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Greenman’s desert parsley was formerly a category 1 candidate,
but was removed from candidate status in 1996 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service 1996) and is now considered a federal species of concern. The
species is listed as endangered by the State of Oregon and is a
USDA Forest Service sensitive species. In addition, this species
is ranked as G1/S1 (critically imperiled) by NatureServe (NatureServe
2008).
Description and Life History
Greenman’s desert parsley is a member of the parsley family (Apiaceae). Greenman’s
desert parsley is a low-growing perennial herb ranging from 3 to
10 centimeters (1 to 4 inches) in height. Plants produce several
glabrous (smooth and hairless), bright green, pinnately dissected
leaves (leaves resembling a feather;
having the leaflets on
each side of a common axis). Numerous
small, bright yellow flowers are clustered in compound umbels (umbrella
shaped inflorescence) at the ends of flowering stems. Fruits are
schizocarps (dry fruits that split at maturity into two or more
closed, one-seeded parts, as in the carrot or mallow). The fruits
are initially green, drying brown and approximately 0.5 centimeters
(0.2 inches) in length. The plant blooms in July and fruits in August. Look-alikes
are Cymopterus spp., Lomatium cusickii, and Lomatium
oreganum.
Habitat
This species occurs between approximately 2,365 and 2,620 meters (7,759
to 8,596 feet) in the Wallowa Mountains of northeast Oregon (Wallowa County). The
subalpine habitats occupied by this species consist of meadows or rocky
outcroppings dotted with islands of subalpine fir-white bark pine (Abies
lasiocarpa-Pinus albicaulis). In addition, plants that live
in the same habitat include a heterogeneous mix of boreal, northwest regional
and locally endemic species of perennial herbs, mosses and lichens.
Reasons for Decline
Due to its restricted range and specific habitat requirements, Greenman’s
desert parsley is highly vulnerable to human disturbance. The existing
and potential threats to the known populations of this species include:
recreational user impacts, grazing, fire, hybridization, disease,
invasive plant introduction and establishment, Forest Service management
actions (trails maintenance, fuels projects, etc.), operational
activities of the Wallowa Lake Tramway, and monitoring impacts.
In 1999, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest developed a
Conservation Strategy to address threats and to recommend conservation
actions that would protect Greenman’s desert parsley populations
on Mount Howard and Ruby Peak. In the same year, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and the USDA Forest Service signed a Candidate
Conservation Agreement (CCA) for this species to implement those
actions. The
original Candidate Conservation Agreement expired on September 23,
2004, and was updated in September 2007. The primary purpose of
this CCA is to ensure the long-term conservation of this species
through implementation of conservation actions and minimization
of threats through an adaptive management process. This CCA promotes
the implementation of the conservation action items identified in
the Conservation Strategy for Greenman’s
desert parsley. This agreement focuses on actions to protect and
enhance habitat for Greenman’s desert parsley and identifies the
commitments of the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife
Service to ensure the long-term conservation of the species.
Range
The plant was first collected by William C. Cusick on August 4, 1900,
from the “head of Keystone Creek, 9000 ft, in the Wallowa Mountains
of northeastern Oregon.” Cusick’s collection, which
serves as the type specimen, was described as Greenman’s lomatium
in 1938 in a monographic study of the genus. The species was known
only from the type locality when described. Keystone Creek is an
Oregon place name not found on current maps and efforts to determine
the type locality have not been successful.
Greenman’s desert parsley
is endemic to subalpine meadows and rocky outcrops in the Wallowa
Mountains of northeast Oregon. Currently,
there are three documented populations: Mount Howard, Ruby Peak
and Redmont Peak. All three occur within the Eagle Cap Ranger District
of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The largest population,
consisting of several subpopulations, is found at the summit of
Mount Howard and vicinity.
References and Links
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1996. Notice
of reclassification of 96 candidate taxa. Federal Register 61(40):7457-7463.
NatureServe. 2008. NatureServe
Explorer: Lomatium greenmanii profile.
ZipCodeZoo. 2008. http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/L/Lomatium_greenmanii.asp
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