Common Plants of the Upper Klamath Basin
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Common Plants of the Upper Klamath Basin Technical Layout & Design .........Michael Calonje Editor ................................................Sarah Malaby Plant Descriptions & Text ..............Molly Juillerat, Ron Larson, Sarah Malaby, Jeanne Skalka. Photography ...........Michael Calonje, Ron Larson, Sarah Malaby, Terry Spivey. A Special acknowledgement to Klamath County Commissioners Al Switzer, John Elliott and Bill Brown for providing funding for publication costs through PL 06-393 Title III “Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000” Oregon Native Plant Society - Klamath Basin Chapter Rabe Consulting 2007 CONTENTS Introduction ...................................................................................3 Overview ........................................................................................3 Habitats ..........................................................................................4 Plant Exploration in the Upper Klamath Basin .........................6 Growing Native Plants ..................................................................6 Species Groups ..............................................................................7 Ferns and Horsetails ..................................................................7 Conifers .....................................................................................8 Flowering Plants: Flowers, Hardwood Trees, and Shrubs .......9 Flowering Plants: Grasses and Grass-like Plants ...................9 Lichens, Bryophytes, and Blue-green Algae ...........................20 Upper Klamath Basin Map ........................................................22 Species Descriptions ....................................................................24 Ferns and Horsetails ................................................................24 Conifers ...................................................................................27 Flowering Plants: Flowers, Hardwood Trees, and Shrubs .....34 Flowering Plants: Grasses and Grass-like Plants .................235 Lichens, Bryophytes, and Blue-green Algae .........................248 Scientific Names Index ..............................................................256 Common Names Index .............................................................260 Glossary .....................................................................................264 Appendix A: Places To See Wildflowers ..................................270 Appendix B: References ...........................................................272 2 INTRODUCTION Although the Upper Klamath Basin is widely known for bird watching, the diversity of plants that occurs here is often overlooked. This field guide describes many of the commonly encountered vascular plants found in the Upper Klamath Basin, and includes some of the more localized species as well. The focus is on native species, but some introduced plants are included. A short section on lichens, bryophytes, and blue-green algae is intended to be an introduction to these types of species. Information contained in Noxious Weeds of Klamath County, and Special Status Plants of Klamath County is not repeated here. Those publications and other useful references are listed in Appendix B. Also listed are suggested locations for wildflower viewing (Ap- pendix A). Vascular plant nomenclature in this book predominately follows The Jepson Manual, Higher Plants of California. Common names are taken from local usage or the USDA PLANTS database. Plant edibility and uses are mentioned in some of the “notes” sections of the species descriptions. Read- ers should always be certain of the identification and the proper uses of plants before consuming them. OVERVIEW The 7,230 square mile Upper Klamath Basin is located in Southern Oregon and Northern California and consists of watersheds that flow into Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River above Copco Lake. This includes the Lost, Sprague, and Williamson Rivers, as well as several smaller streams that flow off the east side of the Cascades. The basin extends from the crest of the Cascade Mountains on the west to the Basin and Range physiographic prov- ince on the east. The climate is generally characterized by cold, snowy winters, hot, dry summers, and relatively short growing seasons. Precipitation varies due to the rain shadow effect of the Cascades and elevation differences. Elevation ranges from 2,607 feet at Copco Reservoir to 9,495 feet on Mt. McLoughlin, with most areas between 4,000-6,000 feet. Annual precipitation is greatest at Crater Lake National Park, 66 inches, compared to an average of 3.7 inches in Klamath Falls and only 0.9 inches in Tulelake. Soils are primarily derived from weathered volcanic material or lake sedi- ments. Many of the low-lying areas were once part of Lake Modoc, a ,00 square mile lake that formed during the last ice age. As the climate warmed and dried, Lake Modoc receded. A 375,000-acre complex of shallow lakes, marshes, wet meadows, and seasonally flooded basins was present when Euro- pean settlers arrived. Many of the wetlands in the basin have been drained for 3 agriculture; however, Upper Klamath Lake remains the largest lake in Oregon, and marsh, meadow, and forested riparian habitats are still present. The northern third of the basin has been overlain with recent pumice and ash deposits from Mt. Mazama, which erupted roughly 7,700 years ago, creating Crater Lake. Soils derived from deep layers of pumice have low heat reten- tion, and are well drained and nutrient poor. These characteristics create chal- lenging growing conditions for plants. HABITATS The variation in climate, topography, and soils creates an abundance of habi- tats for plants and contributes to the diversity of the area. Within the main habitat types, microsites, such as rock outcrops, mudflats, springs, and seeps are important for some species. Processes such as fire, succession in the ab- sence of fire, and human activities have affected plant species composition in the basin over time. Riparian habitats associated with streams, floodplains, basins, and lake mar- gins are some of the most botanically diverse areas. Lodgepole pine, white fir, or Engelmann spruce are the dominant conifers in forested riparian areas. Hardwoods like aspen and black cottonwood may also be present. In open meadows and wetlands, tufted hairgrass and a wide variety of wildflowers, other grasses, sedges, and rushes can be found. Willows, bog birch, and bog blueberry may occur on hummocks and around wetland edges. In the shallow water around Upper Klamath Lake, dense stands of tule bulrushes and cattails form marsh habitat. Wokas may be found floating on open water within the marsh. Woodlands and shrublands occupy dry, low elevation sites, and are most abundant in the southeast part of the basin. Rabbitbrush, big sagebrush, and bunchgrasses commonly occur. An introduced annual, cheatgrass, has become abundant in many of these dry habitats, displacing native wildflowers and grasses. Western juniper may be abundant, scattered, or absent on drier sites. Juniper is a highly competitive water user that has increased and spread during the past century as a result of fire suppression. Klamath plum and mountain mahogany often grow on dry, rocky ridges with juniper. Scablands occur where rocky, shallow soils overlay bedrock. Scablands appear barren in the summer, but early spring flowering can be quite spectacular. Low sagebrush, daggerpod, frasera, biscuitroots, and Sandberg bluegrass are often present. Less common community types include Oregon white oak and black oak woodlands along the Klamath River, and greasewood - saltgrass shrublands on alkaline flats south of Klamath Falls. 4 Ponderosa pine forest occurs on warm, dry montane slopes and is the domi- nant forest type in the basin. Historically, frequent low intensity fires created open stands with large diameter trees, highly valued for timber. In the absence of fire, stands become dense and brushy, decreasing the diversity of plant spe- cies. Bitterbrush, sagebrush, bunchgrasses, and a variety of wildflowers occur in this forest type. Lodgepole pine forest is typically found in cold or wet areas. A prolific seeder, lodgepole pine also forms seral stands following disturbance in other forest types. Lodgepole pine forest is most abundant in the north, where it tolerates the cold conditions on the flats and basins of the pumice zone. Bit- terbrush, goldenbush, and western needlegrass often occur in dry lodgepole pine forests. Mixed conifer forest occurs on moister sites than pure ponderosa pine forest. Ponderosa pine, sugar pine, western white pine, incense cedar, and Douglas-fir may be present as seral species, which establish after a canopy opening event like wildfire. White fir and Shasta red fir are shade-tolerant species in these forest types, meaning they can regenerate under an existing canopy. Lack of fire allows increased growth of fir in the understory of mixed conifer stands, increasing tree density and making them less diverse and more susceptible to mortality from insects, disease, and stand-replacing fire. A variety of shrubs and wildflowers occur in mixed conifer stands, including chinquapin, box- wood, prince’s pine, and twinflower. Subalpine forest grows at high elevations up to timberline. Mountain hem- lock, Shasta red fir, whitebark pine, or lodgepole pine dominate this forest type. Many of these slow-growing forests are located in wilderness or Crater Lake National Park, where