Basalt Milkvetch and Globemallows:
North American Forbs for Rehabilitation,
Conservation, and Forage Production
D.A. Johnson, T.A. Jones, J.H. Cane,
D.R. Gardner, and M.D. Peel
Great Basin Native Plant Selection and
Increase Project
Goal: Increase native plant materials available
for restoration of disturbed rangelands
Scarlet Globemallow
Basalt Milkvetch
Munroe Globemallow
Basalt Milkvetch - Astragalus filipes
* Widely spread
* Upright habit
* Nitrogen fixer
* Creamy, showy flower
* Good seed production
* No reports of toxicity
Seed Collection for Basalt Milkvetch
• Obtained location information from
herbarium specimens
• Mapped specimen sites for collection
• Collected seed, forage, root nodules,
and soil from each site
Passport Data for Each Collection
• Taxonomic identification
• Location to nearest town
• Latitude, longitude, elevation
• Site exposure, slope
• Site physical characteristics
• Associated vegetation
• Other notes
83 Seed and Forage Collections of Basalt
Milkvetch from Six-State Area and BC
Basalt Milkvetch Collections
Occurs on Wide Diversity of Sites
Warrior Mine
Gabbs, NV
Champs Flat
Susanville, CA
Illipah Canyon, NV
Good Seed Producer
Oregon
Nevada
California
Does Well in Burned Areas
Nevada
Oregon
Competitive With Cheatgrass
Burns, OR
Clarno, OR
Collection of Root Nodules and
Soil for Isolation of Rhizobium
Digging Nodules
Individual Nodules
Toxicity to Livestock and Wildlife
(Poisonous Plant Research Lab, Logan)
Analyzed Forage Samples for:
• Nitro-toxins
• Selenium
• Swainsonine
No detectable levels or extremely
low levels
Challenges: Basalt Milkvetch
• Slow, extended germination
• Poor seedling vigor
• Seed predation (true weevils,
seed beetles)
Selection for Improved
Seedling Vigor
Establish Common Garden Nurseries at
Logan and Millville
* Ecotypic variation
* Genetic Diversity
Other Possible Selection Characteristics
* Plant vigor
* Forage yield
* Competitive interactions
* Grazing tolerance
* Persistence
* Seed yield
Ongoing Studies with Jim Cane
Seed Predation
Pollination
Globemallow Characteristics
Scarlet Globemallow
(Sphaeralcea coccinea)
– Prostrate habit
– Rhizomatous
– Leaves deeply lobed
Munroe Globemallow
(S. munroana)
– Upright habit
– Non-spreading
– Leaves more ovate
Both are drought tolerant
Origin of Germplasm
Scarlet Globemallow
* Selected from ARS-2936 (germplasm release)
Munroe Globemallow
* Selected from ARS-2892 (germplasm release)
* Additional collections from:
Box Elder County, Utah
Wasatch County, Utah
Coconino County, Arizona
Scarlet Globemallow Improvement
Selection for:
* Seed production
* Seedling vigor
* Whole plant vigor
* Persistence
• Rhizome development (up to 1 m/yr)
Two populations:
* Rangelands
* Ornamental use (extended flowering)
* Similar strategy with Munroe Globemallow
Acknowledgements
Great Basin Native Plant Selection and
Increase Project
Typical Breeding Scheme for Cross-Pollinated Crops
Germplasm assembled and
planted. No evaluation
year of establishment.
Material is evaluated for traits,
1-5 years, typically 2 years.
Plants established in the field.
Selected plants crossed to
produce seed. Crossing in the
field requires an extra year.
Seed evaluated for germination
and seedling vigor.
Process repeated three or four times to develop cultivar.