Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Dracocephalum parviflorum
|
|
 |
| American dragonhead flower cluster. ©2015 Barry Breckling. |
Introductory
SPECIES: Dracocephalum parviflorum
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Dracocephalum parviflorum. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/drapar/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
DRAPAR
SYNONYMS :
Moldavica parviflora Britt.
SCS PLANT CODE :
DRPA2
COMMON NAMES :
American dragonhead
false dragonhead
dragonhead
dragon's head
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of American dragonhead is
Dracocephalum parviflorum Nutt. (Lamiaceae) [8,17,29]. There are no
recognized subspecies, varieties, or forms.
LIFE FORM :
Forb
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
American dragonhead is classified as rare in New York. Its state rank
there is listed as S1 (critically imperiled in New York State because of
extreme rarity or is extremely vulnerable to extirpation from New York
State due to biological factors) [30].
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Dracocephalum parviflorum
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
American dragonhead is distributed from Quebec to Alaska, south to
Arizona in the West, Missouri in the central United States, and North
Carolina in the East [8,12,29].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES10 White - red - jack pine
FRES11 Spruce - fir
FRES19 Aspen - birch
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES44 Alpine
Probably occurs in other ecosystems, but information is lacking
STATES :
AK AZ CO CT DE ID IL IN IA
KY ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT
NE NV NH NJ NM NY ND OH OR
PA RI SD UT VT WA WV WI WY
AB BC MB NT ON PQ SK YT
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
7 Lower Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
Occurs in most Kuchler Plant Associations within its range
SAF COVER TYPES :
Occurs in most SAF Cover Types within its range
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
Occurs in most SRM Cover Types within its range
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
NO-ENTRY
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Dracocephalum parviflorum
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
NO-ENTRY
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Dracocephalum parviflorum
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
American dragonhead is a native annual, biennial, or short-lived
perennial forb. Solitary or clustered stems arise from a taproot and
are 6 to 32 inches (15-80 cm) tall [8]. Leaves are coarsely serrate and
flowers are crowded in a dense terminal or axillary cluster. The fruits
are nutlets [29].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Hemicryptophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
American dragonhead is a seedbanking species. Seeds are large and are
not wind-dispersed. Buried seeds remain viable for a long period of
time [13]. Seeds require fire or other disturbance for germination
[20].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
American dragonhead commonly grows on open, moist sites [8,17,20] and in
disturbed areas [9,15,18]. In the Great Plains it grows on gravelly
soils along streams, in open woodlands, or on moist wooded hillsides
[15]. In the Northeast, American dragonhead is found on rocky or
gravelly calcareous soils in recently cleared areas [12]. It occurs
from 4,500 to 10,000 feet (1,360-3,000 m) elevation in Colorado [16],
and from 4,850 to 10,890 feet (1,470-3,300 m) elevation in Utah [29].
Some species commonly associated with American dragonhead include russet
buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis), Oregon-grape (Mahonia repens),
snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.), serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), western
yarrow (Achillea millefolium), strawberry (Fragaria spp.), heartleaf
arnica (Arnica cordifolia), fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), Bicknell
geranium (Geranium bicknellii), and wild hollyhock (Iliamna rivularis)
[1,4].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
American dragonhead is prominent in initial or early successional
communities following disturbance [26]. Its seedbanking ability allows
colonization of disturbed areas even when no parent plants are present
[13]. American dragonhead has usually disappeared or declined in
importance within the first few years following disturbance [4].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
American dragonhead flowers from June to August in the Intermountain
region [8], and from June to September in the Great Plains [15].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Dracocephalum parviflorum
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Seedbanked American dragonhead seeds are fire activated, germinating
after even severe fire [22]. American dragonhead flowers during the
first few postfire years. New seeds remain dormant in the soil until
the next stand-replacing fire or other disturbance occurs [1].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
Secondary colonizer - on-site seed
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Dracocephalum parviflorum
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
NO-ENTRY
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
American dragonhead is a residual colonizer that is prominent in initial
postfire communities, even after holocaustic fires [26].
After fire in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) habitats in central
Idaho, American dragonhead dominated the initial postfire vegetation.
Plants were absent from preburn communities and adjacent 20-year-old
burns. Frequencies in postfire years 1 and 2 were 96 and 100 percent,
respectively. American dragonhead comprised 30 percent of all plant
cover in the first postfire year and 37 percent of all cover in the
second postfire year. It's cover was greatly reduced by the third
growing season following the fire [21].
In ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) types in the Black Hills of South
Dakota, American dragonhead exhibited initial postfire prominence but
disappeared or greatly declined in importance by the second or third
postfire growing season [23]. It showed the same response in jack pine
(Pinus banksiana) habitats in Saskatchewan [6], white spruce (Picea
glauca) habitats in Alaska [28], quaking aspen (Populus
tremuloides)-mixed conifer types in Idaho [5], and in Douglas-fir
habitats in western Montana [7]. American dragonhead was present in
4-year-old and 29-year-old burns in pinyon (Pinus spp.)-juniper
(Juniperus spp.) habitats in Colorado, but cover was sparse [10]. It
played an important role in early succession after severe fires in fir
(Abies spp.)-spruce (Picea spp.) habitats in Grand Teton National Park,
Wyoming, but disappeared within 43 postfire years [2]. American
dragonhead had greater density in moderately-burned stands compared to
severely-burned lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) stands in Yellowstone
National Park [1].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Dracocephalum parviflorum
REFERENCES :
1. Anderson, Jay E.; Romme, William H. 1991. Initial floristics in
lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests following the 1988 Yellowstone
fires. International Journal of Wildland Fire. 1(2): 119-124. [16008]
2. Barmore, William J., Jr.; Taylor, Dale; Hayden, Peter. 1976. Ecological
effects and biotic succession following the 1974 Waterfalls Canyon Fire
in Grand Teton National Park. Research Progress Report 1974-1975.
Unpublished report on file at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service, Intermountain Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 99 p.
[16109]
3. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
4. Bradley, Anne F.; Noste, Nonan V.; Fischer, William C. 1992. Fire
ecology of forests and woodlands in Utah. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-287.
Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain
Research Station. 128 p. [18700]
5. Brown, James K.; DeByle, Norbert V. 1989. Effects of prescribed fire on
biomass and plant succession in western aspen. Res. Pap. INT-412. Ogden,
UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain
Research Station. 16 p. [9286]
6. Chrosciewicz, Z. 1983. Jack pine regeneration following postcut burning
and seeding in central Saskatchewan. Information Report NOR-X-253.
Edmonton, AB: Environment Canada, Canadian Forestry Service, Northern
Forest Research Centre. 11 p. [16916]
7. Crane, M. F.; Habeck, James R.; Fischer, William C. 1983. Early postfire
revegetation in a western Montana Douglas-fir forest. Res. Pap. INT-319.
Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain
Forest and Range Experiment Station. 29 p. plus chart. [710]
8. Cronquist, Arthur; Holmgren, Arthur H.; Holmgren, Noel H.; [and others].
1984. Intermountain flora: Vascular plants of the Intermountain West,
U.S.A. Vol. 4. Subclass Asteridae, (except Asteraceae). New York: The
New York Botanical Garden. 573 p. [718]
9. Dorn, Robert D. 1988. Vascular plants of Wyoming. Cheyenne, WY: Mountain
West Publishing. 340 p. [6129]
10. Erdman, James A. 1970. Pinyon-juniper succession after natural fires on
residual soils of Mesa Verde, Colorado. Brigham Young University Science
Bulletin. Biological Series. 11(2): 1-26. [11987]
11. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
12. Fernald, Merritt Lyndon. 1950. Gray's manual of botany. [Corrections
supplied by R. C. Rollins]. Portland, OR: Dioscorides Press. 1632 p.
(Dudley, Theodore R., gen. ed.; Biosystematics, Floristic & Phylogeny
Series; vol. 2). [14935]
13. Fyles, James W. 1989. Seed bank populations in upland coniferous forests
in central Alberta. Canadian Journal of Botany. 67: 274-278. [6388]
14. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
15. Great Plains Flora Association. 1986. Flora of the Great Plains.
Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. 1392 p. [1603]
16. Harrington, H. D. 1964. Manual of the plants of Colorado. 2d ed.
Chicago: The Swallow Press Inc. 666 p. [6851]
17. Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur. 1973. Flora of the Pacific
Northwest. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 730 p. [1168]
18. Hulten, Eric. 1968. Flora of Alaska and neighboring territories.
Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. 1008 p. [13403]
19. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
20. Lackschewitz, Klaus. 1991. Vascular plants of west-central
Montana--identification guidebook. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-227. Ogden, UT:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research
Station. 648 p. [13798]
21. Lyon, L. Jack. 1971. Vegetal development following prescribed burning of
Douglas-fir in south-central Idaho. Res. Pap. INT-105. Ogden, UT: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and
Range Experiment Station. 30 p. [1495]
22. Lyon, L. Jack; Stickney, Peter F. 1976. Early vegetal succession
following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council
fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No.
14. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station: 355-373. [1496]
23. Orr, Howard K. 1970. Runoff and erosion control by seeded and native
vegetation on a forest burn: Black Hills, South Dakota. Res. Pap. RM-60.
Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky
Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 12 p. [1802]
24. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
25. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
26. Stickney, Peter F. 1990. Early development of vegetation following
holocaustic fire in Northern Rocky Mountains. Northwest Science. 64(5):
243-246. [12715]
27. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982.
National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names.
SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573]
28. Van Cleve, K.; Viereck, L.A.; Dyrness, C.T. 1988. Vegetation
productivity and soil fertility in post-fire secondary succession in
Interior Alaska. In: Slaughter, Charles W.; Gasbarro, Tony. Proceedings
of the Alaska forest soil productivity workshop; 1987 April 28-30;
Anchorage, AK. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-219. Portland, OR: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Station;
Fairbanks, AK: University of Alaska, School of Agriculture and Land
Resources Management: 101-102. [5582]
29. Welsh, Stanley L.; Atwood, N. Duane; Goodrich, Sherel; Higgins, Larry
C., eds. 1987. A Utah flora. Great Basin Naturalist Memoir No. 9. Provo,
UT: Brigham Young University. 894 p. [2944]
30. Young, Stephen M., editor. 1992. New York state rare plant status list.
August 1992. Latham, NY: Department of Environmental Conservation,
Division of Lands and Forests, Natural Heritage Program. 79 p. [22563]
FEIS Home Page
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/drapar/all.html
