CPC National Collection Plant Profile
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Potentilla robbinsiana
Family: |
Rosaceae |
Common Name: |
Robbins' cinquefoil |
Author: |
Oakes ex Britt. & A. Br. |
Growth Habit: |
Perennial |
CPC
Number: |
3609 |
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Primary
custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered
Plants is: |
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Elizabeth J. Farnsworth contributed to this Plant Profile. |
Potentilla robbinsiana
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Potentilla robbinsiana is a long-lived, dwarf, alpine perennial. The species is endemic to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and the main population of several thousand individuals clings to one of the most rugged areas of Mount Washington. Although each tiny plant only covers an area 2-6 cm in diameter (a 25 year-old plant is often the size of a quarter), the species has attracted a great deal of attention from botanical collectors and ecologists fascinated by their sometimes frustrating taxonomy, their unusual reproductive biology, and their extreme rarity. Though it was once precipitously close to extinction, the species appears to be bouncing back in the last two decades since it was protected from trampling by hikers and over-collection and since populations have been augmented in the field. As such, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recently proposed de-listing the species. As stated in the original listing documentation by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1996), "Robbins' cinquefoil is symbolic of the fragile alpine ecosystem that is now threatened by excessive public use. The species has aesthetic value for many people, as well as scientific and educational value in promoting our understanding of the ecosystem."
Research and Management Summary:
A large number of individuals and institutions have played important roles in both researching and managing for this species.
Plant Description:
Robbins' cinquefoil grows as individual compact rosettes that can produce anywhere between 1 and 50 showy yellow flowers. It has hairy, toothed leaves that grow in groups of three leaflets. The solitary, terminal, yellow flowers are about 5-8 mm wide, with five rounded petals and 20 stamens. As many as five rosettes may grow off a single hardy taproot (which grows up to 5 cm deep in the soil), especially where frost-heaving is impacting a plant.
Distribution
& Occurrence |
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State Range
Habitat
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Potentilla robbinsiana inhabits the exposed alpine zone (1400-1600 meters in elevation) of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Here, winter winds inhibit insulating winter snows from accumulating, and frost-heaving and rime ice formation are common (Izard-Crowley 1993). The plant grows on cliffs, fellfields, and solifluction terraces with stony, barren, and silty soils derived from erosion of the surrounding bedrock and cobbles of gneiss/schist/quartzite, which contain calcium silicate (Graber 1980, Graber and Brewer 1985, USFWS 1980). Soils are usually moist from frequent precipitation, but are not waterlogged (USFWS 1980).
The species is a poor competitor when crowded, and survives best where the ground is scattered with prostrate or matted vegetation -- an uncommon habitat in the White Mountains. Plants also appear to prefer a more southerly aspect. The two populations of Potentilla robbinsiana occupy somewhat contrasting habitats. The larger population occurs in a gravelly soil, while the other, much smaller population occurs on a west-facing cliff face.
Plants are very sparse in this challenging environment, but associated species may include: Diapensia lapponica, Solidago cutleri, Arenaria groenlandica, Agrostis borealis, Potentilla tridentata, Vaccinium uliginosum, Loiseleuria procumbens, Rhododendron lapponicum, Juncus trifidus, and Carex bigelowii (Crow 1982). |
Distribution
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Known from only two sites: one near Lakes of the Clouds, Mount Washington, and the other 30 km west in Franconia, New Hampshire (Cogbill 1993). Descriptions of the plant as "formerly also on Mt. Mansfield in Vermont and reputedly still present at an undisclosed location in Vermont" by Gleason and Cronquist (1991) are unsubstantiated (Cogbill 1993). |
Number Left
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Potentilla robbinsiana exists at two sites in three populations.
• The largest population contains over 14,000 plants (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2001) with 1,500-2,000 flowering individuals (NatureServe 2001), up from a census total of approximately 9,000 plants in 1992 (Izard-Crowley 1993). This population has been successfully augmented through the efforts of the New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS).
• A second population, discovered clinging to a cliff face in Franconia Notch contained less than thirty plants (Bill Brumback [NEWFS] personal communication) and is not considered viable in the long term (NatureServe 2001).
(Another similarly precarious population once found in Franconia Notch has disappeared (Cogbill 1993)).
• A new population of plants was reintroduced to Franconia Notch by NEWFS and currently has over 300 plants; it appears to be naturally expanding. |
State/Area
Protection
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State/Area |
Rank |
Status |
Date |
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Conservation,
Ecology & Research |
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Ecological
Relationships
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• The populations of Potentilla robbinsiana in the high alpine zone are relicts of an unusual tundra flora that was once more widespread during glacial times and the early Holocene (Miller and Spear 1999). Its nearest relative, Potentilla hyparctica, is found some 800 km further north in the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec (Löve and Löve 1965, Cogbill 1993).
• This perennial plant may live for more than a decade (Izard-Crowley 1993).
• Seeds germinate after overwintering and seedlings appear in late June through August (Kimball and Paul 1986).
• Plants that survive the winter break vegetative dormancy and green up in May.
• Adult plants flower fleetingly for a one- to two-week period in June.
• Few insect pollinators have been observed on the flowers (Kimball and Paul 1986), and a low pollen-to-ovule ratio indicates pollen-limitation and a lack of wind pollination (Lee and Greene 1986). In fact, reproduction in this species occurs essentially asexually through apomixis, specifically agamospermy, in which a diploid embryo develops by the somatic division of cells rather than by pollination (Cogbill 1993). Its unusual chromosomal count of 2n = 49 indicates that Potentilla robbinsiana is either an "apomictic segregate of Potentilla hyparctica" (Löve and Löve 1966) or a hybrid between P. hypartica (2n = 42) and an unidentified 2n = 56 taxon, conserved by apomixis (Steele 1964).
• Given this preponderance of asexual reproduction, genetic heterogeneity of the population is expected to be low, with evolution occurring primarily through the accumulation of new mutations (Lynch 1984).
• Seeds mature in mid to late July, becoming green and plump (Izard-Crowley 1993).
• Seed dispersal distances are small, typically within 20 cm of the parent plant (Kimball and Paul 1986). Infrequent, long-distance dispersal events, possibly via birds, can potentially occur (Kimball and Paul 1986).
• Seed germination can exceed 90%, as long as seeds are first subjected to freezing temperatures (New England Wild Flower Society unpublished data). |
Threats
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As articulated by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1980, 2001):
• Over-collecting: Historically, collection by enthusiastic botanists may have reduced the population size by up to half, with over 800 separate specimens placed in herbaria since its discovery by Robbins and others in 1824 (Cogbill 1993); over half those specimens were collected by only six botanists. With the realization that the plants were declining dramatically, collecting all but ceased, and only three specimens have been taken (one accidentally, another for cytological study, and a third for greenhouse cultivation) in the past thirty years.
• Trampling: Even more of a threat to both populations was the placement of popular hiking trails nearby. The Appalachian Trail traversed the western edge of the Monroe Flats population and the temptation for hikers to divert east to enjoy views probably drew many to walk right through the plants, killing many and disturbing the fine, friable soil in which the plants grew. At one time, the trail was expanded to permit horseback riding (Izard-Crowley 1993). In 1915, this path was re-routed but disrupted the western portion of the population. In 1980, Potentilla robbinsiana was placed on the Federal Endangered Species list (Cook 1980), and the official Recovery Plan (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1983) called for the trail to be moved again. In 1984, the path was relocated to bypass designated critical habitat. A low wall of scree was also erected, along with signs prohibiting entry into the area. Hiker trespass decreased to 2% of hikers by 1986 (Kimball and Keifer 1987). The demise of the scattered, small groups of plants in the Franconia population was also attributed to hikers, but no management steps have been taken there.
• Today, although its numbers are increasing, Potentilla robbinsiana is vulnerable because of the small size of its habitat, its extreme habitat specialization, and progressive loss of genetic diversity due to inbreeding (although the latter has yet to be studied). A single disturbance could reduce or eliminate the populations at both localities.
• Documented natural sources of mortality are from frost-heaving, which can heave plants clear of the soil, although Izard-Crowley (1993) reports that ejected plants can survive for a summer with more than 3 cm of the root exposed. Summer droughts can threaten entire populations (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1996), and climatic change may potentially shrink its already small range. |
Current Research Summary
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• Demographic studies (Izard-Crowley 1993, Environmental Defense Fund 1999) show an increase in population numbers and juvenile recruitment since 1983, reversing a decline noted throughout the past century and during 1973-1983 (Graber 1980). Using demographic modeling, Izard-Crowley projected low extinction probabilities and a minimum viable population size of at least 50 plants (Izard-Crowley and Kimball 1998, cited in U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2001). More consistent and reliable methods for monitoring populations have also been developed (USFWS 2001).
• Studies documenting the ecology of the species have led to a fuller understanding of threats to the species and factors, including trampling and plant competition, contributing to its rarity needs (e.g., Graber 1980, Kimball and Paul 1986, Lee 1986). Because the habitat itself is remote, fragile, and challenging, experimental field studies are lacking.
• Transplant efforts have met with mixed success. Early attempts (Graber 1980, Fitzgerald et al. 1988, USFWS 2001) showed high mortality in some areas, with adult plants persisting (but little seedling establishment) at others (Kimball 1985). A new, introduced Franconia population of approximately 300 plants appears viable (USFWS 2001). Because seedlings are highly sensitive to frost-heaving, recruitment rates in all populations are low, and it is difficult to predict the long-term persistence of transplanted populations.
• Ex situ seed germination and cultivation have been undertaken by the New England Wild Flower Society, Framingham, Massachusetts. Seeds need a period of moist cold in order to germinate well. Germination after treatment with gibberellic acid (a plant hormone) is erratic. Seeds remain viable in seed bank for at least 5-10 years.
• The New England Wild Flower Society has developed successful techniques for nursery cultivation and reintroduction of Potentilla robbinsiana. Summer transplants using plants that have been potted in the nursery have shown nearly 100% survival rates.
• Likewise, Tom Lee at the University of New Hampshire has devised methods for seed germination and seedling propagation (Lee 1987). More research is needed on the causes of mortality once ex situ plants have been moved to field sites. |
Current Management Summary
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• To discourage damage to the plants from trampling, a scree wall surrounding the main Mount Washington population was constructed and posted with ``closed to entry'' signs. Two hiking trails were simultaneously relocated away from the population. Hikers were surveyed for multiple years, and educational programs developed (Taylor 1982, Weathers 1983). Plants have since been successfully transplanted back into the habitat where trails had destroyed plants, especially at the highest elevations (USFWS 2001). Staff from the White Mountain National Forest and Appalachian Mountain Club continue to provide stewardship, enforcement, and educational resources on site, and signs steering the public away from the main population of plants are updated and replaced when needed.
• To establish four additional self-maintaining transplant populations as called for in the 1980 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan, population monitoring protocols were developed and instituted at both populations. Features of microhabitats where the plants preferentially occurred were identified and used to locate unoccupied, potentially suitable habitat. Finally, effective propagation and transplant techniques were developed.
Two-year-old plants germinated from seed were transplanted with the soil media intact in mid-June to early July. Also, each year, a portion of the seed collected for use in transplants is placed in cold storage at the New England Wild Flower Society (Framingham, Massachusetts) to establish a seed bank for the species (USFWS 2001).
• If the species is de-listed, as is currently proposed (USFWS 2001), populations must still be monitored for the next five years to determine any impacts of reduced protection.
• Volunteer task forces of the New England Plant Conservation Program of The New England Wild Flower Society (Framingham, Massachusetts) and other partners (i.e.., Appalachian Mountain Club staff) monitor populations of Potentilla robbinsiana in New Hampshire. |
Research Management Needs
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• Genetic studies to determine levels of homozygosity and if genetic heterogeneity is eroding are probably warranted if plant numbers can support genetic sampling.
• Impacts of global warming on alpine plant populations.
• Studies of herbivore impacts on seedling and adult mortality. Izard-Crowley (1993) reported insect herbivory on 30% of plants surveyed in 1992, with leaf damage caused by aphids and moth larvae. |
Ex Situ Needs
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Ex situ techniques are relatively well-known for this taxon. |
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Books (Single Authors)
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Crow, G.E. 1982. New England's rare, threatened, and endangered plants. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 169p.
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Gleason, H.A.; Cronquist, A. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Bronx: The New York Botanical Garden.
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Hulten, E. 1968. Flora of Alaska and neighboring territories. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford Univ. Press. 1008p.
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Electronic Sources
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NatureServe. (2008). NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. [Internet].Version 7.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. Accessed: (June 17, 2008).
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USGS. (2002). Status of Listed Species and Recovery Plan Development. [Web site] USGS: Norther Prairie Wildlife Research Center. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/others/recoprog/plant.htm. Accessed: 2002.
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Journal Articles
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Allen, W.H. 1995. The Reintroduction Myth: Trying to save endangered plants by transplanting them fails as often as it succeeds. American Horticulturist. 33-37.
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Asker, S. 1977. Pseudogamy, hybridization, and evolution in Potentilla. Hereditas. 87: 179-184.
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Brumback, B. 1998. Research Report. New England Wild Flower Notes. 3.
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Brumback, W.E. 1996. Conservation: Rebuilding Rare Plant Populations-Part 1. New England Wild Flower Notes. 3-4.
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Brumback, W.E. 2002. An Alpine Plant Comes Back. Endangered Species Bulletin. 27, 3: 12-.
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Cogbill, C.V. 1993. The Interplay of Botanists and Potentilla robbinsiana - Discovery, Systematics, Collection, and Stewardship of a Rare Species. Rhodora. 95, 881: 52-75.
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Countryman, W.D. 1980. Vermont's endangered plants and the threats to their survival. Rhodora. 82: 163-171.
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Crow, G.E.; Graber, R.E. 1981. Research Indicates Hikers Threaten Endangered Alpine Plant. Appalachia--Bulletin Issue. 47, 5: 7.
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Crow, G.E.; Storks, I.M. 1980. Rare and endangered plants of New Hampshire: A phytogeoraphic viewpoint. Rhodora. 82: 173-189.
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Graber, R.E. 1980. The life history and ecology of Potentilla robbinsiana. Rhodora. 82: 131-140.
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Graber, R.E.; Brewer, L.G. 1985. Changes in the population of the rare and endangered plant Potentilla robbinsiana Oakes during the period 1973 to 1983. Rhodora. 87: 449-457.
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Kimball, K.D. 1985. Progress in the robbins cinquefoil (Potentilla robbinsiana) recovery program. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 10, 5: 6-11.
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Love, A.; Love, D. 1965. Taxonomic remarks on some American alpine plants. Univ. Colorado Studies Series in Biology. No. 17: 23-24.
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Löve, A.; Löve, D. 1966. Cytotaxonomy of the alpine vascular plants of Mt. Washington. University of Colorado Studies in Biology Series. 24, 1-37
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Löve, D. 1960. Nomenclatural notes on Mt. Washington plants. Taxon. 17, 89
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Pease, A.S. 1917. Notes on the botanical explorations of the White Mountains. Appalachia. 14: 157-178.
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Spear, R.W. 1989. Late Quaternary history of high elevation vegetation in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Ecological Monographs. 59: 125-151.
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Steele, F.L. 1964. Potentilla robbinsiana in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Rhodora. 66: 408-411.
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Taylor, D.T. 1981. Potentilla robbinsiana educational program and hiker survey. Appalachian Mountain Club, Gorham, New Hampshire.
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USFWS. 1975. Progress in the Robbins' Cinquefoil (Potentilla robbinsiana) Recovery Program. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 10, 5: 6, 11.
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USFWS. 1976. Proposed Endangered Status for 1700 U.S. Plants. Federal Register. 41: 24523-24572.
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USFWS. 1980. Endangered status and critical habitat proposed for Robbin's cinquefoil. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 5, 4: 12.
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USFWS. 1980. Proposal to determine Potentilla robbinsiana (Robbins' Cinquefoil) to be an Endangered Species and to Determine its Critical Habitat. Federal Register. 45, 58: 19004-19007.
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USFWS. 1980. Regional Briefs--Region 1 and Region 5. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 5, 2: 2.
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USFWS. 1980. Regional Briefs--Region 5. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 5, 5: 2.
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USFWS. 1980. Rulemaking Actions: Endangered Status and Critical Habitat Proposed for Robbins' Cinquefoil. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 5, 4: 12.
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USFWS. 1980. Rulemaking Actions: Robbins' cinquefoil endangered. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 5, 10: 4.
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USFWS. 1981. Regional Briefs--Region 5. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 6, 12: 6.
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USFWS. 1982. Regional Briefs--Region 5. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 7, 4: 3.
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USFWS. 1982. Regional Briefs--Region 5. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 7, 7: 2.
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USFWS. 1984. Regional Briefs--Region 5. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 9, 4: 11.
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USFWS. 1995. Recovery Updates. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 20, 2: 18.
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USFWS. 2001. Proposed Rule to Remove Potentilla robbinsiana from the Endangered and Threatened List. Federal Register. 66, 111: 30860-?.
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Newspaper Articles
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2002 August 28, 2002. Rare White Mountains Plant Recovers: Endangered Species Success Story. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: The Endangered Species Program;
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Reports
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Cogbill, C. V. 1984. Historic changes in the distribution of Potentilla robbinsiana and in its habitat. Gorham, New Hampshire: Appalachian Mountain Club Research Department.
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Cogbill, R. 1987. Characterization of Potentilla robbinsiana habitat. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
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Crow, G.E.; Graber, R.E. 1980. Report of Potentilla robbinsiana, survey of hiker activity on Monroe Flats, Mt.Washington, and mapping of critical habitat. Newton Corner, Massachusetts: White Mountain National Forest and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Office of Endangered Species.
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Graber, R.E.; Crow, G.E. 1982. Hiker traffic on and near the habitat of Robbins cinquefoil, an endangered plant species. Durham, NH: New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, University of New Hampshire. Station Bulletin 522.
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Kimball, K.D. 1985. Endangered species information system species workbook: I. Species distribution (Potentilla robbinsiana). Unpublished report for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
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Kimball, K.D.; Fitzgerald, B.T. 1988. 1987 progress report: Biological and management study of Potentilla robbinsiana. Unpublished report for the Appalachian Mountain Club.
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Kimball, K.D.; Paul, R. 1986. Potentilla robbinsiana autoecological, reproductive biology, and management study: 1985 progress report. Appalachian Mountain Club Research Department. Technical Report 86-6.
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Lee, T.D. 1984. The reproductive ecology of Potentilla robbinsiana: A preliminary study. Gorham, New Hampshire: Progress Report to Appalachian Mountain Club Research Department.
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Lee, T.D. 1987. Experimental transplants of juvenile Potentilla robbinsiana. Gorham, NH: Unpublished report for the Appalachian Mountain Club.
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USFWS. 1983. Robbin's cinquefoil (Potentilla robbinsiana) Recovery Plan. Boston, MA: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
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Weathers, K.C. 1983. Potentilla robbinsiana education program and hiker survey. Gorham, New Hampshire: Report to the Appalachian Mountain Club Research Department.
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Theses
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Izard-Crowley, M. 1993. Demographic analysis of Potentilla robbinsiana Oakes ex Rydb., an endemic to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. [M.Sc.]: Mount Holyoke College. South Hadley, Massachusetts. 81p.
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This
profile was updated on 3/4/2010 |
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