Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Grindelia squarrosa
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| Creative Commons photo, copyright 2015 Richard Spellenberg. |
Introductory
SPECIES: Grindelia squarrosa
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Walsh, Roberta A. 1993. Grindelia squarrosa. 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/grisqu/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
GRISQU
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
GRSQ
COMMON NAMES :
curlycup gumweed
tarweed
resinweed
curly-top gumweed
sticky-heads
gumweed
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of curlycup gumweed is Grindelia
squarrosa (Pursh) Dunal [10,14]. It is in the sunflower family
(Asteraceae).
Recognized varieties are:
Grindelia squarrosa var. squarrosa [1,10,12]
Grindelia squarrosa var. nuda (Wood) Gray [1,10,14]
Grindelia squarrosa var. quasiperennis Lunnell [10,14]
Grindelia squarrosa var. serrulata (Rydb) Steyerm. [10,12]
LIFE FORM :
Forb
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Grindelia squarrosa
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Curlycup gumweed is native to much of the area from Manitoba south to
Texas and east to Idaho and Arizona. It is naturalized in eastern North
America and the Pacific Coast states [16,17].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES30 Desert shrub
FRES31 Shinnery
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES38 Plains grasslands
FRES39 Prairie
FRES40 Desert grasslands
STATES :
AZ CA CO CT ID IL IN IA KS ME
MA MI MN MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM
NY ND OH OK OR PA RI SD TX UT
WA WI WY AB BC MB ON PQ SK
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 :
K011 Western ponderosa forest
K012 Douglas-fir forest
K016 Eastern ponderosa forest
K017 Black Hills pine forest
K018 Pine - Douglas-fir forest
K022 Great Basin pine forest
K023 Juniper - pinyon woodland
K037 Mountain-mahogany - oak scrub
K038 Great Basin sagebrush
K039 Blackbrush
K040 Saltbush - greasewood
K041 Creosotebush
K046 Desert: vegetation largely lacking
K047 Fescue - oatgrass
K050 Fescue - wheatgrass
K051 Wheatgrass - bluegrass
K055 Sagebrush steppe
K056 Wheatgrass - needlegrass shrubsteppe
K057 Galleta - three-awn shrubsteppe
K063 Foothills prairie
K064 Grama - needlegrass - wheatgrass
K065 Grama - buffalograss
K066 Wheatgrass - needlegrass
K067 Wheatgrass - bluestem - needlegrass
K068 Wheatgrass - grama - buffalograss
K069 Bluestem - grama prairie
K070 Sandsage - bluestem prairie
K071 Shinnery
K074 Bluestem prairie
K075 Nebraska Sandhills prairie
K081 Oak savanna
K082 Mosaic of K074 and K100
K098 Northern floodplain forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
42 Bur oak
62 Silver maple - American elm
67 Shin (Mohrs) oak
210 Interior Douglas-fir
218 Lodgepole pine
220 Rocky Mountain juniper
229 Pacific Douglas-fir
230 Douglas-fir - western hemlock
237 Interior ponderosa pine
239 Pinyon - juniper
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Associates of curlycup gumweed in sagebrush-grassland vegetation in
southeastern Montana include big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata),
plains prickly pear (Opuntia polyacantha), western wheatgrass
(Pascopyrum smithii), buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides), and blue grama
(Bouteloua gracilis) [30].
Associates of curlycup gumweed on shortgrass rangeland in fair condition
in eastern Colorado include blue grama, buffalo grass, rush skeletonplant
(Lygodesmia juncea), wavyleaf thistle (Cirsium undulatum), pricklepoppy
(Argemone intermedia), and crazyweeds (Oxytropis spp.) [20].
Associates of curlycup gumweed in tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie in
southwestern Oklahoma include big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii var.
gerardii), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Indiangrass
(Sorghastrum nutans), sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), and
switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) [25].
Associates of curlycup gumweed on land adjacent to creek bottoms in
central Montana include wheatgrasses (Agropyron and Pascopyrum spp.),
foxtail barley (Critesion jubatum), brome (Bromus spp.), desert
saltgrass (Distichlis stricta), big sagebrush, silver sagebrush
(Artemisia cana), greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus), and rubber
rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) [26].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Grindelia squarrosa
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Curlycup gumweed was eaten by sage grouse chicks aged 5 to 8 weeks in
central Montana. It was used by 28 percent of chicks and made up 3
percent by volume of crop contents. At ages 9 to 12 weeks it was used
by 39 percent of chicks and made up 4 percent of crop contents. It was
not used by chicks younger than 5 weeks old [26].
PALATABILITY :
Curlycup gumweed is unpalatable to cattle, sheep, and horses [8,19],
though sheep will occasionally crop flower heads in the absence of other
forage [17]. Tannins, volatile oils, resins, bitter alkaloids, and
glucosides give curlycup gumweed an unpleasant taste [1].
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
The energy value and protein value of curlycup gumweed for livestock is
poor. Its food value for several species of wildlife in some western
states is [8]:
MT ND UT
Elk ---- ---- poor
Mule deer ---- ---- poor
Pronghorn ---- ---- poor
Upland game birds good good fair
Waterfowl ---- ---- poor
Small nongame birds fair good fair
Small mammals ---- ---- fair
COVER VALUE :
The cover value of curlycup gumweed for several species of wildlife in
some western states is [8]:
MT ND UT
Elk ---- ---- poor
Mule deer poor fair poor
White-tailed deer ---- fair ----
Pronghorn good fair poor
Upland game birds fair fair fair
Waterfowl ---- fair poor
Small nongame birds fair fair fair
Small mammals ---- poor fair
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Curlycup gumweed occurred in only trace amounts on unreclaimed and
reclaimed bentonite mine spoils in southeastern Montana. It occurred in
greater abundance on adjacent grasslands [30].
Curlycup gumweed was used in a roadside reseeding project in southern
Wisconsin. It showed a high ability to survive and grow under adverse
conditions. Seedlings transplanted easily to the field and grew
rapidly. Results for both direct seeding and seedling transplant were
excellent [24].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Native Americans used curlycup gumweed extracts to treat asthma,
bronchitis, colic, and skin rash [17]. The Pawnees boiled the flower
heads and leaves, and used the decoction for bathing saddle sores and
other skin irritations [1]. Today, medicinal uses include treatment of
bronchial spasm, whooping cough, asthma, and rashes caused by poison ivy
(Toxicodendron radicans) [17]. Curlycup gumweed extract is valuable as
a stimulant, sedative, astringent, purgative, emetic, diuretic,
antiseptic, and disinfectant [1].
Curlycup gumweed is used as an ornamental. It produces flowers over a
long period, even when the soil is poor and dry [1].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Curlycup gumweed increases with grazing [18] and has a negative economic
impact on rangelands [8]. It forms dense, brushlike cover in rangelands
where there is much broken sod [35]. In the Central Great Plains, it is
not usually found on ranges of excellent or good condition, but is found
on ranges in fair condition [20].
Curlycup gumweed stems, leaves, and flowers produce a sticky exudate.
The coats of livestock can become gummed with it [2].
Curlycup gumweed is drought resistant due to deep roots and resinous
secretions [1].
Curlycup gumweed is a facultative selenium absorber [1].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Grindelia squarrosa
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Curlycup gumweed is a warm-season [17] perennial or biennial native forb
[8]. It grows 0.33 to 3.3 feet (0.1-1 m), with one to several branched
stems [14,12]. Flower heads are several to numerous. The floral disk
is 0.6 to 2.75 inches (1.5-7 cm) wide. The fruit is an achene [14].
Curlycup gumweed is taprooted, and develops a short, vertical rhizome.
The root system extends 6.5 feet (2 m) into the soil [1], with extensive
shallow root development [35].
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| Creative Commons photo, copyright 2010 Barry Breckling. |
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Geophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Curlycup gumweed is a biennial or short-lived perennial which reproduces
by seed [12]. Seeds have a pappus [14], and are dispersed by wind.
Curlycup gumweed seeds were stratified for 10 weeks with a cold, damp
regime. When planted, germination time was 3 days [24].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Curlycup gumweed favors dry areas, but grows on moist soils that lack
other vegetation [17]. It is most common in dry prairies, waste places,
roadsides, railroads, depleted rangelands, and abandoned croplands. It
often forms almost pure stands [14,15,31].
Curlycup gumweed growth is poor to fair on gravel, clay, and dense clay,
and good in sandy loam, loam, and clayey loam. It makes fair growth on
saline soils, good growth on gentle and moderate slopes, and fair growth
on steep slopes. Optimum soil depth is 10 to 20 inches (25-50 cm) [8].
In eastern North Dakota, curlycup gumweed occurred on saltflats and in
wet lowlands where salinity ranged up to 1.3 percent [28].
Curlycup gumweed occurs at the following elevations [8,15,29]:
Elevation (feet) Elevation (m)
CO 3,500-8,500 1,067-2,590
MT 3,200-6,700 975-2,042
SD 3,600-5,000 1,097-1,524
UT 5,000 1,524
WY 3,600-8,600 1,097-2,621
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Curlycup gumweed is subdominant in climax prairie communities [6]. It
also occurs on disturbed sites [14]. It is highly drought resistant,
and may be abundant after dry periods [17]. However, by 1943 curlycup
gumweed in the mixed-grass prairie of Kansas showed only partial
recovery from the great drought of the 1930s [7].
In a black-tailed prairie dog town in a tallgrass prairie in
southwestern Oklahoma, prairie dogs of one colony progressively
retreated from the outside of the colony toward its center prior to
abandoning it. Plant succession at this site was studied the summer
after the animals left. Order of succession was apparent in concentric
rings of vegetation circumscribing a bare area at the center of the
colony. Curlycup gumweed did not occur in the most recently abandoned
area, the colony center. It did occur in longer-abandoned, surrounding
rings in association with annual threeawn (Aristida oligantha) and other
short grasses, forbs, and mid-sized grasses such as sideoats grama. It
was not found in the undisturbed peripheral rings, which supported
climax tall grasses such as big bluestem [25].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Curlycup gumweed forms a rosette the first year. The next summer, the
plant grows erect stems which branch considerably and produce many
flower heads [12,35].
Curlycup gumweed flowering times are [1,10,14,22,23,31]:
Begin Peak End
Flowering Flowering Flowering
CA July ---- September
CO June August September
IL July ---- September
KS July ---- October
MT July August August
ND July August September
WY July August September
Great Plains July ---- ----
New England July ---- September
In North Dakota, curlycup gumweed began growth in May, and by the end of
May had attained 50 percent of its yearly growth [13]. Curlycup gumweed
attained maximum height in August. The average length of flowering
period was 41 days; the median date when flowering was 95 percent
complete was September 4 [4].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Grindelia squarrosa
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Curlycup gumweed may sprout from its short, vertical rhizome after fire.
However, no information was available concerning its sprouting
performance.
Curlycup gumweed seeds probably establishes on burned sites by
wind-dispersed seed.
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 :
Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)
Secondary colonizer - off-site seed
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Grindelia squarrosa
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Curlycup gumweed is probably top-killed by fire.
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Curlycup gumweed colonizes disturbed areas, and establishes or increases
after fire.
Curlycup gumweed was a trace species with 0.1 percent cover before a
natural range fire occurred in a cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)-sand
dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus)-red threeawn (Aristida longiseta)
community during the summer of 1956. It was not present the first
growing season following the fire, in 1957. At the end of the next
growing season, its cover was 1.2 percent. During the next
2 years it was present only in trace amounts [5].
Curlycup gumweed populations increased following a 1983 or 1984 wildfire
of unknown intensity and season in a 9,600 square foot (800 sq m) area
in central Utah [21].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
The Research Project Summary Vegetation response to restoration treatments
in ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir forests of western Montana provides
information on prescribed fire and postfire response of plant community species
including curlycup gumweed.
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Grindelia squarrosa
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FEIS Home Page
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