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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
SPECIES: Garrya wrightii | Wright Silktassel
ABBREVIATION :
GARWRI
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
GAWR3
COMMON NAMES :
Wright silktassel
Wright's silktassel
silktassel
quinine-bush
coffeberry-bush
coffee berry
bearberry
feverbush
grayleaf dogwood
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of Wright silktassel is Garrya
wrightii Torr. [12,13].
LIFE FORM :
Shrub
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
Ronald Uchytil/August 1990
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Uchytil, Ronald J. 1990. Garrya wrightii. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Garrya wrightii | Wright Silktassel
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Wright silktassel occurs in southern and central Arizona, southern New
Mexico, the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, and northern Mexico [13].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES21 Ponderosa pine
FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
FRES35 Pinyon - juniper
FRES40 Desert grasslands
STATES :
AZ NM TX MEXICO
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
CHIR CORO FOBO GRCA GUMO SAGU
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
7 Lower Basin and Range
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K019 Arizona pine forest
K023 Juniper - pinyon woodland
K031 Oak - juniper woodlands
K032 Transition between K031 and K037
K058 Grama - tobosa shrubsteppe
SAF COVER TYPES :
237 Interior ponderosa pine
239 Pinyon - juniper
240 Arizona cypress
241 Western live oak
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Wright silktassel occurs as scattered individuals in many different
plant communities. It rarely occurs as a dominant. It is most abundant
in interior chaparral dominated by evergreen oaks (Quercus turbinella,
Q. grisea) and birchleaf mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides) or
true mountain-mahogany (C. montanus) and as an understory component of
pinyon-juniper woodlands [3,7,20]. Published classification schemes
listing Wright silktassel as a indicator species or dominant part of the
vegetation are listed below:
Vegetation of the Organ Mountains, New Mexico [7]
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Garrya wrightii | Wright Silktassel
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Livestock: In Arizona chaparral, livestock prefer Wright silktassel
over many other shrub species [34], and it is reportedly good browse for
cattle in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas [27]. In many areas, however,
it is considered worthless for livestock forage [5,11]. Goats readily
eat Wright silktassel [5,14].
Wildlife: Wright silktassel provides a stable supply of browse for deer
and elk in chaparral and pinyon-juniper communities. Desert bighorn
sheep browse this shrub [16]. Seasonal consumption of Wright silktassel
by mule deer and elk in a pinyon-juniper woodland in southwestern New
Mexico is summarized below [32]:
Percent composition of the diet (leaves and stems)
Winter Spring Summer Autumn
mule deer 3 4 4 5
elk 3 9 12 14
Following prescribed burning in central Arizona chaparral, white-tailed
deer browsed 8 percent of Wright silktassel sprouts from May through
July, and 14 percent in September [29]. Another study in central
Arizona chaparral found that deer and cattle use of Wright silktassel
sprouts following prescribed burning was high. This use is summarized
below [24]:
deer use only, second growing deer and cattle use, third
season following fire growing season following fire
51 percent utilization 25 percent utilization
PALATABILITY :
Wright silktassel contains quininelike substances which produce a bitter
taste and may account for its relatively low palatability to cattle
[35]. It is highly palatable to goats [14]. White-tailed deer and mule
deer "relative preference" for Wright silktassel is as follows [31]:
Winter Spring Summer Autumn
mule deer low low low low
white-tailed deer high medium low medium
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Wright silktassel browse is readily digestible. Throughout the year,
however, it is low in protein and phosphorus and has a low
phosphorus/calcium ratio. It is lower in protein than many associated
shrubs. Seasonal nutrient composition and in vitro digestibility of
current annual twig growth from plants in a southwestern New Mexico
pinyon-juniper woodland was reported as follows [32]:
(% of dry weight)
-----------------------------------
Digestibility Protein Phosphorus P:Ca ratio
Winter 55 5.2 0.12 0.11
Spring 58 6.1 0.13 0.05
Summer 56 6.9 0.13 0.15
Autumn 53 5.6 0.09 0.06
Following burning, crude protein levels of sprouts is much higher than
that of unburned plants. Crude protein of sprouts, recorded during the
first growing season following a September prescribed burn in Arizona
chaparral, is presented below [29]:
Date Crude Protein
(% of dry weight)
May 1 14
June 1 13
July 1 7
August 1 8
September 1 10
Oct-March 5-7
COVER VALUE :
Wright silktassel presumably provides cover for wild and domestic
animals.
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Silktassels (Garrya spp.) are sometimes used for erosion control. Fruit
collection, seed storage, seed treatment, and sowing methods have been
detailed [30]. Nursery-grown seedlings are ready for transplanting at 2
years of age [30].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Wright silktassel is used as an ornamental [33]. Rubber has been made
from this plant in small quantities [13].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Wright silktassel is moderatly resistant to phenoxy herbicides.
Following spraying, leaves and stems may die, but most plants eventually
refoliate or sprout from the root crown [10]. Plants are susceptible to
root plowing [3,10]. Recommendations for chemical and mechanical
control of Arizona chaparral shrubs have been discussed [10].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Garrya wrightii | Wright Silktassel
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Wright silktassel is a 3- to 10-foot (1-3 m) tall evergreen shrub with
stout, quadrangular branches and thick, leathery, light green leaves
[13,37]. Plants are dioecious, and the flowers of both sexes occur in
loose or dense catkinlike spikes [13]. The purple berries are 0.17 to
0.33 inch (4-8 mm) in diameter and contain one or two brown seeds [37].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Wright silktassel reproduces sexually through abundant seed. The seeds
are encased within a small globose to ovoid berry. Seeds are probably
dispersed by birds which feed on the berries. Some seeds exhibit embryo
dormancy; others germinate without any pretreatment [30]. Under
laboratory conditions, germination of pretreated seeds varied from 47 to
86 percent [30].
Seedbanking: Following prescribed burning in Arizona chaparral, Wright
silktassel seedlings emerged during 4 out of 5 years following the fire,
indicating that viable seeds were stored in the soil [23].
Sprouting: Following damage to the aboveground portion of the plant,
most plants regenerate by sprouting from the root crown [10].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Wright silktassel is primarily found in interior chaparral and as an
understory component in pinyon-juniper, and open oak and pine-oak
woodlands [5,6,18,20,21]. Wright silktassel is common on both north and
south exposures throughout Arizona chaparral and is most abundant from
5,000 to 8,000 feet (1,524-2,438 m) in elevation [3].
Associated shrubs in Arizona chaparral include turbinella oak, Emory oak
(Quercus emoryi), true mountain-mahogany, birchleaf mountain-mahogany,
skunkbush sumac (Rhus trilobata), desert ceanothus (Ceanothus greggii),
pointleaf manzanita (Arctostaphylos pungens), Pringle manzanita (A.
pringlei), yellowleaf silktassel (Garrya flavescens), and hollyleaf
buckthorn (Rhamnus crocea) [3,10,21]. Shrub associates in semidesert
grasslands, pinyon-juniper woodlands, and oak woodlands are commonly the
same shrubs with which Wright silktassel is associated in nearby
chaparral communities [7,19]. In southern New Mexico and western Texas,
Wright silktassel is common in oak scrub communities dominated by gray
oak (Quercus grisea), coahuila scrub oak (Q. intricata), and hairy
mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus var. paucidentatus) [6,7].
Elevational ranges are presented below [1,13,27]:
from 4,000 to 5,500 feet (1,219-1,676 m) in Trans-Pecos TX
3,000 to 8,000 feet (914-2,438 m) in AZ
4,300 to 7,200 feet (1,311-2,195 m) in the Rincon Mtns. AZ
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Wright silktassel is a common component of interior chaparral, a
vegetation type considered to be a true climactic climax susceptible to
large-scale burning [3]. The sprouting capability of Wright silktassel
allows it to become a part of the immediate postfire community.
Individual plants may live to be very old, although the aboveground
portion may extend back only to the last fire [21].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Wright silktassel flowers from March to August in Arizona and from May
to August in Texas [27,30]. Fruits ripen from August to September in
Arizona [27].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Garrya wrightii | Wright Silktassel
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Wright silktassel sprouts from the root crown following top-kill by fire
[10,22].
Severe wildfires are common in Arizona chaparral as a result of heavy
fuel accumulation and low early summer rainfall [22]. Fire frequencies
are generally between 20 to 80 or 100 years, although some stands may be
older [3]. Most chaparral species are well adapted to fire and recover
quickly. It takes at least 20 years before enough fuel accumulates to
support a repeat burn, unless the area was seeded with grasses [3].
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Tall shrub, adventitious-bud root crown
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Garrya wrightii | Wright Silktassel
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Fire generally top-kills Wright silktassel. Wildfires in Arizona
chaparral are often severe, defoliating all aboveground vegetation and
leaving only charred stems and a layer of ash over mineral soil [2,22].
Prescribed burning in September in Arizona chaparral 6 weeks following
shrub desiccation with herbicides resulted in 88.5 to 99.0 percent shrub
top-kill. Ninety five percent of Wright silktassel shrubs were
top-killed in these fall burns [23].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
Wright silktassel is susceptible to repeated burning. Sprouts initiated
after fire can be completely eliminated or significantly reduced if
burned again within 1 to 3 years. Pond and Cable [25] reported that
four annual burns or two burns spaced 2 years apart killed Wright
silktassel. Burning at 3-year intervals significantly reduced the
number of sprouts.
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Following top-kill by fire, most Wright silktassel plants sprout
vigorously from the root crown [3,23].
Plant recovery: In turbinella oak-mountain-mahogany chaparral in
central Arizona, recovery of Wright silktassel following prescribed
burning in September, 6 weeks after brush was desiccated with a phenoxy
herbicide, was as follows [23]:
percent crown cover
Post fire year
pretreatment post treatment 1 2 3 4 5
6.9 0.3 0.8 1.1 0.8 0.8 1.0
Browsing by deer may have accounted for Wright silktassel's slow
recovery in this study.
Seedbanking: Following the fire described above, Wright silktassel
seedlings emerged in late summer. Seedling emergence and seedling
survival is summarized below [23]:
number of seedlings per acre
Post fire year
1 2 3 4 5
seedlings emerging 102 86 16 0 9
*seedlings surviving at
end of growing season 93 121 32 73 45
* For seedling survival, columns 1 and 2 were based on four annual
burns; columns 3, 4, and 5 were based on three, two, and one annual
burn, respectively. Seedling survival data are therefore not additive
of seedling emergence data.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Arizona chaparral often has high fuel loads (up to 40 tons/acre [89,611
kg/ha] in long-unburned stands) which can result in extreme burning
conditions during late spring and early summer [22]. In general, fall
is the best time for prescribed burning in this vegetation type [3].
Desiccation of brush with phenoxy herbicides or partial crushing allows
for prescribed burning during periods of relatively low hazard [3,22].
Repeat burning, which is sometimes desirable for suppressing or killing
shrub sprouts, is usually difficult or impossible in Arizona chaparral
because it takes several years to produce enough fuel to carry a fire
[10].
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Garrya wrightii | Wright Silktassel
REFERENCES :
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Index
Related categories for Species: Garrya wrightii
| Wright Silktassel
|
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