A Checklist of the Vascular Flora Of
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A Checklist of the Vascular Flora of Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Apache County, Arizona Author(s): Glenn Rink Source: The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society, Vol. 132, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 2005), pp. 510-532 Published by: Torrey Botanical Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20063790 Accessed: 25-04-2018 15:46 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms Torrey Botanical Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society This content downloaded from 134.114.107.52 on Wed, 25 Apr 2018 15:46:14 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 132(3), 2005, pp. 510-532 A checklist of the vascular flora of Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Apache County, Arizona1 Glenn Rink2 3 Northern Arizona University, Department of Biological Sciences, PO Box 5640, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 Rink, G (Northern Arizona University, Department of Biological Sciences, PO Box 5640, Flagstaff, AZ 86001) J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 132: 510-532. 2005?A total of 243 new species records, 60 new generic records, and 11 new family records were documented for Canyon de Chelly National Monument, bringing the known flora of the Monument to 771 species. This work is part of an inventory carried out throughout the National Park Service as part of the Natural Resource Challenge, a legislative and administrative mandate. Four species are on or proposed for the Navajo Nation Endangered Species List. Additions to the flora include Carex spe culcola, a Listed Threatened species, and Zigadenus vaginatus, both on the Navajo Endangered Species List. Astragalus chuskanus, Cirsium chellyense, Lupinus caudatus subsp. cutleri, and a white-flowered form of Mer tensla oblonglfolia are endemic to the Monument and surrounding area. Key words: Arizona, biological inventory, Canyon de Chelly, flora, rare plants The purpose of this project was to voucher the northeastern Arizona (Fig. 1) was established in flora of Canyon de Chelly National Monument, 1931 to protect significant Anasazi archaeolog adding as many new records as possible. This ical resources. The Monument encompasses 400 work was completed as part of an inventory ef square kilometers (131 square miles) between fort carried out throughout the National Park longitudes 109? 08' and 109? 33' N and latitudes Service (NPS) as part of the Natural Resource 35? 59' and 36? 18' W. Canyon de Chelly and Challenge, a legislative and administrative man its side canyons are incised into the northern date. National Park Service researchers (Stuart portion of the Defiance Plateau at the western et al. 2000) estimated that 60 percent of the plant edge of the Chuska Mountains (Barnes 1984) on species in Canyon de Chelly were already the Colorado Plateau. Spectacular cliffs result known. Canyon de Chelly is within the San Juan from a resistant cap of Shinarump Conglomerate River drainage, the subject of an ongoing cata (shale, coarse sandstone and conglomerate) over loguing effort (Heil and O'Kane 2003). the more easily eroded De Chelly Sandstone Canyon de Chelly National Monument, part (Pierce 1967, Vandiver 1937). Fine-grained Su of the Navajo Reservation, in Apache County, pai Sandstone, exposed at canyon bottoms in mid-canyon reaches, acts as an aquiclude, block 1 Funding from the National Park Service Inventory ing the downward flow of water, causing springs and Monitoring Project. The Navajo Nation and the and seeps at the surface (Cooley et al. 1969). Navajo Natural Heritage Program made this project Thus, the nature of the geologic layers cause wa possible for me. 2 Address for correspondence: 801 West Birch, Flag ter to become available for agriculture, leading staff, AZ 86001; E-mail: [email protected]. to the canyon's attraction to humans. Volcanic 3 Daniela Roth of the Navajo Natural Heritage Pro basalts and talus cover small areas at the east gram and Anne Cully of the National Park Service end of the Monument. The mouth of the canyon helped with project planning and permits. Canyon de Chelly National Monument staff, especially Ailema lies at 1680 m (5500 ft) above sea level while Benally, Christiansen Blacksheep, Gwen Gallenstein, upper slopes reach 2320 m (7600 ft). Canyon de Wilson Hunter, Scott Travis, Tom Workman, and Wil Chelly, Canyon del Muerto (a northern tribu liam Yazzie helped with permits and logistics. Richard tary), and Monument Canyon (a southern trib Halse supplied his field notes. Many others helped in the field. Tina Ayers, Marc Baker, Robert Dorn, Mir utary) make up the canyon complex. The canyon iam Colson Fritts, H. David Hammond, Ken Heil, Max mouth is a flat sandy wash margined with low Licher, Nancy Morin, Daniela Roth, Andrew Salywon, cliff walls set apart by 0.2 to 1 km. Upstream, Randy Scott, Stanley Welsh, and Michael Windham in much of the canyon system, the slopes and helped determine specimens. Tina Ayers, H. David Hammond, Steve O'Kane, Daniela Roth, Randy Scott cliff walls attain heights of 250-350 meters and an anonymous referee reviewed the manuscript. (800-1200 ft). Four tributaries enter the canyon This project was undertaken to partially fulfill the re complex, draining watersheds of the Chuska quirements of a Master of Science degree at Northern Mountains. Tsaile Creek in Canyon del Muerto Arizona University, Flagstaff. Received for publication May 8, 2005, and in re and Wheatfields, Whiskey, and Crystal Creeks vised form January 31, 2005. in Canyon de Chelly are perennial most years 510 This content downloaded from 134.114.107.52 on Wed, 25 Apr 2018 15:46:14 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 2005] RINK: CANYON DE CHELLY NATIONAL MONUMENT FLORA 511 Fig. 2. The canyon system at Canyon de Chelly National Monument. yon de Chelly area during the 1700s (Andrews 1985). Canyon de Chelly has been an important home and agricultural area, and played a signif icant role as a Dine refuge from both Spanish and American invaders during the late 1700s through the 1800s (Grant 1978). Hill (1938) and Jett and Spencer (1981) documented ditch agri culture in the mid 1800s, a practice that contin ues in the lower canyons. Fruit orchards date from the early 1700s (Jett 1974, 1977, 1979). In Fig. 1. Canyon de Chelly region. the last few decades, agriculture, grazing, tree planting, erosion control features, motor vehicle travel, and tourism have severely impacted the from where they enter the Monument to mid lower canyons. Upper canyons have been less canyon reaches (Fig. 2). Chinle Wash drains severely affected. Human settlement, logging, both canyons. chaining of woodlands, grazing, fuel wood gath Canyon de Chelly is in USDA Climate Zone ering, and some dry-land farming have disturbed 6 (USDA 2003). Precipitation is quite variable, rim areas. Tsaile Reservoir, built at the head of but averages 246.1mm (9.65 in) per year at the Canyon del Muerto in 1963, submerges a small visitor center near the mouth of the canyon. Up part of the Monument and alters the flow regime per elevations receive more precipitation than of Tsaile Creek (Brugge and Wilson 1976). The the lower canyons. July and August are the wet diversion for Wheatfields Lake alters the flow test months, with thunderstorms and cloudbursts regime of Wheatfields Creek above Canyon de that are highly variable in distribution; one area Chelly. The US Soil Erosion Service, in concert will receive a heavy rain while an adjacent area with the National Park Service, planted thou remains dry (Green and Sellers 1964, Sellers sands of riparian trees, including native willow and Hill 1974). (Salix spp.) and cotton wood (Populus spp.), as The canyons have a long history of human well as exotic saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) and Rus disturbance. Betancourt and Davis (1984) found sian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), in the can maize and Cleome pollen in a 3120 BP packrat yon bottoms to alter channel geomorphology to midden near the junction of Canyon del Muerto increase the size of arable areas, to reduce ero and Canyon de Chelly suggesting an early arriv sion at archeological sites and to reduce sedi al of agriculture in the canyons. Canyon de ment contribution to Chinle Wash (Brugge and Chelly is perhaps most well-known for its Pueb Wilson 1976). These plantings began in the lo Period (AD1100-1300) cliff dwellings. Dine 1930s and have severely altered the hydrologie (Navajo people) probably began using the Can and geomorphic regime of the canyon bottoms This content downloaded from 134.114.107.52 on Wed, 25 Apr 2018 15:46:14 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 512 JOURNAL OF THE TORREY BOTANICAL SOCIETY [Vol. 132 resulting in a rapid transformation of the riparian ically since the 1970's (Rink 2003). Once bare community that continues to this day (Rink of vegetation, these areas are now choked with 2003). Canyon de Chelly National Monument is riparian vegetation including Russian olive, the third most-visited park in the region, after which was introduced in 1964, saltcedar which Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon was introduced in the 1930s (Brugge and Wilson National Recreation Area (Etsitty 1994). Tour 1976), along with willow and plains cottonwood ism severely impacts park administrative areas, (Populus deltoides subsp. wislizenii).