The Plant Atlas Project of Arizona: A Partnership for Plantsby Kate Watters1 and Wendy Hodgson2. Photos courtesy the authors.
1 Grand Canyon Trust. 2 Desert Botanical Gardens.
Arizona is the fourth most floristically rich state in the U.S. with perhaps as many as 4,200vascular plant species. Geographically Arizona interfaces with five North Americandeserts, with a tremendous range of landforms and elevations, and correspondingtemperature and rainfall regimes. Arizona has a stunning diversity of landforms such asthe Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau which create numerous habitats for plants.All of these features contribute to the state’s amazing diversity of plant life. Not only doesArizona have a high number of species, its plants are unique in the world. Arizona has 178endemic taxa that grow nowhere else. The responsibility to manage these resources isgreat. Thirty three percent of Arizona is public land that is managed by several agencies,whose responsibilities are challenging to say the least. Arizona is being impacted by manypressures, including population growth, invasive species, and inappropriate development.Even though population growth is concentrated in urban areas, its effects are nonethelessof consequence on the state’s wild lands that are used for recreation and other purposes.
The best land management practices rely on knowing what occurs where, and with plants,floristic studies are the means to provide such information. Jim Miller, Dean and Vice
continued next page
Budding Botanist Vera Markgraf collecting plants in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.
2 The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society Fall 2012
President for Science at the New York Botanical Gardenstated that “There is urgency in describing the plants of theworld. I don’t think we have any capacity to understand andtake care of nature unless we can identify it.” Unfortunately,today the significance of floristic studies is undervalued;with less funding allocated to field research and less trainingfor field botanists. This has severely hampered ourunderstanding of what and where species occur in Arizona.Over the last 60 years an average of approximately 12 newspecies records have been reported. However, many areashave not been surveyed nor had their plants documentedwith herbarium collections.
In the wake of fewer professionally trained field botanists theimportance of citizen involvement is greater than ever. Thisis why in 2008 we formed the Plant Atlas of Arizona Project,(PAPAZ) comprised of theGrand Canyon Trust (GCT),Desert Botanical Garden(DBG), Arizona Native PlantSociety (AZNPS), Museum ofNorthern Arizona (MNA),Northern Arizona University (NAU), and the U.S. ForestService (USFS). This partnership trains volunteer botaniststo document scientifically the plant diversity of Arizona withvoucher plant specimens. This idea comes from a similareffort, the San Diego County Plant Atlas Project, headed byDr. Jon Rebman, Curator of Botany, San Diego NaturalHistory Museum. That program was developed to documentbetter the flora of San Diego County using trainedvolunteers.
How do volunteers learn the intricacies of vouchering plantspecies? They participate in annual weekend botany bootcamp training sessions. Botanists-in-training learn plantidentification, collection, and processing skills through fieldand classroom trainings from regional botanists. In turn,they bring high-level technical skills to assist with not only
floristic projects, but also have become critical to monitoringrare and invasive species projects and documenting baselineconditions at springs. Since PAPAZ was developed, thepartnership trained nearly 125 volunteers who have donatedover 4,000 hours of their time and collected, identified andprocessed 2,000 plant specimens for regional herbaria.Volunteers have also entered the valuable data provided bythe specimens into the web-based Southwest EnvironmentalInformation Network (SEINet). SEINet is a database of overtwo million specimens, primarily from the Southwest, from34 herbaria (including several Arizona herbaria, BrighamYoung University, and New York Botanical Garden).Specimen data, distribution maps, and images are accessibleto anyone who has access to a computer, thus connectingplants, collections, and vast amounts of information to a
much wider audience thanpreviously possible.
The collective documentationefforts of PAPAZ coordinatorsand volunteers have greatlyimproved our knowledge of
plant diversity and distribution in northern Arizona.Collecting trips to Tent Rocks and Cottonwood Basin in theVerde Valley have added 52 species to that area. At HartPrairie, we began with a list of approximately 240 speciesand added approximately 30. Updated checklists andphotographs of these two projects are on SEINet. Initialsurveys in Paria Canyon in 2008 added 27 new species to theVermilion Cliffs National Monument flora and 37 to PariaCanyon. Those results convinced the Bureau of LandManagement and Native Plant Conservation Initiative tofund floristic research in the area.
The future of PAPAZ is unlimited but will require astatewide commitment. The GCT will continue to shareexpertise with volunteer recruitment, coordination, andfloristic projects on the Colorado Plateau. The role of the
The Plant Atlas Project of Arizona (PAPAZ) continued
The Plant Atlas Project of Arizona ProjectsArizona’s varying landscapes contribute greatly to its floristic biodiversity . Each site,unique in topography, elevation, and annual precipitation, denotes its individualcharacteristics through its assortment of vegetation. Documentation of thisvegetation will provide more knowledge and direction as land managers developfuture management plans and policies. Numerous opportunities exist to assist withall phases of PAPAZ and help record Arizona’s entire flora. The articles in this issuedescribe some of the many floristic studies accomplished or underway throughoutArizona. To learn more about PAPAZ collecting sites, volunteer opportunities, or tocontact a coordinating botanist, visit the Grand Canyon Trust’s webpage atwww.gcvolunteers.org/trainings_botanists.html. — Doug Ripley
right: Field training for Budding Botanists.
Many people have seen theirlives transformed by delving
into the world of plants.
www.aznativeplantsociety.org The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society 3
DBG can be expanded to include the development andmanagement of a centralized website, volunteer education,and coordination of floristic projects across the state. Thedevelopment of a website will provide up-to-date reports ontraining, floristic progress and plant lists, educationalinformation, including training handbooks, and volunteerprofiles. The AZNPS will raise the profile of PAPAZ throughchapter level involvement by offering and coordinatingpresentations, workshops, and field trips.
Our hope is to extend the regional scope to the entire state ofArizona in cooperation with other important herbaria(including Arizona State University, University ofArizona, and Cochise County) and local organizations.By identifying key areas for floristic documentationthroughout the state we will have a more completerecord and understanding of Arizona’s diverse plant life.Through our project activities, we will also build aconstituency of knowledgeable land stewards andconservation advocates, create opportunities for peopleto learn about and appreciate the native flora, andpromote ongoing education and careers in botany andplant conservation by engaging and educating new andexisting Budding Botanist volunteers and studentinterns.
Approximately 35 percent of PAPAZ volunteers haveprovided continuing assistance in ongoing plantconservation work. Several have become thecoordinating botanist for their own flora, and some haveindependently pursued college and graduate-levelcoursework in the field of botany following their workwith PAPAZ. This is a win-win situation, by providing ameans for interested volunteers to develop and honevaluable skills while surveying areas otherwise notvisited. Would you like to have your life change for thebetter, roam over botanically un-chartered territorywhile unlocking the mysteries of the plants thatsurround you? Would you like to do this while at the
same time contributing towards a scientifically basedproduct that will help ensure the protection of our amazingplants and plant habitats? If the answer is yes, PAPAZ is foryou.
For more information on PAPAZ, visit the Grand CanyonTrust website, www.gcvolunteers.org/trainings.html orfor a really quick run-down, try the FAQ atwww.gcvolunteers.org/documents/PAPAZFAQ.pdf.
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Note from the Contributing EditorsSometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day, days inthe week, weeks in the month, to get everything done that youhave on your plate. This issue is in your hands now because ofthe dedicated board members who found or creatively carvedthe extra hours from their busy schedules to bring you thesestories from the Plant Atlas Project of Arizona. We aregrateful to Barb Phillips who got everything started, to themany board members who contributed their time crafting thearticles herein, and to Doug Ripley who pulled it all togetherinto one cohesive piece at the end.
Due to various time constraints we have only been able topublish one issue this year and last. We will re-establish ourscheduled two issues a year beginning in 2013. If you wouldlike to be a part of our effort, please contact Barb Phillips([email protected]) and Doug Ripley([email protected])
Thank you for your continued enthusiasm for Arizona’swealth of native plants and for the Arizona Native PlantSociety!
from left ASU graduate student Frankie Coburn teaching how to collect plants. Budding Botanist volunteer training opens doors to the plant world.
4 The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society Fall 2012
The Plant Atlas Project of Arizona (PAPAZ) in northernArizona is proceeding into its fifth collecting season.Numerous volunteers and coordinating botanists, BuddingBotanists, have documented the flora at several uniquelocations throughout Arizona. These research sites haveexpanded vastly over the years and current projects includeHart Prairie northwest of Flagstaff, House Rock Valley andKanab Creek on the North Rim, the Verde Valley BotanicalArea and Tent Rocks / Cottonwood Basin in the VerdeValley, Grapevine Springs near Prescott and the UpperBasin, just south of Grand Canyon on the Kaibab NationalForest. More and more volunteers are being trained in allaspects of researching and recording Arizona’s flora. Thisallows Budding Botanists to participate in every task fromthe identification and data collection to plant pressing andmounting. At each of these sites, additional species havebeen discovered that were not previously recorded and thesupporting documentation obtained will be extremelybeneficial in determining land management andconservation practices. While a number of plant specimenshave been collected in past seasons, there are many years ofwork ahead as well as many other opportunities to assistwith PAPAZ.
Hart Prairie is a large, high elevation meadow on the westside of the San Francisco Peaks. Located northwest ofFlagstaff and managed by The Nature Conservancy, this 245acre preserve is surrounded by aspen forest and old growthponderosa pine, with mixed conifers on the steeper slopesabove. This site contains several springs and a stream thatsupports a unique riparian community within the meadow.
Human influences have modified this preserve in a numberof ways. Fire suppression, altered hydrology, and the impactsof domestic and wild ungulates have distorted this settingand are continuing to cause significant changes. The NatureConservancy is experimenting with various restorationtechniques and monitoring the outcomes throughout thelandscape. Restoration is important here due to the plethoraof species that occupy this preserve. Numerous birds,mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and butterflies have beenidentified over the years by The Nature Conservancy. Also,close to 300 plant species are known to exist at this preserve,including one of the largest known occurrences of Bebbwillow (Salix bebbiana). The Bebb willow population issignificant not only due to its size, but because it occurs onwhat is considered the driest known site for the species.
The effects occurring throughout this preserve could bedetrimental to the Bebb willow in addition to the otherunique species that occupy the landscape. This willowpopulation is serving as an indicator for the overall health ofthe riparian community. This location has the greatestcanopy coverage by Bebb willow than any other populationand augments the understory diversity significantly. Othersensitive species here include Blumer’s dock (Rumexorthoneurus) and Rusby’s milkvetch (Astragalus rusbyi).Beginning in 2009, Budding Botanists began partnering withThe Nature Conservancy to further develop the historicalplant list and document the existing species. In 2011, 15 newspecies were added to the list, for a total of 189 voucheredspecimens. The study area has been expanded to incorporatesome of the surrounding U.S. Forest Service lands, includingboth Fern Mountain and Bismarck Lake. The informationgathered by the Budding Botanists at this site will assist TheNature Conservancy and U.S. Forest Service in developingland management plans.
VERDE VALLEY BOTANICAL AREA Coordinating Botanist: Max Licher
The Verde Valley Botanical Area was established to supportthe management and conservation of the Arizona cliffrose(Purshia subintegra), a federally listed endangered speciesendemic to central Arizona. Located on the east side of theVerde River near Cottonwood, the Verde Valley BotanicalArea is under the management of the Coconino NationalForest. This site encompasses the northeast portion of theSonoran desert scrub community and is composed oflimestone soils and cliffs.
Several other sensitive species reside in this area includingVerde Valley sage (Salvia dorrii ssp. mearnsii), Ripley’s wildbuckwheat (Eriogonum ripleyi), heath-leaf wild buckwheat(Eriogonum ericifolium var. ericifolium), Hualapai milkwort(Polygala rusbyi), and Tonto Basin agave (Agave delamateri).Due to the increase in human population in the VerdeValley, fragmentation and degradation is occurringthroughout this plant community, creating impacts onnational forest lands and affecting the success of thesesensitive plant species. The importance of documenting theextent of these species and developing a betterunderstanding of the biodiversity of this plant community isextremely important now.
A compilation of inventories by former Verde ValleyBotanist Bob Denham and by Norm Herkenham of DeadHorse Ranch State Park is currently being used to documentthe flora. This list contains approximately 533 species of
PAPAZ Project Areasby Connie Cowan, Museum of Northern Arizona. Map courtesy the author.
www.aznativeplantsociety.org The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society 5
vascular plants, 92 which were collected by BuddingBotanists to date, and five are new additions from 2011.With only 17 percent of the original plant listdocumented, numerous collecting trips will be necessaryfor this project area.
TENT ROCKS / COTTONWOOD BASINCoordinating Botanist: Max Licher
The Tent Rocks / Cottonwood Basin area, managed by theCoconino National Forest, contains a combination ofunique geological features and several perennial springs inthe lower elevations of the Verde Valley southeast of CampVerde. These features, resembling tepees or cones withholes or caverns, have developed over time from physicaland chemical erosion of volcanic fumeroles. Thefumeroles are the result of volcanic ash falling to a calciumrich water surface, which turns to steam and vents upwardthrough the ash. No other similar geologic formationoccurs anywhere else in Arizona, and their location, insuch an arid to semi-arid environment, has facilitated theunusual weathering.
The formations vary in shapes and size and areunvegetated, while their surroundings are occupied by avariety of grasses, shrubs, forbs, and cacti, creating quite acontrast. The underlying volcanic tuff soils seem tosupport an unusually rich flora of both annual andperennial wildflowers. The combination of upper Sonorandesert scrub habitat and the springs adds incrediblediversity to this project area. Disturbances, includinggrazing, recreation, and dispersed camping have impactedthe vegetation.
The PAPAZ study area has been expanded to include partof Wingfield Mesa to the west, and the rest of the mainwash below both springs down to the Verde River. A listbased on observations in the area contains almost 300species of vascular plants, of which 237 have beendocumented with vouchered collections. In 2011, sixadditional species were added to the list. Few species are leftto find and collect, but this flora will assist in themanagement decisions and protection of such an unusualarea.
UPPER BASIN Coordinating Botanist: Kirstin Olmon
The Upper Basin is comprised of pinyon-juniper woodlandand ponderosa pine forest interspersed with open meadowsand oak woodland. It sits in a topographic depression in thenortheast corner of the Tusayan ranger district of the KaibabNational Forest located just south of the Grand CanyonNational Park. This area is known for its archeological relictsof the Anasazi and Cohonina peoples.
Only incidental plant collecting has been done in the UpperBasin in the past and it is likely that several endemic andrare species will be identified by the Budding Botanists. The
Kaibab limestone outcroppings provide a unique habitat andcould possibly host the threatened Fickeisen Plains cactus(Pediocactus peeblesianus ssp. fickeiseniae). A total of 274plant collections have been acquired so far and 69 of theseare new taxa to the area. Plans for this season include acomplete flora of The Upper Basin, so numerous collectingopportunities will be available at this site.
GRAPEVINE CANYONCoordinating Botanist: Sue Smith
Grapevine Creek is an upper tributary to Big Bug Creek onthe eastern flank of the Bradshaw Mountains, southwest ofDewey. The area was designated a Botanical Area in 1997,due to its perennial creek fed by 12 springs. This designationprohibits livestock grazing, overnight camping, and the useof motorized vehicles.
Perennial springs support a mixed conifer/deciduouswoodland in an area otherwise dominated by a chaparral
continued
Map of PAPAZ Project Areas in Northern Arizona.
6 The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society Fall 2012
shrubland community. In addition to the springs thevariation in elevation from 5,100 feet at the eastern entry tothe Botanical Area to 6,972 feet at the top of Big Bug mesaresults in a uniquely diverse mix of plant species in arelatively small area. The canyon is steep-sided, and it ispossible to be standing in chaparral on a south-facing slopelooking across the canyon at Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii) and down into the canyon at Arizona alder (Alnusoblongifolia) and Arizona walnut (Juglans major). Collectingrequires a hardy group willing to hike and explore the area.
Side canyons where springs originate provide habitat forcutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia lacinata) and (Aconitumcolumbianum ssp. columbianum). The stream is lined with
golden columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha), and damp rockoutcroppings support scarlet cinquefoil (Potentilla thurberi)and pink alumroot (Heuchera rubescens).
The Prescott National Forest manages this 880-acreBotanical Area, protecting and maintaining the riparian areaand watershed conditions. No known inventories have beenmade for this area. A beginning list based on observationswas developed in 2010 and a total of 81 plant specimenshave been collected, with 67 collected in 2011. As a fairlynew PAPAZ site, collecting trips are already scheduled for2012.
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PAPAZ Project Areas continued
SPOTLIGHT ON A NATIVE PLANT Lemon Lily by David Stith
Lemon lily (Lilium parryi) is the only true lily (the genusLilium) native to Arizona. It is an herbaceous perennial thatinhabits the mid to upper elevations of the mountain rangesof Southern California where it is uncommon andSoutheastern Arizona where it is rare. It has also been foundin the Sierra Los Ajos in Sonora, Mexico. It is named for Dr.Charles Christopher Parry who was among the first tocollect it along with John GillLemmon in the SanBernardino Mountains ofCalifornia in the summer of1876. It grows primarily alongshaded mountain streams butcan also be found in bogs andmeadows.
In Arizona the species hasbeen reported in the SantaRita, Huachuca, andChiricahua Mountains.Accounts from theChiricahuas and Santa Ritasare sporadic. The majority ofthe Arizona populations occurin the Huachuca Mountains inMiller, Carr, Ramsey, and Bear Canyons with the largestpopulation occurring in Miller Canyon. In 1989 anadditional population was discovered in Huachuca Canyon.
The stems can grow to a height of six feet and support asmany as thirty flowers; however, many plants have only a fewflowers. The leaves are mostly lanceolate to narrowly ellipticto oblanceolate. They are alternate in young plants and bothalternate and whorled in mature plants. The stem originatesfrom a rhizomatous bulb consisting of segmented scales.
The four-inch trumpet-shaped flowers are lemon yellow incolor for which it gets its name. The tepals are often sparselyspeckled. The flowers open just before sunset and aredeliciously fragrant, attracting hawk moths such as thewhite-lined sphinx (Hyles lineate) and the elegant sphinx(Sphinx perelegans) as well as many other insects. In Arizonathey bloom in May and June and fruit in July and August.
The fruit are composed of athree-chambered capsule whichmay contain one hundred seedsstacked like coins within thepod. The seeds are hydrophobicand can be carried away in thecurrent of a stream or blownacross the surface of the water.Few of the seeds will ever growto mature plants.
Predators include gophers whichfeed on the bulbs, and deer andbear which consume the fruit.Boring insects may also damagethe flowers and consume theseeds.
Throughout its range the lemon lily has suffered greatly fromhuman activities. While not on the endangered species list, itis listed as a G3 (Vulnerable Species) by NatureServe and theCalifornia and Arizona Heritage Programs. Hence, wherever itis found it should be considered a sensitive species requiringmonitoring and protection. It has been and remains the objectof restoration efforts in both Arizona and California.Idyllwild, California hosts an annual Lemon Lily Festival.
www.aznativeplantsociety.org The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society 7
The Upper Verde River flows through the Central Highlandsof Arizona from its headwaters southeast of Paulden in theChino Valley, downstream approximately 45 river miles to thetown of Clarkdale, in the Verde Valley. This remote stretchflows through alternating canyons and valleys incised into amosaic of geologic formations dominated by limestone butinterspersed with basalt, granite, Supai and Tapeats sandstonesand conglomerates. Biotic communities that cover the hillsidesand rims include great basin/plains grassland, pinyon juniperwoodland, interior chaparral, desert grassland and upperSonoran scrub, these all bisected by the riparian woodlands,meadows and floodplains of the Verde River. These varioussubstrates and habitats host a diverse flora of species withaffinities for disparate regions that in places form atypical plantassociations. On the limestone, Arizona endemics occurincluding Mearns sage (Salvia dorrii ssp. mearnsii) and Apachebuckwheat (Eriogonum heermannii var. apachense). The ribbonof green flowing through the desert hills was home to variousflourishing prehistoric cultures, provides habitat for abundantwildlife, and is one of the state’s richest river ecosystems. A fewplant species, including Mearns sage, were likely transportedfrom other regions and cultivated or encouraged nearsettlements. Since the first communities and ranches showedup in the 1800s, locals have pumped and diverted the river’swaters. In 2009, due to growing water demands and depletingwater sources in Prescott, large-scale pumps were installed thattap into the Big Chino aquifer, the primary source of VerdeRiver flows. This has caused public debate amongcommunities receiving the pumped water, downstreamstakeholders, and those concerned about the potential lastingimpacts to the Verde River’s ecosystems, thus prompting anabundance of research and active management. Despite theabundance of resources along the Verde and concern over itsfuture, no section has had a complete floristic inventory. Thegoal of this project, a complete floristic inventory of the UpperVerde River, will be an invaluable resource to researchers, landmanagers and members of the public and will fill gaps in ourknowledge of the flora of the region.
This section of the Verde is located almost entirely within thePrescott National Forest with a small portion in the CoconinoNational Forest and in numerous private land holdings. Themajority is remote backcountry but many areas are easilyaccessible, offering opportunities from moderate day hikes tomulti-day backpacking trips. With few maintained hiking trails,travel is done via unmaintained hiking trails and route findingalong the river and rims. From Prescott/Chino Valley access isvia Highway 89a to Verde Ranch Road and FR318 PerkinsvilleRoad which runs from Chino Valley to Jerome. Access pointsfrom Clarkdale/Cottonwood are off of FR131, Sycamore Canyon
Flora of the Upper Verde Riverby Frankie S. Coburn. Photos courtesy the author.
continued
from top Palmer’s penstemon (Penstemon palmeri) and dwarf sandverbena (Abronia nana).
8 The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society Fall 2012
Road. These roads are maintained but many trails that splitoff require a high-clearance/4-wheel drive vehicle.
Organized collecting began during spring 2011 and will lastuntil spring 2013. The study includes plants of the riparianzone, canyons, hills and rims to the extent of approximatelyone km. laterally from the river. Voucher specimens will bedeposited at the ASU Herbarium with duplicates being sentto Deaver and Desert Botanical Garden Herbaria. Manycollections have been made as a part of this study and past
studies, yet many opportunities to expand the species listexist in under-collected areas and during under-collectedtimes of year. It will take many years to complete the flora,and likely species will be added well into the future.
Coordinating botanist and contact for trip schedulesand plant list: Frankie Coburn,[email protected]
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Flora of the Upper Verde River continued
The Fossil Creek Planning Area shown in the mapat right (stippled area) from the Fossil Creek Stateof the Watershed1 includes the Fossil CreekWilderness on the Coconino National Forest (withover 10,000 acres), the Fossil Springs BotanicalArea (about 50 acres) and numerous hiking trailsalong the Creek and surrounding areas and coversover 36,000 acres. The plant communities rangefrom desert scrub to ponderosa pine/Gambel oakand include riparian communities1. The Smithand Bender report recommended that theboundaries of the proposed natural area of FossilCreek follow the 4600 foot contour line on the eastand west sides of the springs, with the north andsouth boundaries to fall about one-half mile aboveand below the springs. Three hundred fourteenspecies of flowering plants and ferns from 77families have been documented from the FossilCreek Planning Area2. A search of SEINet yields alist of 65 species in a two mile radius of the area.While a formal inventory has been conducted forthis area, there are gaps in the actualdocumentation of the plants with vouchered collections. We hope tosupport management efforts through a complete vouchered florasurvey of the Planning Area. Initially we will focus on a part of thearea recommended in the Smith and Bender report with plans toexpand into the Fossil Creek Watershed Area as shown in the mapwith collections in both Tonto and Coconino National Forests.
Our initial trip in March 2012 included 11 collectors and focused onthe area around the former Irving Power Station, along the creek andinto the surrounding hillsides. A second trip in early May included asmaller number of collectors as we continued along from the IrvingPower Station. To date we have vouchered about 100 species.
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References1 Fossil Creek State of the Watershed Report 2005
Northern Arizona University2 USDA, Forest Service. 2004. Fossil Creek database
(unpublished). Coconino National Forest,Flagstaff, AZ.
Central Arizona Fossil Creekby Wendy Hodgson and Joni Ward, Desert Botanical Gardens. Map courtesy the authors.
www.aznativeplantsociety.org The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society 9
Spanning the lofty heights of the Kaibab Plateau, thesweeping vistas of the Marble Platform and the VermilionCliffs, and delving into lush river oases found deep in thecanyons of Kanab Creek and the Paria River, the Kane andTwo Mile Ranches encompass an area of tremendousecological importance, significant social value, andspectacular beauty. The Grand Canyon Trust (GCT) andThe Conservation Fund jointly purchased the Kane and TwoMile ranches in 2005, with the goal of working with landmanagement agencies to maintain and restore the ecological,cultural, and scenic values of this amazinglandscape. The GCT committed to aninclusive, science-based approach toconservation of the Kane and TwoMile Ranches’ landscape thatbrings together citizens,scientists, and governmentagencies in restoring public landsand catalyzes broader discussionsabout sustainable public landsmanagement throughout the ColoradoPlateau region.
The Bureau of Land Management and National ForestService are interested in maintaining and protecting theecological and cultural resources across the Kane and TwoMile Ranches, and we are assisting them by practicingecologically sustainable livestock management and byadding capacity for research, assessment, and monitoringthrough our restoration and volunteer programs, and theKaibab Vermilion Cliffs Heritage Alliance. Our ecologicalassessment work in 2005 and 2011 is providing a foundationfor establishing baseline ecological conditions across theplateau and we are continuing research related to cheat grassspread and modeling conditions in pinyon-juniperwoodlands.
With the creation in 2008 of the Plant Atlas Project ofArizona (PAPAZ), the GCT began botanical inventory andsurvey work associated with establishing baseline conditionsat the springs in Kanab Creek, House Rock Valley, on theKaibab Plateau, and recently initiated a floristic study ofVermilion Cliffs National Monument.
Kanab Creek originates in the Utah Plateau region ofsouthern Utah, carving its way through the Kanab Plateaucreating Kanab Canyon, a rugged riparian area, withintermittent to perennial water. Several springs and seepsemerge from the bedrock walls of Kanab Creek Canyon.These rare habitats host diverse species assemblages that areregionally rare. Despite its prominence, geographicallocation, elevation range and diverse microhabitats, Kanab
Canyon and its rugged east rim country has received littleattention from botanists. For example, desert columbine,(Aquilegia cf. desertorum), which has been documentedthroughout Grand Canyon springs, could be a new taxon.Kanab Canyon surveys revealed new populations which willprovide material for further analysis.
The House Rock Valley is seated between the Paria Plateauto the north, the Kaibab Plateau to the west, and drops intoMarble Canyon at its eastern and southern boundaries. The
area consists of two dominant vegetation types,including Southern Colorado Plateau Sand
Shrubland and Inter-Mountain BasisMixed Salt Desert Scrub. The House
Rock Valley is home to a largenumber of key species ranging frompronghorn antelope to theendangered chisel-toothedkangaroo rat. Rare plants include
the Brady pincushion cactus(Pediocactus bradyi), Fickeisen
hedgehog cactus (Pediocactus peeblesianusvar. fickeiseniae), and Mojave indigobush
(Psorothamnus arborescens var. pubescens).
The Kaibab Plateau rises above a sea of windswept grassland,desert scrub, and pinyon-juniper woodlands, and towersover the Grand Canyon’s north rim, reaching elevations ofover 9,000 feet in some areas. It hosts a number ofthreatened, endangered, sensitive and endemic species—limited in distribution only to the Plateau itself. Additionallysprings comprise some of the most rare and ecologicallydiverse habitats in the Southwest.
The Paria Plateau falls within the Vermilion Cliffs NationalMonument, which was designated in the year 2000 for theprotection of its spectacular geology, rich cultural history,abundant wildlife, and its unique combination of cold desertflora and warm desert grassland. The monument is veryremote, extending across a 4,000-foot elevation gradient, andcontains habitats ranging from riparian desert oases in PariaCanyon to slickrock badlands to pinyon-juniper woodlandsscattered with ponderosa pine. The area supports a largediversity of plant species, many of which are poorlydocumented. A working checklist by Larry Higgins andDuane Atwood in 2005 contains approximately 475 species ofvascular plants. Initial baseline surveys by GCT in 2008 inParia Canyon added 27 new taxa to the Vermilion CliffsNational Monument list and 37 to the Paria Canyonspecifically. It is also home to four documented special status
The Kane and Two Mile Ranchesby Kate Watters, Grand Canyon Trust. Photo courtesy the author.
continued
Kane Ranch
10 The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society Fall 2012
plant species Welsh’s milkweed (Asclepias welshii), Bradypincushion cactus (Pediocactus bradyi), Paradine Plainscactus (Pediocactus paradenei), the Paria Plateau fishhookcactus (Sclerocactus sileri) and other near endemics.
In order to fulfill the monument’s mission of preservingnative plant communities, it is critical to gain a solidunderstanding of plant diversity, habitat, and distributionacross the landscape. Between 2000 (when the monumentwas designated) and 2007, visitation to the monument morethan doubled as recreation opportunities such asbackpacking, wildlife watching, and off-road vehicle usehave increased in popularity. Increased recreation, continuedlivestock grazing, the spread of invasive species, and theever-present threat of a changing climate have the potentialto affect native plant communities. Yet, little baselineinformation is available to describe the current status,diversity, and distribution of native and introduced plantspecies and what information currently exists is notcurrently in a format that is usable. Moreover, ever-decliningagency budgets preclude the ability of BLM staff to compile
or make available this important information for use inmanagement decision-making.
The Grand Canyon Trust, Desert Botanical Garden andBrigham Young University received funding to develop aknowledge base for conservation-oriented management ofnative plant communities by compiling a comprehensiveplant species list and distribution map for Vermilion CliffsNational Monument. The goal is to make this informationavailable to scientists, managers, and the public by enteringnew and existing plant collections into the SEINet database.This baseline information will provide opportunities for animproved understanding of the status, diversity, andoccurrence of the monument’s plant communities, willprovide foundational information for future research, andmost importantly, will provide valuable information to theBLM that will allow them to make informed decisions onhow to maximize protection of the flora the monument wasdesignated to protect through management of recreation,livestock grazing, restoration, and rehabilitation activities.
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The Kane and Two Mile Ranches continued
On December 10-11, 2011, a group of botanists met at theDesert Botanical Garden to discuss rare plant conservationin the American Southwest. The regional focus includesseven states (AZ, CA, CO, NM, NV, TX, UT) and sixbiological provinces: the Chihuahuan Desert, ColoradoPlateau, Great Basin, Madrean Sky-Islands, Mohave Desert,and Sonoran Desert. This area is floristically diverse andincludes many rare species, including ca. 700 G1-G2 plantspecies which represent about ten percent of the region’sflora. G1-G2 species are considered rare by NatureServe andits network of state natural heritage programs but 88 percentof these require more information on their status and trends.Botanists are few, new species are continually beingdescribed, and plants and their habitats continue to beimpacted. For those reasons, it became apparent that acoordinated response to the conservation of the region’s rareplants was sorely needed.
After much discussion at the December meeting, the groupdecided to organize as the Southwest Plant ConservationAlliance whose mission will be to help fostercommunication among those working with rare plants andprovide a new cohesiveness of effort for plant conservation.The new Alliance initially established several organizationaland planning steps. They include, but are not limited to,finalizing and posting an updated species list on the
Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet),ranking species using a novel but proven method, organizingthe next rare plant conference in spring 2013 at the DesertBotanical Gardens (which will be held in conjunction withthe Arizona Native Plant Society’s Botany 2013 Conference),adding information about the Alliance and its work,including high profile species, on the Desert BotanicalGardens website (www.dbg.org), developing ideas for aConservation Action Plan, investigating funding sources,initiating outreach to potential partners and stakeholders,and developing educational and outreach tools to reach thepublic. There are undoubtedly numerous people,organizations, and institutions that would be pleased to helpin our endeavors. We therefore need to get the word outabout the Alliance which will be a great way to accomplishthese important rare plant conservation goals. Connectingnot only with other botanists but with people in general —all people — is critical to the success of rare plant and habitatwork. Having the Southwest Plant Conservation Alliance,which is closely connected with SEINet, will help us makethose connections. Many thanks to the National Park Servicewho funded the December workshop. Thanks also to JohnSpence who not only planned and coordinated the meetingbut also continues to lead us in the development of ourAlliance.
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The Southwest Plant Conservation Alliance is Born!by Wendy Hodgson, Desert Botanical Gardens
www.aznativeplantsociety.org The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society 11
With almost 114,000 square miles of land area, Arizona stillhas a lot of frontiers. Understanding our native plants is, ofcourse, one of those frontiers. PAPAZ projects were firststarted in Northern Arizona and now include areas like TentRocks, Hart Prairie Preserve, and the Kaibab Plateau. Ruby,Arizona, is a future project in the southern part of the state.
Ruby is an old mining camp born around a little miningboom in the late 19th century. The town seems to be bestremembered today for the brutal murder of Jack Fraser andhis brother Al in February of 1920 at their general store. Thetwo brothers had only bought the store eleven days beforethey were murdered. The killings likely signaled the last gaspof mining as well. Silver and gold mining had given way tolead and zinc mining, and eventually, those metals playedout too.
With the mines gone, the town remains. There are weatheredbuildings, abandoned and broken mining equipment, andvarious sizes of crushed-rock waste spilled over thelandscape. But the heart of the landscape remains. It consistsof those gorgeous, rocky hills, generously salted with yellowgrasses, deep green oaks, and the changing colors of seasonalplants. There are artificial lakes and a number of littlemicrohabitats created by the accidents and fates of exposure,soil, slope, rocks, and man-made microgeological features.
Today the half section or so of property is privately owned bya family consortium and managed by familymember/owners Howard and Pat Frederick. The land isabout seven miles north of the Mexican border and about 23miles west of 1-19 on Ruby Road. The elevation ranges froma low of about 4,100 feet to elevations several hundred feet
higher. The Fredericks considerthe flora and fauna there atreasure and the land a key totheir preservation.
Arizona Native Plant Society’sNancy Zierenberg, along with anumber of plant-loving friends, developed a plant list forRuby that exhibits a striking diversity of plants for such asmall property. Plants found there range from thecommonplace, like spidergrass (Aristida ternipes) andMexican blue oak (Quercus oblongifolia), to the exotic, likeSanta Cruz beehive cactus (Coryphantha recurvata). Thedesert and the oak grasslands meet here, so a casual walkthrough the land might reveal the desert’s Santa Ritapricklypear (Opuntia santa-rita) or oak grassland specieslike MacDougal’s nipple cactus (Mammillaria macdougalii).To plant lovers, Ruby holds out the promise of tantalizingpossibilities. Schott’s century plant (Agave schottii) is thereand common at this elevation, but Ruby is only miles fromthe rarer smallflower century plant (A. parviflora).
Ruby deserves to be well-documented. PAPAZ traininginstructors assure their students that “if you don’t know whatyou have, you don’t know what you’re losing.” If you wouldlike to be involved with The Flora of Ruby project, pleasecontact Ries Lindley at [email protected]. The firstouting will be in late fall or early winter of this year. If youwould like to see Ruby without participating in the project,call 520.744.4471. The property is open to the publicThursday through Sunday, and the cost is $12 per person.
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The Flora of Ruby, ArizonaA New Plant Atlas Project of Arizonaby Ries Lindley. Photos courtesy the author.
from left MacDougal’s nipple cactus (Mammillaria macdougalii), Graham’s nipple cactus (M. grahamii), bloodybarberry (Berberis haematocarpa), and desert mariposa lily (Calochortus kennedyi).
12 The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society Fall 2012
BOOK REVIEW by Douglas Ripley, President, Cochise Chapter, Arizona Native Plant Society
Baboquivari Mountain Plants: Identification, Ecology, and Ethnobotanyby Daniel F. Austin, University of Arizona Press. 2010. $79.95, 352 pp.
Baboquivari Mountain, one ofthe so-called “Lesser SkyIslands,” is considered the mostsacred place to the TohonoO’odham people and is locatedon the western border of theAltar Valley in Pima County,approximately fifty milessouthwest of Tucson, Arizona.The highest peak is 7,730 feethigh and is a popular site formany climbers and tourists.The region displays anexceptional biological diversityowing to its location at theboundary between theChihuahuan and SonoranDeserts Floristic Provinces,while at the higher elevations,representative species of thePetran Montane ConiferousForest Province and the Madrean Montane ConiferousForest Province occur.
Dr. Daniel Austin, adjunct professor of plant sciences atthe University of Arizona, a research associate at both theArizona-Sonora Desert Museum and the Desert BotanicalGarden, and a professor emeritus of botany at FloridaAtlantic University, has resided in Southern Arizona since2001. Since settling in Southern Arizona he hasundertaken various botanical investigations starting with aplant survey of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge,including the Baboquivari Mountains, and especially theBrown Canyon area leading to the mountain itself.
Baboquivari Mountain Plants: Identification, Ecology, andEthnobotany, represents Dr. Austin’s commendable effortto provide an extremely interesting account of what he haslearned of the plants of the Baboquivari Mountains,including the human influences upon them, and a detaileddescription of their nomenclature in the three dominantlanguages of the area: English, Spanish, and TohonoO’odham.
This book does not discuss the entire known flora of theBaboquivari Mountains consisting of 785 taxa. Rather, Dr.Austin presents detailed descriptions of 187 of the mostcommon and obvious species. For each of those heprovides the following summary information:
Scientific nameCommon name(s)Botanical description (Including aline drawing)HabitatRangeSeasonalityStatus (native or introduced)Ecological significanceHuman usesDerivation of the nameMiscellaneous information
The descriptions presented for eachspecies are of sufficient detail toprovide a wealth of useful and oftenentertaining information withoutbeing overly technical. For example,the botanical descriptions provide a
very clear account of each taxon without resorting tohighly abstruse terminology. I found the discussions of theecological significance and human uses to be especiallywell done and they provided me with numerous usefulfacts about many plants commonly encountered inSouthern Arizona.
Useful tables provide information on the comparison ofsize and species richness of local floras in the vicinity ofthe Baboquivari Mountains, linguistic relationships of theindigenous people mentioned in the text, and apronunciation guide for indigenous languages. Anappendix, arranged in alphabetical order by families,provides a complete listing of all known vascular plants ofthe Baboquivari Mountain chain. Finally a comprehensiveindex for all scientific and common names makes findingindividual plants in the text easy.
Baboquivari Mountain Plants: Identification, Ecology, andEthnobotany is an important contribution to ourunderstanding of the Arizona flora and the people whohave encountered and been influenced by it for centuries.It is written and presented with such clarity and insightthat it should appeal equally to professional botanists,serious amateurs, and the casual naturalist.
www.aznativeplantsociety.org The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society 13
Volunteers have assisted the Desert Botanical Garden indocumenting plants in and along Kanab Canyon as part ofan on-going floristic analysis of areas deemed high priorityon the Kaibab National Forest, funded by the Forest Service.Kanab Creek Wilderness alone encompasses over 68,000acres; Kanab Creek, a perennial stream for much of its lowerlength, originates 50 miles north of the Wildernessboundary in southern Utah. There are several secondarydrainages that flow into Kanab Creek from both its east andwest side. Not only is the scenery unmatched, but the plantlife is also diverse — what more can a botanist ask? Yet, onlya handful of botanists have documented the plants from thisarea. With the help of PAPAZ volunteers and others,including those involved with monitoring the area’s springs,we are continuing to understand and document its plants.
Budding Botanists Vera Markgraf and Winnie Taney assistedBarb Phillips and me in collecting 270 collectionsrepresenting 107 taxa (including many cacti) 17-21 June2010, from Sowats Point, Jump Up Point, Horse SpringPoint, and neighboring rim areas — some of the mostvisually stunning areas in the state. Included in thesecollections was the rare and easily overlooked Darrow’sbuckwheat (Eriogonum darrovi), a species of concern inNevada and Arizona. Duplicate collections with photos andlabels were distributed to the herbaria at Northern ArizonaUniversity, the Northern Arizona Museum, and the U.S.Forest Service when adequate material was available. Theflora will be downloaded to the Southwest EnvironmentalInformation Network (SEINet) and willcontinue to be maintained, added to, andedited for accurate nomenclature andinformation so as to provide the only knownworking floristic list of Kanab Canyon and itstributaries.
Although collections made in June 2010 haveadded significantly to those previouslycollected in other parts of the WildernessArea, there remain extensive areas both alongand below the rims that are in need of furtherplant exploration and documentation(Hodgson 2010). The threat of expandeduranium ore mining at known breccia siteswarrants botanical inventories for rare plantssuch as Rosa stellata ssp. abyssa.
The continued collaboration and efforts toassess, monitor, and document springshabitats and the plants they support mustcontinue through the combined efforts of theU. S. Geological Survey, Kaibab National
Forest, Bureau of Land Management, Grand CanyonNational Park, Grand Canyon Trust, and Desert BotanicalGarden (US Forest Service 2009). Very little is knownregarding species of concern in or near federal landsavailable for mineral (uranium resources) development,including 1) what exactly grows at these sites, includingsensitive species and their abundance; 2) sensitivity andpotential chemical toxicity of the plants (rare or not) touranium; and 3) present uranium concentrations in plantsand potential effects (Bills et al. 2011). PAPAZ providesimportant baseline data by having ably trained volunteershelp botanists document plants within these and other areasof the state with high quality, data-based (SEINet)herbarium specimens, thereby effectively determining whatexactly grows at particular sites.
a ReferencesBills, D. J., K. Brown, A. Alpine, J. Otton, B. Van Gosen, J.
Hinck, and F. Tillman. 2011. Breccia-pipe uranium miningin northern Arizona: estimate of resources and assessmentof historical effects. U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet2010-3050.
Hodgson, W. 2010. Floristic Survey of Kanab Canyon and itsTributaries.
U.S. Forest Service agreement number 09-CS-11030703-026.Final Report.
Kanab Canyon and its Tributariesby Wendy Hodgson, Desert Botanical Gardens
Kanab Creek Wilderness. Courtesy U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region, KaibabNational Forest
14 The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society Fall 2012
Honoring Phil Jenkinsby Douglas Ripley
Earlier this year Phil Jenkins, the longtime SeniorCuratorial Specialist at the University of ArizonaHerbarium, retired. During his 17 years working atthe UA Herbarium, Phil provided invaluableassistance to many members of the Arizona NativePlant Society and others needing help in identifyingtheir plant collections.
Phil’s interest in biology dates from his preschool yearson his family’s farm in Eastern Washington. Hismother believed early on that he would become anornithologist, but when it came time to go to college hefound himself switching his major from music to biologyto art and finally back to biology and plants.
He began concentrating his interests in botany in the1970s and began his career working for the U.S. ForestService where he was able to take biology classes in hisspare time. He began his formal training in plantsystematics with Ronald Taylor at Western WashingtonUniversity, which he enjoyed immensely. In 1978-1979 heworked in research projects at the University onLycopodium diversity and the importance of the lichenUsnea oregana as a nitrogen fixer. Both studies took placeon a recent lava flow from Mt. Baker, Washington.
In 1979, he was offered a position with the Forest Servicein Springerville, Arizona. Recognizing his growingknowledge of plants the Forest Service assigned him tasksthat involved doing vegetative surveys, writingenvironmental impact statements, and designingprescribed burning projects.
Two years later, he accepted a job with the research branchof the Forest Service, specifically the Rocky MountainForest and Range Experiment Station Fire Project inTempe, Arizona. That project studied fire history, firebehavior, the affects of fire on wildlife and vegetation, andthen made management recommendations to the NationalForests. Again, he was assigned those jobs that involvedvegetation surveys and plant identification, and was alsogiven the responsibility of care and management of theStation’s herbarium.
In 1986 he came to Tucson to continue his educationwhile working as a biological consultant with a Tucsonfirm. As part of that employment he was the senior authorof three reports for the U.S. National Park Service. Other
work as a consultant included surveying locations,population changes, and ecology of rare, threatened,endangered or candidate plant species for the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service and the Forest Service. During thistime he began volunteering with Paul Martin’s project toupdate Howard Scott Gentry’s Rio Mayo Plants (CarnegieInstitution No. 527, 1942). His main function in thatproject was the identification of collected specimens thatrequired many very enjoyable trips to the mountains andcoast of western Mexico.
Phil eventually completed the bachelor’s and master’sdegrees in biology from the Department of Ecology andEvolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. Hismaster’s degree research involved the systematics of thegenus Browallia (Solanaceae) under the direction ofProfessor L. McDade. Along with Tom Van Devender, Phildiscovered and described a new species of Browallia(Browallia eludens), a rare plant known in Arizona onlyfrom Santa Cruz County and several populationssubsequently discovered in Chihuahua and Sonora,Mexico.
Phil began his career at the UA Herbarium in January1992, where he worked for Charles Mason until hisretirement in July 1992. In addition to his tireless efforts tohelp identify plants for members of the general public,students, government agencies, and scientists, Phil wasresponsible for overseeing the curation of the UAHerbarium’s approximately 400,000 vascular plants,approximately 15,000 seed collections, approximately5,000 mosses and lichens, and a mycological herbarium.
We offer all best wishes to Phil in his retirement andextend to him the gratitude of the Arizona Native PlantSociety for his years of support and assistance to ourmembers.
www.aznativeplantsociety.org The Plant Press Arizona Native Plant Society 15
Green At Work!Did you know that you can support Arizona Native PlantSociety at your workplace? AZNPS is among 28 leadingenvironmental and conservation nonprofits that make upthe Environmental Fund for Arizona (EFAZ) — a vibrantpartnership of Arizona’s ‘green’ organizations working allacross the state to improve our natural environment.
Since 2001, thousands of Arizona employees have beenoffered a ‘green’ choice through EFAZ as part of theirworkplace giving campaigns, and collectively have raisedover $1 million for the vital environmental work being doneby our member groups.
You can donate through EFAZ in the workplaces listedbelow. Also, if your current workplace doesn’t offer a ‘green’choice yet, contact EFAZ to learn how easy it is to start anEFAZ program!
American ExpressAmeripriseState of AZCity of ChandlerCity of GoodyearCity of PhoenixCity of FlagstaffCity of MesaCity of TempeCity of ScottsdaleCity of SurpriseCity of TucsonTown of Queen CreekCoconino CountyPima CountyMaricopa CountyDesert Botanical GardenDMB AssociatesJP Morgan ChaseMaricopa County Federal EmployeesMaricopa County Community CollegesPrescott CollegeRaytheonBoeingSouthern AZ Federal EmployeesUnited HealthWells Fargo
To learn more, visit www.efaz.org.
Please contact Laine Seaton at the Environmental Fundfor Arizona — (480) 510-5511 or [email protected] — ifyou’re interested in starting or including EFAZ in yourworkplace giving campaign!
Chapter preferred: m State only m Cochise County m Flagstaff m Phoenix m Prescott m Tucson m Yuma
Enclosed: m $15 Student m $75 Commercialm $30 Individual m $100 Plant Loverm $35 Family m $500 Patronm $50 Organization m $1,000 Lifetime
Mail to: Arizona Native Plant SocietyPO Box 41206, Tucson AZ 85717
New Members Welcome!People interested in native plants areencouraged to become members. People mayjoin chapters in Flagstaff, Phoenix, Prescott,Cochise County (Sierra Vista), Tucson, orYuma, or may choose not to be active at achapter level and simply support thestatewide organization.
For more information, please write toAZNPS (see return address above), visitwww.aznativeplantsociety.org, or contactone of the people below:
