Sego Lily July 2013 36 (4) July 2013 (volume 36 number 4) In this issue: Grow This: Clematis . 2 Bulletin Board . 3 Unidentified Flowering Object . 3 Native Water Wise Plants for Utah . 4 Echinocereus mojavensis with Pink and Yellow Flowers . 6 A Survey of Species in Euphorbia Section Myrsiniteae: How Many Species Could Have Contributed to the Invasiveness of Euphorbia myrsinites in the Intermountain West? . 8 Low hesperochiron (Hesperochiron pumilus) is a stemless perennial characterized by a shallow, sau- cer-shaped corolla with the petal lobes many times longer than the tube. It blooms in spring and occurs in wet meadows and streamsides in the mountains and valleys over much of northern Utah. Hesperochiron can be distinguished from other members of the waterleaf family (Hydrophyllaceae) by having a basal rosette of en- tire, spoon-shaped leaves. Recent biosystematic research suggests that the Hydrophyllaceae is nested within the larger borage family and should be lumped with it (a position taken by some taxonomists in the 19th and early 20th centuries based on morphological grounds). Photo by Steve Hegji from the Snake Valley in western Utah. Copyright 2013 Utah Native Plant Society. All Rights Reserved. Utah Native Plant Society Committees Website: For late-breaking news, the Conservation: Bill King & Tony Frates UNPS store, the Sego Lily archives, Chap- Education: Ty Harrison ter events, sources of native plants, Horticulture: Maggie Wolf the digital Utah Rare Plant Field Guide, Important Plant Areas: Mindy Wheeler and more, go to unps.org. Many thanks to Invasive Weeds: Susan Fitts Xmission for sponsoring our website. Publications: Larry Meyer & W. Fertig Rare Plants: Walter Fertig Sego Lily Editor: Walter Fertig Officers Scholarship/Grants: Therese Meyer ([email protected]). The deadline for the President: Susan Fitts (Utah Co) September 2013 Sego Lily is 15 August Vice President: Jason Alexander (Utah Chapters and Chapter Presidents 2013. Co) Cache: Michael Piep Treasurer: Celeste Kennard (Utah Co), Cedar City: Copyright 2013 Utah Native Plant Society. Secretary: Mindy Wheeler (Summit Co) Escalante: Toni Wassenberg All Rights Reserved Board Chair: Larry Meyer (Salt Lake Co) Fremont: Marianne Breeze Orton Manzanita: Walter Fertig The Sego Lily is a publication of the Utah UNPS Board: Walter Fertig (Kane Co), Mountain: Mindy Wheeler Native Plant Society, a 501(c)(3) not-for- Robert Fitts (Utah Co), Ty Harrison (Salt Salt Lake: Bill Gray profit organization dedicated to conserv- Lake Co), Charlene Homan (Salt Lake Southwestern/Bearclaw Poppy: ing and promoting stewardship of our Co), Bill King (Salt Lake Co), Kipp Lee Margaret Malm native plants. (Salt Lake Co), Margaret Malm Utah Valley: Jason Alexander & Robert (Washington Co), Therese Meyer (Salt Fitts Utah Native Plant Society, PO Box 520041, Lake Co), Leila Shultz (Cache Co), Dave Salt Lake City, UT, 84152-0041. Email: Wallace (Cache Co), Blake Wellard [email protected] (Davis Co), Maggie Wolf (Salt Lake Co). ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Grow This: Clematis Text and Photo by Robert Dorn (adapted from Castilleja, the publication of the Wyoming Native Plant Society, March 2013) Clematis ligusticifolia, White Vir- gins-bower, is a fast-growing, decidu- ous vine with pinnately compound leaves. The flowers are white to cream and up to 1 inch across with few to many in the leaf axils. Male and female flowers are on separate plants. The female plants are the most attractive with fruits having feathery styles to 2 inches long. The plants occur naturally along road- sides or in thickets usually climbing on fences, trees, or shrubs in the ba- sins, valleys, and plains. They prefer full sun or partial shade and moist to dry, well-drained soil. This is a vigor- ous grower but can be pruned heavily if desirable. It can be grown from seed after removing the styles. Plant in fall outdoors. Clematis occidentalis, Purple Vir- Above: White Virginsbower (Clematis ligusticifolia) from Bonneville Co., Idaho. gins-bower, is a deciduous vine with compound leaves with 3 leaflets. The flowers are light blue to purple and It occurs naturally in wooded areas and sow outdoors in fall or cold strat- up to 2.5 inches long, nodding on long in the mountains and prefers light ify for 60 days for spring planting. stalks from the leaf axils. The fruits to moderate shade and well- Both Clematis species are also in the are a cluster of achenes with attrac- drained, loamy soil. It can be grown nursery trade. tive, feathery styles to 2.5 inches long. from seed. First remove the styles 2 Sego Lily July 2013 36 (4) Bulletin Board 8th Annual Cedar Breaks Wildflower Festival—July 6-21, 2013: The subalpine meadows of Cedar Breaks National Monument will be bursting with wildflowers this summer. Wildflower specialists will lead free daily guided walks at 10 AM and 1 PM. Classes in wild- flower identification, ecology, and photography are also being offered by the Zion Canyon Field Institute. For more information on festival highlights consult the Cedar Breaks NM web- site or call 435-586-0787. To help you enjoy the wildflowers of Cedar Breaks, either during the festival or at home, download the free Cedar Breaks Wildflower app (right) from the iTunes store or Google play for iphones or android systems. The app includes descriptions and natural history informa- tion for the more common and showy wildflowers of the monument, as well as numerous color photographs. Calochortiana Volume 2 Deadline: The deadline for submissions for the second edition of the Utah Native Plant Society’s annual technical journal, Calochortiana, has been extended to 15 October 2013 to better accommodate authors and reviewers. The inaugural issue is posted on the UNPS homepage (www.unps.org). Calochortiana provides a forum for articles on the natural history of native plants of Utah, protocols on growing native species, floristic checklists, and other contributions that are not readily accepted in other journals—and at no cost to contributors! Space is limited, however. For more information on format and review requirements, potential authors should contact Calo- chortiana editor, Walter Fertig ([email protected]). Volume 2 of the journal is slated for December 2013. Wetland Plant Guide Available: The Colorado Natural Heritage Program is excited to announce the completion of the Field Guide to Colorado’s Wetland Plants: Identification, Ecology, and Conservation. The field guide combines available wetland information into an easy-to-use resource designed for both the lay person as well as the wetland scientist to not only identify wetland plants, but to apply that knowledge towards proactive conservation and protection of one of Colo- rado’s most valuable resources. The Field Guide contains botanical descriptions of over 600 wetland plants as well as information on priority wildlife species and other wetland-dependent animals, wildlife and vegetation ecology, and rare or sensitive plants. The Guide not only assists with identifying a wetland plant, but includes information on its wetland indicator status, classification, conservation status, rarity, and ecology. The Field Guide is available for $39.95 plus tax and shipping from CHNP’s website: http://www.cnhp.colostate.edu/cwic/ident/fieldGuide.aspx. Unidentified Flowering Object This month’s UFO was provided by John Toolen of the BLM Grand Junction Field Office, who took the photo on Mancos Shale of northwestern Colorado. This annual is also found in badlands habitats in Grand and Uintah coun- ties in Utah. It can be taller than the photo shows, but the (mostly) entire leaves are distinctive. Any guesses? The July UFO photo was a close-up of the inflorescence of Rigid spineflower (Chorizanthe rigida). This 1-4 inch tall annual has spiny bracts below the greenish flowers that form a bur-like skeleton that persists long after the plant has set seed and died. In the interests of full disclo- sure, I took the photo this spring south of Mesquite, Ne- vada. In Utah Rigid spineflower is restricted to warm de- sert and Joshua tree habitats in the Beaver Dam Wash area. Congratulations to Lee Hughes for submitting the first correct response. Have a UFO to share? Send it in! - W. Fertig 3 Utah Native Plant Society Native Water-Wise Plants for Utah Utah is the second driest state in Deciduous Trees Purshia stansburyana [P. mexicana] the United States after Nevada. De- Acer grandidentatum (Bigtooth maple) (Cliffrose) D, F spite this, Utahans still want to enjoy F, M Quercus turbinella (Shrub live oak) D, F the benefits of landscaping and culti- Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon Rhus aromatica [R. trilobata] (Squaw- bush) D, F vating plants. The Utah Division of serviceberry) M Amelanchier utahensis (Utah service- Rhus glabra (Smooth sumac) F, M Water Resources and a group of 13 berry) D, F Rosa woodsii (Woods rose) F, M other government, university, and Celtis reticulata (Netleaf hackberry) D Salvia dorrii (Dorr sage) D non-profit groups (including the Utah Chilopsis linearis (Desert willow) D Shepherdia argentea (Silver buffalo- Native Plant Society) have developed Fraxinus anomala (Singleleaf ash) D, F berry) F, M a list of nearly 300 plant species that Quercus gambelii (Gambel oak) D, F Yucca angustissima (Narrow-leaved are adapted to Utah’s harsh climate Robinia neomexicana (New Mexico yucca) D and can thrive with little supplemen- locust) F Yucca baccata (Datil yucca) D tal water. The Utah Water-Wise Com- Yucca harrimaniae (Harriman’s yucca) F mittee’s list and additional informa- Shrubs Perennials tion on cultivating water-wise species Agave utahensis (Utah agave) D Artemisia filifolia (Sand sagebrush) D Achillea millefolium (Common yarrow) and garden design are available on Artemisia frigida (Fringed sagebrush) F, M the group’s website at www. water- F, M Anaphalis margaritacea (Pearly wiseplants.utah.gov. Artemisia nova (Black sagebrush) D, F ever-lasting) M It is important to remember, how- Artemisia tridentata (Big sagebrush) Arenaria [Eremogone] macradenia ever, that water-wise is not synony- D, F, M (Showy sandwort) D mous with native.