Urbanizing Flora of Portland, Oregon, 1806-2008
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URBANIZING FLORA OF PORTLAND, OREGON, 1806-2008 John A. Christy, Angela Kimpo, Vernon Marttala, Philip K. Gaddis, Nancy L. Christy Occasional Paper 3 of the Native Plant Society of Oregon 2009 Recommended citation: Christy, J.A., A. Kimpo, V. Marttala, P.K. Gaddis & N.L. Christy. 2009. Urbanizing flora of Portland, Oregon, 1806-2008. Native Plant Society of Oregon Occasional Paper 3: 1-319. © Native Plant Society of Oregon and John A. Christy Second printing with corrections and additions, December 2009 ISSN: 1523-8520 Design and layout: John A. Christy and Diane Bland. Printing by Lazerquick. Dedication This Occasional Paper is dedicated to the memory of Scott D. Sundberg, whose vision and perseverance in launching the Oregon Flora Project made our job immensely easier to complete. It is also dedicated to Martin W. Gorman, who compiled the first list of Portland's flora in 1916 and who inspired us to do it again 90 years later. Acknowledgments We wish to acknowledge all the botanists, past and present, who have collected in the Portland-Vancouver area and provided us the foundation for our study. We salute them and thank them for their efforts. We extend heartfelt thanks to the many people who helped make this project possible. Rhoda Love and the board of directors of the Native Plant Society of Oregon (NPSO) exhibited infinite patience over the 5-year life of this project. Rhoda Love (NPSO) secured the funds needed to print this Occasional Paper. Katy Weil (Metro) and Deborah Lev (City of Portland) obtained funding for a draft printing for their agencies in June 2009. Kenton Chambers, Richard Halse, Mike Houck, Eliza Lindsay, Aaron Liston, Rhoda Love, and Charlene Simpson provided much-needed edits and improvements to the manuscript. Diane Bland provided design advice and Cliff Alton solved critical layout problems. We are grateful for ready access to herbarium collections, databases, and botanical expertise granted to us by a host of individuals and institutions. Our work would have been impossible without the Oregon Flora Project (Linda Hardison, Thea Cook, Katie Mitchell), the databases of the Burke Museum (University of Washington) and Marion Ownby Herbarium (Washington State University). The Carex Working Group (Barbara Wilson, Bruce Newhouse, Dick Brainerd), Oregon State University (Aaron Liston, Richard Halse, Ken Chambers), the University of Washington (Peter Zika), Portland State University (Mark Fishbein, Diane Bland, Vic Marquardt), Reed College (Keith Karoly, Bert Brehm), and Linfield College (Kareen Sturgeon, John Syring) all provided information on herbarium collections past and present. Ed Alverson provided important information on specimens and historical publications. Bonnie Brunkow, Virginia Maffitt, Bruce Newhouse, Mary Pfauth, Lona Pierce, Jack Poff, Barbara Wilson, and Peter Zika provided species lists and personal collection data. Michael Baynes, Ken Chambers, Mart Hughes, Aaron Liston, Rhoda Love, Bob Meinke, Beth Myers-Shenai, Nancy Turner, Sue Vrilakas, and Carol Wilson provided innumerable technical details. Claire Johnson provided research material on E.P. Sheldon, and Rhoda Love provided transcripts of correspondence between W.N. Suksdorf and J.C. Nelson found at Washington State University. Mark Bosworth (Metro) and John Bauer (The Wetlands Conservancy) created several maps. The Oregon Historical Society and Multnomah County Library provided access to their collections of rare books, photos, and manuscripts. We are also grateful to staff who provided access to a variety of sources at Mazamas (Jeff Thomas, photo archives), Oregon State University (papers of the Oregon Horticultural Society, early student theses), Portland State University's Millar Library (archives of Vanport Extension Center), Reed College (early student theses), the University of Oregon's Knight Library (papers of M.W. Gorman, L.F. Henderson, A.R. Sweetser, J.C. Nelson, and early student theses), and the University of Washington's Allen Library (papers of A.A. Heller). Photo credits are on page 319. Urbanizing Flora of Portland, Oregon, 1806-2008 Table of Contents Summary.................................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction............................................................................................................................................... 3 Study area ............................................................................................................................................... 4 Climate.................................................................................................................................................... 5 Compilation of Species Catalog............................................................................................................... 6 Portland-area Plant Collectors and Their Herbaria ........................................................................... 14 Plant Specimens and Herbaria .............................................................................................................. 14 Plant Collectors..................................................................................................................................... 16 Chronology of Botanical Collecting..................................................................................................... 17 Principal Collectors, 1825-1925 ........................................................................................................... 21 Changing Habitats, Changing Flora ..................................................................................................... 30 Vegetation between 1806 and 1870...................................................................................................... 30 Urban Expansion after 1870 ................................................................................................................. 31 Changing Habitats................................................................................................................................. 36 Coniferous and mixed coniferous-deciduous forest ......................................................................... 37 Prairie, savanna, and oak woodland.................................................................................................. 39 Cliffs, Rock Outcrops, and Rocky Oak Woodland........................................................................... 43 Rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands................................................................................................. 45 Roads and Railroads ......................................................................................................................... 52 Dredge Spoils and Ballast................................................................................................................. 52 Analysis of a Changing Flora ............................................................................................................... 55 Rare species, common species.......................................................................................................... 55 Exotic species and periods of introduction....................................................................................... 57 Comparison with other urban floras ................................................................................................. 61 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 62 Catalog of vascular plants in the Portland-Vancouver area............................................................... 64 Excluded taxa...................................................................................................................................... 248 Literature Cited .................................................................................................................................... 254 Appendix A. Gazetteer—old and new place names........................................................................... 270 Appendix B. Gormania—champion trees, farmers, and the "idle Sunday rabble" ...................... 283 Appendix C. Ballast plants from Portland area................................................................................. 291 Appendix D. Rare native plants in Portland area.............................................................................. 294 Appendix E. Rare exotic plants in the Portland area........................................................................ 299 Index....................................................................................................................................................... 302 Photo Credits......................................................................................................................................... 319 1 Summary The vascular flora of the Portland-Vancouver area is documented by herbarium specimens and publications dating back to 1806. Urbanization has had inevitable and predictable effects on the region's vegetation. Wetlands have declined locally by 97 percent, coniferous forest by 92 percent, prairie and savanna by 90 percent, riparian and wetland forest by 58 percent, and oak communities of any sort by 40 percent. Open water features declined 49 percent. Old literature and specimens document the floristic composition