Currently there is one Federally listed endangered plant found within the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park: the sentry milk-vetch (Astragalus cremnophylax var. cremnophylax). This plant is endemic to Grand Canyon and is a perennial, mat-forming herb. It grows in crevices and on rimrock in the Kaibab Limestone formation within the pinyon-juniper vegetation type. The exact location cannot be disclosed.
The name Astragalus is derived from either the Greek word meaning ankle-bone or dice, perhaps in reference to the rattling of the seed within the fruit, or it may be derived from astro meaning star and gala meaning milk, in reference to the belief that its use in pasture land improves livestock milk yield. The specific epithet cremnophylax is from the words cremno meaning gorge and phylax meaning watchman.
Canyon Sketches Vol 06 - October 2008 Park Vegetation Crews Use Multiple Techniques to Restore Native Vegetation Along Hermit Road
Hermit Road re-opened in November 2008 after a nine-month rehabilitation. Restoration of native vegetation along Hermit Road is one of the largest plant restoration and rehabilitation efforts ever undertaken at Grand Canyon National Park. The multi-faceted project includes a variety of restoration techniques and incorporates substantial contributions by park volunteers and interns.
Canyon Sketches Vol 05 - August 2008 Park Biologists Conserve Rare Plant
Plant biologists identified several populations of Tusayan flameflower (Phemeranthus validulus) in areas that will be impacted by the construction of parking lots at Canyon View Information Plaza. In order to conserve this rare Grand Canyon species, they recently salvaged plants from construction zones and transplanted them in suitable habitat nearby.
Canyon Sketches Vol 02 - April 2008 Volunteers Help Control Invasive Plants Invasive plants such as Sahara mustard pose a serious ecological threat to Grand Canyon. Volunteers have made important contributions towards controlling this aggressive invader over the last few years. Volunteer trips with Science and Resource Management’s vegetation program are fun and educational and give people who love Grand Canyon the opportunity to help preserve park resources.
Visit the Canyon SketcheseMagazine Home Page Canyon Sketches are short, timely and newsworthy updates about Grand Canyon's natural, cultural and recreational resources. They highlight the ongoing work that Grand Canyon's Science and Resource Management staff does to monitor, inventory, restore, and rehabilitate park resources. The Canyon Sketches eMagazine is designed to provide specific information on resource challenges and Science and Resource Management activities.
Did You Know?
In Grand Canyon, the broad, sandy expanse on the north bank of the Colorado River is Unkar Delta, composed of rock debris carried from the North Rim by Unkar Creek. Prehistoric Pueblo people occupied numerous sites on Unkar Delta and along Unkar Creek for about 350 years (A.D. 850 to A.D. 1200)