Sidalcea nelsoniana

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Sidalcea nelsoniana
Sidalcea nelsoniana.jpg
Status TNC G2.svg
Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Sidalcea
Species:
S. nelsoniana
Binomial name
Sidalcea nelsoniana

Sidalcea nelsoniana is a rare species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names Nelson's checkerbloom [1] and Nelson's checkermallow. It is native to the Willamette Valley and Coast Range of Oregon and the southwestern corner of Washington in the United States. It is threatened by the destruction and degradation of its habitat, and it is a federally listed threatened species of the United States. [2]

Contents

Description

This plant is a perennial herb producing several erect stems up to a meter tall from a thick taproot. The blades of the leaves are variable in shape. In general, the basal leaves are palmate in shape and the upper leaves are more deeply divided. Each stem can bear up to 100 pink flowers in a spikelike raceme. The species is gynodioecious, producing bisexual flowers and female flowers that lack the ability to produce pollen. Each flower has a purple-tinged calyx of sepals and five petals up to 1.5 centimeters in length. The fruit is a schizocarp with one seed in each of its seven to nine segments. Blooming occurs in late May through mid-July. The plants reproduce sexually via seed and vegetatively by sprouting from broken-off pieces of the root. [2]

Distribution and habitat

This plant can be found in a number of wetland habitat types and is not limited to a specific kind. [3] It grows in wet open habitat such as sedge and grass meadows and the transition zone from prairie to woodland. [4] It can grow on sunny forest edges and in riparian habitat and it is tolerant of disturbance, occurring even near campgrounds. [3]

There are six main population centers, four in the Willamette Valley and one each in the Coast Range and southwestern Washington State. The latter is made up of two populations. [4] A large population is present in William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge. [5] The largest population in the Oregon Coast Range is located at Walker Flat in Yamhill County. [3] Most populations are small. About 48% of them contain fewer than 100 plants and 31% contain under 25. [4]

Conservation

This plant faces a number of threats and has been listed as an endangered species since 1993, but was proposed for delisting by United States Fish and Wildlife Service in April 2022 due to some progress in restoration of the prairie habitats this species requires. [6] Fire suppression is one of the primary threats to this species, because its habitat becomes overgrown with thick vegetation in the absence of the normal fire regime that maintains open clearings. Wildfires are beneficial for this plant, because they clear the large and woody vegetation that prevent sunlight from reaching it. [4]

Despite the plant's tolerance of disturbance, populations occurring near roads and cultivated fields are vulnerable. Many populations in the Willamette Valley are threatened or already extirpated by agricultural and urban development. Over the last 150 years 99% of the wetland habitat in the Willamette Valley has been altered or destroyed. The possible future construction of a dam threatens a large population. Even in protected areas the plant is threatened by the invasion of non-native plant species. [2] Such weeds include reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea). [7] Other threats include herbicides and predation by the weevil Macrohoptus sidalceae . This checkerbloom is known to hybridize with its Sidalcea relatives, such as Sidalcea cusickii , a process that can lead to genetic pollution of the rare plant. [2]

Related Research Articles

William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge

William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge is a natural area in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, United States. It was created to provide wintering habitat for dusky Canada geese. Unlike other Canada geese, dusky Canada geese have limited summer and winter ranges. They nest on Alaska's Copper River Delta and winter almost exclusively in the Willamette Valley. Habitat loss, predation, and hunting have caused a decrease in population.

Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge

Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge is located in the fertile Willamette Valley of northwestern Oregon, 12 miles (19 km) south of Salem. The valley was once a rich mix of wildlife habitats. Valley wetlands were once extensive, with meandering stream channels and vast seasonal marshes. Today, the valley is a mix of farmland and growing cities, with few areas remaining for wildlife.

<i>Sidalcea pedata</i> Species of herb

Sidalcea pedata, also called birdfoot checkerbloom or Big Bear checkerbloom, is a rare and endangered perennial herb of California. It blooms between May and July. However, it is an endemic species of California and only occurs in few places in the San Bernardino Mountains, primarily at Bear Valley, Bluff Lake. It grows at 1500–2100 m elevation in moist meadows to open woodlands and the unique pebble plain habitat of the area. Since Big Bear Valley is a resort destination, the birdfoot checkerbloom is threatened by development, vehicles and grazing.

<i>Sidalcea</i> Genus of flowering plants

Sidalcea is a genus of the botanical family Malvaceae. It contains several species of flowering plants known generally as checkerblooms or checkermallows, or prairie mallows in the United Kingdom. They can be annuals or perennials, some rhizomatous. They are native to West and Central North America.

Erratic Rock State Natural Site

Erratic Rock State Natural Site is a state park in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States. Featuring a 40-short-ton (36 t) glacial erratic from the Missoula Floods, the small park sits atop a foothill of the Northern Oregon Coast Range in Yamhill County between Sheridan and McMinnville off Oregon Route 18. The day use only park is owned and maintained by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

<i>Sidalcea calycosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Sidalcea calycosa is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names annual checkerbloom, checker mallow, and vernal pool checkerbloom.

<i>Sidalcea covillei</i> Species of flowering plant

Sidalcea covillei is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names Owens Valley sidalcea, and Owens Valley checkerbloom. It is endemic to the Owens Valley of Inyo County, California, where it grows on alkali flats and in alkaline meadows and springs. While it is limited to this single valley, it is known from 44 sites there, and several populations are relatively large, with the total global population estimated at about two million individuals.

<i>Sidalcea diploscypha</i> Species of flowering plant

Sidalcea diploscypha is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common name fringed checkerbloom. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the woodlands and valleys of the central part of the state.

<i>Sidalcea glaucescens</i> Species of flowering plant

Sidalcea glaucescens is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common name waxy checkerbloom.

Sidalcea hartwegii is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names valley checkerbloom and Hartweg's checkerbloom.

<i>Sidalcea hickmanii</i> Species of plant

Sidalcea hickmanii is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known generally by the common name chaparral checkerbloom.

<i>Sidalcea hirsuta</i> Species of flowering plant

Sidalcea hirsuta is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common name hairy checkerbloom.

<i>Sidalcea keckii</i> Species of flowering plant

Sidalcea keckii is a rare species of flowering plant in the mallow family, known by the common names Keck's checkerbloom and Keck's checkermallow.

<i>Sidalcea malviflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Sidalcea malviflora is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, known by the common names dwarf checkerbloom, Greek mallow, prairie mallow and dwarf checkermallow.

<i>Sidalcea neomexicana</i> Species of flowering plant

Sidalcea neomexicana is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common names salt spring checkerbloom, Rocky Mountain checker-mallow, and New Mexico checker.

<i>Sidalcea oregana</i> Species of flowering plant

Sidalcea oregana is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common name Oregon checkerbloom.

<i>Sidalcea reptans</i> Species of flowering plant

Sidalcea reptans is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common name Sierra checkerbloom and Sierra checker mallow.

<i>Sidalcea robusta</i> Species of flowering plant

Sidalcea robusta is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common name Butte County checkerbloom.

<i>Sidalcea stipularis</i> Species of flowering plant

Sidalcea stipularis is a rare species of flowering plant in the mallow family, known by the common name Scadden Flat checkerbloom.

<i>Sidalcea campestris</i> Species of flowering plant

Sildalcea campestris is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family known by the common name meadow checker-mallow. It is native only to portions of western Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America.

References

  1. 1 2 USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Sidalcea nelsoniana". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Unattributed (2011). "Sidalcea nelsoniana". NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 07-28-2011. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Glad, J. B.; Mishaga, Richard; Halse, Richard R. (1987). "Habitat characteristics of Sidalcea nelsoniana Piper (Malvaceae) at Walker Flat, Yamhill County, Oregon" (PDF). Northwest Science. 61 (4): 257–263. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Guerrant, Edward & others (July 8, 2010). "Sidalcea nelsoniana". CPC National Collection Plant Profile. Center for Plant Conservation. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  5. ↑ Wilson, M. V. (2004). The analysis of management strategies to restore and enhance Nelson's Checker-mallow (Sidalcea nelsoniana) habitat at William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge: Response to two years of restoration techniques in an existing Sidalcea nelsoniana habitat: Final report (PDF) (Report). USFWS. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  6. ↑ "Prairie Plant Thrives With Collaborative Conservation, Proposed for Delisting From Endangered Species Act". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  7. ↑ Bartels, M. R.; Wilson, M. V. (2001). "Fire and mowing as management tools for conserving a threatened perennial and its habitat in the Willamette Valley, Oregon" (PDF). In Berntrein, Neil P. (ed.). Proceedings of the 17th North American Prairie Conference. Ostrander, Laura J. pp. 59–65. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
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