Students Investigating Burns FIRE EFFECTS ON MONTANA FLORA Identification tools and forest fire effects on forbs, shrubs, trees and weeds found in Montana’s Rocky Mountain Region Beth Neely Amy Cilimburg Avian Science Center University of Montana October 18, 2004 www.avainscience.org 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Primrose Family (Primulaceae)……………..…………...21 Shooting Star; Dodecatheon pulchellum Tall mountain shooting star (D. jeffreyi) Forbs (Wildflowers) & Shrubs Aster Family (Asteraceae)……………………………... ….5 Purslane Family (Portulaceae)…………………...………22 Arrowleaf Balsamroot; Balsamorhiza sagittata Miner’s Lettuce; Claytonia perfoliata Hawkweed; Hieracium albertinum,Hieracium albiflorum Heartleaf Arnica; Arnica cordifolia Rose Family (Rosaceae)…………..………………… ... ...23 Yarrow; Achillea millefolium Birch-Leaved Spiraea; Spiraea betulifolia Ninebark (Mallow Ninebark); Physocarpus malvaceus Barberry Family (Berberidaceae)…………………...… … 9 Serviceberry; Amelanchier alnifolia Oregon-grape; Mahonia repens Strawberry; Fragaria virginiana Buckthorn family(Rhamnaceae)………..………... … .. ..10 Saxifrage Family (Saxifragaceae)……..…………………27 Redstemmed buckbrush; Ceanothus sanguineus Starflower (Woodland Star); Lithophragma parviflorum Evening Primrose Family(Onagraceae)…………………11 Fireweed; Epilobium angustifolium Trees Pine Family (Pinaceae)………...…………………...…… 29 Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae)……………………...12 Douglas Fir; Pseudotsuga menziesii Blue-eyed Mary; Collinsia parviflora Lodgepole Pine; Pinus contorta Ponderosa Pine; Pinus ponderosa Geranium Family(Geraniaceae)………………….. … …13 Whitebark Pine; Pinus albicaulis Geranium; Geranium richardsonii Weeds……………………….. ………...…………………37 Honeysuckle Family (Caprifoliaceaa) … … … … .… ....14 Canada Thistle; Cirsium arvense Great Mullein, Common Mullein; Verbascum thapsus Snowberry; Symphoricarpos albus Spotted Knapweed; Centaurea biebersteinii Lily Family (Lilaceae)………….………………... … … ..15 Grasses………………………….. ………………….……40 Death camas; Zigadenus venenosus Blue bunch Wheatgrass; Pseudoroegneria spicata Glacier Lily (Snow-Lily); Erythronium grandiflorum Idaho Fescue; Festuca idahoensis White Hyacinth (White Brodiaea); Triteleia grandiflora Pinegrass; Calamagrostis rubescens Orchid Family (Orchidaceae)………………………..…...19 Calypso Orchid (Fairy Slipper); Calypso bulbosa Glossary… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …43 Pea Family (Fabaceae) ………………………………. …20 Bibliography………………….. …….. … … … .…… …44 Silky Lupine; Lupinus sericeus Acknowledgements………………….. … … … .…… …44 3 4 Arrowleaf Balsamroot Hawkweed Balsamorhiza sagittata Aster Family (Asteraceae) Aster Family Hieracium albertinum Hieracium albiflorum Form: Perennial forb, 20-70 cm tall, several stems branching from a long woody taproot. Leaves: Silvery-green, arrowhead-shaped, 20-30 cm long, covered with whitish felt-like hair, not toothed or lobed. Flowers: Yellow ray florets, solitary, 5-11 cm across; April- July. Fruits: 3-4 sided achenes 7-8 mm long. http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wsherb/images.htm http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/lactuceae.htm Form: Perennial forb with milky sap. Erect stems, 3-35cm or 30- 80 cm tall, depending on species, long-hairs on solitary stem. Leaves: Mainly basal, 1-8 cm or 4-15 cm (species variant), spoon or lance shaped, toothless or wavy toothed. Flowers: Yellow, dandelion like (H. albiflorum white), 1 cm across, ray florets; June-August. http://www.cwnp.org/photopgs/bdoc/basagittata.html Fruit: Veined achenes, pappus of slender, hairlike bristles. Like many forbs that grow in fire prone areas, arrowleaf There are many species of hawkweed present in the balsamroot has an underground fire-survival strategy. intermountain west, including Hieracium vulgatum, H. Genetic information and energy is stored in the caudex, a gracile, H. cynoglossoides, H. albiflorum and H. woody underground stem that is insulated from fires searing umbellatum. Species vary in stem height and flower flames by a blanket of soil and can resprout in postfire years. characteristics. Hawkweed fertilization is rare. Most Once flowering occurs, countless seeds will scatter in the reproduction occurs from the development of seeds without wind, ensuring the growth of new plants in the post fire flowers, which are genetically identical to the parent plant. forest. H. albiflorum, or white hawkweed is distinct due to its white flower, a characteristic divergent from a predominantly yellow-flowered genus. 5 6 Heartleaf Arnica Yarrow Arnica cordifolia Achillea millefolium Aster Family Aster Family (Asteraceae) http://www.cwnp.org/photopgs/adoc/arcordifolia.html http://www.delawarewildflowers.org Form: Perennial forb, 10-60 cm tall. Sparsely white hairy stems solitary or multiple, loosely clustered from a visible Form: Perennial forb, aromatic, leafy, erect stems, 10-80 rhizome. Leaves: Opposite, blue-green, heart shaped, usually coarsely cm tall, from rhizomes. toothed, soft hairy upper surface with veins appearing Leaves: Alternate, slender and fernlike, 3-10 cm long. embedded; 4-10 cm long, 3-9 cm wide. Flowers: White and sometimes pink, 5 mm across in flat to Flowers: Generally one per stem, yellow rays, pointed at tip round topped corymb-like clusters 2-10 cm across; around central “button,” 2.5-6 cm across; June-August. April-October. Fruit: Achenes, 6.5-8 mm long with short white hairs. Fruits: Hairless, flattened achenes (1-seeded, nut-like fruit). Hearleaf arnica has a double-edged strategy to bounce back While most plants in fire prone areas are adapted to fire with from low and moderate severity fires. First, if the strategies of regrowth, yarrow has the additional advantage underground stem (rhizome) survives the fire, the plant is having the lowest potential ignitability of 14 species able to resprout. Then, in the first or second year after the common in boreal (northern) forests. Due to the chemical fire, a showy display of flowers is followed by massive seed characteristics of its stems and leaves, yarrow plants may be production. The wind helps disperse these seeds and new able to withstand fires better than other plants. In addition, heartleaf-arnica can pop up where the fire passed through, fires induce extensive rhizome sprouting, create favorable benefiting from all the extra sunlight that reaches the forest soil for seedlings and reduce competition from other types of floor. vegetative cover. 7 8 Oregon grape Redstemmed buckbrush (Redstem ceanothus) Mahonia repens Ceanothus sanguineus Barberry Family (Berberidaceae) Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae) http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/clearwater/LewisClark/lewis_clark_plants/LC_pho tos/shrub_white/ceansang.htm Form: Erect loosely branched shrub, deciduous, 1-3 m tall; http://ghs.gresham.k12.or.us/science/ps/nature/gorge/3petal/bar/repens.htm slender, red branches. Bark: Slender, smooth, and purplish-red in color. Form: Low, wintergreen shrub; branches 10-30 cm long; Leaf: Simple, alternate, ovate, 3-10 cm long; thin, dark green, not often spreading by rhizomes. shiny, finely toothed and gland tipped, 3 prominent veins from leaf Leaves: Alternate, 5-7 leaflets edged with holly-like teeth, 3- base. 8 cm long, oblong to egg-shaped, green in summer, Flowers: Small white, cluster near twig ends; May-July. red or purple in winter. Fruit: Small, hard, 3-lobed, rounded capsule containing heavy Flowers: Yellow, 1 cm across, 6 petals and sepals, in seed, 4mm long; occur in clusters. elongated clusters; April-June. Fruits: Grape-like juicy berries, 7-8 mm long, purplish-blue Without fire, redstem ceanothus would have trouble finding access to the sunny, open-canopied environment in which it prospers. As with several large seeds. a pioneer species, it propagates in areas disturbed by fire, but is alternately one of the first species to decline as shade levels Dormant buds on underground rhizomes await the increase. Additionally, redstem ceanothus is dependent on fire for occurrence of fire to call them to sprout, grow and seed, regeneration. While seeds may develop during intervals between surviving all but severe duff-destroying fires. This fires, they are heat resistant, meaning they lie dormant in the soil adventitious-bud root crown is the Oregon grape’s prime fire until the heat of an intense fire instigates germination. This trait is survival strategy, making it an on-site colonizer in the initial known as seed banking. Following severe fire, redstem ceanothus post-fire community. Like many shrubs, Oregon grape germinates in large quantities, taking advantage of mineral soils appears after a fire as a result of fire-survival and does not created by fire. If seeds were not buried deep within soil and need off-site seed colonization to grow in a post-fire area. intense fire reduced duff, the top soil layer, seeds may not survive. In addition to sprouting from newly germinated seed, redstem ceanothus will also regrow from the root crown where severe fire top killed existing plants. 9 10 Fireweed Blue-eyed Mary Epilobium angustifolium Collinsia parviflora Evening Primrose Family (Onagraceae) Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae) http://www.toyen.uio.no/botanisk/nbf/plantefoto/Epilobium_angustifolium.htm Form: Perennial herb; erect-leafy step, 30-300 cm tall, from spreading rhizomes. Leaves: Lance-shaped, alternate, 2-20 cm long, green in summer, red in autumn. Flowers: Pink to purple, saucer-shaped, 2-4 cm across with 4 petals, four-pronged projection from center in crowded, showy clusters, lower flowers bloom first; June-Sept. Fruit: 4-8 cm long erect pods, splitting lengthwise to release hundreds of white tufted seeds (coma). Form: Annual