Native Wildflower Research Articles

Establishment of cultivated herbaceous perennials in purpose-sown native wildflower meadows in south-west Scotland

This paper presents the result of a 3 year field experiment into the establishment of cultivated herbaceous perennials by planting into a purpose sown, urban, native wildflower meadow in Ayr, south-west Scotland. The aim of the experiment was to see whether it was possible to produce an attractive, low maintenance meadow of native and exotic species for use in urban parks. Twenty species and cultivars of herbaceous perennials (forbs) were selected for the study on the basis of possessing attractive flowers and naturally being associated with damp to wet grasslands. They were planted as small container grown plants into 200 mm diameter gaps in the wildflower meadow in September 1995, as individual plants, pairs of the same species and pairs of different species. All planted forbs were harvested immediately prior to the annual summer hay cut, dried and the dry weight of their above ground biomass determined. Forbs planted as individuals were significantly larger in the second and third year of the study, than those planted with neighbours of the same or different species. Many species of planted forbs demonstrated high mortality by the third year of the experiment as a result of competition with the surrounding sown meadow. This competition also resulted in very low rates of dry weight increase in most planted species. Of the 20 species planted, only Geranium× magnificum, G.× oxonianum, Iris sibirica and Lychnis chalcedonica are considered to be ‘increaser’ species under meadow cultivation with a summer hay cut. Most species declined under the conditions investigated in this experiment. Factors believed to be responsible for the failure of forb establishment, and the implications of this for future works are discussed.

425 Use of Geographic Information System (GIS) to Document Plant Populations for Germplasm Collections

Geographically referenced information is an important aspect in the collection of wild plant species. It provides detailed information about the collection site as well as a method of relocating plant populations. In one project, native plants were collected and analyzed for the presence of gamma-linolenic acid, a valuable fatty acid used in medicinal products. In a second project, native wild-flowers were collected and evaluated for potential use as drought-tolerant ornamental landscape plants. All native plants were initially tagged in the spring while in bloom. Each collection site was revisited later for seed collection. Due to a lack of landmarks in the collection area, a GeoExplorer Global Positioning System (GPS) unit was used to capture coordinate data of latitude, longitude, and altitude. This was added to the passport file of each collection site. Differential correction was used to increase accuracy of GPS data to within a range of 10 m. ARC/INFO software was used to assemble, store, and display collection data in map form. This method has been used to document over 300 accessions and identify areas with a high frequency of plants possessing desired characteristics.

Establishing Tallgrass Prairie on Grazed Permanent Pasture in the Upper Midwest

AbstractThe goal of the study was to learn whether native prairie grasses and, eventually, a diverse mixture of native forbs could be incorporated in permanent pastures by means of rotational grazing by cattle. An experiment was established on a farm in northeastern Iowa on a pasture that had never been plowed but had been grazed since the 1880s. One treatment was protected from grazing to test for the presence of remnant vegetation. Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, Panicum virgatum, and Desmanthus illinoensis were introduced in plots first treated with glyphosate; seeds were either drilled (DR) or hand‐broadcast and incorporated by controlled cattle trampling (BT). Seedling establishment and aboveground biomass were followed over 3 years. There was no evidence for remnant native plants on uplands, but seven species of native forbs and four native graminoids flowered in exclosures erected within waterways. D. illinoensis initially established up to 12 seedlings/m2 but had disappeared from all but one plot by the third year. Variation in native grass establishment among replicate plots within treatments was very high, ranging initially from 0.2 to 9.9 plants/m2. In August of the second year, native grasses made up only 8% of the available forage in DR plots and 1% of BT plots. One year later, however, native grasses made up 56% of the available forage in DR plots and 37% of BT plots, and these differences were significant (p= 0.05). A pilot study seeded in late winter (frost seeding) suggested that seeds spread after cattle trampling produced five times more seedlings (2.5/m2) than seeds spread before cattle trampling (0.5/m2). Frost seeding had advantages because it did not require herbicide for sod suppression or tractor access to the site. New plantings could be safely grazed in early spring and late fall, before and after most native grass growth, to offset the negative economic impact of protecting new plantings from burning during the growing season. But this practice precluded subsequent prescribed burning. I propose a strategy for incorporating native wildflowers into the pasture over time with minimum cost.

Native Wildflower Establishment with Imidazolinone Herbicides

Native wildflowers are important components of grassland communities and low-maintenance wildflower seed mixtures. Weed interference limits successful establishment of native wildflowers from seed. Experiments were conducted to determine the influence of the imidazolinone herbicides imazethapyr, imazapic, and imazaquin on the establishment of blackeyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta L.), upright prairieconeflower [Ratibida columnifera (Nutt) Woot. and Standl.], spiked liatris [Liatris spicata (L.) Willd.], blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata Pursh.), purple coneflower [Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench.], and spotted beebalm (Monarda punctata L.). Wildflower response to the herbicide treatments was variable and appeared to be influenced by the level of weed interference. Establishment of the native wildflowers after application of imazethapyr or imazapic at 70 g·ha-1 a.i. was generally improved at sites with greater weed interference. Emergence and density of wildflowers was often reduced by imazapic in sites with low weed interference. Flower density during the second growing season was usually either improved or not reduced by either imazethapyr or imazapic. Based on these findings, imazethapyr and imazapic can reduce weed interference and improve the establishment of some native wildflowers in areas with high weed infestations. Chemical names used: (±) -2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-2-yl]-5-methyl-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid (imazapic); 2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-2-yl]-3-quinolinecarboxylic acid (imazaquin); 2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-2-yl]-5-ethyl-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid (imazethapyr).

Is Sustainable Tourism Really Sustainable?

Is Sustainable Tourism Really Sustainable?

Wildflower Seed Source Affects Performance of Six Wildflower Species

Field plantings of six native wildflower species were established at five sites in 1997 from seeds derived from local native populations (local ecotype) and from seeds purchased from commercial sources outside of Florida (nonlocal ecotype). The species were Cassia fasciculata (partridge-pea), Coreopsis lanceolata (lance-leaf coreopsis), Gaillardia pulchella (blanketflower), Ipomopsis rubra (standing cypress), Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed susan), and Salvia lyrata (lyre-leaf sage; cancer weed). They were evaluated once per month from June to Oct. 1997. Plantings were maintained as follows: no supplemental fertilization; irrigation as needed up until early April to ensure germination; no pesticides except to control fireants and weeds on the perimeter of the plantings; plots were handweeded as necessary. It was clearly evident from these evaluations that the local ecotypes generally were better adapted to north Florida conditions than were the nonlocal ecotypes. The most noteworthy differences were as follows: 1) the local ecotypes of Rudbeckia and Gaillardia had longer flowering periods than their nonlocal counterparts, 2) the local ecotype of Coreopsis flowered profusely while flowering of the nonlocal ecotype was sparse, and 3) the local ecotypes of Coreopsis and Salvia had less disease incidence than their nonlocal counterparts.

Vegetation establishment on chalk marl spoil: the role of nurse grass species and fertiliser application

Abstract. The Channel Tunnel workings on the UK side have yielded nearly 4 million m3 of chalk‐marl spoil which now forms a 36 ha landscaped reclamation platform. To establish vegetation of amenity and conservation interest on the spoil, seed mixtures of native wild flowers and grasses were sown with Lolium perenne (perennial rye grass) as a nurse species. Potentially, L. perenne is a suitable nurse species for grassland creation on infertile substrates as it provides rapid initial cover and stability, but it is non‐persistent and declines in vigour with time, allowing wild flower species sown alongside to expand their cover and spread in the longer term. On very low fertility substrates like chalk marl, an initial application of fertilizer is needed to encourage plant growth. Results are reported of a fertilizer experiment on Channel Tunnel spoil to determine appropriate levels of fertilizer for establishment of species‐rich grassland vegetation. An area hydroseeded with L. perenne and wild flowers in autumn 1992 was subjected to factorial treatment of four levels each of N and P in spring 1993. The results the following summer showed significant positive effects of nitrogen and phosphorus on L. perenne biomass and a negative impact of nitrogen on densities of wild flower species, especially legumes, establishing in the L. perenne sward. In general, low fertilizer applications encouraged low productivity and maximal species richness in the vegetation. Conversely high applications encouraged high productivity and competitive exclusion of sown wild flower species. Fertilizer applications must therefore balance encouragement of the stabilising nurse grass sward, while preventing competitive exclusion of wild flowers by the nurse grass.

Wildflower Seed Mixes for Alaska

The germination, establishment, survival, and public preference of four wild-flower seed mixes were evaluated in relation to irrigation and seasonal sowing date. The mixes included two commercial nonindigenous wildflower mixes, a commercial mix with indigenous and nonindigenous wildflowers, and an experimental mix composed exclusively of Alaska native wildflowers. The two latter mixes were sown with and without `Tundra' glaucous bluegrass (Poa glauca). The two nonindigenous mixes exhibited the greatest seedling establishment during the first season. Fall sowing and irrigation during seed germination significantly increased species establishment for all mixes. In the second season, 11 nonindigenous species did not reappear, whereas all of the indigenous species reappeared. The experimental mix had the greatest species richness of the six mixes in the second season. The addition of grass to the mixes did not significantly affect wildflower species richness in either the first or second season. Survey respondents preferred the nonindigenous wildflower mixes to those containing Alaska native wildflowers because of a greater mix of colors that appeared earlier in the first season than the other mixes. Alaska native species recommended for wildflower mixes include Polemonium acutiflorum, Lupinus arcticus, Hedysarum mackenzii, Arnica alpina, and Aster sibiricus.

FATE AND EFFECTS OF CRUDE OIL IN A SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA STREAM DRAINAGE1

ABSTRACT On April 6, 1993, a crude oil pipeline ruptured releasing an estimated 6,200 bbl of blended San Joaquin Valley crude oil (2T API gravity) which flowed overland and through interstate freeway storm-water culverts to a small stream in Kern County, southern California. A mixture of crude oil and water flowed 12 km downstream to an emergency containment/underflow dike. Response operations were completed within 21 days resulting in recovery of approximately 3,400 bbl of liquid crude and an additional 1,200 bbl of oil contained in nearly 19,000 yd3 of excavated soil and streambed sediments (74 percent recovery). Water quality data collected throughout the stream within 24 hours of the release demonstrated total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH; method 8015-modified, GC/FID) concentrations ranging from 55 to 120 mg/L with BTEX (total benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers; method 5030/8020) concentrations less than 145 ≤g/L. Within 72 hours of the spill, TPH concentrations were less than 8 mg/L and total BTEX concentrations were less than 25 ≤g/L. Within five weeks of the spill, TPH and most BTEX constituents were below detection limits. Average sediment TPH concentrations in impacted stream segments ranged from <100 to 21,733 mg/kg prior to cleanup while postcleanup samples ranged from <50 to 1325 mg/kg. Average September concentrations ranged from 11 to 299 mg/kg. Qualitative benthic macroinvertebrate samples collected within a few days of the spill indicated reduced taxonomic diversity and numerical abundance in impacted stream segments. Quantitative macroinvertebrate samples collected five months after the spill, however, identified diverse and abundant benthic macroinvertebrate populations, relative to reference stations, where streamflow volumes were sufficient to maintain such invertebrate communities. Upstream vegetation was characterized as cottonwood-willow riparian woodland that may have experienced some spill-related stress in the form of leaf drop, which was photographically documented. A transition riparian zone, dominated by mule fat, tamarisk, and red willow, exhibited no symptoms of stress following the spill. Annual grassland dominated by nonnative grasses, forbs (broad leaved, nonwoody plants), and native wildflower species occurred along the lower portions of the creek and was not affected by the spill except for the physical impact of cleanup operations. Avian surveys conducted in riparian habitat in April and June suggested that bird populations utilizing oiled and unoiled reaches of Grapevine Creek were similar. Lower species richness and abundance in April was attributed to extensive response operations. Avian surveys conducted along downstream, dry wash portions of the creek in June, however, indicated greater species abundance and diversity along these previously oiled reaches of the creek relative to an unoiled reference channel.

032 EFFECT OF STRATIFICATION AND GIBBERELLIC ACID ON SEED GERMINATION OF NATIVE PLANTS

The Legislative Commission on Minnesota's Resources funded a two year research project to promote expansion of the native wildflower and grass seed industry in Minnesota. Production of seeds and plants for landscaping and restoration is a growing sector of the horticultural industry, yet documentation of production techniques is sketchy due in part to the large number of species. The species Lilium philadelphicum (wood lily), Phlox pilosa (prairie phlox), and Spartina pectinata (prairie cordgrass) were selected for further analysis of germination requirements. These species were noted by producers as having poor and/or unreliable germination. Cold moist stratification and gibberellic acid (GA) treatments were applied Total percent germination and mean days to germination were calculated and analyzed after 30 days under greenhouse growing conditions. Stratification improved total percent and mean days to germination in L. philadelphicum. P. pilosa responded to treatment by both stratification and GA. Four weeks of stratification may be the best method for decreasing mean days to germination while obtaining adequate total percent germination for S. pectinata.

Stratification Improves Seed Germination of Five Native Wildflower Species

The germination responses of wild blue indigo [Baptisia australis (L.) R. Br.], purple coneflower [Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench.], Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani Schrad.), spike goldenrod (Solidago petiolaris Ait.), and Missouri ironweed (Vernonia missurica Raf.) seeds after 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 weeks of stratification at 5C were investigated. Seed viability was determined using triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining and germination based on the percentage of viable seeds. Germination percentage (GP) increased in all five species as weeks of stratification increased. Days to first germination and germination range (days from first to last germinating seed) decreased with increasing weeks of stratification, but the effect beyond 4 to 6 weeks was minimal. The number of weeks of stratification for maximum GP was 4 for purple coneflower, 6 for Maximilian sunflower, 8 for Missouri ironweed, and 10 for wild blue indigo and spike goldenrod.

Ghosts of Summer's Woods

GHOSTS OF SUMMER'S WOODS / Jack Sanders THERE'S SOMETHING EERIE about seeing a cluster of Indian pipes, heads downturned, on a warm summer day. Ghostly and greenless, they remind one more of mushrooms than of the herbs they are. Their white flesh is unexpected and freakish, especially when you realize that they are wUdflowers and not some oddly formed fungus. Because of their unusual appearance, Indians pipes are, once seen, never forgotten. I can remember finding them as a child on Nantucket Island and being told their name. That, the daisy, black-eyed susan, and the violet were probably the only wildflowers I could name till well into adulthood. Indian pipes are white or bluish-white (rarely pink or red), almost leafless plants bearing a single five-petaled flower that, when young, faces the earth. The shape of the plant resembles a clay pipe whose stem has been stuck in the earth, and the flower is not unlike the bowl. This albino of the flowering plant world is, surprisingly, somewhat closely related to the dogwoods, heaths, and even to the evergreen laurels and rhododendrons. But to look at its almost leafless white stalk and its plain white fleshy flower, one would be hard pressed to imagine similarities with those of chlorophyllous plants. The Indian pipe is a member of a tiny clan of only three or four species. Only it and pinesap are found in North America; another inhabits such far-away places as Japan and the Himalayas—where our own Indian pipe may also be found. Another, called bird's nest, is found in Britain and Europe. Indian pipes are one of our few native wildflowers that might be called transcontinental, for they may be found from Maine to Florida, and from Washington to California, right down to and into Mexico. They also range across southern Canada and into Alaska. In most areas they appear in mid-summer. Scientists call it Monotropa uniflora, meaning "once-turned" and "single-flowered." "Once-turned" refers to the fact that the flowers, which face the ground early in their life, turn straight upward once they begin producing seeds (though you'd think the plant would be straight first and bent second, in order to spiU out the seeds). Monotropa is in turn a member ofthe wintergreen family (Pyrolaceae), a small clan of only ten genera in North American, their chief habitat. 84 · The Missouri Review They include the equally unusual pine-drops and beech-drops (which, not surprisingly, live near pine and beech trees). The Saprophytic Plant The Indian pipe is strange not only in appearance, but in habit. It's a saprophyte (from the Greek, "rotten plant"), living chiefly on the decaying roots of other plants, particularly trees. Indian pipes are most often found near a dead stump in deep woods, although they will sometimes pop up in a lawn near dead tree roots. They favor beech woods, but will live in others, and it is said that the best time to find them is after a heavy, soaking midsummer rain. Some botanists believe that the roots, working in symbiotic conjunction with certain soil fungi such as mushrooms, also obtain food from live tree roots, which would make the plant a parasite as well as a saprophyte.1 If this is true, the Indian pipe certainly has a small enough appetite that it can do no harm to large trees, most of whose roots are well beyond its reach. Since the plant obtains all the nutrients it needs from other plants, it requires neither leaves nor chlorophyll, the factories and the chemical employed by most plants in using sunlight to create carbohydrates for food. In the long process of evolution, it lost both—with only vestiges of leaves remaining in the form of white, scale-like appendages on the stems. The plant can't be picked for display—not that anyone would want it as a decoration—because its flesh turns black when cut or even bruised. It also oozes a clear, gelatinous substance when picked or wounded. Such unattractive characteristics have earned the Indian pipe some unflattering names, like ghost flower, corpse plant, and American iceplant. Another is pretty: fairy...

Nursery Sources for Native Plants and Wildflowers.

Nursery Sources for Native Plants and Wildflowers.

Native Wildflowers on Roadsides of Central and South Florida

This is a brochure describing several of Florida's common wildflower species. The brochure lists common names of many wildflower species, along with their flowering statistics and probable habitats. Images of the species and maps of their ranges are also included. 
 ENH 881/EP138: Native Wildflowers on Roadsides of Central and South Florida (ufl.edu)

Establishment of Native Wildflower Plantings by Seed

Interest in planting native wildflowers along Florida's roadsides and in meadows has grown steadily over the past 30-40 years, and especially so more recently. The most common method to establish these plantings is by direct seeding. This publication describes direct seeding methods you can use to establish medium to large size native wildflower plantings, such as those on roadsides, meadows, commercial properties, and right-of-ways. This document is ENH 968, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date April 2004.
 https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep227

Native Wildflowers: Container Production of Joe-Pye Weed From Seed

In this publication, we describe a production protocol that results in Joe-Pye weed plants that are only 18 to 24inches tall when they are ready to ship. This document is ENH876, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date May 2003.
 ENH876/EP132: Native Wildflowers: Container Production of Joe-Pye Weed from Seed (ufl.edu)