Bulletin of the Native Plant Society of OregonNOTE: This is an archived NPSO Bulletin.
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Bulletin of the Native Plant Society of Oregon[ Return to Bulletin Directory ]
Jan. ??, Sat. State Board Meeting: 10 A.M. - 4 P.M.Clark Public Utilities Building, 1200 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, Washington. Directions: About one mi. from I-5 bridge between Vancouver and Portland. Take Mill Plain exit off I-5, go east one block on Mill Plain, turn right on Fort Vancouver Way to building entrance. Public meeting room is at south end of building. See map on page 122 of printed version.
Nov. 3, Mon. Meeting: 7 P.M. Small Business Development Center, SE 1st & Dorian, Pendleton. Janet Ebaugh will give a presentation on plant exploring in western China, from her own experiences tracing the footsteps of an explorer.
Dec. 1, Mon. Meeting: 7 P.M. Small Business Development Center, SE 1st & Dorian, Pendleton. Bruce Barnes will demonstrate the latest version of the computer plant keys.
Nov. 10, Mon. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 2087, Cordley Hall, OSU campus. Eric T. Peterson will present "Common Cup Fungi and Allies of the Willamette Valley."
Nov. 8, Sat. Field Trip: Mushroom foray with Marcia Peeters. Join us for a day of visiting the secret kingdom of the fungi at the coast. Meet: S. Eugene H.S. parking lot, 8:30 A.M. Bring lunch, rain gear (including boots) and a hand lens if you have one. We'll follow up the trip with a mushroom dinner at Bruce and Peg's, details to be decided on the day of the foray. For more information, contact Bruce.
Nov. 24, Mon. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 110, Science Building, main campus, Lane Community College, Eugene. Howie Brounsteiin, free-lance botany teacher and herbalist, who has visited Chile twice to study its botany and ecology, will speak on "The vegetation of Chile; parallels with the Northwest flora. Directions: From 30th Ave., turn south on Eldon-Schafer Drive. Go past Oak Hill School and park in LCC's south parking lot, east end. Walk downstairs to Science Building. Entrance to room 110 on east side of bldg.
To learn more about this month's speaker, visit Howie's web page. Access it from our NPSO web page (address on back of this Bulletin) and click on the link that takes you to Books, Links and Reviews.
Dec. 6, Sat. Field Trip: Lichens with Linda. Join us for a day of learning about lichens at the William L.Finley National Wildlife Refuge. Led by Linda Geiser of the Siuslaw National Forest. Meet: 9 A.M., S. Eugene H.S. parking lot. Bring lunch, a hand lens if you have one, and appropriate dress for the weather. Bring Binoculars if you want to stay into the afternoon and go birding with Peg and Bruce. For more information, contact Bruce.
Dec. 8, Mon. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 110, Science Building, main campus, Lane Community College, Eugene. See above for directions. Come for our annual holiday party. Bring a dozen of your favorite slides if you wish, and a finger-food snack to share, if convenient. Your chapter will provide punch and decorations. See you there! NOTE CHANGE FROM 4TH TO 2ND MONDAY.
Jan. 26, Mon. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Room 109, main campus, L.C.C., Eugene. Free-lance nature writer Christine Colasurdo of San Francisco will give a slide-illustrated talk titled "Sprouting in the Shadow of the Volcano: The Flora of Mt. St. Helens." Christine, who wrote the biography of Erna Gunther for the NW Plant Hunters book, will also read from her new book, "Return to Spirit Lake: Journey Through a Lost Landscape," which is published by Sasquatch Books of Seattle. See Nov. mtng. for directions. Entrance to room 109 is on the south side of the building.
Meeting: There will be no meeting in November or December.
Nov. 11, Tues. Meeting: 7-9 P.M. Room 202 at OIT. The guest speaker will be Lucille Housley of the BLM. She will give a presentation on the flora of Chile. Refreshments will be served. For more information contact Susan. Note: Starting in November, monthly meetings will be held on the second tuesday of each month.
Nov. 5, Wed. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Mosier School. Lynn Cornelius, Judy Miles and Sue Kusch- Tepper of The Nature Conservancy of Washington, will give us a presentation on the Nature Conservancy preserves in Washington, with emphasis the new oak woodland preserves in our area.
Dec. 3, Wed. Meeting: 7:30 P.M. Mosier School. Bonnie Brunkow of the Leach Botanical Garden will give us a slide show on the flowers of Turkey and Mt. Olympus.
Dec. 9, Tues. Meeting: 7 P.M. First United Methodist Church, 1838 Jefferson St., Portland. Members' night. Bring 10 - 15 of your favorite slides (or other botanical wonders) to amaze the group.
For information on South Coast Chapter, contact Bruce Rittenhouse.
Nov. 13, Thurs. Meeting: 7 P.M. Room 3110, Douglas County Courthouse, Roseburg. Our guest, Dr. Daphne Stone of Eugene, will do the program on lichens, her specialty. So bring some for elucidation and identification. Contact Russ Holmes, for information. Nov. 15, Sat. Field Trip: Discover lichens. Meet: BLM parking lot, 777 Garden Valley Rd., Roseburg, just west of I-5 exit 125, for 8 A.M. departure. Dec. 11, Thurs. Meeting: Potluck at Hillcrest Vineyard. Share your field trip or other botanical experiences. Bring some photos, slides and revelations. For information, contact Richard Sommer.
Nov. 17, Mon. Meeting: 7 P.M. Room 225, United Methodist Church, 600 State St. NE, Salem. Late notice: Dan Luoma's subject will be "Fungi in our forest ecosystem."
Nov. 19, Wed. Meeting: 7 P.M. Forest and Range Laboratory, C Ave. & Gekeler Lane, La Grande. Karen Antell, a professor of botany at Eastern Oregon University, will present the program. Watch the Observer for a notice of her subject. The business part of the meeting will be from 7 to 8, with the program starting at 8.
IMPORTANT NOTE TO FIELD TRIP PARTICIPANTSField trips take place rain or shine, so proper dress and footwear are essential. Trips may be strenuous and/or hazardous. Participation is at your own risk. Please contact the trip leader or chapter representative about difficulty, distance, and terrain to be expected on field trips. Bring water and lunch. All NPSO field trips are open to the public at no charge (other than contribution to carpool driver) and newcomers 'and visitors are always welcome.NOTICE TO FIELD TRIP CHAIRS AND LEADERSThe Forest Service and other agencies have set policies limiting group size in many wilderness areas to 12. The reason is to limit human impacts on these fragile areas. Each group using wilderness areas should be no larger than 12.POSTAL NOTICEBulletin of the Native Plant Society of Oregon; John Robotham, Editor; 117 NW Trinity P1. #28, Portland, OR 97209.Published monthly. Subscription price $18/year. ISSN 0884-599. Date and issue number on page 1. |
Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors of the articles. They do not represent the opinions of the Native Plant Society of Oregon, unless so stated.
Guidelines for Contributors to the Bulletin
The NPSO Bulletin is published monthly as a service to members and the public.I am certain that the committee will welcome any input from members at large. One of the items the committee will be considering will be the critical issues that face NPSO. I hope that all members who have some issue they feel should be addressed will bring it to the attention of one of the committee members.
In my first message as president, I asked what the members wanted from NPSO. I invited a response from the membership. Two members combined to send in one response. These members expressed the desire that NPSO take a more active role in conservation issues. With only one response, I assume that members are generally happy with what NPSO provides. In spite of this, I feel that can and should be doing more. I received a note from Bruce Rittenhouse who indicated that he had not had any response to his request to the chapters that they prioritize rare plants in their areas in preparation for monitoring and inventory of these plants. It is my opinion that the chapters should respond, even if the response indicates that they do not have the people or time to do the work. I would like to see NPSO enlarge its education program. I suggest each chapter appoint a member to Jerry Igo's education committee to help in the development of a program and a list of teachers and/or speakers to present the program to interested groups. The Nature Conservancy of Washington has a program that could serve as a good model for NPSO's initial efforts.
Another area where NPSO could take the lead would be the development of a state-supported botanical garden to feature the native plants of Oregon. I could go on listing activities which NPSO could consider, however, it is up to the planning committee to develop priorities and recommendations for the issues we should address in the future.
In view of the close proximity of the annual meeting to the normal time of the spring Board meeting, I plan to omit the spring Board meeting. Thus, we will have a Board meeting on January 31, followed by the Board meeting that is held in conjunction with the annual NPSO meeting.
Michael Fahey President, NPSO
The Conservation and Management of Native Plants and Fungi. T.N. Kaye, A. Liston, R.M. Love, D.L. Luoma, R.J. Meinke, and M.V. Wilson, eds. 1997. ISBN 0-9656852-0-9. Paper, U.S. $25, 296 pages. Native Plant Society of Oregon, 804 Jefferson Ave., La Grande, Oregon 97850.
[This] ... is a delightful compendium of papers organized by the editors into four broad areas: 1) conservation and management of native plants, 2) restoration of native plants and communities, and two sections devoted to the ecology, biogeography and systematics of vascular plants, bryophytes and fungi. The book accurately represents the activities, ideas and efforts of researchers and managers who presented papers at a November, 1995 symposium centered on Oregon's native flora, but its scope is sufficiently broad to be of considerable interest to those contemplating taxonomic studies, designing conservation programs, or seeking information on specific taxa (e.g., the lichen Peltigera, ectomycorrhizal diversity, Erigeron, and even macrobenthic marine algae). In short, there is something for everyone, both readers focused on specific species biology, and ecologists interested in plant-animal interactions, demography, seed dormancy and seed predation, and habitat management for butterflies. A quick scan of the table of contents will decide its relevance to one's own work. For a bird's eye view, approximately 10%, 24%, 34% and 32% of articles deal primarily with physiology, ecology, systematics, or conservation and management. Although some authors have published significant studies in widely circulated journals, others present data previously available only in unpublished reports of public and private agencies. Thus the book is an excellent guide to published research, as well as a source of new and useful information. The comments below illustrate the book's diversity, describe a few noteworthy studies, and try to draw the reader's attention to aspects that otherwise might be overlooked. Many papers emphasize the need for more data and suggest avenues for future research.
Sections I and II (20 papers), plus a few papers in section III, focus on conservation and restoration, including "hot topics" such as the potential for genetic swamping of rare plants via hybridization (e.g., Wolf's evening primrose). Topics range from descriptive or experimental studies to comparative theoretical treatments of the matrix projection programs used to track plant demography (Greenlee and Kaye). Several other papers were of particular interest: 1) the paired studies (Wilson et. al., Schultz) that detail the complex interrelationships among plants, the rare Fendler's Blue butterfly, and various eco-political and pragmatic aspects of habitat/species management; and 2) the elegant study in which Jules was able to link habitat fragmentation and demographic patterns in trillium (i.e. by excavating and aging the rhizomes in forest fragments of different sizes. On a more practical note,Youtie and others describe ways in which volunteers aid plant conservation efforts in the area of weed control. In addition, Guerrant highlights the important and pioneering work of the first private U.S. seed bank for rare plants. He does readers an additional service by defining appropriate off-site use of these rare plants in the sometimes controversial arena of reintroduction and augmentation programs.
Most papers in sections III and IV (21 papers total) have a predominant taxonomic or ecological orientation in relation to the Oregon flora, but are as varied as the definitional criteria for a RED list of macrofungi, studies of nickel localization in serpentine hyperaccumulators, and treatments of the biogeography and systematics of Astragalus and Northwest coastal lichens. Wilson provides an extensive key and photos of Oregon Peltigera, but most other papers lack keys, opting instead for cladograms, descriptive text, or tables (e.g., a notable example likely to be used extensively within the region is B.Wilson's method for differentiating difficult native fescues). In a successful but very different approach, Lyons-Weiler and Tausch employ cladistic methods to help us understand patterns of variability in species diversity. Other useful tidbits include numerous current and historical literature searches (e.g. on hawthorns), Rosentreter's interesting lore about how the lichen "manna" purportedly helped both Alexander's army and the Israelites to avoid starvation, and the excellent appendices on algae and seagrasses, which also underscore the need for more scientific study of under-represented groups. Readers will likely enjoy Silletts's description of the epiphytic cyanolichens; these occur in forests of varied ages, but persist only in old growth sites as a result of the differing canopy microclimate and more limited vertical dispersal in younger stands. Chambers urges us to remember how important plant distributions, ploidy and alpha taxonomy are as a baseline for investigating such ecological, genetic, and/or evolutionary questions.
In general, the book is an excellent, diverse guide to published research, as well as a source of new and useful information. Some authors have published significant studies in widely circulated journals, but others present data previously available only in unpublished reports of public and private agencies. Thus while one of the strengths of the book is its diversity, a corollary is that its content varies extensively in scientific caliber and style, methodological detail and use of current references, attention to well-edited prose, effective use of statistics (e.g., compare papers by Levine vs. Luoma et. al.), and consistency of figures and tables. For example, the colloquialisms in Ertter's paper (e.g. "boils down to," and plants that "have been causing headaches"), and a few logical slips that reverse the intended meaning, are distracting. However, the important point of her paper is that we should indeed continue to seek better ways of designing protocols for taxa that exhibit clines or "intermediate" patterns of variability. Moreover, while Imper's papers set an excellent precedent for generating effective conservation management tools for species biology, the small figures are somewhat difficult to read. Yet over all the book has remarkably few publication errors, and photos are usually reproduced very well (e.g., SEM photos in Gisler and Meinke. However a more lasting binding process in the future might prevent the loss of pages already evident in my copy.
In summary, Kaye et. al. effectively deliver what is promised in the title and foreword -- a summary of ongoing research, both applied and basic, that is tied to conserving native plant diversity. Thus, although Oregon and Pacific Coast elements receive special attention, scientists and conservation managers in all regions will truly appreciate the breadth of current topics discussed ... . I'm certainly glad to have a copy on my bookshelf! Susan R. Kephart, Dept. of Biology Willamette University, Salem, OR
[Reprinted from Plant Science Bulletin, Vol. 43, No. 3, Autumn, 1997. Pub. by Botanical Society of America.]
The following is the first in series of three articles in which NPSO/ODA interns discuss their activities during the 1997 field season. Interns were selected from a pool of applicants and worked with scientists from the Oregon Department of Agriculture/OSU Plant Conservation Biology Program to carry out research related to threatened and endangered species in Oregon. Project locations ranged from coastal beaches to serpentines of southwestern Oregon to the eastside's high desert. Interns were jointly funded by NPSO, state and federal dollars and plan to use their experiences to further their careers in botany and biology. Elena Kelley, whose article on the breeding system of Kalmiopsis is presented below, was also supported by the Portland Garden Club through a grant to OSU graduate student Kelly Amsberry for research on hairy popcorn flower. Thanks again to NPSO for contributing to botanical education and work experience.
Tom Kaye Plant Conservation Biology Program Oregon Department of Agriculture
It began on a rocky slope somewhere in Douglas County. I had slept most of the car ride to our site, so I was about as oriented as a compass on the MIR space station. My body had long before been aware of the rough gravel road we were traveling on, but the rest of me remained confused as to our location. As I rubbed awake my sleepy eyes, our path soon became recognizable. We were going up a small mountain. The landscape consisted or anything from heavily wooded areas to clear cuts and seemingly benign slopes to nearly vertical rocky cliffs. I asked my comrades, Oregon Department of Agriculture botanist Steve Gisler, and visiting graduate student Matt Carlson, as to our whereabouts. They were quick to produce an atlas and another map for me to look at. With some help I could finally pinpoint our location as just past Dry Creek, along the North Umpqua. Our ultimate destination: a friendly growing place for the rare plant Kalmiopsis "fragrans." Our goal: to perform experiments evaluating its reproductive ecology. (Note: Kalmiopsis "fragrans" is currently being described by Meinke and Kaye as a species separate from its congenor, Kalmiopsis leachiana, known from the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in southwestern Oregon.)
Prior to the excursion, I was briefed on some of the trials and tribulations synonymous with the name K. "fragrans." The first and foremost of the pre-trip facts was that our plant favors rocky outcrops. In other words, it grows in habitats not even suitable for a mountain goat. Secondly, the elusive Kalmiopsis comes in the form of two reproductive morphs: pin plants and thrum plants. Pin plants are equipped with long styles and short stamens while thrum plants have short styles and long stamens. Biologists have often found that plants with this type of reproductive morphology have similar modus operandi. Generally, pollen from pin plants successfully fertilizes thrum ovules while pollen from thrum plants fertilizes pin ovules. Any intramorph or self pollination usually results in drastically reduced numbers of seeds, In addition, the intramorph crosses often mirror the commonly low seed numbers resulting from selfing. This complex system is thought to protect plants from fertilizing themselves or others that may be too close genetically. Except in certain instances, pollination experiments using distylous plants (pin and thrum plants) have revealed that this is a fairly reliable system.
K. "fragrans," however, is one of the exceptions. As one of the program's many ongoing projects, the Plant Conservation Biology Program at ODA wanted to test the reliability of the pin and thrum system in K. "fragrans." Thus, an experiment testing the efficacy of K. "fragrans" distyly was designed as follows. A series of pollinations was conducted in six different forms: pin x self, thrum x self, pin male x thrum female, pin male x pin female, thrum male x pin female, thrum male x thrum female.
The result of the data for several years shows that the highest number of seeds produced came from intermorph pollinations. While this in itself is not surprising, it was quite a curious matter to learn that, despite lower seed production from intramorph pollinations, they still fostered a notably substantial number of healthy looking seeds. Of greater note was the observation that production intramorph seeds was nearly double that from selfed plants, a fairly uncommon occurrence in species with a pin-thrum structure. These pollination experiments made it clear that, although the plant suffers a lower seed production when selfed or crossed intramorph, the heterostylous system is far from foolproof.
Evolutionarily, such results pose some intriguing questions. Is Kalmiopsis "fragrans" a budding distylous plant merely perfecting its newly formed reproductive system? Or rather, has K. "fragrans" already tested the merits of the pin and thrum system and is currently moving toward becoming a single morph species? Or perhaps the rarity of K. "fragrans" combined with its practically indiscriminate breeding has weeded out many of the species' deleterious genes, as is often found in many regularly inbreeding plants. We will only begin to understand the answers to these questions by performing in-depth research on the relative of K. "fragrans," K. leachiana, a paleoendemic plant in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness and the only other heterostylous plant in the Ericaceae. Continuing study of these two unusual, ericaceous plants could prove extremely valuable in their continued preservation.
As well as providing assistance with the Kalmiopsis "fragrans" study, my summer internship included participation in the reintroduction of Plagiobothrys hirtus in southern Oregon and several other Plant Conservation Biology Program projects. I would like to thank Tom Kaye, Steve Gisler, Matt Carlson, Bob Meinke, Anne Turner, Sanyaalak Burkhart, Shannon Clery, Carla Cole, the NPSO, and the Portland Garden Club for giving me a summer experience I will never forget. I especially thank graduate student Kelly Amsberry for her continued support, guidance, and endless patience. Elena Kelley
Plant Talk is a magazine about conservation issues, news, views and activities which are international in scope. First published in April, 1995, its mission is "to bring conservation and biodiversity to much wider attention, and to place them in a proper global perspective." It is published in the United Kingdom and is not associated with any conservation or environmental organization.The director, Hugh Synge, and the editor, Dr. John Akeroyd, are both veterans of the international plant conservation community. Synge designed and ran the IUCN/WWF Plants Programme and Akeroyd has a background in Mediterranean botany. He revised volume one of Flora Europaea and has also written many papers on plant taxonomy. The Plant Talk advisory panel is made up of nine leading scientists, including Dr. Peter Raven of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
This is clearly an important journal that fills a niche in the reference literature for the botanical community because it truly does appeal to a broad audience. The articles I have read support the editor's claim that it is "user-friendly with rigorously scientific content and a style that is understandable to the non-professional." The articles are engaging, substantive, concise and the entire magazine can be read in an evening or two. Contents include sections on "Conservation News" and "Special Features." Both highlight specific regions or groups of plants that illustrate the applications of conservation and biodiversity principles. Example of articles that have appeared in "Conservation News" include "Medicinal plants:World Bank interest" and "The other cost of war: protecting plant genetic resources." My favorite articles in the "Special Features" section have included one about saving the spectacular flora of Socotra (and I thought this was just a fictional island mentioned by Kipling in How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin), one about plant diversity on Crete and a very informative article titled "On Revising a Genus." The "Regular Features" section includes "New Red Data Books" which is an update of plants in danger of extinction from around the globe, "New Protected Areas" and "Book Reviews." The final section of the magazine is titled "100 Plant Facts for Campaigning Conservationists" which is a compendium of useful facts. Eight to ten facts are presented in each issue. There are also editorials, letters, notices of conferences and other relevant events, and profiles of botanists, ecologists and conservation leaders.
For NPSO members this magazine is a tie to the international botanical community. It is not yet widely available (neither the University of Oregon nor the Eugene Public Library has it) but Lane Community College in Eugene plans a one year trial subscription. Gail Baker Emerald Chapter
The Nominations Committee has been pestering the membership in order to prepare a slate of nominations for the 1998 elections. This is the procedure: we whine and wheedle until we get the required number of members to agree to appear on the ballot. According to the bylaws, a report will be made to the president by December 15. Actually, we are going for December 1, as the slate will be published in the January issue of the Bulletin, and the Bulletin deadline is December 10. Let's think about changing the bylaws to reflect that deadline.
The names of additional nominees submitted by any group of five or more dues paying members will be printed in the Bulletin's February issue. Here again, the timing is a little tight. The slate will be in the January issue, and the deadline for February is January 10. We can probably live with that, unless the membership really feels it needs to be changed.
The ballot will be enclosed with the March Bulletin and mailed to all paid-up members with instructions that it be returned not later than April 1. The newly-elected officers take office at the conclusion of the annual meeting.
There are a few more requirements listed in the bylaws. Consult your bylaws or phone me if you have any questions, and I will try to answer them.
Veva Stansell, Chair Nominating CommitteeOregon's Rare Wildflower Poster depicts Punchbowl Falls and three of the Columbia River Gorge's endemic wildflowers. Text on the back describes the natural history of the Gorge and the mission of the NPSO. Available from Stu Garrett. Individuals may order posters at $12 each, plus $3 per order for shipping. Posters are mailed in tubes. Chapter treasurers may contact Stu, for wholesale prices to chapters.
NPSO Window Stickers are decals with NPSO's trillium logo in green over an opaque white background, for use inside car windows. Available from Stu Garrett, $1, minimum order five.
NPSO T-Shirts are available in various colors and designs and are sold through NPSO chapters.
NPSO's Original Wildflower Poster depicts 13 Oregon wildflowers in a striking artist's rendition. Soon to be a collector's item. Available from Stephanie Schulz, 84603 Bristow Rd., Pleasant Hill, OR 97455. $5 each, plus $3 per order for shipping. Posters are mailed in tubes.
Conservation and Management of Native Plants and Fungi: Proceedings of an Oregon Conference on the Conservation and Management of Native Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Fungi. Edited by Thomas N. Kaye, Aaron Liston, Rhoda M. Love, Daniel L. Luoma, Robert J. Meinke, and Mark V. Wilson, with a foreword by Reed F. Noss. Available from NPSO Conference Proceedings, 804 Jefferson Ave., La Grande, OR 97850. (541-962-7749). $20, plus $5 for shipping for the first copy, $2.50 for shipping for each additional copy.
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Last Modified April 6, 1996