Colorado l¥atire PI ant ISociety

"Dedicated to the Appreciation and Conservation of the Colorado Flora"

OFFICERS 1979-1980

President:
Vice-President
Secretary :
Treasurer:

LI 03 /d Hayes
Scott Peterson
Sue Martin
Myrna Steinkamp

BOARD OF DIRECTORS*

Ann Armstrong (81) Boulder 494-0545

Miriam Denham (80) Boulder 442-1020

Virginia Dionigi (80) Hygiene 776-2609

Tom Eamon (81) Golden 279-1076

Hugo Ferchau (80) Gunnison
Lloyd Hayes (80) Ft. Collins 226-5365

Bob Heapes (81) Parker 841-3978

Sue Martin (81) Ft. Collins 226-3371

Scott Peterson (80) Ft. Collins 484-2884

Mark Phillips (80) Lafayette 828-3021

* Year when terms expire is given in {).
Numbers following names are phones where
Directors can be reached. All of Colorado
is reached by area code 303.

COftlinEES

EDUCATION Virginia Dionigi

HORTICULTURE &

REHABILITATION Mark Phillips

LEGISLATIVE vacant

Karen Hollweg is representative on
COSC

MEMBERSHIP Myrna Steinkamp

PUBLICATIONS Scott Peterson

THREATENED &

ENDANGERED Bill Harmon

ADDRESS

Please direct all correspondence and inquiries
to:

The Colorado Native Plant Society
P. 0. Box 200

Ft. Collins, Colorado 80522

membership renewals & INFORMATION

Please direct all membership applications,
renewals and address changes to Myrna
Steinkamp, Membership Chairperson,

CONPS in care of the above address.

SCHEDULE OF MEMBERSHIP FEES

life $ 250.00
SUPPORTING 50.00
SOCIETY 25.00
FAMILY 12-00
INDIVIDUAL 8-00
STUDENT & RETIRED 4.00

Nonmembership subscriptions to the News-
letter are $ 4.00.

reSLETER .ARTICLES

Please direct all articles of interest to
the CONPS to Dieter Wilken, Editor, CONPS,
in care of the above address.

Deadlines for the 6 bimonthly Newsletters
are the end of January, March, May,

July, September and November.

ASSOCIATION OF ’»CSTERN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETIES

On April 19, 1980 I had the pleasure of represen-
ting the CONPS in a meeting of native plant
societies in Salt Lake City* The purpose of the
meeting was to develop an umbrella organization
for societies in the several western states.

A meeting was originally held in Reno, Nevada
during February but at that time the CONPS
BOD elected to communicate by letter rather
than sending a representative.

The major outcome of the Salt Lake City Meeting
was the formation of an Association of Western
Native Plant Societies. The purpose of the new
organization is to endorse goals of individual
societies with regard to promotion of public
knowledge and awareness of native plants, encoura-
ging the cultivation and landscaping use of native
plants, to facilitate exchange of information and
cooperative action among native plant societies
and to formulate and publicize consensus views on
legislative acts affecting the native flora.

Membership in the organization is at the society
level only, although individuals can subscribe
to the quarterly newsletter* Mitch Beauchamp
of the California NPS graciously agreed to serve
as the newsletter editor, which is available
for $2, AWNPS, P.O* Box 985, National City, CA
92050. Representatives present at Salt Lake City
agreed that the new organization should be loosely
defined, with 1 annual meeting and the quarterly
newsletter. Business will be conducted primarily
by mail. A member will be a native plant society
that subscribes to the AWNPS purposes and will be
allowed one vote. The annual chairperson of the
Association will be the society delegate for the
state in which the the annual meeting is held.

The first annual meeting will be in Phoenix,
Arizona in September.

A large portion of the Salt Lake City meeting
was devoted to the exhange of ideas on money-
raising plans and most of these ideas can be
successfully utilized by the CONPS. If any
CONPS member has specific interests, a report
is in the hands of Myrna Steinkamp. The meeting
was not all conducted in a windowless room.
Participants toured the facilities of a com-
mercial nursery that deals in native plants.
Discussed during the tour were seed collection,
propagation by cuttings and the novelty of
tissue culture, which proved quite interesting.

We also toured the University of Utah's planned
native plant arboretum.

If you desire any additional information regar-
ding the AWNPS, I would be happy to exchange ideas
on a personal basis,

— 0. Scott Peterson

FAIR

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Earth Day
the Colorado Open Space Council arranged a
week-long series of activities culminating in
a "Life Vision Environmental Fair". The Fair
was sponsored jointly dy t+te- Denver University'
Environmental Awareness Group and was held
April 26 and 27. To gain some public exposure
for the CONPS, The CONPS Education Comnittee
(Virginia Dionigi, Ann Armstrong and Miriam
Denham) arranged for a booth at the Fair. A
continuous showing of slides of Colorado natives
plus some large photographs and a display of
our new poster with Colorado Native Plant Society
in bold black letters helped to attract fairgoers
to our booth. Also, membership information,
application forms, schedules of field trips and
notes on plants showed In the slide presentation—^^
were available in the booth and posters were
offered for sale.

Those who viewed the display thought the CONPS
booth was one of the most attractive in the
entire Fairl Many thanks to members of the
education cormittee and to those members who
helped with the project.

— Lloyd Hayes

RECENT ACTIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Education Committee in March reported progress
in establishing a collection of slides illustrating
Colorado's native flora. Several TOO slides cur-
rently are in the collection. The Committee plans
to develop 3 sets of slides, each accompanied by
a taped narrative. Each set will be directed
toward a different educational level, probably
elementary. Junior high school and senior high
school or adult groups. The first topic for
a slide/narration package will be "Common Plants
of Colorado". Packages on other topics will
follow.

Tom Eamon has arranged for our 1980 Annual Meeting
to be hel on October 25th at the Denver Botanic
Garden. Mark your calendars and watch for further
announcements in the NEWSLETTER.

The BOD approved development of the first "

Society poster. See the last NEWSLETTER for
specifics.

Lloyd Hayes developed first-draft statements of
proposed objectives for each of the Society's
standing committees. These have been distributed
to all BOO members and appropriate committee

chairpersons for study and recommendations.

, good cooperative relationship has been established
with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program for ex-
change of information* particularly on endangered
or threatened species,

CONPS donated $50 to "Operation Wildflowers" of
the Colorado Federation of Garden Clubs* to aid
in the use of native wildflowers for highway
beautification.

Nlyrna Steinkamp was elected CONPS Treasurer, repla-
cing Walt Ruizo, who has left Colorado.

--- Lloyd Hayes

A GLIMPSE OF Colorado's edible wild garden

With the coming of summer and the consequent
bloom of wildflowers, it's time to venture out in
search of our many native edible plants. The
common CATTAIL ( Typha lati folia ) is considered
by some to be the "outdoor pantry" and the DANDE-
( Taraxacum officinale ) is not an unwanted
species at all .

Perhaps the best and most preferred delicacy of
the CATTAIL is that prepared from the inner core
tissue of the lower stems and rootstocks. 'The
outer leaves should be peeled away and the tender
inner portion extracted. These have an excellent
■^lavor whether eaten raw in salads or prepared,
iike ASPARAGUS, with butter and seasonings, a
cream or cheese sauce. Secondly, the young spikes
can be removed from their sheaths early in the
season and eaten raw or cooked and eaten like
corn-on-the cob. The flowers as well as the pollen
can be collected and used In baking as a substitute
for flour, in the making of muffins, breads, cakes
or even flapjacks, {a recipe can be found in Harold
Harri ngton ' s Edible Native Plants of j^ie Rocky ftoun-
tains , UniversTty of New Mexico Press, p. 223)*

After CATTAILS have turned brown In the fall, the
the soft dry "down" of the "TAIL" is an excellent
"fire starter" when faced with an absence of
tinder. The rootstocks are relatively high in
carbohydrates and therefore a good nutritional
food. The outer tissues should be peeled away
to reveal the white central core, often 1/2 Inch
in dian^ter. These cores can be boiled, baked,
fried or eaten raw as well as dried and ground In-
to a flour. The rootstcok buds also contain a
high starchy material and are quite favorable.

Don't spray, your DANDELIONS! Your neighbors may
disapprove so it may be wise to be cautious. A
weedy member of the SUNFLOWER family, the DANDE-
LION has a number of uses. The young leaves can
be used in salads, tossed with a mixture of other
wild greens. The leaves tend to develop a rather
bitter taste with age and may require blanching.
However, the bitter taste can be favorable in small
amounts. The young leaves can be boiled as a pot-
herb or dried for tea. The slender taproots are
excellent when sliced in salads, roasted or fried.
They also can be roasted and ground as a substitute
for coffee. The yellow flowers add an interesting
flare to pancakes, cornbread or muffins and
are famous as the major stock to DANDELION WINE
(see Harrington, p. 102), NOTE: Exercise caution
when harvesting DANDELIONS from unfamiliar places.
It is a common practice to spray these weeds with
herbicides such as 2,4-D.

There are many species of VIOLETS that are edible.
The young leaves and flower buds are great in sa-
lads. There Is no bitter taste to the leaves.

The leaves and buds also make a good potherb,
cooked like spinach, or dried for a favorbale tea.
The flowers can be candled or boiled down to a
sweet syrup.

Colorado's weedy RUSSIAN THISTLE ( Sal sol a kali or
Sal sol a iberica ) is another introduced species
common to disturbed and waste places. The young
shoots of this plant make an excellent potherb.
Served like its close relative spinach, RUSSIAN
THISTLE can be prepared with seasonings,
lemon juice or bacon, one of the very best
of the wild potherbs!.

A common perennial to the eastern slope Is the
SOAPWEED, Yucca glauca . The immature fruit, when
peeled and boiled, tastes somewhat like squash.

The large showy flowers can be added raw to salads
or boiled and served with butter and seasonings.

The fibers of the leaves can be used in weaving
cordage or rope and the roots may be used as a
substitute for soap. However, the leaves and roots
contain salicylic acid, which is harmful in high
doses, and consequently should not be eaten!

FIREWEED, Epilobium angustifol turn , is a species
of high elevation meadows and burned sites and
Is also a valuable edible plant. The young
shoots can be prepared like ASPARAGUS and the
tender young leaves are a supplement to salads
or potherbs. The flowers in bud are also good.

The leaves can be dried and used in making tea.
Peeling away the bark of the stem tissue reveals
a tender inner pith having a “sweet" flavor when
eaten raw. This inner pith can be used as a thick-
ening for soup and stews.

In moist woodlands and valleys and along streams
the ELDERBERRY ( Sambucus ) may be found. A shrub
to small tree, the ELDERBERRY is known principal-
ly for Its wine. The berries, when eaten raw,
may taste rather bitter but make excellent jams,
jellies, pies and syrup. The can be used dried
as a flavoring. The young shoots can be
prepared as a potherb. The flowers when shaken
from the inflorescence into a batter make delicious
elderberry pancakes. The flower clusters are
excellent dipped in a sweet batter and fried
(as "fritters") and resemble a lace cookie.

The flowers may be also used for tea- It
should be noted that the mature leaves, bark
and roots are known to be poisonous.

These are only a few of Colorado's many native
edible plant species. All can be a welcome and
novel addition to any meal or camping trip with
l^ractice and a little imagination. This summer
you too may wish to sample our “wild garden".

Karen Wiley Eberle

A NEW COLONY OF MINER'S LETTUCE (hOMTIA

p e rfqliata )

“Monti a perfoliata Donn, Hort. Cantab. 25.

1 796, ... .South Dakota to British Columbia,
south to Colorado and California. No specimens
from this state were located by the writer,
although the variety depressa (Gray) Jepson
is to be expected." the quotation is from
Harrington's Manual of the Plants of Colorado, --
1 964 . ^

Dr. Harrington apparently was not aware of
Dr, E.H. Brunquist's collections of this
species in Douglas County in 1960 in the
vicinity of Roxborough Park. Dr. Dieter
Wilken located a population near Kassler
north of Roxborough Park in 1979, but
efforts to relocate Brunquist's find
proved ineffectual.

In late April this year I was fortunate to
stumble on quite a respectable colony of
Monti a perfoliata in Jefferson County at
about 5500 feet in T5S, R69W, S28. It is
on the southeast slope of a cliff on Ken
Caryl Avenue just beyond the last of the
housing developments, Ken Caryl
Avenue crosses S. Wadsworth not far north of its
junction with Colorado Highway 75.

In April, the little plants were clustered under
the edges of rocks and shrubs in dampish ground.
It may have been damp only because it was the day
after one of our numerous spring snows! There
were no leaves on the shrubs but the hillsides •
was well yellowed with Alyssum minus . A few
blossoms of Viola n u tta 1 1 1 i were showing as well
Claytonia rosea , Microsteris gracil Is and the
ubiquitous Chorispora tenella .

Monti a is an unusual plant with tiny (3mm in dia-
^~^er) pinkish-white flowers with 2 sepals,

Ming one at a time In a small cyme, which
Is subtended by 2 circular leaves fused together
around the scape. The scape Is 6-8 cm longer
than the basal leaves. Each little leaf,
broadly deltoid to orbicular, the widest to
12 mm, has its own petiole from the base of the
plant. Leaves, petioles and scapes are almost
succulent in appearance and are completely
glabrous. This annual grows from a small
taproot.

To the best of my knowledge this is the third
population to be found in Colora'do, all of them
from an area roughly 8 miles in diameter. Did
the first ones escape from someones herb garden?

One little tidbit about Monti a is to be found
on page 97 of the Mug House, the account by
Arthur Rohn of the excavations on Wetherill
Mesa in Mesa Verde, published by the National
Park Service in , 1971. In dried fecal material

examined by the excavators were^ found seeds of
Monti a . This might be the origin of the-
common name, INDIAN LETTUCE, g|Ven to the plant
by Dr, Harrington and others.’ An idle speculation
but fun.

— Berta Anderson

CACTUS rustling!

In the Sunday, May 25 edition of the Denver
Post there appeared an article on cactus
rustling, which "threatens to deplete rare
desert plants". A recent article in the
magazine Science 8Q , July-August, further

details the^'p'rob! em. The following are

excerpts:

"Widespread rustling of cacti has occurred
on lands administered by the BLM. The admini-
strator of BLM's Mojave Desert Unit In Cali-
fornia reported in 1976 that lOOO's of
Joshua Trees, red barrel cacti, golden
chollas and other species were stolen each
year, often by people using heavy equipment
and large trucks."

"The volume of the cactus trade can be only
estimated, since, for example, vast quantities
of globular cacti were recorded by Arizona
authorities as being shipped from Texas.

In 1978 one dealer alone sent shipments of
between 60,000 and 95,000 plants to Arizona
almost every month."

"Although the volume and deleterious impacts
of the cactus trade have received little
attention from the public, some programs have
been established to regulate it.

The first state to do so, Arizona, adopted its
Native Plant Act in 1929. Strengthened in
1967, the act prohibits collecting of 9 species
of plants for any reason and collecting of
another 200 species is regulated by permit.

The 1977 Desert Native Plant Act in California
protects plants in the desert counties.

New Mexico has just begun to regulate the
taking of plants."

Implementation of laws passed under the
Endangered Species Act and the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species
is currently shared by the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service of the US Dept, of
Agriculture. Until recently the latter
agency began to rigoruously enforce only
Importations of exotic plant species with
regard to the Convention. No attempt has
been made to enforce exportation of plant
species from the United States.

Another aspect of this problem, particularly
with regard to cacti and other plants used
for landscaping in the Southwest is that
now commercial collectors may be driven out
of enforced states, such as Arizona, New Mexico
and California and begin their lucrative harvesting
in states such as Nevada, Utah and Colorado.

Although Nevada is contemplating a law concerning
the taking of native plants, Utah and Colorado
legislatures are making no effort in this field.
When will they start?

— Editor