Tag Archives: Washington

Eremogone franklinii var. thompsonii (M. Peck) R. L. Hartman & Rabeler

Thompson’s Sandwort (Eremogone franklinii var. thompsonii)

Franklin’s Sandwort (Eremogone franklinii (Douglas ex Hooker) R. L. Hartman & Rabeler) (see photo) is a quite widespread cushion-forming plant species that occurs in the western USA.

The variety discussed here, however, is known only from the type that was collected in the 1930s somewhere in Gilliam County in Oregon, USA. It may be extinct, however, it was found once in the 1980s in Benson County, Washington so may in fact be still existing.

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Franklin’s Sandwort (Eremogone franklinii), nominate race

Photo: Matt Lavin

(under creative commons license (2.0))
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0

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edited: 14.04.2019

Astragalus kentrophyta var. douglasii Barneby

Douglas’ Thistle Milkvetch (Astragalus kentrophyta var. douglasii)  

The Thistle Milkvetch is a very thistle-like member of the legume family, the species includes around seven varieties which are distributed over a wide range of the southern USA. 

The variety discussed here was described in 1964, it was restricted to a small area on the Colombia River at the boundery of Umatilla County in Oregon and Walla Walla County in Washington, USA.

Douglas’ Thistle Milkvetch hasn’t been collected since 1883, its habitat having been destroyed by dam projects and the plant is now considered extinct.

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The photo below shows another variety, probably the nominate form.

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References: 
[1] Astragalus kentrophyta Gray var. douglasii Barneby. Field Guide to Selected Rare Vascular Plants of Washington. Washington Natural Heritage Program and U.S.D.I. Bureau of Land Management 2005

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Thistle Milkvetch (Astragalus kentrophyta); nominate form

Photo: Matt Lavin
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0

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edited: 19.09.2019

Macropis steironemantis ssp. opaca Michener

Yakima River Oil-collecting Bee (Macropis steironemantis ssp. opaca)

The Yakima River Oil-collecting Bee was described in 1938, it is known only from a very small area at a place named Morgan’s Ferry at the Yakima River in Washington, USA.

This form reaches a length of about 0,9 cm; it differs from the otherwise identical nominate race by the duller surface of its legs and vertex. [1]

The nominate form of this species itself appears to be somewhat adapted to a single species of host plant, the Prairie Loosestrife (Lysimachia quadriflora Sims), formerly known under the name of Steironema longifolium (Pursh) Raf..

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The Yakima River Oil-collecting Bee is found in lists of extinct insects under a somewhat wrong name, with a wrong author and with a completely wrong description date: Macropis steironema ssp. opaca Robertson 1891.

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References:

[1] Charles D. Michener: A review of the American bees of the genus Macropis (Hymen., Apoidea). Psyche: a Journal of Entomology 45: 133-135. 1938

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edited: 28.04.2021