IDAHO N^TIi^E PL>^NT SOCIETY NEIVSLETTER

VOL. IX NO. 2

DECEMBER 1985

RiCT I V I "T I ES CR»LEMD<==iF^

December: No regular meeting this month, Happy Holidays.

January 15: Boise meeting at 7:30 pm in Room 218, Science Educ. Building

Boise State University. The program will be on Idaho^'s wet-
lands by Michelle Stevens. This is rescheduled from our can-
celled November meeting.

February 19: Caldwell meeting at 7:30 pm in the herbarium, Boone Science
Hall, College of Idaho. The program will- be on the life of
Isabel Mulford, early day Idaho botanist, by Carol Prentice.

ir>RiMO="S SEMSITIV'E F=-|_R%Mnr WOF^KSHOR* F^ER-OFCT”

In spite of the unseasonably harsh winter weather, 27 individuals from
northern, southeastern and southwestern Idaho, as well as Utah and Oregon,
gathered in Boise on December 5 and 6 to review the status of candidates for
the Federal T8/.E list and sensitive plants for the state watch list. This
was the second such meeting for Idaho as jointly sponsored by IMPS and the
US Fish and Wildlife Service. The first, called a TS<E Plant Species Meeting,
held in November of 1984 considered only Federal candidates.

Bob Parent!, US Fish and Wildlife Service, discussed the rating criteria and
set the ground rules for the meeting, Pat Packard, College of Idaho, acted
as moderator in which 91 species on the Federal candidate list were reviewed
and discussed. In addition, 9 more were recommended for inclusion on the
list. Those species that received the most discussion and concern were
Allium aaseae, Astragalus mulfordiae, Mirabilis macfarlanei, and Physaria
didymocarpa var. lyrata.

On the second day, Steve Caicco, Idaho Natural Heritage Program, presented a
list of 220 plants for consideration on a state sensitive plants list.
Bob Mosely, The Nature Conservancy, moderated this portion of the program.
Several species were dropped from the list after discussion, but several
more were added by the group. Some of these species may warrant Federal
candidate status, however, more field studies are needed before further
recommendations can be made. ,

Charlie Johnson, Wal 1 owa— Whi tman National Forest, provided insight into
sensitive plant status in Oregon. Duane Atwood, US Forest Service, discus-
sed the ratings of many species in Utah. Roger Rosentreter, Boise BLM
District, provided extensive data on Southern Idaho species as well as
range extensions into Montana. These are just a few who made significant
contributions to the workshop.

Steve Caicco volunteered to send a summary of the workshop status recommen-
dations to all workshop participants.

Participants felt that the meeting was productive and successful, and the
group recommended continuing the tradition in 1986.

EcOISE TF5:E:E: TOUFt ^ BIG SUCCESS

Thanks to Dick Lingenfelter and Roger Rosentreter, who organized and led
the tour, and the Boise Tour Train, nearly a hundred people enjoyed an
autumn spectacular in our city of trees. The weather on October 20th was
ideal, and the fall colors at their best as a packed tour train meandered
through the first bench residential area and finally along the Boise River.
Dick and Roger shared the commentary and pointed out the more interesting
and unusual forms of trees. Besides viewing many natives, the giant
sequoia, bald cypress, Himalayan white pine, ginkgo, Chinese pagoda trees,
golden tipped deodar cedar, and incense cedar were examples of exotics that
have found a home in Boise.

The excellent turn out can be attributed to Dick's efforts in advertising
the event, including local newspaper and TV coverage. Besides providing much ,
good will and publicity for Pahove, it netted $81 to our treasury.

"The entire venture was conceived and put together in two weeks," Dick said.
"Several other people contributed their knowledge of local trees, including
Bob Steele, Steve Gosset, and Fritz Kiefer. Selecting a route to provide
the most interest in a limited period of time was the greatest challenge,"
commented Dick. "We should do even better next year."

And there are plans for a repeat performance next year. We can use your
help in locating more unusual native and exotic trees in the Boise vicinity.
Those specimens may be used on future tree tours or simply be added to our
tree inventory database. Call Dick Lingenfelter at 344-7742, or write him
at PO Box 5541, Boise, ID 83705.

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UP I LDELOUJER

RED I SOOVEE Y UJ R D S

i^lNJhJOLJMCEB

The American Horticultural Society presented its second Wildflower Redis- j
covery Awards to five individuals who rediscovered populations of species (
that were thought to be extinct, or found new populations of extremely rare j
species. Two of these were in our area. <

1

ftmsiDckis carinata,, a small annual herb in the Boragi naceae, or borage
family, was rediscovered in Malheur County, Oregon, by Elaine Joyal . This f;
rare species had not been seen since its original discovery by John Leiberg ^
in 1896. Joyal, who rediscovered f). carinata in June 1984, used information j
from the label on a herbarium specimen to identify the pages of Leiberg's
filed notebooks that referred to his discovery. Once she obtained copies of ]
the appropriate pages from his journals and field notebooks, which are [
housed in the Smithsonian Institute archives, Joyal had the clues she ^
needed to search for f). carinata . Joyal discovered several populations of ^

the species, which seems to occupy an unique ecological niche; it grows in p
rocky soil and is intolerant of disturbance. The species is threatened by ^
grazing, agriculture, and general surface disturbance. ;!

Hapl opappas insect icrari s was rediscovered by Steve Caicco of the Idaho
Natural Heritage Program. The species, which is found only in the state of
Idaho, had not been seen since the 1940's, despite several intensive
searches in the last 10 years. Following Caicco's discovery in 1984, the
Idaho Natural Heritage Program hired Vince Lee to make another search for ^
the species. Lee discovered 82 populations located in three Idaho counties, p
Botanists have now determined that H. insecticrari s is much more common than
they had thought, and the species is no longer considered endangered or
threatened .

IVOL . I X

NO. 2

DECEMBER 1985

Er%J0^2||xieEF^E0 W I LOF^LOWEF? Cl^iLEr^lD^F^!

'The 1986 Endangered Wildflower Calendarj published by the American Horticul-
itural Society, is now available. This attractive wall calendar <8 1/2" by
;23" when open) features beautiful color photographs of endangered plants
'from all over the United States. A description of each endangered plant and
ithe factors threatening it accompanies the photographs. The calendar may be
[purchased by mail at the retail price of $6.95 ($6.25 for AHS members) in-
(cluding postage and handling. Orders with a check or money order made out
'to AHS for the amount of purchase may be mailed to: Wildflower Calendar,
»AHS, PO Box 288, Mount Vernon, VA 22121.

THE SCROUtMOERS NOTEBOOK: by Pat Packard
'Yarrow. BEfajs-ii®* Sliigf SiiM® Li

Yarrow, a member of the Asteraceae Family, grows everywhere. In winter the
idead, flat-topped inflorescences are conspicuous. The narrow, ferny leaves
tcan usually be found at the base, live and green in the winter.

This was used by most Indians as a pain killer. Leaves were mashed and
-applied to sores and bruises on man or collar sores on horses on the Ouinn
'River, Leaves or roots were tucked into an aching tooth (Trejo, 1974) or a
,pack of the whole plant was used hot on an earache. A tea was used for
-indigestion or headache, or at Owyhee, Nevada, for gas pains (Train, 1957).
Its effectiveness in some of the later uses is not certain but it tastes so
-bad the original complaint may have been overshadowed. Jackman (1964) says
-early Oregon settlers used it to purify the blood, perhaps operating on the
itheory that anything that bad had to be good for you. Local Paiutes chewed
'the root to put on bee stings (Trejo, 1974). Unless the saliva is necessary
'for some critical alteration in the chemical makeup, I would prefer to smash
;it between two rocks.

H<earny and Peebles (1942) note that it was used by Arizona Indians in acute
isuppression of the menses. This species is variable physiologically ~ such
ia use locally has not been recorded.

'In some places this has been recommended as a tea made from either the
'.leaves or the flowers. I don't think I would even want to try our local
imaterial this way. One of our group , however, convinced some members of
Ithe •’ counter culture' that a horrible over-boiled yarrow tea that he had
,prepared was narcotic and would produce a good high. Being thus convinced,
tone of them became very high after drinking the bitter brew. It was un-
idoubtedly all in his mind.

JMUSEUM OE r%lftTUR^L HISTORY WORKDAYS

1Come join us and lend a hand at the College of Idaho's Museum of Natural
(History monthly workdays. Volunteers are needed for a variety of Museum
'tasks. We need people to "adopt" old display cases for rebuilding/refin-
■ishing. Workdays are held all day on Saturdays, 7 am until evening. Sched-
luled workdays for 1986 are January 11, February 1, March 1, and April 5.
Tall Bill Clark at 375-8605 for additional information.

I Oi=%HO rsJ#=^TLJFS<==iL_ By Charles Wellner Fy. Bob Mosel y

Preservation of natural areas in Idaho began 50 years ago with the estab-
lishment of Tepee Creek Research Natural Area on the Kaniksu National
Forest. It is only within the last two decades, however, that most of the
natural area preservation effort has taken place in the state. Established
and recommended natural areas in Idaho, summarized in the following table,
represent a cooperative effort by various volunteer, private, state, and
federal organ! zat i ons.

Agency

Establ i shed

Recommmended

Forest Service

20 Research Nat. Areas (RNA's)
2 Botanical Areas

98 RNA^’s

Bureau of Land Management

8 RNA=‘s

2 Natural Areas
1 Outstanding Natural Area
4 Areas of Critical Environ-
mental Concern (ACEC)

42 RNA^’s

1 ACEC

National Park Service
Department of Energy
ID Dept. Parks Recreation
The Nature Conservancy

2 RNA^’s

1 Environmental Park

3 RNA's

5 Nature Preserves

Totals

48

141

Both the Forest Service and BLM are preparing plans for each National Forest ^
and BLM Resource Area. These plans, which recently have been emerging for ^
public review, include recommended RNA's and Botanical Areas on National !
Forests and RNA^s and ACEC's on BLM land. Ne believe that at least two-

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thirds of the 141 recommended areas will receive favorable consideration in
these plans. J

A majority of the selection and recommendation of natural areas in Idaho has ^
been done by the Idaho Natural Areas Coordinating Committee, a loosely-knit
group of volunteer citizens. The Idaho committee has been active the last
12 years in cataloging and classifying elements of natural diversity in
Idaho and in assisting the Forest Service and BLM in natural area selection ^
and establishment. The Nature Conservancy recently initiated a Public Lands
Program in Idaho to ensure protection of natural diversity on public lands
by various means including natural area establishment.

The close cooperation between the Idaho Natural Areas Coordinating Commit-
tee, The Nature Conservancy, and land management agencies is working well
toward the establishment of a network of natural areas that will ultimately ‘
encompass much of Idaho^s natural diversity.

The authors; Charles Wellner is a member of the Idaho Natural Areas Co-
ordinating Committee, and Bob Mosely is with The Nature Conservancy.

welcome: to imeui membees

Vicki Saab Marks, Boise, ID
Rod Norum, Boise, ID
Melanie Miller, Boise, ID
Karle E. Holte, Pocatello, ID

Bretchen Van Ert, Bountiful, UT
Bill Little, Kimberly, ID
William Shalter, Utica, IL

4

^□L. IX ^40. 2 DECEMBER 1985

L— tv| "T F'ROF^ I L_E;S: by Mary McGown

Dipsacus sylvestris Huds. Family: Dipsacaceae

Fuller's teasel or gypsy's comb is widely dispersed throughout our area in
moist or low lying areas. However, it is not a native, but an old world
species that has become naturalised throughout the U. S.

Dipsacus is the most common member of the faaiily. Superficially it
resembles a thistle. D. sylvestris is a biennial with a stout taproot. The
plant generally dies early in its second season.

The heads are erect, dense and ovoid or cylin-
dric on long, naked peduncles. Each flower is
subtended by two fused bracteoles which form an
epi calyx. The calyx is S-merous, cup like, with
a corolla of four or five united petals. The
fruit is an achene.

The connate leaves are prickly, especially on
the midrib on the underside. The entire plant
usually is between one-half to two meters tall.

Teasel was used as a tool to raise the nap on
cloth. Today, teasel is more commonly found in
dried flower arrangements. Dried teasel heads
are available in craft and floral shops. One
owner of a craft shop in Boise said "large
quantities" of teasel are available to him
through a wholesale outlet. The store owner
said teasel remains a popular addition to af —
irangements because paint adheres well to the
theads and they can be sprayed with the most
[popular designer colors.

Teasel is easy to collect in late summer. Tie
the stems together and hang upside down in a

idry, warm, dark place for about two weeks. Dipsacus sylvestris
Illus. from Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest by Hitchcock, et al .

A PERSONAL AD - I am conducting research on North American species of
the genus (Viliam (onions), and search for information, seeds, and/or
bulbs of Idaho native fillium species. In particular, I am searching
for the following species: A. nevsdense, bisceptram,, douglssii, lem-
»OT}2 2, paruum, mad id urn r brandegai, forms of cernuum, color forms of
textile, white form of acuminatum^ fibril lum, simillimum, aaseaer tol-
miei r tolmiei var. pi atyphyl 1 urn , and tolmiei var. persimile. Your help
with any of these species would be appreciated.

Mark McDonough, 4725 119th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA 98006.

gSsBOLJT CDUF^ I D<==ltMO h4#^-r I

f=-L_ftrNj“r SOC^IETY

OFFICERS

President Roger Rosentreter
Vice Pres Steve Caicco . .
Secretary Agnes Miller . ,
Treasurer Wilma Gluch . . .
Board Chr Lynda Smithman

334-1734

344-3148

343-6234

343- 3026

344- 2650

Technical Committee

Pat Packard, Bob Steele, Nancy Shaw,
Dotty Douglas, and Bob Parent! .

Lay Representatives
Freda Younger and Jerry Wood.

Newsletter Editor Joe Duft
Technical Editor Bob Steele

Sage Notes, is published bimonthly by
the Idaho Native Plant Society, in-
corporated since 1977 under the laws
of the State of Idaho.

Membership in the Society is open to
all interested in our native flora.
Dues are $6.00 per year on an anni-
versary month/year basis. Send dues
and all correspondence to I.N.P.S.,
Box 9451, Boise, ID 83707.

Red dots beside dues dates indicate
that your dues have expired. You
will receive only two issues after
expiration .

DUE DATE FOR COPY MATERIALS FOR NEXT (FEBRUARY) NEWSLETTER IS JANUARY 20.

2ba!)0 92otiue Tfant Society

pahove Chapter
Box 9451

Boise, Idaho 83707

garden