Colorado Native PI ant Society "Dedicated to the Appreciation and Conservation of the Colorado Flora" COM I NO EVENTS 18 SEPTEMBER. Fall Annual Meeting. Tour the Denver Botanic Gardens before lunch. After lunch you can listen to exciting and inter — estirtg speakers, help elect several new mem- bers to the Board of Directors, enjoy meeting old friends, make new friends and look at ex~ hibts showing what our committees have been, are and perhaps will be doing. MEETXNBs SEPTEMBER IQ, 1 O B I T U f=% FS V A C olorado Native Plant Festival celebrating the Bota n ic al H ist or y of Colorado:. Its na tive ( or adop te d) plant hunting sons and itsmagn if i ce nt fiora^ Your committee has put together an informative, exciting annual meeting. Plan to join your friends on September ISth in the Ofohn C» Mitchell Hall at Denver Botanic Bardens, 100S York St. Come early at 10: 30 A.M. and identify yourself at the gate as a Colorado Native Plant Society (CONPS) member and your will be admitted free. Free tours led by professionals will guide you thru the gardens which will be at the peak of fall color. Pay special attention to the Alpine Rock Barden and the Plains Barden that is now under construction. Each CONPS standing committee will have a booth or a table illustrating its activities. Several local nurserymen will have displays of native plants for observation and sale. Lunch is planned at 12:00 noon (bring your own) , CONPS will provide coffee and soft drinks. After lunch we will have a short business meeting. At that time you will receive ballot® for the election of members to the Board of Directors. At Is 15 P. M. , our own Fanayoti Dallas, curator of the Alpine Rock Barden at the Denver Botanic Gardens, will speak on “Native Rockscapi ng - The Last Resort of Gardening. " His illustrated pre- sentation should hone your desires for natives in your yard. Next, Dr. Richard B. Beidleman, Professor of BiOiogy at Colorado College, will present our keynote address. Dr. Beidleman brings an impressive set of credentials to our meeting, but perhaps of the most interest to us* he has done research in England on relationships between the American Frontier Naturalists and the British Scientists^ has authored a series on the American Botanist for Hort ic ulture Mag az i ne s and is currently preparing a publication Of Frederick Creutzfeldt, botanist with the 1853 Gunnison Expedition. After Dr. Bei dl eman' s exciting talk, we will see 4 different simultaneous presentations of Colo- rado Wi ldf lowers by 4 extraordinary photogra- phers, while enjoying each other's company and visiting the displays during the "hospitality time." Then too, the ballots will be collected and the newly elected directors will be an- nounced and introduced. Once again. Bob Heapes will donate one of his beautiful, fully framed, wildf lower photographs as a door prize, and it will be drawn for at the party time. Any other donated door prizes would certainly be appreciated. (Call Lloyd Hayes, see back page for number , if you have one or many, > All this, plus an opportunity to further the work of the Colorado Native Plant Society, will be enhanced by your presence at our annual meeting. Robert Heapes C. Will iam . T. Pe n la nd Professor Emeritus Charles William Theodore Pen land, 4106 Lupine St., Colorado Springs, died Tuesday, March 30, 1902, at a nursing home. Professor Penland was born December 5, 1899, in Baggs, Wyoming. He was 82 and had been a resi- dent of Colorado Springs since 1922. He married the former Nyla Me Nat t in New Mexico- He received his bachelor's degree in botany from the University of Wyoming in 1920 and received a master's degree and doctorate from Harvard University in 1925. Professor Penland taught botany and biology at Colorado College from 1922 until he retired from teaching in 1968. When he retired, he had been on the faculty longer than any other member in the college's history. He served as the Colorado College tennis coach for 15 years. Professor Penland was credited with the dis- covery of two new species of flowers in Colorado which were named after him. One of these species was Sutrama panlandi i Rollins. (Your editor has been unable to discover the other species. > He served in the Army for 3 years during World War It with 165th General Hospital in the European Theater . Professor Penland collected a substantial number of plant specimens from around the world and donated many of them to various colleges and universities, including a collection of 200 varieties of fungi that he donated to the Colorado College Herbarium. He served as faculty representative to the Interf raterni ty Council, chairman of the Division erf Natural Sciences and secretary to the faculty during his tenure at Colorado College, He was a member for 60 years of the Colorado Mountain Club and the Round Table. He was also a member of the AdAmAn Club since 1928- Professor Penland was a member of the American Society for the Advancement of Science and an honorary member of the Colorado Native Plant Society. He is survived by his wife and a sister. ElMOFIIMOEFtED SQQCI ES = €3000 NEWS ! Both the House and Senate have passed bills reauthorizing the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for three years, through Fiscal Year 1985. Happily, both bills provide continued strong protection of both plants and animals, although they represent compromises in that some adminis- trative procedures have been simplified in ways sought by industry. Once the bills are recon- ciled in committee and the final version ap- proved by House and Senate and signed by Pres- r* ident Reagan, the ESA, as strong as or stronger t h an the present version, will be continued. Thanks to all those Who sent telegrams, wrote letters, or otherwise helped in the passage of the ESA. Senator Gary Hart of Colorado was a co-sponsor of the Senate bill; it certainly would not hurt to send him a note of appreci- ation for his role in support of the Act. His address ist The Honorable Gary Hart, 254 Russell Building, Washington, D- C- 20510. The new ESA will continue to provide protection for endangered and threatened species, and there should be a renewed focus on listing appropriate species. The next hurdle, it appears, is that while the House and Senate ESA bills authorize certain monetary appropriations, these are in fact ceiling amounts; the effectiveness of the ESA will depend largely on the money actually made available to the agencies responsible for i mpl ementing it. The Reagan Administration's proposed budget provides considerably less for the endangered species program than current levels, and less than amounts authorized by the recent congressional bills. Putting the situa- tion in perspective, the Endangered Species Act Reaut hew t z at i on Committee recently pointed out that the present admi ni stratioo proposes to spend no more cm endanger d species in FY 1983 than it would cost to buy 12 bulldozers for the army. We must all continue to do what we can to encourage our legislators to provide sufficient funds to protect our endangered species. — Sue Martin NOTES FROM THE 1902 El ELD SEASON SvStJLstJK Sai/* Candida has been found twice in Colorado, once in South Park west of Antero Reservoir and once in a willow-birch bog along the Upper Laramie River near Cameron Pass. I have worn out my eyes looking for it in many places, but finally found it in the Laramie River bog. If the books would only give us a better idea of what a plant looks like in the field and how it grows we might not have such problems F Sal ix Candida is easy enough to spat once you know what your're looking for. It has chalk-white Unate leaf undersides and loosely lanate upper surface, and the leaves are narrowly oblong or ob lanceolate and character! stical ly some what wavy-wrinkled along the edges. The surprise is its growth habit. S, Candida has a very supple, simple unbranched stem about a quarter of an inch thich, and stands less than 2 meters tall. It is unbranched until the very tip, where it gives rise to a cluster of short branches that stand more or less erect. Sail* bracfiycarpa, with which it grows, always is well -branched, and while it too is whitish, the leaves are shorted and broader, and it is more of a bush. Salix Candida never seems to stand alone, as if it were too weak, and tends to be held up between the brances of Buttila glanduloxa , on tall moss hummocks. It's the easiest of willows to recognize, and i'm sure that others can find it once its growth habit is understood. FLORISSANT E I ELD TRIP Named for a french word meaning “flowering" or "blooming", Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument more than lived up to its name for those participating in the field and collecting trip on July 10—11. We were treated to an incredible wildf lower display, the best in nine years, according to the Monument staff. Heavy rains in late June brought flowering to a peak the first week in July. Magenta-f lowered Colorado Loco and hybrids in various shades of pink together with Indian Paintbrush, bright yellow Senecio and many others carpeted great patches of meadow and forest openings. Fourteen people met at the Monument Headquarters armed with digging tools, plastic bags, presses and books. The day began with a short introduction to the ancient history of the Fossil Beds, given by Susan Davis of the Monument Staff in the outdoor amphi theater . This was of special interest to those not present on last years’ field trip. The group proceeded to Twin Rock valley on the eastern edge of the monument, an area not collected before. This is a narrow valley in which a small stream meanders through a boggy meadow. The valley is flanked by low forested hills on the south, and on the north by a dry, rocky slope rapped with huge boulders of Pikes Peak granite. This made for three generally different types of ecosystems fro* which to collect, with little over-lapping of species. Three teams were set up of 3-4 members each, with one member recording plants collected on special forms for field use, while the rest of the team collected and returned specimens to a central area for immediate pressing. Three plants of each species were gathered, two for the Florissant Herbarium and one to be deposited with Dr. Weber at the Colorado University Museum Herbarium. About 95 different species of plants were collected during the weekend, adding about 60 species to the overall list which now numbers about 165. This was no leisurely field trip and picnic; everyone worked extremely hard until late in the afternoon on Saturday, and a few were able to stay over at the Monument to collect chi Sunday morning. The Florissant committee is most appreciative of the efforts of all who came and wishers to thank them, and we especially thank Super intendant Bob Reyes and his staff at the Monument far their cooperation and help. The only sad note to an otherwise happy and successful occasion was the fact that our friend and sponsor, Dr. F. Martin Brown, “Brownie," geologist and naturalist from Colorado Springs, and who has been associated with the Monument for many years, was hospitalized pending serious surgery, and thus was unable to be with us. Latest word comes that "Brownie" is progressing nicely. ;Mary Edwards Dr. William A. Weber TENTATIVE LIST BY FAMILY OF PLANTS COLLECTED AT FLORISSANT FOSSIL BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT 10-11 JULY 1982- Alliance** Allium cmrnti am Roth in Room. Api ac*a* Psmudocymoptmrus montmnus (A. Sr ay) Coult. I Rose A*t*rac*a* Achillmm Imnulosm Nutt. Amtmnnmrim pmrvifol im Nutt. Antmnnmrim rosmm (D. C. Eat.) Sr**n* Erigmron divmrgmns T. & 3. Erigmron flrngmilmris A. Bray Picrmdmnirn richmrdsonii Hooker Rudbmcki m hirtm L. Smnmcio fmndlmri A. Gray Smnmcio intmgmrrimus Nutt. Smnmcio tridmnticulmtus Rydb. Boraginaceae Cryptmnthm thrysiflorm < Brawn* > Payson Cryptmnthm virgmtm (Porter) Payeon Hue kml t a floribundm (Leha. > John* ton Lmppulm rmdoxski i (Horn**. ) Src*n* Li thus pmr mum multi fi or am To rr. ear A. Sr ay Hmrtrnnsim cilimtm (Jam**) ©. Don. Mmrtmnsim 1 mncmol mtm (Purmh) A. IS. Braeslcaceae fir this divmricmrpm A. Nel*. Vmscurminim richmrdsonii (Sweet) 0. £. Schulz Brmbm murrnm M. Vahl(.?) in Hornem, Brmbm strmptocmrpm Bray Erysimum mspmrum (Nutt.) D.C. Caropanul ac*a* Cmmpmnulm pmrryi A. Sray Cmmpmnulm rotund i fol im L. Capr i i ol 1 aceae Lonicmrm invol ucrmtm (Richard*. ) Bank* mx Sprang. Caryophyl 1 memm Rrmnmrim fmndlmri A, Sray Cmrmstium mrvmnsm L. Stmllmrim I met* Rich. Stmllmrim longipms Sol die Crassul acea* Smdum lmncmolmtum To rr. Cyper aceae Cmrmx *p. Euphorbi aceae Euphorbim robustm (Engel*.) Small in Britt, fc Brown Fabaceae Astrmgml us mgrmstis DougL. mx Q. Don ftstrmgmlus mlpinus L. Astrmgmlus ermssiemrpus Nutt, in Fraser Oxytropis Immbmrtii Purah Oxytropis splmndmns Dougl . in Hook. Vicim mmmricmnm Muhl. mx NIUd. Fumariaceae Corydmlis murmm Hi lid. Seraniaceae Bmrmnium ernmspitosum Jame* apud Sray Bmrmnium richmrdsonii Fi*ch, & Trautv. Srosaular i acea* Ribms inmrmm Rydb. Hydr an geac eae Jmmmsim mmmricmnm T. Cr Q. Hydrophy 1 1 acea* Phmcmlim hmtmraphylim Pur*h Iridaceae Si syr inchi urn montmnum Sreene Li 11 acea# Smilmcinm rtmllmtm Merr i 1 1 Ranuncul aceae Rqailmgim camrulea James Ranunculus cardiophyl 1 us Hook. Ranunculus macomtii Britt. Thai ietrum spmrsi tl arum Turcz. mx Fisch. Rosaceae Rrgmntina ansmrina (L, > Rydb. Chamamrhodox mrmcta (L. ) Bunge ssp. nuttallii (Pickering mx T. St Q. ) Hulten Brymocallix fixxm (Nutt.) Rydb. Erythrocoma tri flora (Pursh) Greene Frmgmri a americana (Port®-) Britton Fragaria oval is (Lehm. ) Rydb. Baum macro phy Hum Will denow Pmntaphylloidmx floribunda (Pursh) ft. Love Potantilla hippiana Lehm. Potantilla pmnnsylvanica L. Rosa moods ii Lindl. Rub us dal iciosus ? James or Torr . ? Rub us i dam ux L. ssp. mmlanolaxius (Dleck) Focke Rub i aceae Balium bormal a L. sap. xaptantrionala (R. & S.) Hara Sal i c acaaa Salix *p . Sax if ragacaaa Hauchara parvifolia Nutt, ex T. 8c Saxifraga bronchial ix L, ssp. austromontana (Wiag. ) Piper Scrophulari acaaa Bmsxaya pi antaginaa (James) Rydb. Castillmja intagra Sray in Torr. Pedicularis canadensis L. ssp. fluviatil is (Heller) W. ft. Weber Pmnxtmmon crandallii ft. Nels. Pmnstmmon xmcundi floras Benth, in DC. Pmnxtmmon virgmtus Sray ssp. axa-grayi Crosswhi te Valeri an aceae Valariana capitata Pallas ex Link ssp. mcuttloba (Rydb.) F. 0, Meyer NOTES FROM THE 1982 FIELD SEASON New iBr*a tyam Local i ties ! Phil Dixon, conducting vegetation analysis in Sunni son County, out of Cornell University, discovered a fine new population of Bray a humilis ssp. vantosa far from the original and only known site on Hossier Ridge, near the summit of Cumberland Pass. I went there to see it in the flesh, and on the way I picked up Louise Roloff at Dillon and made a short tour of the lower alpine slopes of Mount Brass, in Park County. Imagine our surprise to come across a beautiful colony of Braya in upper Dolly Varden Gulch f The secret seems to be that Braya likes to be either on or very close to rubble of the Leadville Limestone. I think that once we know this, Braya will begin to turn up in other areas of the vast tundra between Cumberland and Hoosier passes. Dr. William A. Weber THE BLUE SPRUCE ft Colorado Tpee PART TWO, PART ONE APPEARED IN THE LAST ISSUE. By Dr. Gilbert H. Fechner, Forest and Wood Sciences, Colrado State University. (This article is a reprint of an article that appeared in the Noventb er -December , 1973 issue of 92 * 2 C 9 dg_ 0 ut doors. Jt 15 being reprinted with the permission of bath Dr. Fechner and the Colorado Division of Wildlife that publishes the Colorado Out d oo rs. ) Ecology — In nature, blue spruce occupies a rel- atively small ecological niche in the montane and subalpine forests of southern Rocky Moun- tains from about 6,000 to 10,000 feet (mostly between 7,000 and 8,500). It is usually re- stricted to moist stream bottom and drainage sites, where it grows singly or in small groups near willows and alders. In northen Colorado blue spruce rarely is more than about 30 or 40 feet above the level of the drainage bottom, though in the southwestern part of the state it grows well up the mountainside. That blue spruce in nature grows mostly along stream courses is no accident. It is adapted to this small niche that it occupies. First of all, moisture is required in spring, when the seed that ripened the previous autumn will sprout. And the soil moisture conditions re- quired by blue spruce are most frequently met in the low ground near streams. And even in these low areas, the exact location of new seedlings can often be traced to locations where the snow stayed just a little longer in spring and thus kept the soil just a little moister than nearby. Then, too, blue spruce has a very shallow root system. In soils that are very dry, the roots do not reach deep enough to obtain the water necessary for the trees to exist] as a result, they do not grow on very dry sites. But in a moist location, the shallow roots are deep enough to allow the trees to become established. Blue spruce is also adapted to heavy snows that occasionally occur in its native range. Its branches are short and stiff and as such support great accumulatons without breaking. Most of the broadleaved trees sustain injury from the very early autumn snowstorms that occasionally occur before their leaves have fallen or very late spring storms after the leaves have un- folded] they are less well adapted to snow than the blue spruce is. Finally, blue spruce is adapted to bright sun- light and high evaporation that often occur dur — ing the summer when soil moisture is low. After a tree is established in the soil, it is still vulnerable to desiccation through the leaves. But blue spruce is protected against drying be- cause its leaves are thick and because they are variously covered with waxy coating; both of these adaptations help to conserve moisture. The ecological niche to which blue spruce is adapted, occurs in much of the southern Rocky Mountains, The natural range extends from Colo- rado northwestward through Wyoming to south- eastern Idaho and south through Utah to north- ern and eastern Arizona and northern New Mexico (Little, 1953). About one-half of the blue spruce distribution lies in Colorado, however, and blue spruce attains its best development there. The largest tree, in records of the Colorado State Forest Service, is over 5 feet in diameter, located near Gunnison, Colorado. Blue spruce grows to 150 feet in height and may live to 600 years. Identification — Blue spruce is not always easy to distinguish from Engel mann spruce (also first distinguished by Parry in Colorado and named by him in honor of his colleague), the only other spruce native to Colorado. Furthermore, some- times some of the features are common to both, leading to the not impossible supposition of some people that the two species hybridize natu- rally where they grow together (about a 500- to 1,000— foot altitudinal overlap). We have not been very successful with artificial crossing, however. The chart shows some ways that are us- ually helpful in separating the two Colorado spruces: Not all blue spruce trees have bluish leaves, however . Those trees that do, have a white waxy substance on the surface of their leaves which covers the green giving them the bluish, or sometimes silvery cast. Recent studies have shown that different patterns of surface waxes impart different color impressions to the foli- age (Hanover and Reicosky, 1971). This waxy material can be rubbed off with the fingers, and the color of the leaves seems to change. Weath- ering for a year or more also removes this sub- stance, and the older leaves, those nearer the trunk, usually are darker than the young leaves on the ends of the branches. Although most people recognize the beauty of the blue spruce leaves, the flowers, or conelets, are often overlooked. The male, or pollen- bearing conelets usually are in the upper one- half of the crown. The female conelets are usu- ally just in the uppermost 25 percent of the crown. Both kinds of conelets may be yellow- green in color; but more commonly, they are a bright pink. The flowers appear about the mid- dle of June in natural stands at 7,500 to 8,000 feet; but in Colorado they can be seen nearly one month earlier at 5,000 feet. The state tree of Colorado is a beautiful tree in foliage and flower. It was discovered in Colorado; it attains its best development there; indeed much of its range lies in Colorado, where it is adapted to its niche. Small wonder, then, that it has become one of the most popular trees for garden planting in the state, and elsewhere, as well. OFFICERS HAILING ADDRESS Presidents Vice-Presidents Secretary s Treasurer s BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lloyd Hayes Sue Martin Eleanor Von Bar gen Myrna Steinkamp COLORADO NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY P. 0. BOX 200 FORT COLLINS CO 80522 SCHEDULE OF MEMBERSHIP FEES Bill Baker (83) Boulder 440-3812 LIFE *250.00 Bob Bowman (02) Fort Collins 491-6524 SUPPORTING 50.00 Miriam Denham (82) Boulder 442-1020 ORGANIZATION 25. (X? Virginia Dionigi <82? Hygiene 776-2609 FAMILY OR DUAL 12.00 Karen Wiley Eberle (83) Craig 824-8261 INDIVIDUAL 8.00 Mary Edwards (82) Arvada 233-8133 STUDENT OR SENIOR 4.00 Scott Ellis (82? Fort Collins 493-6069 Lloyd Hayes (82) Fort Collins 226-5365 NEWSLETTER ARTICLES Beds Heapes (83) Parker 841-3978 — — — • — — — — - Sue Martin (82) Fort Collins 226-3371 Beth Painter <83> Fort Collins 482-2283 Hyrna Steinkamp (83) Fort Collins 226—3371 Eleanor Von Bar gen (82) Denver 756-1400 COMMITTEES CONSERVATION EDITORIAL EDUCATION FIELD TRIPS GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS HORTICULTURE Sc REHABILITATION MEMBERSHIP PUBLICITY FLORISSANT Barry Johnston 234-4011 Les Shader 484-0107 Virginia Dionigi 776-2609 Scott Ellis 493-6069 J. Scott Peterson 886-5887 Gayle Weinstein Hyrna Steinkamp Bob Bowman Mary Edwards 575-2548 226-3371 221-3714 233-8133 Please direct all contr i but ions and articles to the EDITOR in care of the Society's mailing address. Deadlines for the quarterly NEWSLETTER are the first day of February, May, August and November with publication the last day of the month. MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS AND INFORMATION Please direct all membership applications, renew- als and address changes to the MEMBERSHIP Chair — person in care of the Society's mailing address. Please direct all other inquiries regarding the Society to the SECRETARY in care of the Society's mailing address. Colorado Native Plant Society P. 0. Bom 2164 Fort Collins Co 80522 Non -Profit Org. U. S. Postage PAID Permit #7 Ft. Collins, CO DR* DEXTER W* HESS 2202 SANTA FE AVE * LA JUNTA CO 81050