Calochortiana December 2015 Number 2 December 2015 Number 2 CONTENTS Flora of Zion National Park Walter Fertig . 3 Introduction . 3 I. Key to Plant Families of Zion National Park . 5 II. Key to Genera and Species (arranged alphabetically by family) . 19 Appendix 1. Revisions to the Flora of Zion National Park . 126 References . 129 Acknowledgements . 131 Sphaeromeria ruthiae or Artemisia ruthiae (Ruth’s chickensage), a rare endemic of Zion National Park and vicinity in southern Utah. Illustra- tion by Kaye Thorne. Copyright 2015 Utah Native Plant Society. All Rights Reserved. Utah Native Plant Society Utah Native Plant Society, PO Box 520041, Salt Lake Copyright 2015 Utah Native Plant Society. All Rights City, Utah, 84152-0041. www.unps.org Reserved. Calochortiana is a publication of the Utah Native Plant Society, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organi- Editor: Walter Fertig ([email protected]), zation dedicated to conserving and promoting steward- ship of our native plants. 2 Calochortiana December 2015 Number 2 Flora of Zion National Park Walter Fertig, Arizona State University Herbarium 734 West Alameda, Tempe, AZ Abstract: Nearly 1100 vascular plant taxa (full species and subspecies/varieties) have been documented in Zion Na- tional Park since its establishment in 1909. Within the Colorado Plateau ecoregion, Zion has the third largest flora of any national park or monument, despite its relatively modest size (148,000 acres). The high species richness of the park is a result of its location near the juncture of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, Rocky Mountain, and Mojave Desert floristic regions. Additional diversity comes from species that are endemic to the Zion area (44 taxa) and re- cent introductions by humans (140 taxa). This paper includes a key to the 103 plant families currently recognized in Zion National Park (based on the 2009 APG III classification) and keys to each genus and species. Additional data on abundance, growth habit, general habitat, phenology, and synonyms are provided after each species entry in the key. An appendix includes a summary of taxonomic changes made since the 2009 Fertig and Alexander annotated check- list of the park. Introduction on each species are available in the annotated checklist of the park (Fertig and Alexander 2009) Zion National Park was established in July 1909 and recent updates (Fertig et al. 2012). by President William Howard Taft to preserve the These references and an earlier draft key to the area’s magnificent scenery and rich human history, flora of Zion (Fertig 2012) followed the nomencla- and to promote tourism in southern Utah (Figure ture and family classification of Welsh et al. 1). Of course the real value of the park is its in- (2008). For this flora, I have adopted the revised credible diversity of plant species. Currently, 1085 family classification of the Angiosperm Phylogeny vascular plant species and varieties have been Group (APG III 2009). APG III is a two-decades documented in the park (and more continue to be long effort by an international team of plant sys- added each year). Zion National Park has greater tematists to use modern molecular tools to deduce species richness than any other park or monument the evolutionary history of all vascular plants. A in Utah, and is third in the Colorado Plateau after number of long-standing families have been re- Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon shuffled based on the findings of APG III, such as Parashant National Monument (Fertig 2010a). the Chenopodiaceae, Hydrophyllaceae, Liliaceae, The great diversity of plant species found in Zion Scrophulariaceae, and many smaller families (APG can be attributed to the park’s location at the junc- III 2009). I have adopted many other recent tion of four major floristic regions: the Colorado changes in genus and species names following re- Plateau, Mohave Desert, Great Basin, and Rocky cent volumes of the Flora of North America Mountains. The richness of the flora is also en- (Barkworth et al. 2003, 2007; Flora of North hanced by a high degree of local endemism (species America Editorial Committee 1993, 2002b, 2003, found only in Zion and the immediate area) and 2005, 2006a, 2006b, 2006c, 2009, 2010, 2012, the introduction of new species through the inten- 2015), the Intermountain Flora (Holmgren et al. tional or unintentional actions of humans. 2012), and other literature (Nesom 2012a, 2012b, Differentiating between all of the plant species 2013 2014, 2015, Wagner et al. 2007, 2013) . All of found in Zion can be difficult. The following set of the changes made in the key are summarized in dichotomous keys are a tool for unlocking the mys- Appendix 1. tery of the park’s flora. The first key is for deter- Keying plants is a lot like learning a foreign mining the plant family to which a species belongs. language. Practice is essential – no one learns a The second is for identifying genera and species complete flora in two hours. The more species and within families. I have attempted to use non- terms that you learn, the easier it becomes to iden- technical language as much as possible, but some tify new species. Some gear is necessary too – es- technical jargon is unavoidable. Readers should pecially a hand lens and a metric ruler. Don’t be consult a glossary of botanical terms, such as the afraid to dig into the plant either – as some impor- excellent illustrated manual of Harris and Harris tant characteristics may not be immediately visible (1994) for help with unfamiliar words. Following (such as seed features). Also, nothing beats com- each species is a brief synopsis of its growth form, paring a mystery plant with illustrations, photos, or abundance in the park, habitats, flowering period, herbarium specimens. The important thing is to synonyms, and other information. Additional data have fun as you learn the species – and get outside to see them in nature! 3 Utah Native Plant Society Figure 1. Location of Zion National Park Washington, Kane, and Iron counties, Utah. Map created by Aneth Wight of NCPN (derived from Fertig and Alexander 2009). 4 Calochortiana December 2015 Number 2 I. Key to Plant Families of Zion National Park 1. Plants without flowers and lacking woody cones; reproduce by spores located on leaf undersides, leaf axils, or in fleshy apical cones; plants all herbaceous; Ferns and Fern Allies 2. Stems grooved lengthwise and jointed at nodes; spores in terminal, fleshy cones . Equisetaceae (horsetails) 2. Stems not grooved lengthwise or jointed at nodes; spores in leaf axils or underside of leaf surface 3. Plants moss-like, leaves simple and needle-like; spores in leaf axils . Selaginellaceae (spikemosses) 3. Plants fern-like, leaves compound or pinnately lobed; spores on underside of leaf surface; Ferns 4. Spore clusters (sori) near the leaflet margins, appearing elongate, usually at least partially covered by the in-rolled or curled leaflet margins (may be obscured by dense hairs in Cheilanthes) 5. Leaves and rhizomes with hairs but lacking broad, membranous scales; leaf blades leathery, 2-3 times pinnately compound, triangular; petioles green or yellow . Dennstaedtiaceae (bracken ferns) 5. Leaves or rhizomes with broad, membranous scales; leaf blades thin-textured to leathery, 1-3 times innately compound, linear, curved-spreading, or triangular; petioles usually reddish-brown, purplish, or black . Pteridaceae (lip ferns) 4. Sori on or along veins between leaflet margin and midrib, mostly round in outline; leaflet margins usually flat, rarely inrolled or curled 6. Sori not covered by a membranous or scale-like indusium; leaves once-pinnately compound, leathery . Polypodiaceae (polypody ferns) 6. Sori covered by a membranous indusium, scales, hairs, or contained within a bladdery sack (at least at the base when fresh); leaves 1-3 times pinnately compound, thin-textured to leathery 7. Sori elongate, with a flap-like indusium . Aspleniaceae (spleenworts) 7. Sori round, indusium shield-like, kidney-shaped, hood-like, cup-shaped, star-like, or absent . Dryopteridaceae (wood ferns) 1. Plants with flowers or with woody cones (cones fleshy in Juniperus); reproduce by seeds located in fruits or cones; plants herbaceous or woody; Angiosperms and Gymnosperms 8. Flowers lacking; seeds and ovules exposed on scales of woody or papery cones or embedded in fleshy berry-like cones (Juniperus); evergreen trees or shrubs with needle-like or scale-like leaves or grooved green stems (Ephedra); Gymnosperms 9. Stem branches grooved and jointed, green or bluish-green and photosynthetic; leaves tiny, scale-like, grayish- brown; ovules and seeds exposed in papery cones . Ephedraceae (Mormon teas) 9. Stem branches not grooved or jointed or photosynthetic; leaves scale-like and green or needle-like; ovules and seeds in woody cones or fleshy and berry-like 10. Leaves scale-like and opposite or needle-like and whorled; seeds fleshy and berry-like (Juniperus) or woody (Cupressus) . Cupressaceae (cypresses and junipers) 10. Leaves needle-like, spirally arranged or in clusters; cones woody. Pinaceae (pines) 8. Flowers present, usually showy but sometimes obscure; seeds and ovules embedded in dry or fleshy fruit; ever green or deciduous trees, shrubs, or herbs mostly with broad, multi-veined or narrow, parallel-veined leaves; stems usually not obviously grooved and green; Angiosperms 11. Plants thallus-like (consisting of a flattened, leaf-like stem without true leaves), mostly less than 6 mm long, floating or submerged in water; flowers often lacking, or extremely reduced (enclosed in flap of tissue and apetalous) . Lemna in Araceae (arums) 11. Plants not thallus-like, stems and leaves normally well-developed (sometimes leaves absent or reduced to spines or scales, sometimes stems pad-like and fleshy or covered by a basal tuft of leaves), well over 6 mm long, terrestrial or aquatic; flowers usually present and obvious, though sometimes reduced in size or lacking petals or sepals 12.