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