current and potential utility of broadleaf herbs for sagebrush communities scott walker and nancy...
TRANSCRIPT
Current and Potential Utility of Broadleaf Herbs for Sagebrush
Communities
Scott Walker and Nancy Shaw
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Ephraim, UT and
USDA-FS Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise, ID.
(From Cronquist, A., et al 1972)
The Great Basin
The Great Basin
Impacts – PrincipalLivestock Grazing
Weed Invasion
Cheatgrass Fire Cycle
Restoration Practicality
• Reduction of weedy competition
• Preparation of suitable seedbeds
• Restoration of diverse communities
• Planting site-adapted species
• Recovery of residual native species
* Broader range of organisms.
* Cover and soil stabilization.
* Forage availability extended.
* Improve esthetics.
*Higher quality forage.
* Supplies critical nutrients and succulence.
*Fruits, seeds, and leaves of forbs are frequently a principal food for upland game birds
Increased Diversity of Plant Communities
Availability & Utility of Principal Native Species
Grasses
ForbsForbs
Shrubs
• Large number of plant associations
• Moderate number of species present
• Few species occupy broad range of sites
• Individual taxa consist of diverse ecotypes
Status of Broadleaf Forbs for Restoration
All plant communities have evolved to support a particular group of compatible species.
In the Management of Any Land Type It Is Important to Recognize All Sites Support a
Particular Array of Species.
These species provide the most complete and effective group of plants for the particular landscape, climate, and exist over time.
Native forbs offer unique challenges in seed collecting,
handling and seeding
•Usually hand collected
•Wildland seed production can be highly erratic
•Cost and availability are unpredictable
•Seed handling guidelines have not been developed
•Seeding requirements and cultural practices have not been developed
Principal Broadleaf Forbs Recommended For Seeding Sage and Mt. Brush Communities.
• Western Yarrow• Louisiana sage• Pacific aster• Blueleaf aster• Cicer milkvetch• Arrowleaf balsomroot• Crownvetch• Geranium• Utah sweetvetch• One flower helianthella• Cow Parsnip• Ligusticum• Lewis flax
• Lomatium• Lupine• Alfalfa• Yellow sweetclover Sainfoin• Sweetanise• Penstemon• Small burnet• Butterweed groundsel• Canada goldenrod• Globemallow• Clover• Showy goldeneye
Most Commonly Seeded Forbs
Alfalfa 126,000
Lewis flax 87,000
Small burnet 65,000
Cicer milkvetch 30,500
Western yarrow 27,000
Yellow Sweetclover 16,550
Sainfoin 10,400
Species Pounds purchased in 2000*
*BLM Purchases in 2000
Other Seed Purchased
Palmer penstemon 900
Munroe globemallow 250
Gooseberry leaf globemallow
200
Species Pounds purchased in 2000*
*BLM Purchases in 2000
Forb species were listed as having potential for rangeland restoration.
Of the 76 forbs species listed,
63 were natives
13 were introduced.
Equipment
Seed Bed Preparation
Soil disturbance
Seed coverage
Safe sites for establishment
Micro sites for increasing moisture retention
Seeding Requirements
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
Dry land types are hybrids between the rhizomatous M. falcata (yellow flower) and the deep rooted M. sativa (purple flower).
Dry land types adapted to the great basin at >10” (persists best at 12 +) precipitation.
Fruit: legume
Germination: Very little dormancy. Will germinate with fall moisture and is susceptible to winter kill.
Seed as dormant seeding LATE fall or early spring.
Very palatable semi-evergreen,
nitrogen fixer, highly nutritious.
Cultivar: Delar.
Establishes well when seed drilled (at ¼ to ¾ in.), or aerial applied and covered.
Establishes well at 12” precipitation does not withstand heavy grazing at dryer sites.
Small Burnet: (Sanguisorba minor)
Palatable legume, deep rooted, occurring in sagebrush, pinyon/juniper, and oakbrush types.
Cultivar: Timp.
Seed: Has a lomented pod that disarticulates at ripening.
34,000 seeds per pound.
Fall seed, some dormancy requiring 1 month stratification. Seed at ½ in., 2 lbs per acre.
Utah Sweetvetch: (Hedysarum boreal)
Cicer Milkvetch: (Astragalus cicer)
Non-bloating legume, adapted to >12 inches precipitation.
Highly palatable and nutritious, is preferred by deer, elk, and sage grouse.Seed: 18,000 seeds per lb. Seed at 2 to 5 lbs per acre in mix.
Released varieties: Eski, Remont.
Sainfoin: (Onobrychis viciafolia)
Adapted to upper sagebrush, pinyon/juniper, and oakbrush (>14”).
Good forage and seed producer. Bird and small mammals utilize the seed.
Released varieties: Lutana, Monarch.
Wide distribution
Used by hens and chicks, harbors insects.
Very small seed- 4 million per pound.
Surface seed in the Fall, 0.25 to 1 lb per acre.
Establishes readily.
Cultivar: Variety from Eagle Id. Will be released soon
Western Yarrow (Achillia millifolium)
Balsamroot:(Balsamoriza spp.)
Asters as a group are an important component to the native communities.
Consist of a broad array of species.
Small seeded 2.5 million seeds per pound.
Requires 2-4 week stratification
Wide spread in Intermountain area.
Early spring green up, good wildlife forage.
Large seeds, 55,000 per pound.
Slow to establish, but very persistent.
Pacific Aster: (Aster chilensis)
V. multiflora- broadly adapted to many vegetative types. When purchasing seed be sure of the source. Ranges from Sage, p/j to sub alpine.
V. nevadensis- occurs in drier sites in the Great Basin.
Small seeded 1 million per pound. Does well on surface, can be drilled.
Good seed producer with strong seedlings.
Early spring green up.
Readily sought out by wildlife as a herbaceous forage, and seed is utilized by birds.
Showy Goldeneye: (Viguiera multifora, V. nevadensis.)
Seed: Generally small seeded, but do establish well on disturbed sites.
Little information on seed and seeding requirements.
No current releases
The importance of these species to sage grouse and other wildlife is becoming more understood.
Hawksbeard: (Crepis spp.)
Fleabane: (Erigeron spp.)
Salsify: (Tragopogon spp.)
Forbs
Family Genus Common name .
Apiaceae Lomatium Desert parsley
Linaceae Linum Flax
Malvaceae Sphaeralcea Globemallow
Polygonaceae Eriogonum Desert Buckwheat
Scrophulariaceae Penstemon Penstemon
Broadleaf Forbs
Forb Releases
Species Origin Release Class _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Eriogonum niveum SD Umatilla CultivarE. umbellatum CA Sierra Cultivar
Linum perenne SD Appar Cultivar (escaped?)
Lomatium spp. --- ----------- ----------
Penstemon eatonii UT Richfield SelectedP. palmeri UT Cedar CultivarP. strictus NM Bandera CultivarP. venustus ID Clearwater Selected
Sphaeralcea coccinea ID ARS-2936
GermplasmS. munroana UT ARS-2892 Selected
Seed Quality TestingSpecies Germination Rule Viability Test
Eriogonum XLinum X L. perenne XLomatiumPenstemon X X P. eatonii X P. palmeri X P. strictus X P. venustus XSphaeralcea X S. coccinea S. munroana
Family LinaceaeLinum perenne var. ’Appar’
Perennial Blue Flax
• Widely adapted
• Produced in seed fields
• Easily seeded
• Establishes in mixtures
Linum lewisiiLewis flax, Wild blue flax
• Widely distributed
• Considerable intraspecific
variation
• Great Basin
cultivar being developed
Family: PolygonaceaeEriogonum spp. , Wild buckwheat
E. ovalifolium
Oval-leaf buckwheat
E. umbellatum
Sulfurflower buckwheat
E. niveum
Snow buckwheat
E. heracleoides
Wyeth buckwheat
Eriogonum: Seed
Inflorescence: Umbel
Fruit: 3-angled achene
Seeds/pound: 120,000 (E. umbellatum) 600,000 (E. niveum)
Harvest: Summer - Fall
Cleaning: Screen, chop, screen
Seed quality: Viability test available.
Germination: Species and ecotypic variation occur.
Eriogonum: Seeding
Time: Fall.
Method: Drill (shallow), broadcast.
Germination: Prechilling usually
required.
Seedlings/stand: Pioneering species.
‘Umatilla’ Snow BuckwheatEriogonum niveum
Origin: Umatilla Co., Oregon
Area of use: Interior Pacific Northwest.
Family ApiaceaeLomatium spp. , Biscuitroot, Wild parsley
• 70 species, nearly all
in Western U.S.
• Lower elevation sagebrush to
subalpine
• Early spring growth
• Plants usually scattered
Lomatium spp.: Seeds and Seeding
L. triternatum
Nine-leaved biscuitroot
• Seed supply unreliable
• Hand harvested
• Fruits flat, winged, easily
cleaned and seeded
• Seedlings vigorous
• No cultivars, germination
test or viability procedure
Family MalvaceaeSphaeralcea spp., Globemallow
• 25 species in the West, most commonin the Southwest
• 8-12 inch precipitation zone
• Establishes during wet years,persists in seedbank
• Several ploidy levels occur
• One of the few forbs seeded in salt desert shrublands
S. munroana
Munro globemallow
S. grossulariifolia
Gooseberryleaf globemallow
Sphaeralcea spp.: Seeds and Seeding
• Flowering indeterminate
• Seed collected by hand
• 500,000 seeds per pound
• Drill seed or broadcast and cover
• Seeds require scarificationand prechilling
• Germplasm releases:– ARS-2936 S. coccinea– ARS-2892 S. munroana
• No germination or viability test S. munroana
Munro globemallow
Family ScrophulariaceaePenstemon spp., Penstemon
P. peckii
P. speciosusP. deustus
P. fruticosus
Penstemon: Seed• Harvested from native stands or seed fields
• Seed small (100,000 to 600,000 per pound)
• Seed easily cleaned and handled
• Longevity of seed in dry storage: 4 to 6 years
• Field culture and seed production studied
Penstemon: Seeding
• Fall seeding -prechilling often required
• Drill (shallow) or broadcast and cover
• Can be seeded with other small seeded forbs and shrubs
• Matures fairly rapidly
• Germination rule and TZ procedures available.
Scientific Common Release Release name name Origin name type .
P. eatonii Firecracker UT Richfield Selected
P. palmeri Palmer UT Cedar Cultivar
P. strictus Rocky Mt. NM Bandera Cultivar
P. venustus Alpine ID Clearwater Selected
Penstemon: Releases
The Pre-variety Germplasm Release ProgramA “Fast Track” Alternative Release Procedure
Certification type:
Site-Identified
Verified for geographic origin. No comparisons made with other germplasms of the species.
Selected Class
Germplasm compared on a common site with other germplasms.
Tested Class
Progeny tested to ensure that observed traits are heritable and stable.
Cultivar/Variety
Tested material for which there is considerable market demand.
Research Requirements
• Plant ecology– Ecotypic variability and
distribution• Plant biology
– Seed characteristics, germination requirements
– Seedbed ecology and establishment
• Field culture and seed production
• Forb genetics• Revegetation genetics
Candidate SpeciesIdentification and ranking of important species
• Field surveys
• Distribution
• Wildlife habitat values
• Summary list
Species Proposed for DevelopmentAstragalus convallarius A. lentiginosus Crepis acuminata Erigeron pumilus Eriogonum corymbosum E. ovalifolium Hedysarum borealis utahensis Lomatium nuttallii Lupinus argenteus Penstemon attenuatus P. deustus
P. speciosus Sphaeralcea coccinea Vicia americana Viguiera multiflora nevadensis