 seeds for 50 days. All sules. limited the opportunities for con- were then placed in sand for germi- Six crosses were attempted: 1Cmo trolled pollination. Thirty crosses, nation. When it appeared that no x Cle; Cmo x Hyb; and Cle x Hyb, each representing 6 to 15 emascu- germination was forthcoming, the each plant alternately providing and lated flowers were attempted. Eighty seeds were recovered. Most of them receiving pollen. seeds were collected (Table 1). upon being cut open were found to No attempts were made to cross The apparently viable seeds were be dark and discolored. Thirteen, cliffrose with bitterbrush. Typical stratified in peat moss at tempera- however, appeared to be in good material was collected from differ- ent localities and compared to plants Table 1. Results of crossbreeding attempts with planis of the genus exhibiting signs of hybridization. Cercocarpus. Cliffrose was obtained from Stans- Number Source Number bury Island, the type locality. Ante- of Plant of of seeds lope bitterbrush was obtained from Year attempts’ pollinated pollen recovered Comments northern Utah and southern Idaho, 1957 2 Hyb Cle 0 Fruits started to develop north of the range of cliffrose. Des- 2 Hyb Cm0 0 No response observed ert bitterbrush (Purshia glandulosa) 1 Cm0 Cle Fruits started to develop came from Beaver Dam Wash in 1 Cm0 Hyb 0 Bags destroyed southwestern Utah. These materials 1 Cle Cm0 10 were compared to collections from a 1 Cle Hyb 0 No response observed suspected interbred population with 1959 1 Hyb Cle 0 Fruits partially developed respect to several gross morpho- 2 Hyb Cm0 2 logical characteristics. 7 Cm0 Cle 7 Results 8 Cm0 Hyb 19 Attempts to hybridize the Cerco- 6 Cle Cmo 25 carpus species were first made in 6 Cle Hyb 27 1957. Plastic food bags were used to 1 Each attempt represents a branch with 6 to 15 flowers. enclose the branches selected for treatment. They proved to be too nearly airtight. Transpired moisture accumulated in them and tempera- ture inside became high. Small vents and a coating of aluminum paint failed to correct these difficulties. The drug capsules were too heavy for the small flowers. In conse- quence of these difficulties, only ten mature seeds were obtained by con- trolled pollination (Cle x Cmo). Twenty-five seeds were recovered from a bagged unemasculated branch of a natural hybrid plant which ap- parently were the result of selfing. Further attempts at crossing were made in 1958. The selected branches were first enclosed in paper bags which in turn were covered with loosely fitting plastic bags left open at the bottom, thus permitting free circulation of air still providing pro- tection from rain. The weather, however, was not favorable to flower production on an extensive stand of birchleaf ma- hogany near the mouth of Logan FIGURE1. Selected leaves to show the variation in characteristics of the Cercocarpus Canyon which was to have been the complex. Each is from a different plant. A, Fully developed evergreenleaves, dentate major source of study material. By at tips, the size suggesting a cross between C. intricatus and C. montanus. B, C. the time this species was flowering intricatus. C, C. Zedifolius, leaves evergreen and entire. D, E, & F, Leaves evergreen at the upper limit of its distribution with variable leaf shape and dentation. The form of these plants is similar to lCm0 = Cercocarpus montanus; CZe C. Zedifolius. G and H, These. are close to C. montanus. The bushes are low and = C. ledifolius; Hyb = natural hy- multi-stemmed. Although they are largely deciduous, some leaves remain green all brid. winter. The dentation of G does not approach the leaf base. I, Typical C. mntanus. TECHNICAL NOTES 271 condition and still capable of ger- Individual values for these same They tend to fall between the means mination. eight characteristics from selected of cliffrose and antelope bitterbrush Various circumstances made it im- plants from the Providence area although there is great variation.