XII. Galium kamtschaticum Steller ex Schult. and Schult. (boreal bedstraw)
Area of Application: Throughout the area covered by the Northwest Forest Plan.
A. Introduction
Galium kamtschaticum is an inconspicuous perennial herb in the Rubiaceae plant family. Boreal bedstraw and northern wild licorice are common names that have been applied to this species.
Galium kamtschaticum is considered to be closely associated with old-growth habitat, and is classified as a Survey and Manage Strategy 1 and 2 species under the FSEIS/ROD (USDA Forest Service and USDI Bureau of Land Management 1994a, 1994b). G. kamtschaticum is on the R6 Regional Forester's Sensitive Species List (USDA Forest Service 1991) and BLM's Bureau Assessment List for Washington. The species is considered Sensitive by Washington Natural Heritage Program (1994). This species reaches its southern most extent in northern Washington, and does not occur in Oregon or California.
B. Unique Characteristics, Biology, and Ecology
Galium kamtschaticum is an inconspicuous perennial herb, about 1-2 dm (4-8") tall, in the Rubiaceae family. It has a smooth main stem and round leaves that are borne in whorls of 4. It is distinguished by having only 2-4 sets of whorls per plant and by having very few flowers. The leaves have narrow bases at the point of attachment to the stem, and are often mucronate at the tip. Galium kamtschaticum generally has only 2-3 flowers at the top of each flower stalk and has only 1-3 flower stalks per plant. The inconspicuous flowers are only about 3 mm wide, greenish-white in color, and 4-lobed. These develop into tiny fruits, 1.5 mm long, that are covered with hooked bristles.
Galium kamtschaticum can sometimes be confused with Galium oreganum, which is the only other Galium in the area that has 4 leaves per whorl. However, Galium oreganum has 5 to 8 sets of whorls per plant, the inflorescence is more branched, and there are more flowers at the end of each flower stalk. In western Washington, boreal bedstraw emerges late in the season and cannot be positively identified until late July since immature species of Galium are virtually impossible to distinguish from each other with reliable accuracy (many other species of Galium have 4 leaves per whorl when in the juvenile stage).
Boreal bedstraw is a perennial plant with creeping slender rhizomes (Hitchcock et al. 1969). Most populations observed on Canada's Queen Charlotte Islands showed well developed vegetative reproduction but only a few plants in any one colony produced flowers or fruit (Calder and Taylor 1968). However, out of 18 sites studied on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in 1991, an average of 48 percent of the plant were either in flower or fruit on the date each site was visited (Potash 1992).
Populations can vary from 2 "individual" plants to several hundred plants. The term "individual" is used here in a general sense to mean a single stem arising from the ground; this species usually grows in patches and it is recognized that the single stems may not be genetically distinct entities.
C. Specific Habitat Associations
Galium kamtschaticum is described as inhabiting moist, cold, coniferous forests, and mossy places throughout its range (Hitchcock et al. 1969; Anderson 1974; Calder and Taylor 1968; Hulten 1968; Scoggan 1979). Within the range of the northern spotted owl, it is known to occur on the Olympic Peninsula and in the western Washington Cascade Range.
Olympic Peninsula - Sites on the Olympic peninsula are generally on northerly aspects, from 643-966 m (1930-2900 ft.) in elevation, in the silver fir or mountain hemlock plant associations (Henderson et al. 1989), in wet canopy gaps. One site is on a terrace but the other 4 are on slopes ranging from 25 to 65 percent. There is not yet enough specific information to generalize further about plant associations, associated species, or other variables.
Western Washington Cascades - Information from all known sites on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (76 locations) were entered into a database and sorted on several variables to learn about Galium kamtschaticum habitat. The variables sorted on were elevation, aspect, slope, plant association, geology, associated species, and ecozone. In general, this species grows on low angle slopes with saturated soils, under dense shrub (or in some cases ladyfern) thickets, in old-growth forest canopy gaps, from 500-1166 m (1500-3500 ft.) in elevation. There are exceptions: one of the largest and most vigorous populations in the Cascades occurs on steep talus with a dense shrub cover, but this site had surface seepage.
Canopy gaps can be formed by a variety of processes but the gaps where Galium kamtschaticum occurs appear to be the result of saturated soils, i.e., it is simply too wet for tree establishment in these areas. These gaps tend to be relatively narrow areas within the forest, so light penetration is modified by the surrounding stand. Galium kamtschaticum does seem to require shade because it is usually found underneath dense shrub cover and not in full sunlight. The few Galium kamtschaticum stems that were observed growing in direct sunlight were somewhat chlorotic (Potash 1998).
The majority of known sites are in the silver fir/devil's club-Alaska huckleberry plant association. Understory species most commonly associated with Galium kamtschaticum in the western Cascades are: Rubus spectabilis, Athyrium filix-femina, Oplopanax horridum, Ribes bracteosum, Tiarella unifoliata, Vaccinium alaskense, Lysichitum americanum, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Blechnum spicant, Rubus pedatus, Sphagnum spp. and other mosses.
D. Range of Galium kamtschaticum
1. Known Range
Boreal bedstraw is circumboreal in its distribution but it is "rare and local" throughout its range (Hitchcock et al. 1969) and in fact "represents one of the rarest species in the Cordilleran region" (Calder and Taylor 1968). Galium kamtschaticum occurs sporadically from Kamchatka and Korea, through the Aleutian Islands and the Alaska panhandle, to the Olympic and Cascade mountains of Washington, where it apparently does not extend south of Snoqualmie Pass (although suitable habitat south of the pass has been surveyed for this species). The species reappears in southeastern Canada and adjacent New England, New York State, and the northeastern side of Lake Superior.
Within the range of the northern spotted owl, the vast majority of the known sites for Galium kamtschaticum are in the western Cascades on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The western Cascades also have 2 sites located within the Wenatchee National Forest (administered by the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest) and 2 sites on land owned by Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). On the Olympic Peninsula there are 6 known sites, all of which occur on Olympic National Forest.
2. Suspected Range
It is possible that additional populations may be located in suitable habitat within the Wenatchee and Okanogan National Forests.
E. Timing of Surveys
For Galium kamtschaticum, it is not necessary to see the flowers since positive identification can be ascertained by observing the vegetative characteristics and pedicels (branchlets supporting the flowers of fruits). This species should be searched for from mid July through mid-September. Inaccurate identification is likely if this species is immature, since many species of Galium look alike when in the juvenile stage.
F. Threats
- Changes in hydrology resulting from management activities, or from climate change. Galium kamtschaticum can be considered a wetland obligate.
- Trampling, crushing, or other direct impacts to the fragile above-ground stems.
- Increases in light intensity (known populations received only partial or indirect sunlight).
- Noxious weed infestations.
REFERENCES
Anderson, J. P. 1974. Anderson's flora of Alaska and adjacent parts of Canada. Brigham Young University Press. Provo, Utah. 724 pp.
Calder, J. and R. Taylor. 1968. Flora of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Monograph No. 4, part 1. Canada Dept. of Agriculture, Plant Research Institute. Ottawa, Ontario.
Henderson, J., R. Lesher, D. Peter, and D. Shaw. 1989. Forested plant associations of the Olympic National Forest. Technical paper R6-Ecol-TP-001-88.
Hitchcock, C. L., A. Cronquist, M. Ownbey, and J. W. Thompson. 1969. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle, WA.
Hulten, E. 1968. Flora of Alaska and neighboring territories; a manual of vascular plants.
Potash, L. 1992. Species Management Guide for Boreal Bedstraw (Galium kamtschaticum). USDA Forest Service publication # R6-MBS-006-92.
Potash, L. 1998. Management Recommendations for Boreal Bedstraw (Galium kamtschaticum Steller ex Schult. And Schult.). Unpublished manuscript.
Scoggan, H. J. 1978-1979. The Flora of Canada. National Museum of Science, national museums of Canada marketing services. Ottawa.
USDA Forest Service. 1991. Regional Forester's Sensitive Species List for Region 6 (Pacific Northwest Region).
USDA Forest Service and USDI Bureau of Land Management. 1994a. Final supplemental environmental impact statement on managing of habitat for late successional and old-growth species within the range of the northern spotted owl. Portland, Oregon.
USDA Forest Service and USDI Bureau of Land Management. 1994b. Final supplemental environmental impact statement on managing of habitat for late successional and old-growth species within the range of the northern spotted owl. Appendix J2, Results of Additional Species Analysis. Portland, Oregon.
Washington Natural Heritage Program. 1994. Endangered, threatened, and sensitive vascular plants of Washington. Department of Natural Resources. Olympia. 52 pp.
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