■ . dedicated to the appreciation and conservation of the Colorado native flora”

Volume 15, Number 2

March/April 1991

Peter Root

Roxborough State Park in Douglas
County about 25 miles southwest of
Denver is located at the junction of the
foothills and the plains. Although the
park preserves a good assortment of
plant communities, it does not have
many rare species. It is chiefly known for
relict populations of plants which are
abundant farther east and have persist-
ed in favorable spots at the foot of the
Front Range. These include the
American black currant {Ribes
americanum), New England aster (Vir-
gulus novae-angliae), and Joe Pye weed
{Eupatorium maculatum).

Last summer a group of the park’s
volunteer naturalists were on a butterf-
ly walk when Vickey Trammel found a
plant that she did not recognize in a wet
meadow. This was unusual because
Vickey has been inventorying the plants
in the park for several years. I recog-
nized it as Tniellum (Polygonum) sagit-
tatum which I had encountered years
before in New Jersey when I was more
interested in snakes. It was easy to
remember because this is a knotweed
which has little saw teeth on its stems. It
has been previously known in Colorado
only from the Black Forest area near
Colorado Springs. Perhaps it has spread
recently along the Front Range, or it

Recent Plant Discoveries at
Roxborough State Park

may have been hidden in that meadow
for years.

A few weeks later, I began noticing a
thistle that did not look quite right. It
had bright pink flower heads, a little
larger than those of the over abundant
Canada thistle and I tried to identify it
using a key to Cirsium. I was really
frustrated until I realized that it was a
Carduus, not the familiar C nutans, but
C. acanthoides. This European weed is
widely distributed in North America,
but has previously been found in
Colorado only on the Western Slope. I
think that I first saw it near the park
visitor center bird feeder a couple of
years before. It may have come in with
birdseed or a “wildflower” seed mix

planted when the visitor center was
built. It would be interesting to know if
it has appeared in other Front Range
locations.

Discoveries like these are not really un-
usual. Our flora is dynamic and plants,
especially weeds, are continually
moving into areas which are recovering
from disturbance. As we pay more at-
tention to wetlands we will probably find
more unusual plants hidden in them. If
you become familiar with the plants of
your area, you will recognize new ar-
rivals or other unusual species when you
find them. ^

Inside .

■ ■

Notes

2

Ecology of Natives

8

Cloud Ridge Seminars 3

DBG Resolution

9

Education Committee 3

New Fern

9

Ethics of Collecting

4

Rare Milkweed

10

Edible Bracken?

5

Dicentra

11

Field Trips

6,7

Low-flow Showers

12

Page 2

Aquilegia

Volume 15

Member Networking

Many of you may remember Marian
Brandenburg, a long-time member from
Longmont. She reports that she and her
husband have sold their home and be-
come full-time RV-ers, which provides
many opportunities to get to know new
plants, but limits her ability to attend
Bill’s workshops!

You can contact Marian through her ad-
dress at: 581 Kansas St., Springfield, CO
81073-1331. Marian, you can contact the
Arizona Native Plant Society at PO Box
41206 Sun Station, Tucson, AZ 85717 or
drop in on a meeting of the Tucson
Chapter (2nd Wed; 7:30 P.M. at Tucson
Botanical Gardens).

Aquilegia is published six times per year
by the Colorado Native Plant Society.
This newsletter is available to members
of the Society, and others with an inter-
est in native plants. Contact the Society
for subscription information.

Articles from Aquilegia may be used by
other native plant societies if fully cited
to author and attributed to Aquilega.

The Colorado Native. Plant Society is a
non-profit organization dedicated to
the appreciation and conservation of
the Colorado native flora. Membership
is open to all with an interest in our na-
tive plants, and is composed of plant en-
thusiasts, both professional and non-
professional.

Please join us in helping to encourage
interest in enjoying and protecting the
variety of native plants in Colorado. The
Society sponsors field trips, workshops
and other activities through local chap-
' ters and statewide. Contact the Society
or a chapter representative or commit-
tee chair for more information.

Plant Vandalism

San Francisco’s Golden Gate State Park
has been subject to an unusual type of
vandalism for the past 11 years. The
botanically inclined perpetrator has
been planting exotic Arctotheca calen-
dula (South African capeweed) along an
80-km stretch of public lands from the
park to Point Reyes National Seashore.
This hearty groundcover is adapted to
heavy foot traffic and spreads by runners.
Park officials have organized a volunteer
crew to undo the damage and estimate it
will take thousands of hours.

Drought in California

Five years of drought in California are
beginning to shake people up. Some of
the implications were discussed by
Suzanne Butterfield, California Depart-

ment of Water Resources, in a February
interview for USA Today. “There but for
fortune. . .” —here as food for thought
are some of her comments on the effects
of drought on native flora and fauna:

“There is nothing we can do about the
die-offs in the forests. We estimate that
about a third of all trees in the Sierras are
dead because of the drought. This could
be the worst fire season in California his-
tory. . . . The impact on fisheries is very
serious. There may be some species of
fish that do not survive as a result of this
drought. . . . More wildlife are coming
down into urban areas. We may lose
some. Agriculture and urban areas can
weather this drought. People will lose a
lot of money, will be very incon-
venienced, but the environment may
make the ultimate sacrifice.”

Her solution: “New reservoirs.”

Schedule of Membership Fees

Life

Supporting
Family or Dual
Organization
Individual
Student or Senior

$250.00
$ 50.00
$ 12.00
$25.00
$8.00
$4.00

Membership Renewals/Information

Please direct all membership applica-
tions, renewals and address changes to
the Membership chairperson, in care of
the Society’s mailing address.

Please direct all other inquiries regard-
ing the Society to the Secretary in care of
the Society’s mailing address.

Newsletter Contributions

Please direct all contributions to the
newsletter to:

Peter Root

4915 West 31st Avenue
Denver, CO 80212

Deadlines for newsletter materials are
February 15, April 15, June 15, August
15, October 15 and December 15.

Officers

President Gayle Weinstein 333-3024

Vice-President Jim Borland 329-9198

Secretary Rob Udall 482-9826

Treasurer Myma P. Steinkamp 226-3371

Board of Directors

Betsy Neely (92)

Jan Wingate (92)

Rich Rhodes (91)

Peter Henson (92)

Tina Jones (91)

Tamara Naumann (91)

Sally White (92)

Velma Richards (92)

Robert Udall (91)

Gayle Weinstein (91)

Boulder 443-8094
Denver 989-2137
Pueblo 719/5454352
Denver 671-8858
Denver 759-9701
Boulder 440-8933
Morrison 697-5439
Englewood 794-5432
Ft Collins 482-9826
Denver 333-3024

Chapter Presidents

Boulder

Alison Peck

443-0284

Denver Metro

Carol Dawson

722-6758

Ft, Collins

Jennifer Crane

493-2142

Yamparika

Reed Kelley

8784666

San Juan

Peggy Lyon

626-5526

Committees

Conservation

Elizabeth Otto

567-2384

Editorial

Sally White

697-5439

Education

Gary Finstad

366-4492

Field Trips

Jeff Dawson

722-6758

Florissant

Mary Edwards

233-8133

Hort/Rehab

Dorothy Udall

482-9826

Membership

Myma Steinkamp

226-3371

Publicity

Julie Dulapa

752-2738

Workshops

Bill Jennings

666-8348

Number 2

Aquilegia

Pages

Announcements

Cloud Ridge Naturalists Seminars

Time to Renew

If you haven’t paid your dues for 1991,
this will be your last issue of Aguilera.
Check the date on your mailing label for
the year through which your dues have
been paid. If it says 1990, it’s time to
renew your membership.

Aquilegia is printed on

100% Recycled Paper

Gary Finstad, Education Committee

As the new Chair of the Education Com-
mittee, I realize I still have a lot to learn
about the committee’s potential and
about the Society in general. When com-
mittee membership is complete, we’ll
develop our specific goals and objectives
more fully. For now, I have some prelimi-
nary thoughts to share with you.

CONPS members possess a collective
knowledge and wisdom about our
natural world which needs to be en-
thusiastically shared with the rest of our
community— young and old, plant lover
or not — in ways meaningful to them. This
means finding new ways of communicat-
ing with more people. My principal goal
is to assemble a committee which will
work toward broad-based, creative ap-
proaches to educating the public about
our native plant communities and their
relevance to our existence.

We plan to use exhibits, slide shows,
videos, speakers, and networking with

Of Salt Domes and Frankenia:
the Gypsum Flora

This trip to the Paradox Basin is
scheduled for May 24 through 27, and
whl be led by Dr. William A. Weber.
This immense basin formed along the
western edge of the Uncompahgre
Uplift about 300 million years ago.
Periodic stagnation of sea water in the
basin caused deposition of several
thousand feet of evaporites, including
layers of dolomite, gypsum, and salt. Be-
cause many plants cannot grow on gyp-
sum soils, an interesting flora of plants
tolerant of gypsum, and some that seem
to require it, has developed. Many of the
species encountered in the Paradox, Big
Gypsum, and Little Gypsum valleys, are
rare species as well as gypsum endemics,
such as Oreocarya paradoxa and
Frankenia jamesii.

the idea of getting other organizations
and individuals to help us tell our story.
It’s essential that some common, ac-
cepted, “messages” are delivered when-
ever CONPS business is conducted, be it
through newsletters, workshops, field
trips, letter writing, or exhibits.

All of us represent the Society, and need
to be aware of educational opportunities
as we do. We’ll also be examining ways
to expand the opportunities for CONPS
members to learn more. We hope to
provoke discussion of traditional ways of
thinking as well as new topics. Please
share with us any ideas you may have for
advancing the Society’s educational
goals. ^

The trip costs $325, including ail
transportation and lodging. To register,
contact Cloud Ridge Naturalists, 8297
Overland Road, Ward, CO 80481;
phone: (303) 459-3248.

Other Seminars

The Cloud Ridge schedule for 1991 in-
cludes several other seminars that may
be of interest to CONPS members. Con-
tact Audrey Benedict at the address
above for more information on these
and other seminars available this season.

Of Wind and Sand: Great Sand
Dunes National Monument

June 7-9; led by Dr. William Bradley

Of Volcanoes and Redwoods:
Florissant Fossil Beds

June 22-23; led by Dr. Emmett Evanoff
and Dr. Boyce Drummond

High Color:

Photographing Alpine Wildflowers

July 11-14; led by Linde Waidhofer

Life in High Places:

Alpine Butterflies and Plants

July 18-21; led by Dr. Boyce Drummond
and Audrey Benedict

Colorado’s Old-Growth Forests:
Forest Ecology Workshop

August 16-18; led by Dr. Wayne Shep-
perd and Dr. Richard Reynolds

Native Plant Education

Page 4

Aquilegia

Volume 15

Recent concerns over collecting of na-
tive plants and plant parts, especially
rare species, led the CONPS Board to
begin developing a policy on this impor-
tant issue. The issue was discussed at the
January meeting of the Board, and it was
agreed the Society should take a strong
role in setting guidelines.

At the April meeting, Dorothy Udall
presented a policy that had been drafted

Ethics of Collecting

several years ago but never adopted.
This draft is printed below for review by
members. If you have suggestions to
help in preparation of a final version of
CONPS policy, please send them by July
1, 1991 to either Dorothy or Tamara
Naumann at the addresses peovided.
The Board plans to review the final draft
at the September meeting and present
the policy at the annual meeting in
November.

Dorothy Udall

4300 West County Rd. 50

Ft. Colhns, CO 80521

Tamara Naumann
940 Quinn St.

Boulder, CO 80303

Ethics of Collecting Native Piants
Statement of the Coiorado Native Plant Society [DRAFT]

Increasing interest in the use of
Colorado and regional native plants for
horticultural and reclamation purposes
raises questions about sources of both
seeds and plants. Because of the present
lack of commercial availability of many
potentially useful species, the Colorado
Native Plant Society (CONPS) supports
the ethical and judicious collection of
seeds cind cuttings from plants in their
native habitat, subject to the guidelines
outlined below.

The hardiness and adaptability of many
native species makes them ideal for use
in the Colorado landscape, for they have
evolved over long periods of time in the
soils and climate of the Rocky Mountain
region. We should, however, be sensi-
tive to the particular environment in
which a species is naturally found, as it
will be most successfully re-established
in a similar environment.

The encroachment of urban growth on
native plant communities adds to the
necessity of preserving native species.
The Colorado Native Plant Society has
developed the following guidelines for
the ethical collection of native plant
seeds and cuttings in order to maintain
healthy natural plant communities:

1. Collect seeds or take cuttings; do not
collect whole plants unless salvage

recommendations have been made.
(See #9 below.)

2. Collect only if you are, or are accom-
panied by, a trained individual who is
knowledgeable about the species being
collected, the proper methods of col-
lecting, and the propagation of the plant
material collected.

3. Become informed about species in
Colorado and the Rocky Mountain
region that are Threatened, En-
dangered, Sensitive, or otherwise of
Special Concern. Such plants should
never be collected unless special cir-
cumstances such as salvage operations
pertain.

4. Keep good records of the location,
habitat, and the geography of the en-
vironment in which the collection is
made. Transfer this information when-
ever the plant materials change hands.

5. Always consider preparing a voucher
specimen for deposit in a recognized,
publicly accessible, herbarium in order
to provide absolute identification of the
plants collected. Be sure to record the
data required by scientific herbaria for
inclusion with the specimen.

6. Avoid propagating species that show
tendencies to out-compete and possibly
replace other plants.

7. For rehabilitation, revegetation, and
projects that specify large plantings of
“wildflowers,” use plant materials
derived from nearby sources of similar
habitat. CONPS stresses the impor-
tance of protecting the genetic integrity
of the surrounding native species and
natural vegetation. The introduction of
non-local genetic material may ir-
revocably alter the native flora.

8. Be sensitive to any area in which you
collect plant materials. Do not trample
areas outside of designated trails or dis-
turb the environment by over-collecting
from a single species. Use good judg-
ment if only a few plants are available.
Do not collect samples so large that they
would adversely affect the plant’s
reproduction and survival. Never collect
the only plant in a given location. The
standard rule is to leave no trace of your
visit, which may mean passing up a plant
for seed or cuttings if it is not abundant
or if the stand is not in good health.

9. When special circumstances exist in
which an area is to be disturbed, so that
plants will inevitably be destroyed, sal-
vage collection of those plants (whole,
but only if the plant is known to
transplant) is encouraged. Collection
should not be made in anticipation of
possible destruction that could occur
months or years in the future. The same
records (see #4 above) should be made

— continued next page

Number 2

Aquilegia

Page 5

Policy, continued

at the time of collection and should
document the circumstances leading to
the salvage. Do not collect plants from
portions of a salvage site that will remain
in a natural state.

10. Always obtain landowner’s permis-
sion before collecting plants on private
property and obtain any needed permits
before collecting on public lands.

The Colorado native flora is one of our
most valuable natural resources. We
. have the technology, the knowledge, and
the ethical responsibility to use it wisely.

Don’t Eat

Peter Root

You can still find books on edible wild
plants which include the young leaves or
fiddleheads of bracken {Pteridium
aquilinum) in their listing of edible
plants. This fern is the most conspicuous
one we have in Colorado and is abun-
dant in some places in the foothills. In
some countries such as the British Isles,
it has invaded thousands of acres and
proves to be almost impossible to eradi-
cate. The mature leaves aren’t very
palatable to livestock and if they are
eaten in quantity they are poisonous. In
spite of this, it might seem a good idea
to include the young leaves of this abun-
dant plant in your diet.

the Bracken

for food is a factor in a high incidence of
stomach cancer in Japan. I haven’t spent
any time in Japan, but I did spend over
a year in rural Korea and I would have a
hard time isolating one factor in the life-
style there as the one cause of any health
problem. Many Koreans I observed 25
years ago enjoyed the same bad habits
that I enjoy. Recent British research has
indicated that even the spores of brack-
en are carcinogenic and concern has
been expressed about them contaminat-
ing water supplies. Many people now
wish to avoid all possible carcinogens. If
you feel that way, my advice is don’t eat
bracken.

The Japanese have long used the young
leaves of bracken as food. They have
even developed selected strains which
have superior food qualities. Great
quantities of the plant are eaten both
fresh and pickled. The Japanese name
for bracken is warabi and I wouldn’t be
surprised to find the pickled product
being imported into the United States.
Workers in the Pike National Forest
have told me of seeing Koreans gather-
ing buckets of the fiddleheads near
Sedalia.

For some time it has been known that
there are compounds in young bracken
leaves which are carcinogenic and it has
been suggested that the use of bracken

There are edible fiddleheads which so
far have not been accused of being more
of a health hazard than any other
vegetable. They are the young leaves of
the ostrich fern {Matteuccia stnithiop-
teris) which is found in northern North
America and is cultivated in Colorado
as a landscape plant. They are harvested
in northern New England and Canada
and are available canned or frozen in
fine grocery stores. If you see them, try
them, but don’t experiment with other
ferns as food.

Pages

Aquilegia

Volume 15

Field Trips — 1991 Season

Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Saturday, June 8 Leader: Steve Austin

Golden Gate Canyon State Park con-
sists of about 10,000 acres of forest,
meadow, and riparian plant com-
munities. It lies west of Golden and ran-
ges in altitude from 7600 to 10400 ft
(upper foothills, montane, and lower
subalpine zones). The park has never
had a formal inventory of its flora, and
this year CONPS will begin such an in-
ventory. This field trip will tour some of
the areas where collections will be made
throughout the summer to document
the park’s species. We will also see ruins
of several old homesteads.

Some hiking will be involved, primarily
to see ponds that promise many interest-
ing species later in the season. The first
hike will be less than a mile round trip
and involves an elevation change of 200
ft. The second hike will be about 2.5
miles with an elevation change of 600 ft.
The pace will be relatively slow, as time
will be taken to identify and photograph
the plants we find and the ruins we en-
counter.

Participants will be limited to 20. Bring
sturdy walking shoes, lunch, water bot-
tle or canteen, sunscreen, rain gear, field

guides, camera, and a day pack. We will
probably eat lunch at the pond and
homestead in Forgotten Valley.

The group will meet at the park visitor
center at 9:00 A.M. To reach the visitor
center, drive north from Golden (or
south from Boulder) on state route #93
(take Washington from Golden) to Gol-
den Gate Canyon road, which begins 0.5
mile north of Golden’s city limits. Drive
west on Golden Gate Canyon Rd. about
13 miles to the park entrance, pay the
entrance fee ($3 per car), and continue
about 0.25 mi to the junction. Turn right;
the visitor center is about 100 yds ahead
on the right.

Most roads are paved, however, we will
be travelling a short distance on gravel
and/or dirt roads, which can be wash-
board-like at times. Passenger cars
should have no difficulty negotiating
them.

Registration for the field trip should be
made with Steve Austin at 722-8084 or
Jeff Dawson at 722-6758. Steve can only
be reached weekday mornings from 6 to
9:30 A.M. or evenings from 9:30 to 10.

Golden Gate Canyon State Park,
Collection Trips

To begin the inventory described above,
several collection trips have been
planned. Participants are limited to five
each trip. Trips are now planned for the
following Saturdays: June 29, July 13,
July 27, and August 10. Additional trips
will be made at other times on very short
notice. Contact Steve Austin for
registration and instructions (see phone
number and times above).

Destinations will vary with each trip.
Participants should bring field equip-

ment and supplies for a full day of field
work, including appropriate collection
tools (hand lens, cutting and digging
tools, and a plant press if you have one).

Participants will meet at the park visitor
center, location described above, at 9
A.M. The park will waive entrance fees
for participants in the collection trips.

Number 2

Aquilegia

Page 7

Geologic, Botanic, and Butterfly Tour of the
^ Unaweep Canyon

Saturday, August 10 Leader: Scott Ellis

We will traverse the Unaweep Canyon
from Whitewater (vicinity of Grand
Junction) to Gateway on the Dolores
River in Mesa County. The granite-
walled Unaweep Canyon cuts laterally
across the Uncompahgre Plateau, and
encompasses an intermingling of the
Rocky Mountain montane floristic ele-
ments with those of the Colorado
Plateau and Great Basin. The emphasis
of this trip will be on the Unaweep Seep
Area of Critical Environmental Con-
cern (ACEC) east of Gateway along
West Creek. The Unaweep Seep ACEC
was designated to protect the Great
Basin Silverspot butterfly, federally
proposed for threatened status under
the Endangered Species Act. This but-
terfly is an obligate wetland species that
lives in small spring-fed meadows. Mr.

Ellis will provide a field presentation on
the biology and wetland habitat require-
ments of the Silverspot, which should be
^^lying on this date.

We will also examine populations of
some disjunct eastern tallgrass prairie
and hanging garden species (Panicum
virgatum, Dichanthelium lanu^nosum,
Sorghastrum nutans, Eupatorium
maculatum), as well as several uncom-
mon orchids {Epipactis gigantea, Lim-
norchis ensifolia) that inhabit this
unique wetland. We will then travel
toward Gateway to look at some
Colorado Plateau floristic elements,
such as blackbrush (Coleogyne ramos-
simima), Cercocarpus ledifolius, and
hanging garden plants along the

Dolores River, if time allows. We will
return to Whitewater by late afternoon.

This trip will require walking up and
down steep, muddy slopes under hot
weather conditions for about 1 to 2
hours. Hiking will be completed before
the hottest part of the day. Total dis-
tance walked will be less than 1 mile.
Rubber boots, or sneakers that can be
sacrificed, are required. Deerflies are
sometimes a nuisance.

Participants will carpool from the inter-
section of Highway 50 and State High-
way 141 at Whitewater, which is about
10 miles south of Grand Junction. Meet
there at 9:00 A.M. This trip will be
limited to about 20 people, or 5-6 cars
because of parking and site access con-
siderations. Motel accommodations are
available in Grand Junction; camping
sites are available in Colorado National
Monument and on Grand Mesa.
Campsites on the Uncompahgre
Plateau are limited and difficult to
reach; there are no accomodations in
Gateway. To register, contact Scott Ellis

Page 8

Aquilegia

Volume 15

The Ecological Importance of Native Plants

Alison Peck

Colorado Native Plant Society members
probably have as many reasons for
loving native plants as there are mem-
bers. I am becoming increasingly inter-
ested in the ecological importance of
native plants — a topic which seems to
get little attention. All native plants exist
within a community of other plants, in-
sects, animals, soil microorganisms, . . .
etc. The loss or restoration of a native
plant thus affects these other parts of the
community as well. The conservation
and planting of native plants therefore
is important for the conservation and
protection of all native flora and fauna.

I was alerted to this dimension of the use
of native plants when I read about a
study done in England on the insect
populations of native and non-native
trees. Trees indigenous to Britain had
from 109 to 284 insect species hving in
association with them. Trees which had
been introduced, even as long ago as 100
A.D., had a maximum of 15 associated
species, with most having less than 10.*

Closer to home, Fritz Knopf, a riparian
biologist with the National Ecology
Research Center in Fort Collins, has
studied Russian olive stands in the
western states. His research indicates
that Russian olive is becoming the
dominant riparian vegetation along
many rivers in the west. Russian olives
have been widely planted, and they have
spread through seed dispersal by birds
and small mammals. Although they do
provide food for many birds and small
mammals, they do not appear to provide
important habitat for cavity-nesting
birds or insectivores. This is probably
because so few insects are found on
these alien trees. The spread of Russian
olives as the dominant riparian tree is
believed to cause a serious loss of
habitat for several species of birds which
depend on a native riparian overstory.
Fritz Knopf also discussed the benefits
and problems of Russian olives at the
April 9th meeting of the Boulder Chap-
ter.

studied extensively and are well docu-
mented. However, most studies are of
undisturbed, or at least relatively intact,
ecosystems. I would like to find studies
which address several questions:

• What are the detrimental ef-
fects of introduced species
when they naturalize (par-
ticularly if these plants are
being used or promoted for
revegetation or landscap-
ing)?

• What is the potential for
providing habitat for native
fauna by using native plants
in revegetation and
landscaping?

• Can we encourage native
plants and animals and dis-
courage alien plants and
animals through the use of
native plants?

These are very broad questions which
can probably only be answered for par-
ticular situations, but I would enjoy fur-
ther exploration of these questions if
anyone is interested or knows of any
relevant research. Contact me at 1545
Redwood Ave., Boulder, CO 80304;
phone (303)443-0284.

* Southwood, T.R.E. 1961. Tlie num-
ber of species of insect associated with
various trees. JomnaX of Animal Ecology

30:1-8. 4,

The vital connections between native
plants and native fauna have been

Number 2

AquHegia

Page 9

Trustee Plant Protection Resolution Formalizes DBG
Activity Beyond Gardens and Arboretum Sites

WA New Fern for Colorado

Peter Root

The small, pale moonwort which I men-
tioned in my Moonwort Update in
Aquilegia 14:6 has been described as a
new species by W.H. Wagner, Jr. in a
recent article (Amer. Fern J. 80 (3) pp.
73-81). He has called it Botrychium pal-
lidum. It is known to occur in Canada
from southwestern Saskatchewan to Sa-
guenay County, Quebec. In the United
States it has been found around the
. Great Lakes and in Colorado. Probably
this distribution reflects the distribution
of people who look for moonworts. It
should be looked for in Wyoming and
other western states. Curiously, al-
though it occurs in a variety of habitats
in Canada and Michigan, the known
locations for it in Colorado are all very
open sites near tree line. Dr. Wagner,
who has studied moonworts for nearly
forty years, considers this species ex-
ceedingly rare and local. The descrip-
tion of this species gives the Colorado
flora a total of eight described and at
least two undescribed taxa in the small
moonwort subgenus. ^

During its regular September 25, 1990,
meeting the Denver Botanic Gardens
Board of Trustees approved a resolu-
tion submitted by Life Trustee Dr.
Moras Shubert aimed at formalizing the
Gardens’ long-standing commitment to
conservation. The resolution expresses
concern about all threats to the per-
severance of plant species, encourages
protection of all threatened vegetation
and sets the Gardens on a direct course
of active plant conservation.

Although this stance has been implicit
in the Gardens’ mission statement, Dr.
Shubert and the board recognize that
both the endangered plant conservation
movement and the Gardens are evolving
through a critical period when a strong
reaffirmation of the Gardens’ position is
necessary. The full resolution follows:

Resolution on Plant
Protection

WHEREAS Denver Botanic Gardens
recognizes that all biological entities are
interrelated and dependent upon each
other and their physical environment,

AND WHEREAS the concerns of Den-
ver Botanic Gardens extend beyong our
actual gardens and arboreta,

AND WHEREAS it is observed that in
Colorado and neighboring areas there
are threats to individual plant species
and to vegetational units by human ac-
tivities such as fires, deforestation,
water use, mining, road-building, and
development in natural areas,

AND WHEREAS in keeping with the
membership of Denver Botanic Gar-
dens in the American Association of
Botanic Gardens and Arboreta and the
Center for Plant Conservation, and in
our encouragement of other such or-
ganizations concerned with the conser-
vation of plants and vegetation,

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED that the Board of Trus-
tees expresses its concern about all ac-
tivities which threaten species and
vegetation types, particularly in our
mountain and plains states,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
Denver Botanic Gardens encourages
and endorses programs and activities
aimed at the protection and preserva-
tion of plant species and threatened
types of vegetation,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
Denver Botanic Gardens will engage in
action to save rare, threatened, and en-
dangered species.

Approved by the Board of Trustees on
the 25th day of September, 1990. jf.

Page 10

Aquilegia

Volume 15

New Light on a Rare Milkweed

Jim Locklear

With financial support from the Nature
Conservancy and the Colorado Native
Plant Society, research was undertaken
in 1990 to investigate the status of the
dwarf milkweed, Asclepias uncialis. This
seldom-collected plant, one of the
rarest milkweeds in North America, has
a distribution that includes scattered oc-
currences in eastern Colorado. Until
recently this species was one of the most
poorly known plants in the flora of the
Great Plains.

Asclepias uncialis was first described by
Edward L. Greene in 1880, from collec-
tions made by him near Silver City, New
Mexico. Several collections of this plant
had been made prior to 1880 in eastern
Colorado, but these were largely deter-
mined to he Asclepias brachy Stephana, a
species of northern Mexico, west Texas
and southern New Mexico and Arizona.

It was not until R.E. Woodson, Jr. un-
dertook a systematic revision of the
genv&Asclepias (published in 1954) that
these and later collections were recog-
nized as A, uncialis. Specimens of this
plant, annotated by Woodson, are found
scattered in some of the major herbaria
in the United States and in England. By
consulting the collections of 45 different
herbaria, we now have a more accurate
understanding of this species’ distribu-
tion.

The distribution of the dwarf milkweed
appears to be broken up into two
separate geographical areas. The first is
the western Great Plains, where it is
known with certainty from eastern
Colorado and northeastern New
Mexico. This species has been reported
from the Oklahoma panhandle (Texas
County), but no specimens have been
found to verify this report.

Well over half of the known occurrences
of the dwarf milkweed are from eastern
Colorado, where it has been collected at
widely scattered localities from near the
Wyoming line south to the New Mexico
border. It is known historically from
Baca, Bent, Cheyenne, Denver,

Fremont, Huerfano, Kit Carson, Las
Animas, Pueblo and Weld counties in
Colorado. In addition, if the vague
locality information on two nineteenth
century specimens is correctly inter-
preted, this species may have been col-
lected in Adams and Sedgwick counties.

The other area of occurrence for the
dwarf milkweed encompasses south-
western New Mexico near Silver City,
where Greene collected the specimens
from which he described the species,
and three scattered localities in
Arizona. The plants from Arizona ap-
pear to differ somewhat from those that
occur in the Great Plains and research
is needed to determine whether the
plants in these two widely separated
areas are in fact the same species.

An additional, highly disjunct occur-
rence of the dwarf milkweed is known
historically from western Wyoming
(Sweetwater County). This collection,
made by Charles Parry in 1873, came
from a location 260 air miles distant
from the nearest known occurrence of
this species in the Great Plains (Weld
County, Colorado). The dwarf
milkweed is not known from any other
locations in Wyoming.

Although apparently distributed over a
large geographical area, the dwarf
milkweed has been collected from only
about 20 different localities within that
area. About half of these collections
were made in the 1800’s by the likes of
such prominent Rocky Mountain
botanists as Charles Parry, Elihu Hall
and J. P. Harbour, Townsend Bran-
degee, and George Osterhout. Several
collections of the dwarf milkweed were
made in the vicinity of Denver in the
1800’s. It has not been collected in the
Denver area since 1895.

Field work was undertaken in early May
of 1990 to relocate certain historical col-
lection sites in southeast Colorado and
northeast New Mexico and make obser-
vations on the ecology and status of this
plant. Populations of the dwarf

milkweed were located in Las Animas
County, in the vicinity of the Mesa de
Maya, and just across the state line in
Union County, New Mexico. This
species was also found in Pueblo Coun-
ty west of Pueblo. In addition, John
Anderson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service was able to relocate the plant in
Fremont County near Canon City, at a
site where it may have been collected by
Townsend Brandegee in 1877.

The task of locating this species in the
field was made difficult because of its
very small size. As the common name
implies, the dwarf milkweed is a tiny
plant -probably the most diminutive
member of the genus Asclepias in North
America. The stems, which number
from three to as many as twenty, only
reach a height of 1 to 2-1/2 inches,
making it extremely hard to spot in-
dividuals among the grasses with which
they occur on the shortgrass prairie. The
name uncialis literally means a twelfth,
probably a reference to a height of one
inch. The fact that the dwarf milkweed
is difficult to see in the field may account
in some measure for the few collections
of this plant. As Bill Weber stated in his
book. Rocky Mountain Flora, this
species is either rare or it has simply
been “overlooked.”

Once located, several distinctive
characters make it relatively easy to
separate the dwarf milkweed from the
other species oi Asclepias that occur in
the western Great Plains. Aside from
being the smallest milkweed in the
region, it is also the earliest flowering,
coming into bloom in late April and set-
ting fruit by late May. This early flower-
ing period, and the rose-purple color of
its flowers, separate the dwarf milkweed
from the plains milkweed^. the

species with which it is most likely to be
confused. Found throughout much of
eastern Colorado, the plains milkweed
is also a small plant, but it blooms from
July into September and has flowers that
are creamy white in color. In addition,
its leaves are uniformly filiform, while
those of the dwarf milkweed are of two

— continued next page

Number 2

Aquilegia

Page 1 1

Milkweed, continued from previous page

An Unusual Wildflower

^ pes, ovate-lanceolate below, grading
Tather abruptly into linear-lanceolate on
the upper portions of the stems.

In the Great Plains, the dwarf milkweed
occurs primarily as a component of
shortgrass prairie vegetation. In the
1990 survey it was usually found growing
on the lower sideslopes of escarpments,
mesas or canyon walls, often in
sandstone-derived soils. Otherwise, this
species does not appear to have any
specific habitat requirements or
preferences.

One significant observation made
during the 1990 field work was the small
size of dwarf milkweed populations.
Very few plants were found at any of the
occurrences located in 1990, even when
there was a considerable amount of ap-
parently suitable habitat available. A
typical occurrence had three to five in-
dividual plants within an area the size of
an acre. The largest population found
consisted of only nine individuals in an
rea about 3/4 mile in length along the
Sybase of an escarpment.

The initial information on the dwarf
milkweed suggests that its status may be
similar to that of Mead’s milkweed A.
meadii, a rare plant of the tallgrass
prairie region of the central United
States. Both have rather large areas of
distribution, yet today occur in widely
scattered, small populations. Mead’s
milkweed has recently been listed as a
threatened species by the U.S Fish and
Wildlife Service.

Small population size could be a critical
factor in the status of the dwarf
milkweed. Like all members of its genus,
the flowers of this plant are highly
modified in structure and require insect
visitation to accomplish pollination. If a
local population does not contain
enough individuals to attract adequate
numbers of insects (principally bees,
wasps and butterflies), the number of
successful cross-pollinations will be
reduced, ultimately reducing the
^^amount of seed produced each year.
Researchers believe that low population
size in Mead’s milkweed is resulting in a

low rate of reproduction, bringing this
species near the brink of extinction.

Although we are beginning to gain a bet-
ter understanding of this tiny plant,
more information needs to be gathered.
Additional inventory of historical oc-
currences, search of areas of potential
habitat, and monitoring of known
populations are needed to accurately
assess the status of the dwarf milkweed
and determine whether measures to in-
sure its survival as a component of
Colorado’s shortgrass prairie flora are
necessary. 4 ;

Michael L. Petersen

In stalking wildflowers of the Rocky
Mountain region from southern
Colorado to Montana, I have come
across a small and seldom seen flower,
Dicentra uniflora, given the common
name Steershead. The common name
appropriately describes this little flower
of the Fumariaceae family which in-
habits the sagebrush hillsides of the
western slope of Colorado.

This unique flower is visible only in late
April to mid-May for a short time after
the Anemone patens (pasqueflower)
blooms. Normally this 1.5 to 2.5 cm sized
flower towers some 7 to 10 cm above the
plant’s basal leaves on a single stalk. I
have only seen this plant living in as-
sociation with tridentata after

the snow melts and the soil temperature
rises to 45 degrees F. This minute plant
puts forth a flower that appears pink, or-
chid or purplish in color, and its struc-
ture ressembles the skeleton of a bovine
critter long dried in the mountain sun.
Because this flower is poisonous to cat-
tle, some suggest that explains the
skeleton appearance — who knows?

I have located these obscure flowers of
the Bleeding Hearts family in Garfield,
Mesa and Rio Blanco counties in
Colorado. My observations have been
on easterly or southerly slopes, in
moderately deep to deep loamy soils in
the mid-morning hours. The flowering
period is only 1 to 3 days for each plant,
so if you are pursuing the whereabouts
of this flower, you will need to be watch-
ful.

Note: This is another plant that blooms
before many of us are out in the spring.
There is no specimen of this species in
the University of Colorado Herbarium
(COLO). One should be collected to
document this new species in our flora.
PGR 41 ,

Page 12

Aquilegia

Volume 15

Help Make Water and Energy Conservation a Reality in Colorado

Elizabeth Otto

The Colorado Environmental Coalition is sponsoring a
statewide drive for water conservation. CEC is mounting a cam-
paign to end the waste of water and the destruction of
Colorado’s mountain streams by promoting the use of low-flow
showerheads. Low-flow showerheads use up to 70% less water
and require about 70% less energy than standard showerheads.
And they provide a vigorous stream of water, too. (I have been
using a low-flow showerhead for over a year and have found it
to be better than my old showerhead.)

The environmental community has spent a lot of time and
money fighting water development projects that would destroy
our canyons and mountain streams. It’s time to stop talking and
time to start conserving water in our own homes. Ten thousand
low-flow showerheads in use throughout Colorado would cut
water demand by half a million gallons a day.

CEC has contracted with a manufacturer to provide high-
quality, water-efficient showerheads at a discount price. The
Niagara Deluxe Contemporary Model showerhead is made in
the US and is rated at 1.65 gallons per minute at 40 psi. Each
showerhead costs $10.00 plus $2.00 handling.

As a member group of the CEC, the CONPS is offering these
showerheads to our members. The Society will make $2.75 on
each showerhead bought by our members.

Buy your very own low-flow showerhead today and stop having
to shower with a friend! (Or keep showering with a friend and
save even more water!!!) Fill in the order form below and mail
to the Water Conservation Project, Colorado Environmental
Coalition, 111 Grant Street, Suite 606, Denver, Colorado 80203-
3518.

Colorado Native Plant Society ORDER FORM

Please send low-flow showerheads at $10.00 each

plus $2.00 postage, handling and tax to: (please print)

Name

Telephone

Street

City

State Zip

Send order with check or money order to Water Conservation
Project, Colorado Environmental Coalition, 111 Grant Street,
Suite 606, Denver, Colorado 80203-3518.

RETURN AND MAILING ADDRESS
Colorado Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 200

Fort Collins, Colorado 80522

Non-profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID

Permit #1475
Denver, Colorado

Time Value Material - Mailed on or about May 8