Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS Volume 98 Number Article 4 1991 An Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plant Flora of Guthrie County, Iowa Dean M. Roosa Department of Natural Resources Lawrence J. Eilers University of Northern Iowa Scott Zager University of Northern Iowa Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy Copyright © Copyright 1991 by the Iowa Academy of Science, Inc. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/jias Part of the Anthropology Commons, Life Sciences Commons, Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons, and the Science and Mathematics Education Commons Recommended Citation Roosa, Dean M.; Eilers, Lawrence J.; and Zager, Scott (1991) "An Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plant Flora of Guthrie County, Iowa," Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS, 98(1), 14-30. Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/jias/vol98/iss1/4 This Research is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa Academy of Science at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS by an authorized editor of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Jour. Iowa Acad. Sci. 98(1): 14-30, 1991 An Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plant Flora of Guthrie County, Iowa DEAN M. ROOSA 1, LAWRENCE J. EILERS2 and SCOTI ZAGER2 1Department of Natural Resources, Wallace State Office Building, Des Moines, Iowa 50319 2Department of Biology, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50604 The known vascular plant flora of Guthrie County, Iowa, based on field, herbarium, and literature studies, consists of748 taxa (species, varieties, and hybrids), 135 of which are naturalized. Species which appear on the state's list of endangered and threatened species, or are otherwise rare, are discussed. There is an affinity of the plants of Guthrie County with those of the Ozark plateau, and with specialized habitats providing extensions of ranges for species normally found farther north or east. INDEX DESCRIPTORS: Guthrie County flora, Iowa vascular plant flora, endangered Iowa plants. Guthrie County is located in the southwest quarter of Iowa, the Climate fourth county from both the Missouri River to the west and from the The climate is continental -winters are severe and cause a relatively Missouri border to the south. The surface area is 600 sq. mi. (1555 long annual dormant period for plants. Growing season (frost-free sq. km.). The county is composed of two major landform regions, the days) averages around 165 days, from April 15 to October 6. Most of Des Moines Lobe in the northeast portion north of the Raccoon River, the precipitation occurs in the form of rain during the spring and and the Southern Iowa Drift Plain south of the Raccoon River (names summer with June being the month of highest average precipitation. for landform regions after Prior, 1976). The former is a relatively young landscape, characterized by level uplands with deep, black Soils soils; the latter, last glaciated 600,000 years ago, is a mature, Two soil associations occur in Guthrie County. The approximate dissected landscape characterized by wooded ravines, loess capped northeast one-fifth is in the Clarion-Nicollet-Webster association, de­ knobs, and eroded sideslopes where ancient tills are exposed. Out­ rived from calcareous glacial till. The remainder of the county lies in crops of Dakota sandstone occur in the region of Springbrook State the Marshall soil association. Loess covers the uplands and high Park and near Coon Rapids. Lakin Slough is a shallow glacial pond benches or terraces along major streams; till outcrops on the lower part located on the Des Moines Lobe in the northeast portion of the of strongly sloping areas. The Marshall soils gradually change west­ county. ward into the Monona soils of the Monona-Ida-Hamburg association. PLANT COMMUNITIES Following are locations and characteristic spe­ Onosmodium mo/le mr. occidentale Ruderal areas. Roadsides, old fields, and edges cies of each community-type. Figures 1-9 illus­ Pediome/um argophyllum of cultivated fields; widely distributed. trate common communities or rare plants. Rudbeckia serotina Abuti/on theophrasti Upland Prairie. Section 28, Valley Twp.; Sec­ So/idago canadmsis Achi//ea mi//efo/ium tion 25, Bear Grove Twp.; Section 33, Seely Twp. So/idago rigida Agrostis gigantea (See Fig. 1, 2) Sorghastrum nutans Amaranthus retrof/exus Stipa spartea Amorpha canescen.r Ambrosia artemisiifo/ia Andropogon gerardii Fen. A degraded peatland in a pasture in NW Ambrosia trifida Anet1Wne cy/indrica 114, Section 17, Highland Twp. (See Fig. 3) Arctium minus AriJtida oligantha Aster puniceus Asclepias syriaca Artemesia /udoviciana Ca/tha palustris Brassica nigra Aster ericoides Carr/amine bu/bosa Bromus inermis Asclepias tuberosa Came gravida Cannabis satim Baptisia lactea Came hystricina Capsella bursa-pastoris Boute/oua curtipendula Came prairea Carduus nutans Cacalia plantaginea Equisetum arvense Cenchrus longispinus Comandra umbellata Eupatorium maculatum Chenopodium album Coreopsis palmata Eupatorium perfoliatum Cirsium arvense Da/ea candida Glyceria striata Cirsium 1111/gare Da/ea purpurea Helianthus grosseserratus Euphorbia dentata Echinacea pa/Iida Lemna minor Helianthus annuus Eryngium yuccifo/ium Lythrum alatum Hibiscus trionum Gnaphalium obtusifo/ium PediculariJ lanceolata Lepidium densif/orum Helianthus grosseserratus PhalariJ arundinacea Malm negleaa Helianthus maximi/iani Pycnanthemum virginianum Matricaria matricarioides He/iopsis he/ianthoides Rumex orbiculatus Mirabilis nyctaginea Heuchera richardsonii Scripus atrovirens Pastinaca saliva Koe/eria macrantha Scirpus f/uviatile Polygonum aviculare Lespedna capitata Typha latifo/ia Portulaca o/eracea Liatris aspera Viola nephrophy/la Rumex acetocella FLORA OF GUTHRIE COUNTY 15 Sa/so/a iberica Osmunda claytoniana Cory/us americana Setaria glauca Parthenocissus quinquefolius Danthonia spicata Setaria viridis Podophyllum peltatum Echinacea pallida Solanum americanum Tilia americana Solanum rostratum Uvularia grandiflora Equisetum laevigatum Sonchus asper Festuca obtusa Shallow marshes. Lakin slough, Sections 34 & Hedeoma hispidum Taraxacum officinale 35, Richland Twp.; McCord Pond, Section 8, Tragopogon major Highland Twp.; Bays Branch, Sections 10, 15, Helianthemum bicknellii Verbena bracteata 22, Cass Twp. (See Fig. 6) Heuchera richardsonii Verbena stricta Hypoxis hirsuta Xanthium strumarium Alisma plantago-aquatica Koeleria macrantha Asclepias incarnata Dry, rocky or gravelly knobs. Sections 28 & Carex atherodes Lespedeza capitata 29, Jackson Twp., T79N, R30W. (See Fig. 4) Carex vulpinoidea Lithospermum caroliniense Aristida basiramea Ceratophyllum demersum Lycopodium lucidulum Aristida curtissii Cicuta maculata Mirabilis hirsuta Aristida oligantha Cyperus erythrorhizos Penstemon digitalis Artemisia campestris ssp. caudata Eleocharis acicularis Poa compressa Asclepias stenophylla Eleocharis erythropoda Quercus alba Bouteloua curtipendula Eupatorium perfoliatum Quercus macrocarpa Bouteloua hirsuta Iris shrevei Quercus velutina Cyperus filiculmis J uncus interior Cyperus schweinitzii Lemna minor Rubus allegheniensis Dichanthelium depauperatum Lemna trisulca Senecio plattensis Lespedeza capitata Lobelia siphilitica Sporobolous asper Liatris punctata Penthorum sedoides Strophostyler he/vu/a Monarda punctata Phalaris arundinacea Tradescantia ohiensis Opuntia macrorhiuz Polygonum amphibium Woodsia obtusa Paspalum setaceum var. ciliatifolium Potamogeton nodosus Strophostyles he/vu/a Rumex orbiculatus Hillside seep. North half of Section 22, Sagittaria brevirostra Scirpus americanus Valley Twp. (See Fig. 7) Moist woods and wooded ravines. Section Scirpus atrovirens Asclepias incarnata 14, Bear Grove Twp., Sec. 4, Victory Twp. (See Scirpus fluviatilis Bidens cernua Fig. 5) Scirpus validus Carex lacustris Acer nigrum Sparaganium eurycarpum Carex vulpinoidea Acer saccharinum Typha X glauca Cicuta maculata Aesculus glabra Typha latifolia Epilobium glandulosum Adiantum pedatum Woljfia columbiana Aralia nudicaulis Eupatorium perfoliatum Glyceria striata Arisaema dracontium Sandy ledges and dry sandy slopes. Impatiens capensis Arisaema triphyllum (Crumbling Dakota sandstone). Section 4, Lemna minor Asarum canadense Victory Twp., vicinity of Springbrook State Athyrium angustum Liparis loerelii Botrychium virginianum Park. Lycopus asper Carex davisii Amorpha canescens Lythrum alatum Caulophyllum thalictroides Androprogon ge,rardii Mentha arvensis Cypripedium calceolus var. pubescens Antennaria plantaginifolia Onoclea sensibilis Cystopteris protrusa Aristida basiraf!U'4 Pycnanthemum virginianum Dicentra cucullaria Aster sagittifolius Erythronium albidum Rorippa palustris Fraxinus pennsylvanica Astragalus canadensis Sagittaria latifolia Galium aparine Carex blanda Sparganium eurycarpum Hydrophyllum virginianum Carex brevior Thelypteris palustris Liparis liliifolia Carex pensylvanica Typha latifolia Matteuccia struthiopteris Carex rosea Monotropa uniflora Ceanothus americanus var. pitcheri DISCUSSION OF THE FLORA possesses a wider variety of habitats than most counties in the region. The marshes on the Des Moines Lobe provide habitat for a wetland The only previous study of vegetation of Guthrie County was done flora generally missing in southwest Iowa. The moist wooded slopes by Fay (1953), as part of a study of the southwest Iowa flora for a along the Raccoon River provide habitat for an extension of the range doctoral dissertation.