20 September 2022.
Kansas, United States
Locality: Coronado Heights Park, Smoky View, Kansas hillsides surrounding the historic WPA circa 1932 Coronado Heights Castle located about 91 meters above the surrounding land. This plant is quite abundant on the slopes of this site and highly competitive.
Coordinates: 38.6116, -97.7043
(Map it)
Elevation: 475m.
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Plants growing in part-sun to full sun, under extreme exposure, rocky, dry and thin soils of this short grass prairie habitat on the slopes surrounding the summit of Coronado Heights Park.
The underlying geology of this area is of Upper Cretaceous origin and comprised of Kiowa Shale or FM- light -gray to black illitic shale with thin coquinoidal limestone beds at the base; sandstone lenses are common. Cheyenne Sandstone-massive to cross-bedded, light-gray to buff fine-grained sandstone with lenses of gray sandy shale and conglomerate.
Source: USGS Kansas Geologic Map Data (https://mrdata.usgs.gov/geology/state/sgmc-unit.php?unit=KSKkc%3B0)
The surface soil profile of this area is Lancaster-Hedville complex, 3 to 20 percent slopes. The Lancaster series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum from sandstone and sandy shales; it can be up to 200 cm deep. Slopes range from 1-20%. Hedville soils have bedrock within 50 centimeters of the surface and occur on similar hillslope positions.
Source: NRCS Web Soil Survey (https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/WebSoilSurvey.aspx)
Number of plants sampled: 50
Associated species: Artemisia ludoviciana, Asclepias tuberosa, Bouteloua curtipendula, Cenchrus longispinus, Echinacea angustifolium, Euphorbia marginata, Fraxinus americana, Gleditsia triacanthos, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Helianthus annus, Helianthus pauciflorus, Juniperus virginiana, Lespedeza capitata, Liatris punctata, Mirabilis nyctaginea, Panicum virgatum, Phytolacca americana, Populus deltoides, Prunus angustifolia, Rhus aromatica, Rhus glabra, Salix sp., Salvia azurea, Schizachyrium scoparium, Solanum rostratum, Solidago rigida, Solidago sp., Sporobolus compositus, Swida drummondii, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, Symphyotrichum falcatum, Tephrosia virginiana, Toxicodendron radicans, Yucca glauca
Comment: This species is a small erect shrub with reddish stems, bearing slender, unequal prickles; stems without prickles on newest growth and sparse but regular prickles lower. Plants often spreading by underground rhizomes and are typically 0.5-1.2 meters tall. Leaves are deciduous, alternate and pinnately compound with 7-9 leaflets. Leaves glabrous above and pale below due to pubescence. Leaflet margins are toothed. Fruit borne terminally and erect in corymb-like inflorescences. Fruits are fleshy, globed-shaped, bright red and generally glabrous with persistent sepals; fruit 1-2 cm in diameter. Miscellaneous Notes: There are several more unidentified plant associates, particularly grasses and members of Asteraceae. It is late in the season and because of drought and wind, many plants have lost fruit and other key features for identification. Despite the conditions, the diversity in this austere environment is quite rich.
Collector(s):