The 2012 ASHS Annual Conference

Prior to settlement in the early 1800’s, the Ozark Highland ecosystem relied on disturbances to maintain the diversity of flora and fauna.  Periodic wild land fires preserved a mosaic of open oak savannas and glade habitats, which early journal accounts in the 1800s suggests contained robust meadows covered in a range of wildflowers and grasses.  Due to the suppression of fires in the Ozark region, most of these savannas and glades today are overgrown in invading species not tolerant of periodic burns. Aureolaria grandiflora (Benth.) Penn., also called large-flowered false foxglove, is a parasitic plant of Quercus spp. (oaks) within the white oak group, and has been deemed a strong indicator plant of a remnant savanna and glade complex.  This study evaluates if Aureolaria grandiflora established plants or seed germination will respond favorably to controlled burns by increasing seedling populations and perennial caudex stem growth the following spring. In October, 2010, a 2.4 acre rocky wooded slope, in Ozark County, Missouri, was slashed.  An assortment of trees, mostly within the white oak section were maintained and spaced to allow at least 50% light penetration to the forest floor.  The land rested for one year, and on October 27, 2011, populations of Aureolaria grandiflora were charted in twenty 2.74 m x 3.05 m plots. Each plant’s stem count was recorded for comparison in spring 2012. Twelve of the twenty test plots were burned once on December 2, 2011, and again on February, 19, 2012. Eight of the twenty test plots were not burned. In May 2012, perennial stem counts and seedling numbers will be collected and compared to the data collected prior to the burn. Data and analysis of the Aureolaria population differences and relative growth in response to burning will be presented.