United States Department of Agriculture Vascular Plants and a Brief Forest Service Rocky Mountain History of the Kiowa and Rita Research Station General Technical Report Blanca National Grasslands RMRS-GTR-233 December 2009 Donald L. Hazlett, Michael H. Schiebout, and Paulette L. Ford Hazlett, Donald L.; Schiebout, Michael H.; and Ford, Paulette L. 2009. Vascular plants and a brief history of the Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS- GTR-233. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 44 p. Abstract Administered by the USDA Forest Service, the Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands occupy 230,000 acres of public land extending from northeastern New Mexico into the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas. A mosaic of topographic features including canyons, plateaus, rolling grasslands and outcrops supports a diverse flora. Eight hundred twenty six (826) species of vascular plant species representing 81 plant families are known to occur on or near these public lands. This report includes a history of the area; ethnobotanical information; an introductory overview of the area including its climate, geology, vegetation, habitats, fauna, and ecological history; and a plant survey and information about the rare, poisonous, and exotic species from the area. A vascular plant checklist of 816 vascular plant taxa in the appendix includes scientific and common names, habitat types, and general distribution data for each species. This list is based on extensive plant collections and available herbarium collections. Authors Donald L. Hazlett is an ethnobotanist, Director of New World Plants and People consulting, and a research associate at the Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, CO. Michael H. Schiebout is currently a Ph.D, student at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO. His floristic master’s work, with this same university, was in northeastern NM. Paulette L. Ford is a research ecologist with the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station in Albuquerque, NM. Cover: The Canadian River in Mills Canyon (photo by Don Hazlett). You may order additional copies of this publication by sending your mailing information in label form through one of the following media. Please specify the publication title and number. Publishing Services Telephone (970) 498-1392 FAX (970) 498-1122 E-mail [email protected] Web site http://www.fs.fed.us/rmrs Mailing Address Publications Distribution Rocky Mountain Research Station 240 West Prospect Road Fort Collins, CO 80526 Contents Introduction.......................................................................................................1 Human.History..................................................................................................1 A.Brief.History.of.the.Kiowa.Nation....................................................1 Spanish.and.Other.Early.Settlers..........................................................2 Dust.Bowl.to.National.Grassland.........................................................4 Kiowa.and.Plains.Apache.Ethnobotany................................................5 Natural.History..................................................................................................5 Vegetation.............................................................................................5 Fauna....................................................................................................6 Site.Description.................................................................................................6 Geology.and.Soils.................................................................................6 Climate..................................................................................................7 Three.Study.Regions.............................................................................9 The.Study.Area.Habitats.....................................................................10 Methods..........................................................................................................14 Field.Survey.Methods.........................................................................14 Plant.Species.Nomenclature...............................................................15 Habitat.Designations...........................................................................15 Geographic.Distributions....................................................................15 Results.and.Discussion...................................................................................15 New.Mexico.Rare.Plants....................................................................16 Oklahoma.Rare.Plants.........................................................................17 Texas.Rare.Plants................................................................................17 Exotic.Plants.......................................................................................17 Toxic.Plants.........................................................................................18 Conservation.and.Management.......................................................................18 Acknowledgments...........................................................................................18 References.......................................................................................................19 Appendix.........................................................................................................21 Vascular_Plants_and_a_Brief_ History_of_the_Kiowa_and_Rita_ Blanca_National_Grasslands Donald_L._Hazlett,_Michael_H._Schiebout,_and_Paulette_L._Ford Introduction_____________________ and.White.(2000)..The.etymology.of.the.Kiowa.name. has.several.interpretations..It.is.pronounced.Kai-o-wa . The.Kiowa.and.Rita.Blanca.National.Grasslands.(KNG. in.Latin,.caygua.in.Spanish,.and.Kaiwa.in.Comanche.. and.RBNG).are.located.in.northeastern.New.Mexico.and. Newcomb.(1961).considered.Kiowa.as.a.variation.of. adjacent. Oklahoma. and. Texas.. This. report. represents. the.actual.Kiowa.tribe.name..He.speculated.that.a.literal. the. first. comprehensive. checklist. of. vascular. plants. translation.to.English.of.their.self-assigned.name.would. that. occur. on. or. near. these. grasslands.. The. checklist. be.“a.people.who.paint.the.two.halves.of.the.body.or.face. serves. as. a. baseline. inventory. for. the. area,. and. it. is. in.different.colors.”.This.style.of.body.painting.is.still. hoped.that.additional.species.will.be.added.to.it.over. a.Kiowa.tradition..Pritzer.(2000).agreed.that.the.word. time.by.others..These.national.grasslands,.administered. Kiowa.was.self-designated,.but.suggested.that.it.meant. by. the. USDA. Forest. Service. Cibola. National. Forest,. “Principle.People.”.Pritzer’s.interpretation.of.the.Kiowa. encompass.approximately.230,000.acres.in.four.counties. name.origin.seems.to.be.more.accepted.by.anthropologists,. of. New. Mexico. and. one. county. each. in. Texas,. and. but.the.half-body.painting.idea.is.more.memorable. Oklahoma..The.grasslands.are.managed.for.many.uses.. The.language.of.the.Kiowa.is.one.of.the.best.clues.as. While.livestock.production.is.the.most.visible.use.of.these. to.the.origin.of.this.tribe..The.Kiowa.speak.a.Tanoan.or. lands,.the.grasslands.are.also.managed.for.their.natural. Kiowa.Tanoan.language,.a.linguistic.isolate.that.is.not. and.cultural.resources.and.for.recreation..Visitors.come. closely.related.to.the.language.of.any.other.nomadic. to.the.grasslands.to.hunt,.fish,.camp,.hike,.picnic,.and. Plains.Indian.group.(Pritzker.2000)..Instead,.Tanoan.is. view.the.scenery.and.associated.wildlife. more.closely.related.to.the.language.of.the.sedentary. This.report.has.been.prepared.for.the.diverse.audience. Pueblo.Indians.that.mainly.live.along.the.Rio.Grande.. of.users.of.and.visitors.to.the.Kiowa.and.Rita.Blanca. Despite. a. linguistic. similarity. with. the. Pueblo. in. the. National.Grasslands..It.will.be.of.use.to.local.educators,. Southwest,.the.first.known.reports.of.the.Kiowa.tribe. residents,.ranchers,.farmers,.scientists,.as.well.as.to.first- are.from.the.Missouri.headwaters..From.the.Missouri. time.grassland.visitors. headwaters,.the.Kiowa.moved.to.southwestern.Montana. and.then.to.the.Black.Hills.region.(Schnell.2000)..In. Human_History___________________ 1781,.while.in.the.Black.Hills,.the.Kiowa.were.severely. affected. by. a. smallpox. epidemic..As. a. consequence,. A_Brief_History_of_the_Kiowa_Nation the.neighboring.Lakota,.Arapaho,.and.Cheyenne.tribes. Several. Native. American. groups. once. lived. in. forced.the.Kiowa.to.move.south..Although.the.Kiowa. northeastern.New.Mexico..Among.these.were.the.Kiowa,. have.been.absent.from.the.Black.Hills.for.more.than. the.Kiowa.Apache,.Comanche,.Plains.Apache,.Mescalero. 200. years,. they. maintain. long-standing. traditions. in. Apache,.and.Jicarilla.Apache..Although.each.of.these. northern.lands.(Schnell.2000)..One.of.these.traditions.is. groups.has.historical.and.cultural.ties.to.this.region,.this. to.consider.“Bear.Butte”.(Devil’s.Tower).as.a.sacred.place. brief.history.will.focus.on.the.Kiowa.because.the.Kiowa. (Schnell.2000;.U.S..Department.of.the.Interior.2005). National.Grassland.is.named.in.honor.of.the.Kiowa. When.the.Kiowa.fled.the.Black.Hills.region.in.the.late. people,. a. unique. and. still. thriving. group. of. Native. 1700s.they.ventured.far.enough.south.to.encounter.the. Americans.. This. Kiowa. information. is. selected. and. Comanche. homeland. in. southeastern. Colorado.