National Collection of Imperiled Plants

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

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Linda McMahan

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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Dodecatheon austrofrigidum

Family:	Primulaceae
Common Name:	frigid shooting star
Author:	K.L. Chambers
Growth Habit:	Forb/herb
CPC Number:	7008

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Photographer: Linda McMahan

Dodecatheon austrofrigidum is Not Sponsored

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

Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank & Plant Conservation Program

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

Dodecatheon austrofrigidum

The frigid shooting star (Dodecatheon austrofrigidum) is a seemingly delicate plant that makes its home in some tough neighborhoods. Known from only eight locations, this rare shooting star is only found on ridges and steep basalt slopes along cold rivers in western Oregon and Washington. In these habitats, shooting star roots cling to exposed rocky slopes with little or no soil. The frigid shooting star is able to survive on rock faces, despite a seeming paucity of available nutrients and disturbance from the rivers in flood years.

Human activities create hazards that could threaten this plant's long-term existence. Logging near frigid shooting star populations can raise water levels, causing flooding and significant erosion that can bury or dislodge the plants. The Berry Botanic Garden has monitored frigid shooting stars at one site, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management. Our research indicated that population size can fluctuate greatly, in part due to river behavior. Scientists have only begun to learn about this plant's unique biology and population trends.

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

Oregon
Washington

Habitat

Dodecatheon austrofrigidum grows on steep basalt slopes along rivers (3-15 ft or 1-5 m from the water's edge) and nearby ridges at elevations of 100 to 3000 ft (30-915 m). It grows in cracks and crevices with little or no soil.

Distribution

OR, WA
OR: Coast Range
WA: Olympic Peninsula (Olympic National Forest) and southwest Washington

Number Left

As of 1996: 8 populations (Raven 1996).
6 in Oregon with unknown numbers.
2 in Washington with 15 and 100 individuals respectively (WNHP 2000)

Protection

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Global Rank:	G2	5/2/2008	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	SC		Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	No

State/Area Protection

State/Area	Rank	Status	Date
Oregon	S2		2/1/2001
Washington	S1	T	10/1/2001

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

When Dodecatheon austrofrigidum is found along river edges, it appears that water flow plays a key role in regulation of plant population size (Fournier and Scofield 1993, Raven 1996). A long-term population trend for the Trask River population is unclear due to annual population size fluctuations (Raven 1996).

The association between moss and D. austrofrigidum is consistent with the theory that moss invades cracks in basalt rock surface and creates a substrate in which D. austrofrigidum can take root (Fournier and Scofield 1993). The frigid shooting star occurs with few associated species.

Threats

� Heavy flooding along river sites (Raven 1995a).
� Logging and cattle grazing upstream contribute to rainwater and debris run-off that can scour the habitat when water levels rise (Raven 1995b).
� Trampling (Raven 1996).

Current Research Summary

� A six-year monitoring study (1991-1996) found yearly population changes, with an initial decrease in plant numbers during a flood year followed by an increase as the population recovered (Raven 1996). However, the final two years of monitoring revealed that the population was significantly declining. Heavy flooding and site disturbance occurred in 1996 and the 1996 population size was one-quarter the size of the 1994 population. The long-term trend is unclear (Raven 1996).
� Once pollinated, frigid shooting star fruits require several months to reach full maturity.
� Germination trials at The Berry Botanic Garden. Seeds were subjected to four treatments:
1) direct placement into a germination chamber set at a constant 68�F (20�C), 2) direct placement into a chamber with alternating temperatures (50�F/68�F, or 10�C/20�C), 3) eight weeks of cold stratification followed by placement in the 20�C chamber and 4) eight weeks of cold stratification followed by placement in the alternating temperature chamber. Seeds that were cold stratified and then placed in the alternating temperature chamber germinated at a rate of 40%. No other seeds germinated. Further research should be done to further examine germination requirements for this species (Berry Botanic Garden File).

Current Management Summary

� 6 year monitoring study of population by the Salem BLM and Berry Botanic Garden (Raven 1996).
� Seed from 2 locations stored at The Berry Botanic Garden.
� Listed as Threatened by the State of Washington.
� One site in Oregon is located on land designated as an Adaptive Management Area (AMA) managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
� In 2001, Willamette Industries, a large timber corporation, donated 387 acres to the Nature Conservancy of Oregon, on which one population of D. austrofrigidum is found. Management activities will include inventory, monitoring, and ecological studies of the many sensitive species found on the preserve (TNC 2001).

Research Management Needs

� Genetic studies to determine relative frequencies of asexual and sexual reproduction (Raven 1995a)
� Yearly censusing to detect changes in population sizes and consistent monitoring of plant size (Raven 1996).
� Research reproductive biology to determine to determine the typical range of reproductive output and what factors contribute to low sexual reproduction (Raven 1995b).
� Populations in Washington and those occurring on ridges have not been studied.

Ex Situ Needs

� Collect and store seeds from populations across the species' range.
� Determine optimum germination requirements.
� Determine propagation and reintroduction protocols.

References

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Books (Single Authors)

ONHP. 2001. Rare, Threatened and Endangered Plants and Animals of Oregon.

Electronic Sources

ONHDB. (2000). Oregon Natural Heritage Program Database. Portland, Oregon.

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

Journal Articles

Chambers, K.L. 2006. A new species of Dodecatheon (Primulaceae) from the northern coast range of Oregon and Washington. SIDA. 22, 1: 461�467.

Raven, A. 1996. Conservation Corner: Rare Plant Field Season. The Berry Botanic Garden Newsletter. 9, 2: 4.

Personal Communications

TNC. Thursday, May 31, 2001, 2001. Willamette Industries donates habitats to The Nature Conservancy. Press Release.

Reports

Button, C. 1992. Dodecatheon austrofrigidum monitoring study. Tillamook resource Area. Unpublished BLM report. p.29.

Fournier, L.; Scofield, L. 1993. Dodecatheon austrofrigidum monitoring on the Trask River Peninsula in Tillamook County, Oregon. p.62+.

Matusik, P. 1991. Development of a monitoring plan for Dodecatheon austrofrigidum on the Trask River Peninsula in Tillamook County, Oregon. Unpublished BLM report. p.19.

Raven, A.N. 1995. Dodecatheon austrofrigidum Monitoring on the Trask River Peninsula, Tillamook County, Oregon. Unpublished report submitted to the BLM. p.28.

Raven, A.N. 1995. Dodecatheon austrofrigidum Monitoring on the Trask River Peninsula, Tillamook County, Oregon. Unpublished report submitted to the BLM. p.31.

Raven, A.N. 1996. Summary of Six Years of Research on Dodecatheon austrofrigidum, the Frigid Shooting star, at the Trask River Peninsula, Tillamook County, Oregon. Unpublished report submitted to the Salem District BLM. p.33.

Scofield, L.R. 1981. Dodecatheon and Trask River Habitat. Endangered Plants Field Notes on the Tillamook resource Area. Salem District Bureau of Land Management.

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This profile was updated on 7/8/2010