Fremont-Winema National Forests

Ecology

Botany

Approximately 925 species of vascular plants have been recorded on the Fremont National Forest. Vascular plants are the primary producers in the terrestrial ecosystem, providing habitat and food for animals, insects, fish, and man. Management to ensure that all native species maintain healthy populations is a focus of the USDA-Forest Service. The purpose of this section is to aquaint viewers with some of the wildflower and rare species found on the forest.

Nine species on the Fremont are on the Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Region's Sensitive Species List. Five others occur near or are suspected to occur. Conservation strategies are in effect to manage five of the sensitive species and studies are underway to determine if strategies are needed for the other four. Conservation strategies are used where special management provisions are believed necessary to ensure the long term viability of the species in a multiple use environment pursuant to the National Forest Managment Act of 1976.

Botany Documents

• Wildflower Coloring Books
  • Print Paper Version
  • Use Computer Version.
• Night Creatures Coloring Book
• Noxious Weed Population Sighting Report
• Sensitive Plant Monitoring 2001
• Checklist of Vascular Plants on the Fremont-Winema National Forests
  • Introduction
    
  • Acknowledgements
    
  • Literature Cited
    
  • Alphabetical List of Families
    
  • List of Plants Occuring in Wetlands
    
  • List of Sensitive Vascular Plant Species on the Fremont National Forest
• Pumice Grape Fern Botrychium pumicola Conservation Strategy
• Baker's Globe mallow Illiamna bakeri Conservation Assessment
• Noxious Weeds on the Fremont National Forest and How You Can Help
• R6 Sensitive Vascular Plant Profiles
  • Warner Mountain bedstraw - Galium serpenticum ssp. (.pdf 73k)
  • Shockley’s Ivesia - Ivesia shockleyi (.pdf 98k)
  • Mimulus evanescens (.pdf 7k)
  • Least Phacelia - Phacelia minutissima (.pdf 95k)
  • Oregon semaphore grass - Pleuropogon oregonus (.pdf 324k)
  • Columbia Crest - Rorippa columbiae (.pdf 342k)
  • Short fruited thelypody - Thelypodium brachycarpa (.pdf 34k)

• Conifer Identification (Oregon State University)

Selected Plants of the Fremont National Forest

Washington Lily Lilium washingtonianum Kell
Photo - 159k

The washington lily is one of the favorites for wildflower enthusiasts. Bloming in July the fragrant blossoms often fill the air with a pleasant aroma. The lily often reproduces abundantly after light fires burn in the pine habitat it prefers.

Blue-leaved penstemon Penstemon glaucinus
Photo - 148k

Blue-leaved penstemon is a southern Oregon volcanic endemic occuring on about 6400 acres of the Fremont and Winema National Forests. With a few populations on adjacent BLM land, the national forests contain all of the known habitat. One of the sensitive species, it is managed under a conservation strategy.

The plants arise from a verticle rhizome and favor forested openings with 40% or less canopy closure. Seedling recruitment is rare and may be caused by an insect seed predator. Some seedlings have been found, interestingly, on sites of high intensity burns.

Pollinators are essential to maintain genetic transfers/diversity in many plant populations. Bumble bees and osmia bees (Photo - 65k) are often found nectaring on blue-leaved penstemon and are thought to be the principle short range pollinators.

Amateurs and students could make scientific contributions by observing and recording pollinators. Many amateur biologists have made important discoveries by doing this kind of work. Since pollinators are becoming a concern for many plant species across North America there are abundant opportunities for experienced as well as budding young naturalists.

The clearwing moth Hemeris diffinis (Photo - 57k) is thought to be a long range pollinator of Blue-leaved penstemon.

Green-Tinged paintbrush Castilleja chlorotica
Photo - 142k

Green-tinged paintbrush is also a local endemic species managed under a conservation strategy. About 95% of the known habitat occurs on the Fremont National Forest with a few populations on the Deshutes National Forest and adjacent Bureau of Land Management land. This plant is hemiparasitic on several shrubs notably mountain big sagebrush.

Pumice Grape Fern Botrychium pumicola
Photo - 126k

Pumice Grape Fern occurs on popcorn pumice soils resulting from the eruptions of Mt. Mazama and Newberry Crater. This diminutive member of the Adderstongue family emerges only periodically usually after adequate moisture. Another Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Region sensitive species it is managed under a conservation strategy.

Botrychium pumicola Conservation Strategy

Bitterroot Lewisia rediviva
Photo - 133k

Bitterroot, also known by the native american name spatlum, occurs in clusters in the Northwest. Pink flowered varieties are common in the Rocky Mountains where it is the State Flower of Montana. On the Fremont National Forest only white flowered plants have been found blooming on sage flats in Late May and early June. The scientific name Lewisia comes from Meriweather Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition who collected the species in 1806.

Mountain Lady Slipper Cypripedium montanum
Photo - 76k

A relatively rare member of the Orchid family usually occuring as isolated clumps in forested openings. We would appreciate having any sightings of this plant reported to the forest botanist.

Applegate Paintbrush Castilleja applegatei
Photo - 56k

One of the common red paintbrushes to flower in the Spring.

Tricolored Monkey Flower Mimulus tricolor
Photo - 61k

The easternmost population of this rare diminutive annual is on the Fremont National Forest. Formerly abundant in the Willamette Valley and California it has become much more rare in those areas.

The Tricolored Monkey Flower is another sensitive species managed under a conservation strategy.

Dwarf Monkey Flower Mimulus nanus
Photo - 48k

A very common monkey flower found on pumice flats. Abundant in the Spring.

Erigeron linearis
Photo - 127k

This member of the sunflower or Asteraceae Family often flowers abundantly amidst the sagebrush in Spring.

Great Basin Wood Nymph Cercyonis sthenele
Photo - 64k

The Great Basin Wood Nymph is one of the common Late Summer Butterflies that nectars often at yellow composites such as rabbitbrush.

USDA Forest Service - Fremont-Winema NF's
Last Modified: Wednesday, 19 July 2006 at 13:57:02 EDT