National Collection of Imperiled Plants

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

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Katy Beck

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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Physaria tuplashensis

Family:	Brassicaceae
Common Name:	White Bluffs bladderpod
Author:	Rollins, R.C., K.A. Beck, F.E. Caplow
Growth Habit:	Forb/herb
CPC Number:	15821

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Photographer: Katy Beck

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Photographer: Florance Caplow

Physaria tuplashensis is Not Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

University Of Washington Botanic Gardens

Edward Guerrant, Ph.D. contributed to this Plant Profile.

Physaria tuplashensis

In 1994, the Nature Conservancy of Washington and the US Department of Energy began the Hanford Biodiversity Project. The Hanford Nuclear Site, through which the Columbia River flows in south-central Washington, contains some of the largest remnant areas of ungrazed and undeveloped shrub steppe in the Pacific Northwest. The land had remained undisturbed as a security buffer zone around the nuclear reactor for at least 50 years. Intensive surveying and mapping was conducted to determine the plants and animals present on the site. Among the 30 different rare plant taxa found on the site, three were new to science, including Lesquerella tuplashensis, or White Bluffs bladderpod.

Was this new species a product of nuclear radiation? A tongue-in-cheek article, suggesting that the new species found at Hanford were mutants, appeared in Outside Magazine shortly after the findings were announced. However, in this instance, we know that this species is not the result of a radiation-caused mutation. This plant was originally collected in the 1880's by one of the first natural history explorations in the Pacific Northwest. Botanists noticed that they were different from any known plants, but the specimens were not in good enough condition to lead to the conclusion that they were a different species. As a result of the work by the Hanford Biodiversity Project, the mystery was finally solved.

Lesquerella tuplashensis occupies a narrow ribbon of habitat that is only 5-40 ft (1.5-12 m) wide, and about 10 mi (17km) long, at the top edge of the dramatic White Bluffs above the Columbia River. Few other plants grow on the steep, almost vertical, habitat. The soil that it grows on is dry and highly alkaline (high pH) due to the high calcium content. The calcium in the soil causes the soil to be white. The name "tuplashensis" is derived from the Sahaptin language of the Wanapum tribe that occupied the White Bluffs area. "Plash" referred to the white color of the bluffs, and "Tuplash" was their name for the Bluffs (Rollins et al. 1995).

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

Washington

Habitat

Found growing on dry, barren, nearly vertical exposures of Calcium carbonate soil (high pH). The elevation ranges from 780 to 890 ft (150-290 m). The associated species include Astragalus caricinus, Astragalus geyeri, Cuscuta denticulata, Cammissonia pygmaea, Cryptantha spiculifera, Eriogonum microthecum, and Poa sandbergii.

Distribution

WA: Columbia Basin-upper edge and upper face of White Bluffs

Number Left

1 population (Washington Natural Heritage Program, 1999). Approximately 50,000 individuals (Florence Caplow, pers. comm.). About 5 % of the population is on private land (WNHP 2000).

Protection

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Global Rank:	G2Q	1/1/2006	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	C	12/10/2008	Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	No

State/Area Protection

	State/Area	Rank	Status	Date
	Washington	S1	E	10/1/2001

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

Little is known of the pollination ecology of Lesquerella tuplashensis. The specific pollinators are unknown. A large percentage of fruits have been found to be infested by weevils. It is not known how this affects the population dynamics of L. tuplashensis (Florence Caplow, pers. comm.). The extremely dry conditions in which these plants grow means that seeds can survive with relatively little water. Indeed, seeds from Lesquerella tuplashensis are the only seeds ever to have germinated while in the drying vault at The Berry Botanic Garden!

The 10 mile (17 km) long population is divided into two portions that vary greatly. The northern portion is in a more pristine state. There are no agricultural disturbances. It consists of a fairly continuous band of 6 miles (10 km) at the top of the bluff between 885 and 950 ft (270-290m) elevation. The southern portion of the population consists of several discontinuous patches separated by a series of several large gaps created by ancient natural landslides, dissected topography, and recent slumping due to irrigation. Agricultural activities and irrigation are common above the top of the bluff. Aggressive non-native weeds, such as yellow star thistle, invade the area. The plants in the south grow at elevations of 490 to 900 ft (150-275m) (Dunnwiddie et al.).

The plant is a short-lived perennial. It has an average life span of three to five years. Within limited areas, numbers fluctuate greatly from year to year (Florence Caplow, pers. comm.). A significant decrease in the number of individuals should only be seen as a problem if it persists over several years (Dunwiddie et al.).

The plant often blooms twice each year. It first blooms in May and June, and then if conditions are right, it blooms again in July and August. This is quite surprising, for the area that it inhabits is extremely hot and dry in the summer. All other plants in the area are dormant at this time, but Lesquerella tuplashensis blooms into a golden carpet (Florence Caplow, pers. comm.). The Lesquerella tuplashensis plants in the southern part of the range bloom up to two weeks earlier than those in the north (Dunwiddie et al.). The closely related plant, L. douglasii, has never been seen in bloom in late summer (Florence Caplow, pers. comm.).

Threats

� Illegal ORV use (WNHP 1999).
� Slope failure due to subsurface runoff of irrigation water (WNHP 1999).

Current Research Summary

� Preliminary germination trials at The Berry Botanic Garden indicate greatest germination when subjected to 8 seeks of cold stratification followed by constant 68�F (20�C) temperatures. With cold stratification, 80% germinated. Without cold stratification, only 20% germinated. No seeds germinated when subjected to alternating 50�/68�F (10/20�C), with or without cold stratification (BBG File).
� Ongoing monitoring and life history research (demographic studies), 1997-present (Dunwiddie et al.).
� Taxonomy investigations. Researchers are comparing Lesquerella tuplashensis and L. douglasii on the basis of morphometric characteristics, ribosomal DNA, and in common garden experiments (Florence Caplow, pers. comm.). One PhD thesis (Simmons 1999) suggested that L. tuplashensis may be an ecotype of L. douglasii. Other observers and scientists disagree with this conclusion and are attempting to resolve the issue (see the ecology section).

Current Management Summary

� The Hanford Nuclear Reserve is now the Hanford National Monument. Land surrounding the nuclear plant will not be sold to private individuals as once feared.
� Marking and hand spraying of invading yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) (Florence Caplow, pers. comm.).
� Seeds from the only known site are housed at The Berry Botanic Garden. The single collection represents a bulk collection; there is no separation of maternal lines.
� Significant portion of the area is fenced and Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) use is prohibited (WNHP 2000).
� Much of the site is open to recreation and hunting (WNHP 2000).

Research Management Needs

� Inventory suitable habitat areas within range (WNHP 1999).
� Study pollination biology (pollinators, etc) (Dunwiddie et al.).
� Determine production, viability and longevity of seed as well as if a soil seed bank persists (Dunwiddie et al.).
� Additional monitoring to determine the magnitude and frequency of changes in population numbers and to determine the causes of the annual fluctuations (Dunwiddie et al.).

Ex Situ Needs

� Collect genetically representative sample of seeds. Keep maternal lines separate.
� Determine germination requirements.
� Determine reliable propagation protocols and reintroduction methods.

References

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Books (Single Authors)

Abrams, L.; Ferris, R.S. 1944. Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States: Washington, Oregon, and California. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Hall, J.A. 1998. Biodiversity inventory and analysis of the Hanford Site: 1997 Annual Report. Seattle, Washington: The Nature Conservancy of Washington.

Munz, P.A.; Keck, D.D. 1959. A California flora. Berkeley, CA: Univ. California Press. 1681p.

Books (Edited Volumes)

James C. Hickman, Editor. 1993 The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. Berkeley: University of California Press. 1400p.

Electronic Sources

(2002). Hanford Site Vegetation Data: Rare Plant Monitoring. Pacific Northwest National laboratory Hanford Site Ecosystem Monitoring Project. http://www.pnl.gov/ecology/ecosystem/Veg/RP.html. Accessed: 2002.

WNHP. (2000). Washington Natural Heritage Program Database. Olympia, Washington.

Journal Articles

Ellis, D.J. 1997. Unlikely havens (discovery of rare plants on military-owned land). American Gardener. 76: 16.

Rollins, R.C.; Beck, K.A.; Caplow, F.E. 1995. An undescribed species of Lesquerella (Cruciferae) from the state of Washington. Rhodora. 97, 891: 201-207.

Newspaper Articles

Stang, John. 1998 May 21, 1998. More species of bugs found at Hanford. Tri-City Herald; Hanford, WA.

Personal Communications

Caplow, F. 2001. Washington Natural Heritage Program. Personal Communication.

Reports

Caplow, F.E.; Beck, K.A. 1996. A rare plant survey of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation: the Hanford Biodiversity Project. Seattle, Washington: The Nature Conservancy. p.77.

Dunwiddie, P.W.; Beck, K.A.; Caplow, F.E. Unpublished paper. Demographic studies on Lesquerella tuplashensis Rollins, Beck & Caplow (Brassicaceae) in Washington.

TNC. 1998. Final Report. Conservation of two new Plant Species. Olympia, Washington: The Nature Conservancy of Washington. Report on file at Western Washington Office. p.10.

WNHP. 1999. Field Guide to Selected Rare Vascular Plants of Washington. Produced as part of a cooperative project between the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Natural Heritage Program, and the U.S.D.I. Bureau of Land Management, Spokane District.

Theses

Simmons, S.A. 2000. The status of Rorippa columbiae and Lesquerella douglasii on the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River in south central Washington. [Ph.D. Thesis]: Washington State University. Pullman.

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This profile was updated on 3/4/2010