lyo Cai In this issue Milkweeds of Idaho p.1 Greetings from the President p.2 IN PS State News p.3 2012 Annual Meeting in North Idaho p.6 Meet Packard’s Milkvetch p.8 Digitizing Herbarium Specimens p.10 Edible and Poisonous Plants p.17 IDAHO NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY May 2012 Volume 34 (2) Articles contributed to Sage Notes reflect the views of the authors and are not an official position of the Idaho Native Plant Society. £k cte 7% ofez Promoting inleresl in Idaho's rtalive flora Milkweeds of Idaho — and Beyond By Sonja Lewis and James Riser II The Americas, from South America to southern Canada, are home to milkweeds, with Mexico being the center of Asclepias diversity. Related genera are also found in Africa and Eurasia. Milkweeds grow in deserts, grasslands, and forests, most often in full sun. They are perennials, usually with opposite leaves. Some species are found on disturbed land, and are able to persist. Asclepias flowers are aggregated into rounded inflorescences termed umbels. The Asclepias flower is highly complex, although there’s nothing too out of the ordinary about the outer structures. The five petals of the variously colored corolla usually fold back over the green sepals. There are two separate ovaries, each with its own style. But now it gets hard to follow! Moving towards the center of the flower, one finds the gynostegium, which is composed of the two fused stigmas adnate to the five fused anthers. The showy portions of the gynostegium are called a corona. The Asclepias corona resembles hoods, horns, or sacs, with nectaries at the bottom. The receptive areas for pollen (the stigmas) are hidden under the flap-like anthers. (Above) The beautiful Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) found in Idaho and Utah is also common in the eastern U.S. Photo: James Riser II Continued on p.4 Read Sage Notes online at www.idahonativeDlants.ora/news/Newsletters.asDx Which plant genus has flowers as strange and complex as the orchids? White Pine Chapter was treated to the fascinating details of Asclepias, the milkweeds, at its February 23rd meeting by James Riser, who is also chapter president. He presented information from his doctoral studies, giving us the lowdown on milkweeds’ diverse locales, insect interactions, differing plant morphologies, surprising reproductive structures and strategies, and interesting relatives. The milkweed family, formerly known as Asclepidaceae, is now in the Apocynaceae, which also includes Apocynum androsaemifolium, spreading dogbane, which is common locally. Many milkweed species are showy, including some of the six that are native to Idaho. All are intriguing! The Asclepias genus (milkweed) is known for its milky sap, the silky-haired parachutes attached to its seeds, and as being the essential food of monarch butterfly larvae. Indeed only the native milkweeds, not the introduced ones, can sustain monarch larvae and enable the build-up of toxic cardiac glycosides that cause birds and other vertebrates to avoid the adult butterfly. In the Midwest, where native milkweeds are declining, so are monarch populations. Additionally, New York state has been invaded by two Eurasian vining milkweed species which will not sustain monarchs. Asclepias plants are not fatal to livestock unless eaten in quantity. They have a very unpleasant taste, and therefore cows won’t willingly eat them. IDAHO NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Address: P.O. Box 9451, Boise, ID 83707 Email: info3@idahonativeplants.org Web site: www.idahonativeDlants.ora INPS BOARD MEMBERS President: LaMar Orton Vice-pres.: Juanita Lichthardt Secretary: Nancy Miller Treasurer: Jody Hull Past-president: Janet Benoit Member-at-Large: Mel Nicholls Chapter Presidents are also members of the INPS Board STANDING COMMITTEES Conservation committee chair: Justin Fulkerson (Pahove) 2012 Annual Meeting chair: Derek Antonelli (Calypso) Membership chair (interim): Ardys Holte (Sawabi) ERIG chair: Janet Bala (Sawabi) Newsletter editor: Jane Rohling (Pahove) ADHOC COMMITTEES Bylaws chair: Nancy Miller (White Pine) 2012 Photo contest committee: Pahove Chapter Nominating chair: Kelvin Jones (Loasa) (We still need additional members for this committee.) Rare Plant Conference chair: Beth Corbin (Pahove) Dear Idaho Native Plant Society Members, Spring is such an exciting time! Our gardens are showing their first blooms and our natural areas are awakening with new growth, buds and blooms. We all look forward to another year of viewing, photographing and studying Idaho’s amazing native plants. There are many ways that we can share our enthusiasm for these wonderful plants. Please note the following: 1 . At our request Governor Otter has proclaimed April 29 through May 5, 2012 as Native Plant Appreciation Week. That proclamation is on our website and can be sent as a pdf, if it needs to be posted. We can share our appreciation for native plants by making known Native Plant Appreciation Week to our neighbors, friends and associates, by participating and inviting others to planned events and by posting the proclamation where appropriate. 2 . Another way of sharing our enthusiasm for native plants is to share our knowledge and experiences by writing articles for Sage Notes. Scientific articles are very much appreciated, but articles about a special field trip, a special place, a newly published book, an especially nice garden featuring native plants or about an individual who has been especially effective in educating the public about native plants are all examples of other types of articles that would also be of interest to our INPS membership. Also, if you have ideas of articles you would like to see in Sage Notes, don’t hesitate to contact the editor or a member of the INPS board. 3 . INPS has a number of committees which need additional members. We would appreciate volunteers coming forward and expressing interest in serving. Chapters are also often in need of help. Please help us all by volunteering either at the chapter or state level. 4 . The special treat this year will be the INPS annual meeting at Clark Fork Drift Yard, Clark Fork, Idaho. The Calypso chapter has prepared an exciting conference for us. The INPS Board meeting will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning at the Clark Fork Senior Center. This meeting is open to all who may be interested in the workings of the INPS Board. 5 . Our website at www.idahonativeplants.org has seen a number of changes recently and more changes are planned. Please check the website for current events, annual meeting information and registration forms in addition to all of other helpful information. We’ll see you at Clark Fork in June. Have a great spring! cCath-a. r INPS President Have you heard? INPS Like us on Face book is now on Facebook! Like our page to receive updates on chapter events and happenings from around the state. View our page at: httos://www. facebook.com/ldahoNativePlants Editor’s note: On p.17 of the printed version of the February 2011 issue of Sage Notes we attributed the article “Idaho’s Natural Heritage Program botanists and the assessment of our rarest plants” to Danielle L. Clay. We should also have included Justin R. Fulkerson as co-author of the article. This was corrected in the web PDF file, but we wanted to extend our apologies to the authors in print! 2 Sage Notes is a publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 34 (2) May 2012 IN PS State News Saae Notes, the newsletter of the Idaho Native Plant Society, is published in February, May, September, and Native Plant Appreciation Week Idaho celebrates Native Plant Appreciation Week April 29 - May 5. At our request, Governor Butch Otter issued a proclamation which can be read on the IN PS state website home page . Chapters will be scheduling events in conjunction with this celebratory week. There may also be some events which are scheduled in adjacent weeks. December. Current and recent past issues of Sage Notes are posted in full color online at www. idahonativeplants.org/news/ Newsletters.asox along with a searchable index of 2006-2010 issues. October 2011 Idaho Rare Plant Conference follow-up As follow-up to the October 2011 Idaho Rare Plant Conference, a committee was formed to review the system that assigns conservation ranks to species on the INPS rare plant list. The Rare Plant Ranking Steering Committee will make a recommendation to the INPS Board regarding any possible modifications to the existing ranking process. — Beth Colket ecolket at yahoo dot com Astragalus Workshop: Save the date! When: June 27-28, 2012 Where: College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho The Pahove Chapter of the Idaho Native Plant Society and the College of Idaho are proud to offer another plant identification workshop. This year’s two-day workshop will focus on members of the genus Astragalus and will be led by Idaho’s very own Michael Mancuso and Don Mansfield. Please join us as we listen and learn via lecture, lab, and field trips! Contact: Karen Colson at karen colson at fws dot gov if you would like to receive registration information. Cost will be $50.00 and includes lunch both days! 2012 Native Plant Conservation Initiative (NPCI) grant Hells Canyon Astragalus — can you identify the species? Photo is from Pittsburg Landing. Photo: Jane Rohling We are scanning and uploading older issues as time allows. Submissions: Members and non-members may submit material for publication. Relevant articles, essays, poetry, news and announcements, photographs and artwork are welcome. Authors, artists, and photographers retain copyright to their work and are credited in Sage Notes. Send all submissions electronically to the editor at the link below. Submission guidelines are posted on the INPS web site: www.idahonativeplants.ora/news/ Newsletters.aspx . Please provide a phone number and/or email address with your submission. Submission deadlines are January 8, April 1, August 1, and November 1. Advertising: Advertisements help reach environmentally-minded, native-plant-loving customers and help support INPS. Prices: 1/8 page = $5, 1/4 page = $8, 1/2 page = $15. Submit ads to the editor electronically (JPEG, TIFF, PSD, or PDF files). Send payment to: Sage Notes Ads, PO. Box 9451, Boise ID, 83707 The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is soliciting proposals for the 2012 Native Plant Conservation Initiative (NPCI) grant cycle. The NPCI grant program is conducted in cooperation with the Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA), a partnership between the Foundation, ten federal agencies, and more than 275 non-governmental organizations. PCA provides a framework and strategy for linking resources and expertise in developing a coordinated national approach to the conservation of native plants. Since 1995, the NPCI grant program has funded multi-stakeholder projects that focus on the conservation of native plants and pollinators under any of the following 6 focal areas: conservation, education, restoration, research, sustainability, and data linkages. Sage Notes editor: Jane Rohling, sage-editor@ idahonativeplants.org Phone: (208) 938-3529 “Within the sagebrush steppe, no other genus contains as many species as Astragalus , many very The deadline for pre-proposals is May 25, 2012. See httD://www.nDs.aov/plants/ nfwf/ for more information about the grant programs including the full request for proposals. similar and difficult to distinguish.” — Sagebrush Country, by Ronald J. Taylor Paid your dues yet? If you haven’t renewed your INPS membership for 2012, please do so as soon as possible. We rely heavily on your dues to keep our programs and activities going! 3 Sage Notes is a publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 34 (2) May 2012 Milkweeds of Idaho — and Beyond (continued from p. 1) (Below) White-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata) sipping nectar from an Idaho milkweed. Photo: James Riser II As in orchids, the pollen is clumped together, allowing dozens to hundreds of seeds to be fertilized. Essentially, one pollination event leads to numerous seeds being produced. This pollination strategy has a couple of benefits: pollen is not wasted being shed into the wind and a single pollination event will fertilize all of the many seeds in a single ovary. The pollen is enclosed in two sacs which are connected by a short, but very sticky linking structure, the corpusculum. The compound structure is known as a pollinium. The pollinium becomes attached to a visiting insect (usually to a leg), and if the visitor is large enough, the pollinium will be yanked free of its resting spot within the anthers when the insect leaves the flower. Wasps, butterflies, and honeybees are the most common pollinators. As the insect flies to another flower the pollinium dries out slightly and changes shape in order to facilitate pollination at the next flower. When the insect visits another milkweed flower, the trailing pollinium gets stuck in the narrow triangular stigmatic slit, and thus it becomes wedged against the stigma. Voila! Pollination occurs, and the pollen tubes rapidly commence growing towards the soon-to-be seeds. The Asclepias show didn’t stop with Idaho’s species. James shared slides and information on at least 16 other species found elsewhere in the American West. The other native species of the West vary in height from 6 inches to 5 feet. A Sonoran desert species drops its leaves, leaving only the stem to conduct photosynthesis. Substrates range from moist soils to gritty sand, serpentine soils, and the Midwest’s sand blowouts. There are many fascinating adaptations here! “The Asclepias genus (milkweed) is known. ..as being the essential food of monarch butterfly larvae. Indeed only the native milkweeds. ..can sustain monarch larvae and enable the build-up of toxic cardiac glycosides that cause birds and other vertebrates to avoid the adult butterfly. In the Midwest, where native milkweeds are declining, so Sage Notes is a publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 34 (2) May 2012 Six Asclepias] native to Idaho Photos: James Riser II ^A. asperula ^ A. cryptoceras ^ M 1 I Pc ’ffffK! In lafeitiK runtiP nbMalii Search » Search Options. !&ti (h- .“ jJj'iVc "| | I .Sim Relieve Results as: 1 University of Washington Herbarium, Burke Museum of Natural History, University of Washington, Seattle WA 2 College of Natural Resources & Stillinger Herbarium, University of Idaho, Moscow ID 10 Sage Notes is a publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 34 (2) May 2012 Users can designate geographic searches by drawing polygons. n . ■■H^iil!)F^4iitii>Kra Nil Ir.iife « Browse fl Search v*--r -, m «»• *. s ■. ' ■ If A Pwn lU.UMIIMtntl hM hntB IlMIMiHMN. Iiwwcngnrt +^i|ic^i. i*m ftpuhiu,^ rHHii 1 I'i twK i ri ir ha' w Tiih AtE Sa m 14 IJ ihriVim --Ir .HPrl IIA ^**4 WhCw r'Lld* IJ ■ fei i.ran «' a.ri'vi r -jd prenAbai Twlikirn R±iCiiwi jfrunb . ****•]. DM 4 * i'dt f nHOMFw+ii EliV.tCOOt Ti\ hjiFUii XiMMr *-■ Kid r» i rk.i LfpiflLi Jj-id AJeuII Ciimr Ai^iihd-i^n- tLife f "XMiiBig Li 711 Hittw W 4 l IFirntlk BnrVtM II. C HtM* e+W-if-w ■*. Qnw CrebMluMM 1*1. Jqflfll i' L *.j f UkEH J fiWrrt ll JX. UH*. Dim [nil). 1 f t*a £K#* Lun K„' ■ iljrntn-r |l*v H-lfUUE! BiS m IWT r*iti m.nVOT.u j u KfCTil7V s hi*LHi" 1 'tr v-iC' Jt £n>"w- v*-l* i*.-* FkMM Tl Oni L | r.-“ — ■ Njhl PilWflM S-fcP. Br.ni.’taHIfT TJip 10 Cfll'*TMpW«*n* : >rnpn CrdandiinM d 5 A. kkrt. CHrfT** taurtj. Oi *r F l ndc* 4*i|j,gir r*M. inttr Vhrr c ti tod hAiiI m" iW'r. V n<. FBMI 11 Uitl N I Id' II SM t! enrort.1. AaaKlKogpsgtwinlM'ikBtcrvn AFtcrf-i riisdj?- h h ) il.pu itp Q-jn 1 . L-.sp t iiiiiipiH tr- mfi -i.m ’.nV ti-nitu 'ffrn'M Aii'i. n t .> a n II tyirt¥i*uii'u=4r'*fi US * *^ Oiflw dv*j; Oi vimilfmli ini) At the University of Idaho Stillinger Herbarium, we are imaging and databasing our vascular plant collection of more than 165,000 specimens, as well as specimens from several smaller herbaria in the region, including collections at Lewis-Clark State College, North Idaho College, and several Forest Service herbaria in north Idaho. Currently, we have imaged over 140,000 specimens and databased almost 95,000 of them. By the end of this 3-year grant, the consortium will have acquired images for more than 350,000 specimens from at least 12 different herbaria, including many smaller collections, and databased these plus another 200,000 specimens of bryophytes, lichens, and fungi. Combined with existing data from other contributing herbaria, the total number of specimens accessible through our online portal may well exceed 2 million! Please visit our website for more information about the project or to search our extensive collections, (http://www.pnwherbaria.org/data/search.php ) 12 Sage Notes is a publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 34 (2) May 2012 Plantasia Cactus Gardei C-pntainer- (jroWw conifer faLavtse area native ferbs an(( qrassesfer referestativn, restoration, ant{ lanfiscayin^ Large sclcc ti mi of Idaho ■ ■ . & Great Basin native plants, C< >ld-h ardy cad L yuccas, ^ ^ noltnas and other succulents, Our '5’acrc drought- tolerant botanical garden is open by appointment April l'Nov.15, Stop by during our spring sales May 17-19 & May 24-26! 867 Filer Ave W, Twin Falls, Idaho 83301 Phone 20^734-7959 Cetl 2Q8-308-6(Mt) Web: planted 3cadlJbgarder is.com W Email: lortoni ttmsn.cOm ttOt And trim Trfltf, JP TMlt ff’rtxfMtm. Cfffn Pom £) fat Maion INPS Chapter News INPS CHAPTERS CALYPSO CHAPTER 821 W. Mustang Ave. Hayden, ID 83835 President: Derek Antonelli Vice President: Vacant Secretary: Karen Williams Treasurer: Janet Benoit Newsletter: Vacant LOASA CHAPTER 340 E 520 N. Shoshone, ID 83352 President: Kelvin Jones Vice President: LaMar Orton Secretary/Treasurer: Lois Rohay PAHOVE CHAPTER PO. Box 9451 Boise, ID 83707 Pahove.chaDter@amail.com President: Karie Pappani Vice Pres.: Elaine Walker Secretary: Susan Ziebarth Treasurer: Caroline Morris Conservation: Justin Fulkerson Members at Large: Cyndi Coulter, Karen Colson, Chris Colson, Jody Hull SAWABI CHAPTER 146 South 17th Ave. Pocatello, ID 83201 President: Ardys Holte Vice Pres.: Bob & Chris McCoy Secretary: Barbara Nicholls Treasurer: Cathy Frischmann News to members: Linda Johnson Chapter News: Ardys Holte Web site: Catalina Steckbauer Hospitality chair: Pauline Havens Conservation/Education chair: Janet Bala Members-at-large: Mel Nicholls, Karl Holte, Dick Anderson, Judy Minshall 14 CALYPSO CHAPTER When: Our next Calypso Chapter meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 2. Planning for 2012 INPS Annual Meeting will be one of the topics. Contact: For more information about Pahove Chapter activities visit the website: www.idahonativeDlants.ora or email Karie Pappani at pahove.chapter.president at qmail dot com . Where: Conference room of Idaho Department Fish and Game, 2885 W. Kathleen Ave., CoeurdAlene, ID 83815 Contact: Derek Antonelli for more information: antonelli8 at frontier dot com UPCOMING EVENTS: May hike: Dishman Hills, dates and times to be determined. June 9: Chapter preview hikes of Morris and Regal Creeks in preparation for Annual Meeting. Meet at NE corner of Hayden WalMart parking lot at 7:30 a.m. June 22-24: 2012 INPS Annual Meeting, Clark Fork Drift Yard. See INPS website for details and page 6 . July 21: Marie Creek Hike Meet in the parking lot behind Coeur d Alene Walgreen’s at 9:30 a.m. August 18: Stevens Lake Hike near Wallace Meet in the parking lot behind Coeur dAlene Walgreen’s at 7:30 a.m. LOASA CHAPTER All INPS members and the public are welcome to attend chapter events. When: Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month Where: Taylor Building, Room 258, College of Southern Idaho Contact: Kelvin Jones at (208) 886-7051 for more information PAHOVE CHAPTER When: Meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month from September- April. Topics are emailed and posted on the Idaho Native Plant Society website. Meetings are not held from May-August. Join us in September when the monthly meetings begin for a new season. Enjoy your summer! Where: Meetings are usually held at the MK Nature Center Auditorium. UPCOMING EVENTS INPS Pahove Chapter 2012 Native Plant Sale, April 27-28 Friday, 5:00-7:00 p.m. INPS Members Only Sale You may renew your membership at this sale. This Friday sale gives INPS members the opportunity to get first pick of the plants. There will be about 15 new species this year that have not been offered at our previous annual plant sales. Stay tuned to the INPS website for a 2012 plant availability list! Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Native Plant Public Sale We planned our sale to coincide with Arbor Day. Join us in celebrating this national holiday by planting a tree or shrub in your yard. The 2012 sale will offer Rocky Mountain maple (Acer glabrum) as its featured tree, which may also be grown as a large shrub. Widely adaptable, Rocky Mountain maple is native to open slopes and woodland understory throughout Idaho. With an airy, graceful form, it grows to about 20 feet in height and is ideal for vertical character in urban landscaping. Tolerant of full sun to light shade, it requires average to well-drained soils and moderate to low moisture. Fall color can be striking and reddish bark maintains winter interest. April 29 -May 5: Celebrate Native Plant Appreciation Week by bringing some adaptable native plants back to your home. Sage Notes is a publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 34 (2) May 2012 SAWABI CHAPTER Meetings: We welcome the public to our chapter’s informative programs. When: First Monday of each month, October through March, 7:00 p.m. Where: Pond Student Union Building, Room 308, ISU Campus, Pocatello. Contact: For more information call 208-716-0218. UPPER SNAKE CHAPTER When: Meetings are usually held the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. Field Trips are scheduled in the spring and summer. Where: Idaho Fish and Game office in Idaho Falls Contact: Sue Braastad, braastads at yahoo dot com WHITE PINE CHAPTER Meetings: During the spring and fall, meetings are held once a month. Field trips occur regularly whenever the weather allows. Please check the chapter website for events which may be scheduled or finalized after this issue is printed: www.whiteDineinDS.ora or email the chapter officers at whiteDine.chaDter@amail.com . Contact: James Riser at iriserii at amail dot com or White Pine Chapter, PO Box 8481, Moscow, ID 83843. UPCOMING EVENTS April 28, 8:00 a.m. Full day field trip in the Grande Ronde River canyon, Troy and Flora, Oregon Leader: Pam Brunsfeld, Ul Stillinger Herbarium Manager and Curator Celebrate Native Plant Appreciation Week enjoying spring wildflowers along the Grande Ronde River with a stop at Field Springs State Park to study flora along an elevation gradient. A species list compiled for this trip over the years consists of several hundred species! We often have great views of wildlife, too. Meet at Eastside Marketplace in Moscow (south end of the parking lot) at 8:00 a.m. to arrange carpools. This will be a full day field trip with short hikes on fairly level ground. Bring water, lunch, and sunscreen, a flora or field guide, camera and/or binoculars. INPS CHAPTERS UPPER SNAKE CHAPTER President: Allen Perkins Vice President: Sue Braastad Secretary: Alan Crockett Treasurer: Dave Godfrey May 19, 8:30 a.m. Half-day field trip to Parker Butte Forest and Prairie Remnant Members at Large: Mark & Donna Whitman WHITE PINE CHAPTER Leader: Emily Poor whitepine.chaDter@amail.com Join us for a Palouse Prairie hike on private property — Parker Butte east of Palouse, Washington. There are plenty of trails over 100 acres of mixed ponderosa pine forest and prairie remnants. The prairie is home to some rare species such as Palouse milkvetch, Palouse thistle, and mountain lady slippers. Numerous plants are sure to be in bloom. President: James Riser Vice President: VACANT Secretary: Pat Fuerst Treasurer: Elisabeth Brackney Past President: Helen Yost Landscaping & Restoration Plants: Juanita Lichthardt Publicity Chair: VACANT Web: Nancy Miller, Patricia Hine www.whitepineinps.ora WOOD RIVER CHAPTER Meet at Rosauer’s parking lot in Moscow, 8:30 a.m. to arrange carpools. For this half day trip, bring water, sunscreen, and a snack. Field guide, camera and binoculars are useful, but optional. Trails will likely be over uneven ground. May 26 (Sat.), 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. White Pine Chapter Plant Sale Location: Arts Room, 1912 Center, 412 East Third St., Moscow, Idaho (between Adams and Van Buren). Arts Room is in the southwest corner of the building next to Fiske Room. Sale setup Friday evening, May 25. For more information contact one of the officers or check the White Pine website. June 7, 6:00 p.m. White Pine Chapter Arboretum visit and potluck picnic Location: Meet at the barn, south end of the Ul Arboretum Leader: Paul Warnick We’ll tour the native and xeric sections to see what is blooming. Hopefully we will be treated to MacFarlane’s four o’clock (Mirabilis macfarlanei) in bloom. Bring a chair, drinks and a dish to share. PO. Box 3093 Hailey, ID 83333 President: Carol Blackburn Vice President: VACANT Secretary: VACANT Treasurer: VACANT Bluebells, West Mountains near Cascade. Photo: Jane Rohling Sage Notes is a publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 34 (2) May 2012 15 INPS Chapter News Celebrate Native Plant Appreciation Week with INPS April 29-May 5 INPS Chapters will be planning events around the state. Be sure and let us know how your chapter celebrates Native Plant Appreciation Week. Share your activities on the INPS website or send an article for the next Sage Notes. Arrowleaf balsamroot against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains signify spring in much of Idaho. Photo by Jane Rohling THE YEAR OF THE PENSTEMON The penstemons (or beardtongues) are among the most beautiful of western wildflowers. Because they are fairly drought tolerant, they do very well in local gardens. There are over 50 species of penstemon listed in the Flora of the Pacific Northwest, many of which occur in Idaho. Many consider this genus to be a taxonomically difficult group, but Pam Brunsfeld, University of Idaho Stillinger Herbarium Manager and Curator, who considers Penstemon to be her favorite genus, will conduct a workshop to assist us in learning to identify diagnostic features of the genus. Pam will lead two follow-up trips to view numerous species in the field. Attend one, two, or all three events. June 28, 7:00 p.m. Penstemon Workshop Leader: Pam Brunsfeld, Ul Stillinger Herbarium Manager and Curator Location: Room 209, CNR Building, Ul, Moscow Idaho Please join us for this Penstemon workshop. Fresh flowers from the three major groups of penstemon will be available for dissection with dissecting microscopes. Bring your copy of Hitchcock and Cronquist if you have one. June 30, 8:00 a.m. Penstemon Field Trip Location: Grangeville/White Bird area (full day trip) Leader: Pam Brunsfeld, Ul Stillinger Herbarium Manager and Curator Our first field trip to view blooming penstemons will be to the Grangeville and White Bird area. This is a full day field trip as the Grangeville area is about a 2.5 hour drive from Moscow. Meet at Eastside Marketplace in Moscow, south end of the parking lot, at 8:00 a.m. to arrange carpools. Bring water, lunch, sunscreen and other appropriate field gear. Cameras and binoculars are useful, but optional. Hikes are not long but may be over uneven ground. August 4, 8:00 a.m. Penstemon Field Trip: a full day outing to the St Joe/St. Joe Baldy area Leader: Pam Brunsfeld, Ul Stillinger Herbarium Manager and Curator We’ll view some of the later-blooming and larger-flowered group I penstemons that are well represented in this area. Meet at Rosauer’s parking lot in Moscow at 8:00 a.m. to arrange carpools. Please bring water, lunch, sunscreen and appropriate field gear. Field guides, cameras, binoculars are useful, but optional. Short hikes but may be over uneven ground. RECENT EVENTS March 22: “Untangling the web: Understanding patterns of diversification in the genus Mertensia” Mare Nazaire, Ph.D. candidate and Assistant Curator of the Owenby Herbarium at Washington State University gave a talk describing her research on the genus Mertensia, the bluebells. She presented a concise overview of her phylogenetic research on the relationships of the many species of Mertensia. Mare has collected many of the species native to the western US, and she spent time in China collecting some of the Asian Mertensia species. Additionally, her collaborators have sent her collections from China and the Arctic. This has allowed Mare to make the first comprehensive molecular investigations of this genus. Idaho has at least eight native species of Mertensia and Mare gave an overview of each of these. She also discussed species definitions in this group. We look forward to seeing the results of Mare’s research and what she is able to tell us about bluebell relationships. WOOD RIVER CHAPTER Contact: Carol Blackburn at blackburncrl at vahoo dot com for information on activities and gatherings. 16 Sage Notes is a publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 34 (2) May 2012 You must get it right! Edible and Poisonous Plants of Idaho Article and photos by Nancy Miller White Pine chapter members joined others from the University of Idaho and the local community at an excellent presentation on “Edible and Poisonous Plants of Idaho” given by Brian Elliott and arranged by Dave Tank of the Ul Stillinger Herbarium. Brian’s slide presentation and discussion was in two parts. The first dealt with about 25 species, some of whose parts are edible (if the plant is properly identified and if it is properly prepared). The second section dealt with about 16 poisonous species one might commonly encounter and impressed on everyone the poisonous properties of these plants and the type of toxicity or reaction one would experience. He discussed the risks involved with using wild plants and the mistakes that could lead to illness and even death (misidentification, common misconceptions, historical use, animal as opposed to human use, pesticides, allergic reactions, etc). Brian’s book, Handbook of Edible and Poisonous Plants of Western North America, published in 2009, is similarly divided into two sections. The first section deals with edible plants and the second section with poisonous plants. Each part is arranged alphabetically by both plant family and scientific name within the family so that the reader can view family characteristics. The book has an excellent index of both botanical and common names making it easy to find a particular plant. It contains information from many scientific sources and references. Specific cautions are underlined for emphasis and noted with the species. This book does not have line drawings or photographs and is not designed to be a plant identification manual or guide, but it is a valuable resource once one has used the dichotomous keys of a plant identification manual to correctly identify a plant. Brian’s book is definitely a handbook which those who forage for edible wild plants, no matter their level of experience, will want to have in their possession when out in the field. The book can be ordered using the contact information on the EEC website: www.elliottconsultinausa.com. Brian Elliott (above right) earned his undergraduate degrees at the University of Idaho and a master’s degree from the University of Wyoming. He and his wife currently operate their own company Elliott Environmental Consulting (EEC). The White Pine Chapter appreciated Brian’s willingness to provide time for many questions during the presentation and especially for remaining longer in Moscow in order to present this workshop. We also want to thank Pamela Brunsfeld for pulling the many herbarium specimen sheets for workshop participants to study. Sage Notes is a publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 34 (2) May 2012 17 Cedar Mountain TerenniaCs Specializing in Native Plants For the Inland Northwest Look for us at: . Kootenai Farmer’s Market (Sat.) . Sandpoint Farmer’s Market (Wed.) . Spokane Garden Expo — May 14 JAdcCitionaC Services: .Site Evaluations .Plant/Weed Identification .Plant Selection .Pest/Disease Identification .Programs www.cedarnunintai 7 iperenriiais.corn 7875 X. J-figfi'way 54 , JA.tB.oC, ID 83801 (208) 683-2387 0otanyBoB@frontier.com Sage Notes is a publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 34 (2) May 2012 18 9 Thorn Cree 1461 Thom Creek RdGenesee. 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Tor plant lists, photos, directions and more, see VAVw.waterthriftyplants.com, or phone Diane at SPRING VALLEY GARDEN STORE 416 MAIN STREET DOWNTOWN TROY, IDAHO STORE HOURS: WEDS - FRL: NOON - 5= 00 P.M. SAT - SUN: 10:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. BEDDING AND VEGETABLE PLANTS - NATIVE PLANTS AND SEEDS VEGETABLE AND FLOWER SEEDS SEED POTATOES AND ONION SETS GARDENING SUPPLIES Native Plants and Seeds supplied byt Pleasant Hill Farm lOM Anderson Road Troy, ID 83871 208^87 7-1+34 Thom Creek Native Seed Farm 1+61 Thorn Creek Road Genesee, ID 83832 208-596^122 info@nati veseedfarm .com Sage Notes is a publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 34 (2) May 2012 F Idaho Native Plant Society P.O. Box 9451, Boise, ID 83707 www.idahonativeDlants.ora ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Boise, ID Permit No. 679 boisemetro DIGITAL PRINTING Where Color is Affordable! (208) 392-1481 • www.boisemetrodigital.com Iris Mud roc Iris Murdock quote is from “A Fairly Honourable Defeat” Sage Notes is a publication of the Idaho Native Plant Society Vol. 34 (2) Hwy. 95 near Cambridge, ID Photo by Jane Rohling