Alien plants are those that are found outside their natural range. They can be invasive if they form multiple, free-living populations beyond cultivation and control. Freed from the balancing factors keeping them in check in their native range, alien invasives spread quickly. They can alter the flora and ecology of vast areas, reduce biodiversity on a grand scale, and cause native species to become imperiled. Invasive alien species are noted as the primary threat to about 42 percent of U.S. threatened and endangered plant and animal species.

Invasive species are a significant and growing threat in natural areas. They are a problem in at least 109 of our national parks – a third of the plants at Great Smoky Mountains National Park are alien – and the estimated cost of control is $61 million. The Bureau of Land Management estimates that 10 million acres of western grassland is overrun with yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis). There are about 140 invasive alien species noted in U.S. forest and shrub ecosystems. The country spends about $100 million a year attempting to control alien aquatic plants that choke our waterways and interfere with wildlife and recreation.

Even America’s native plants can become invasive when established outside their natural geographic range. While most invasive species are non-natives, it’s reassuring to know not all non-natives become invasive. About 50,000 plant species have been introduced to the U.S. About 5,000 of these have escaped and persist in natural ecosystems. Some provide economically important benefits, some create problems, and some do both at the same time! About 100 species are considered seriously invasive. Most were introduced for use as crops, forage, erosion control or ornamentation.

More invasives could easily be introduced. Plant explorers introducing plants for “beneficial” uses remain a problem. International travel and trade have increased the opportunities for accidental escapes and introductions. Invasives enter the country in a variety of ways, on hiking boots, on car tires, in cargo holds.

Invasive species act directly and indirectly to degrade natural areas. They may displace one or more native species through direct competition for space and nutrients. In some cases, widespread invasives have rapidly grown over diverse native vegetation, directly shading out an entire native community and leaving a stand of the alien species.

Indirect effects are subtle, yet still destructive. Aliens may disrupt critical life history processes of other native species, resulting in their decline and eventual disappearance. For example, invasive species may disrupt pollination by obscuring flowers, distracting pollinators or interfering with fragrance cues. Seed dispersal of natives may be reduced if invasive plants obscure their seeds.

Over time, invasive species can even alter the physical processes and characteristics of a natural area. Invasives can change soil moisture, hydrology and stream flows, fire frequency and intensity, and nutrient cycles. These fundamental changes often lead to dramatic changes in the vegetation of a site.

Everyone working with plant materials can help prevent new invasive species from gaining a foothold. The Missouri Botanical Garden convened a workshop last December to develop preventative, voluntary codes of conduct. CPC and 12 other partners cosponsored the workshop. Representatives of landscape architects, nurserymen, botanical gardens, government agencies and the gardening public were assembled. Each group developed a draft voluntary code of conduct for their constituency. The CPC Board of Trustees and several other groups have endorsed the draft code. A special Web site has been constructed by the Missouri Botanical Garden and CPC. The proceedings and draft codes of conduct are posted for comment.

All are invited to examine and comment on the codes on the Web site at http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/invasives/. Local native plant societies, garden clubs, nurseries and botanical gardens are encouraged to take a positive step in preventing the introduction of invasive species by examining the codes and endorsing them.

Follow up meetings are expected in the fall to refine the codes if necessary and reflect on further steps that can be taken to avoid new invasions.

11 plants nominated to CPC Nat’l Collection      TOP
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, and Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens in Humble, Texas, have each nominated imperiled plants to the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Species.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has nominated the following native plants to the collection:
• Rock quillwort (Isoetes lithophila), 17 known populations in the Edward’s Plateau region
of Texas.
• Edward’s Plateau corn salad (Valerianella texana), 25 known populations in the
Edward’s Plateau region of Texas.
• Rydberg scurfpea (Pediomelum humile), seven known populations in southern Texas.
• Texas Greasebush (Forsellesia texensis), three known populations in Edward’s Plateau
region of Texas.
• Dwarf pipewort (Eriocaulon konickianum), six known populations in Eastern Texas.
• Texabama croton (Croton alabamensis var. texensis), 16 known populations in western
Texas.
• Comanche Peak prairie clover (Dalea reverchonii), 21 known populations in northern
Texas.

Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens has nominated the following plants to the collection:
• Southern Lady’s Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium kentuckiense), six or fewer known
populations in Texas and other southern states.
• Texas Golden Glade Cress (Leavenworthi aurea var. texana), six known populations in
eastern Texas.
• Corkwood (Leitneria floridana), less than six known populations in southeastern Texas.
• Slender gay-feather (Liatris tenuis), 21 known populations in eastern Texas and
Louisiana.

These additions would bring the total number of plants in the National Collection to 606. The National Collection contains imperiled plant materials, such as seeds, whole plants and plant tissue. This material is stored in controlled conditions at CPC gardens and at the USDA’s National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation. Live material from the collection is provided to garden scientists, federal and state agencies and other organizations to assist their efforts to restore populations of imperiled plants in their native habitat.

The Center’s Board of Trustees will vote on these nominations during their October meeting.

CPC’s Science Advisory Council re-examines its goals      TOP
The Science Advisory Council convened in St. Louis in September and identified several areas where they can assist CPC and the greater vision of plant conservation.

A couple of issues discussed were examining whether GAP analysis techniques, a popular tool used in preserve planning, adequately picks up plant biodiversity. The council also discussed the likelihood of any negative consequences of making imperiled species available in the nursery and landscape trades.

“Our field certainly has some thorny issues to deal with,” said Christina K. Walters, Ph.D., council member and reseach leader and plant physiologist at the USDA National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation. “By taking a scientific approach and taking the emotion out of some issues, we have a better chance of moving forward with a resolution.”

The council also hopes to expand the Center’s ability to gather information. Members expressed much enthusiasm for CPC’s plan to create an online bibliography of plant conservation topics.

Center designing workshop for plant conservation personnel      TOP
The Center for Plant Conservation has received funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to develop a comprehensive introductory course for conservation personnel.

“There are many excellent conservation biologists working in the field that are left with unanswered questions about plant conservation. There are few conservation botanists available to assist with management planning and implementation,” said Kathryn Kennedy, Ph.D., CPC’s president and executive director. “Our goal is to help fill this void by offering this workshop.”

As part of the workshop development process, the Center plans to hold several meetings throughout the country to consult with botanical specialists. The Center convened the CPC’s Science Advisory Council in August for the first scoping meeting.

The next scoping meetings are tentatively scheduled for November 2002 and January and February 2003. They will be held throughout the U.S.

New Farm Bill provides additional conservation funds      TOP
Imperiled, native plants will benefit from the increase in funding the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act will bring.

The law, which President Bush signed in May, authorizes $17.1 billion in funding for conservation programs over the next ten years.

The following U.S. Department of Agriculture programs are affected by the additional funding: the Conservation Reserve Program, the Wetlands Reserve Program, the Grassland Reserve Program, the Farmland Protection Program, the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Water Conservation Program, the Conservation Security Program and the Small Watershed Rehabilitation Program.

All of these programs work to improve water quality and soil conservation. They also provide and improve habitat for wildlife and native plants.

For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

New Faces of CPC National Office      TOP

Jessica Little is the Center’s new communications coordinator. Previously employed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources as a public information specialist, she began with CPC in late August. Little will be working on CPC’s external and internal communications. Little received her bachelor’s of journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia. She grew up in Mililani, Hawaii.

Kim Preston has joined the Center for Plant Conservation this Spring as an intern. Preston, a California native, is helping to update the Plant Conservation Directory. She’ll also be creating an online bibliography after she completes a review of ecotypic variations. Preston received her master’s in environmental health sciences from University of California in Los Angeles in May 2002.

Science Advisory Council
The Center for Plant Conservation welcomes two new members to the Science Advisory Council, Jackie Poole and Eric Menges, Ph.D. The Science Advisory Council is a group of the country’s top plant conservation scientists. The Council provides the network with guidance on Center guidelines and projects.

Poole is a botanist with the Texas Wildlife Diversity Program, which is part of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Austin, Texas. Poole has extensive knowledge of Texas flora and has done research on Texas wild-rice (Zizania texana), Texas snowbells (Styrax texanus), and Tobusch fishhook cactus (Ancistrocactus tobuschii). Her expertise is in taxonomy and floristics.

Dr. Menges joins the council as a senior research biologist at Archbold Biological Station in Lake Placid, Fla. The station collects long-term demographic data on over 20 species of plants, most of which are federally listed. Dr. Menges’ research involves plant population biology, conservation biology and fire ecology.

Board of Trustees
Jack Baker was welcomed to CPC’s Board of Trustees at their March meeting. Baker, a resident of Carpinteria, Calif., is an artist. He has traveled and lived around the world visiting gardens and painting floral and natural scenes and portraits. Baker owns an experimental microclimate garden that tour groups and scholars from all over the world have come to visit. Baker was an art teacher at Ventura College in Ventura, Calif., and at Santa Barbara High School in Santa Barbara, Calif. An avid traveler, Baker has traveled and lived around the world in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. He taught drawing in the court of Emperor Haile Selassie Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.

New Friends of CPC benefits feature imperiled plants      TOP
Friends of CPC provide the financial basis that supports our plant conservation efforts and allows CPC to grow. Now there are even more reasons to become a Friend of CPC or to upgrade your current Friends level. CPC has created all-new Friends benefits that feature some of the imperiled plants that your donation helps to save.

Each Friends gift is decorated with a beautiful color illustration by artist Bobbi Angell. A nationally prominent botanical illustrator, gardener and conservationist, Bobbi Angell creates watercolors of both stunning design and scientific accuracy. Her work has appeared in periodicals, such as National Gardening, Food and Wine and Fine Gardening. This very special series of illustrations depicting imperiled U.S. plants was commissioned by the Center for Plant Conservation exclusively for our Friends!

Upon joining the Friends program, every Friend of CPC will receive a set of four note cards, each highlighting a different CPC plant and its story. By joining at the Family ($75) level you will also receive a set of three CPC magnets. Those Friends at the Sustaining Friends level ($150) and above also will enjoy a reusable lunch bag depicting Price’s potato bean, a plant in the National Collection of Endangered Plants. Price’s potato bean is a twining, herbaceous, perennial vine that grows from a stout, thick, roundish tuber. Its flowers are greenish white or brownish pink and bears fruit that has the potential to be used as a food crop.

Every CPC plant has a story and now you will get to enjoy these new benefits that serve as a tangible reminder of what will be lost if we don’t continue to support plant conservation. Join or Renew Today!

CPC receives $70,000 in new grants      TOP
The Caleb C. and Julia W. Dula Educational and Charitable Foundation of St. Louis and the Wallis Foundation of California have given significant and generous grants to the Center for Plant Conservation.

The Dula Foundation, established in New York in the late 1930s, relocated to St. Louis in the mid 90s. A family foundation with a four-person governing board, the Dula Foundation gives grants nationally for the environment, arts and humanities, education and healthcare issues.

The Wallis Foundation, founded in 1957, funds environmental issues and human services. Both foundations are new supporters of the Center for Plant Conservation.

These two operating grants will help with myriad needs at the Center including improved communications and strategic fundraising activities.

Director’s Letter: Gov’t is not protecting plants – Center must redouble efforts      TOP
I am more convinced than ever that CPC is needed. We make a difference, and we must find a way to do more!

Recently, in Washington, D.C., I was involved in a meeting convened to re-examine the listing priority system for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Under a Congressional mandate, the FWS is developing a new method to work through their backlog of listings under the Endangered Species Act to ensure no species go extinct and to maximize efficiency and benefits. We did our best to look at options and criteria and sort through issues. I was encouraged that two botanists were there. We provided a valuable “plant” perspective.

I worry though, that we are not addressing the real problem. The FWS is currently resolving about a dozen listings a year, but they have a backlog of 236 species that appear to qualify. This backlog resulted from past moratoriums and inadequate budgets, not from unclear priorities. No system can make up for this lack of funding. Without resources, the FWS cannot catch up, and imperiled species are denied care. Funding shortfalls impede urgent recovery needs for already listed species. Plant conservation efforts receive a tiny percentage of existing funding.

Why are budgets so low? Imperiled species are not a priority for lawmakers. It’s not a matter of affordability. Even in this economy, we are one of the wealthiest nations. We spend more than $7 billion on video games per year yet only $125 million on endangered species. Either conserving imperiled species is not a priority to our citizens, or we have not communicated our conservation values to Congress.

CPC can help communicate these values. We’ll continue supportive advocacy to decision-makers in agencies and congress to seek improved plant conservation budgets. At this year’s annual meeting, our institutions will examine plant conservation education programs. Our newsletter will be published quarterly next year. We will tell more stories of imperiled native plants, factors that affect their survival and recovery, and sources our readers can use to track public policy and budgets.

We’ll continue building partnerships. We must find resources to expand our own work, supplementing agency efforts with real, hands-on help.

I hope you’ll also help restore America’s traditional, strong values of conservation and stewardship for future generations. We must translate our values into public and private policy.

Network News and Notes      TOP
Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, located in Humble, Texas, received a $15,775 grant from the River Oaks Garden Club. Mercer will use this grant to expand and enhance its endangered species garden. Some of the funds are earmarked for research and maintenance of the endangered Texas Trailing Phlox (Phlox nivalis ssp. texensis). This east Texas plant is under threat due to elimination of natural fire cycles, which allows competition from native woody species and invasive exotic plants. For more information visit Mercer’s Web site.

Individuals can help support the rebuilding of Merrill Hall at University of Washington’s Center for Urban Horticulture. Merrill Hall was destroyed in May 2001 when it was firebombed. The Center for Urban Horticulture is providing individuals with the opportunity to purchase engraved tiles that will be used in the hall’s reconstruction. Tiles range from $85-250 and will have the purchaser’s name engraved on them. For more information, call Tom Hinckley at (206) 543-1588 or visit the Center’s Web site (http://depts.washington.edu/urbhort/).

The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, Ill., received funding to allow staff to exchange information with the Donetsk Botanic Garden in eastern Ukraine. Funding from the American Association of Museums’ International Partnership Among Museums will allow the two gardens to develop a joint and comparative research effort looking at prairie and steppe restoration management. Researchers will also work on rare species reintroduction in the Midwest and Ukraine.

The soils and vegetation in the eastern Ukraine and in the Midwest are similar, said Christopher P. Dunn, Ph.D., director of research at Morton Arboretum. “We don’t always think very broadly,” Dr. Dunn said. “This partnership will give us the opportunity to share lessons learned.”
For more information, visit Morton’s Web site.

The fate of Waimea Arboretum and Botanical Garden still remains unclear. While the property is now owned by the City of Honolulu, the city has not yet selected a management group. The Center for Plant Conservation has learned that the Audubon Society bid to manage the garden. “The possibility that a conservation organization might manage Waimea is very exciting,” said Kathryn Kennedy, Ph.D., president and executive director of CPC.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, turns 20 in December. Berry Botanic Garden celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Check out the next issue of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Endangered Species Bulletin! This issue will focus on endangered plant species. Several of CPC’s network gardens were involved in submitting stories to the Bulletin.

Plant Profile: MacFarlane’s four o’clock      TOP
MacFarlane’s four o’clock, a native plant endemic to Idaho and eastern Oregon, is best known for its charismatic, hot-pink flowers.

The plant is believed to be growing in fewer than 20 locations along the Snake, Salmon and Imnaha rivers. Trampling, grazing and horticultural collecting have threatened MacFarlane’s four o’clock (Mirabilis macfarlanei).

Riverboat pilot Ed MacFarlane, after whom the plant is named, first pointed out this plant to scientists in 1936.

Searches for the plant at mid-century were unsuccessful, and scientists speculated that the plant was extinct.

But Rachel Sines, a hiker and Hells Canyon area resident, photographed the wildflower in 1970. She worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to identify the plant.

Today the plant is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Berry Botanic Garden staff have propagated the plant using tissue samples. In July 2000, Garden biologists went to northeastern Oregon to collect additional seeds.

Researchers have learned that the plant blooms in May and June. The individual flowers remain open for only one to two days, each producing one fruit and one seed. MacFarlane’s can reproduce vegetatively through rhizomes, or underground runners.

The plants are pollinated by bumble bees and other large bees. MacFarlane’s is also a host plant to a rare moth, Lithariapteryx. Moth larvae will only feed on the MacFarlane’s leaves.
Scientists have also discoverd that this plant has an amazingly deep taproot system – sometimes growing 8 feet into the ground.