Machaeranthera (canescens)

Ann DeBolt and Hilary Parkinson USDA FS - Rocky Mountain Research Station 316 E. Myrtle Boise, Idaho 83702 208-373-4366 208-373-4391 (fax) adebolt@fs.fed.us www.fs.fed.us/rm/boise

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Family Scientific Name:	Asteraceae
Scientific Name:	Machaeranthera canescens (Pursh) Gray
Common Name:	Hoary aster
Ecotype:	Mountain Home Uplands (at the collection site, growing with squirreltail grass, Sandberg bluegrass, cheatgrass), Elmore County, ID, 957 m
General Distribution:	Typically an early successional species of dry open habitats, from lowlands to more than 3000 m, but more common at lower elevations. Widespread in the western U.S. and Canada, mainly east of the Cascade-Sierran summits, east to North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, and south to southern California, southern Nevada, central Arizona, and central New Mexico.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Time To Grow:	0
Propagule Collection:	Purple flowers bloom from July to October. Phenology varies based on elevation, aspect and seasonal weather patterns. The fruit (achene) matures 4 to 5 weeks after flowering. Mature achenes are cream-colored to tan and easily dispersed by the wind. The seed (achenes) was collected by hand into containers. Seed maturation is indeterminate. After collection, the seed was thoroughly dried and placed in a standard freezer for 48 hours to remove insect pests. It was then stored in brown glass jars at room temperature prior to propagation trials.
Propagule Processing:	Only enough seed was cleaned to conduct these propagation trials. Pappus was removed by hand from achenes by rubbing between paper towels.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Achenes were placed in germination boxes with 2 layers of blotter paper moistened with distilled water. Achenes were pre-chilled for 35 days in a germinator at 4§C in the dark. Additional water was added as necessary.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Boxes containing prechilled seeds were incubated in a germinator at a constant 21§C with exposure to 12 hours of cool-white flourescent light alternating with 12 hours of darkness. Germination began in less than 5 days and was 76% complete in 8 days. Total germination percentage was 77%.
Establishment Phase:	Secondary leaves began to appear approximately 7 days after germination. This species is best seeded directly onto a soil medium as the roots quickly penetrated the germination blotters. Extracting them from the paper meant losing a large portion of the seedling root, but about 90% survived when planted in containers.
Other Comments:	Partial funding for this research was provided by the USDI Bureau of Land Management, Great Basin Restoration Initiative.
References:	Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 730 p. USDA, NRCS. 2004. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Citation:

Parkinson, Hilary; DeBolt, Ann. 2005. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Machaeranthera canescens (Pursh) Gray plants USDA FS - Rocky Mountain Research Station Boise, Idaho. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/02). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.