Mountain Death Camas. Summary. Protection Threatened in New York State, not listed federally.

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1 Mountain Death Camas Scientific Name Family Name Anticlea elegans ssp. glaucus (Nutt.) A. Haines Liliaceae Lily Family Did you know? The mountain death camus is very poisonous to humans and livestock and is said to be more potent than strychnine. All parts are poisonous and livestock can be affected in the early spring when the fresh green leaves start to grow. Photo credits: Kimberly J. Smith Summary Protection Threatened in New York State, not listed federally. This level of state protection means: listed species are those with: 1) 6 to fewer than 20 extant sites, or 2) 1,000 to fewer than 3,000 individuals, or 3) restricted to not less than 4 or more than 7 U.S.G.S. 7 ½ minute topographical maps, or 4) listed as threatened by U.S. Department of Interior. Rarity G5T4T5, S2 A global rarity rank of G5T4T5 means: Apparently or Demonstrably Secure globally - The subspecies/variety is uncommon to common in the world, but not rare; usually widespread, but may be rare in some parts of its range; possibly some cause for long-term concern due to declines or other factors. More information is needed to assign a single conservation status. (The species as a whole is common globally.) A state rarity rank of S2 means: This plant is threatened/imperiled in New York because of rarity (typically 6-20 populations or few remaining individuals) or is vulnerable to extirpation from New York due to biological factors. Conservation Status in New York There are nine existing populations and almost all of them are large. One small population has not been seen since There are five historical populations. One site near Syracuse was extirpated by development. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Mountain Death Camas (Anticlea elegans ssp. glaucus)

2 Short-term Trends Short-term trends are stable. Long-term Trends Long-term trends are stable to increasing since most of the historical populations still exist and new populations have been found in Jefferson County. Conservation and Management Threats Invasive species are increasing at these sites, especially black swallow-wort, bush honeysuckle, and garlic mustard. ATV use in alvar areas can threaten populations. Some plants that are visible in public parks may be threatened by collection. Conservation Strategies and Management Practices Invasive species populations should be suppressed near populations of mountain death camas. ATV traffic should be kept away from populations. Research Needs There are no research needs at this time. Habitat In New York, Mountain Death Camas has been found growing on calcareous soils at both wet (rich graminoid and marl fens, dripping limestone cliffs) and dry (alvar grasslands and calcareous pavement barrens) sites (New York Natural Heritage Program 2010). Beaches, bogs and other wet, often calcareous places (Gleason and Cronquist 1991). Dunes and sandy or rocky shores of the Great Lakes, also inland on calcareous soils and banks, in bogs and low ground (Voss 1972). Associated Ecological Communities Alvar Grassland A community that occurs on shallow soils over level outcrops of calcareous bedrock (limestone or dolomite). Apparently alvar grasslands are restricted to areas that are seasonally flooded in spring or after heavy rainfall, as well as seasonally dry by late summer. Calcareous Cliff Community A community that occurs on vertical exposures of resistant, calcareous bedrock (such as limestone or dolomite) or consolidated material; these cliffs often include ledges and small areas of talus. Calcareous Pavement Barrens A savanna community that occurs on nearly level outcrops of calcareous bedrock (limestone or dolomite). The community consists of a mosaic of shrub-savanna, grass-savanna, and rock outcrop vegetation. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Mountain Death Camas (Anticlea elegans ssp. glaucus) 2

3 Cobble Shore Wet Meadow A community that occurs on the cobble shores of lakes and streams where the substrate is moist from seepage or intermittent flooding. These communities are likely to be scoured by floods or winter ice floes, but there is apparently no significant accumulation of pack ice. Marl Fen A wetland that occurs on a bed of marl. Marl is a whitish substance that is deposited from water that has a lot of calcium dissolved in it. The whitish substance is calcium carbonate, people used to harvest marl to lime agricultural fields. The marl substrate is always saturated, may be flooded, and has a very high ph, generally greater than 7.5. The main source of water is always groundwater. The plants are often sparse and stunted. Marl fens may occur as small patches within a rich graminoid fen. Rich Graminoid Fen A wetland of mostly grasses usually fed by water from highly calcareous springs or seepage. These waters have high concentrations of minerals and high ph values, generally from 6.0 to 7.8. Plant remains do not decompose rapidly and these grasses usually grow on older, undecomposed plant parts. Other Probable Associated Communities Calcareous red cedar barrens Calcareous shoreline outcrop Associated Species White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima var. altissima) Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) Silverweed Cinquefoil (Argentina anserina) Fringed Brome (Bromus ciliatus) American Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) Golden-fruited Sedge (Carex aurea) Crawe Sedge (Carex crawei) Scarlet Indian-paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea) Bulblet Fern (Cystopteris bulbifera) Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa) Flatstem Spike-rush (Eleocharis compressa) Beaked Spike-rush (Eleocharis rostellata) Scouring Rush (Equisetum hyemale) Variegated Horsetail (Equisetum variegatum) White Ash (Fraxinus americana) Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) Tartarian Honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) Ohio Goldenrod (Oligoneuron ohioense) Balsam Ragwort (Packera paupercula) Carolina Grass-of-parnassus (Parnassia glauca) Common Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris) Bird's-eye Primrose (Primula mistassinica) Yellow Mountain Saxifrage (Saxifraga aizoides) NYNHP Conservation Guide - Mountain Death Camas (Anticlea elegans ssp. glaucus) 3

4 Creeping Spikemoss (Selaginella apoda) Climbing Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) Early Goldenrod (Solidago juncea) Northern Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) Sticky False-asphodel (Triantha glutinosa) Tufted Bulrush (Trichophorum cespitosum) False Pennyroyal (Trichostema brachiatum) Triglochin Identification Comments Anticlea elegans var. glaucus grows from bulbs with erect stems reaching up to 60 cm tall. The leaves are glaucous, especially when young, and crowded towards the base. The inflorescence is an elongate panicle 5 to 45 cm long. Its bracts are herbaceous, taper to a firm narrow pointed tip and are strongly infused with green, brown, bronze or purple color. The flowers have creamy white to greenish yellow tepals 7 to 15 mm long, and a distinctive, strong odor. A single conspicuous, heart-shaped gland is present below the middle of each tepal. The fruits are narrowly oval-shaped cones 1 to 1.4 cm long and 5 to 8 mm in diameter, barely exceeding the perianth (Fernald 1950). Best Life Stage for Identifying This Species Flowering or fruiting individuals are best for identification. The Best Time to See Anticlea elegans ssp. glaucus typically flowers from late June through August with fruits persisting until the first frost. Flowering Fruiting Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Similar Species The time of year you would expect to find Mountain Death Camas in New York. This plant was formerly in the genus Zigadenus. The remaining Zigadenus species in New York (Z. leimanthoides) Z. leimanthoides is only found along the coastal plain of Long Island, outside the known range of Anticlea elegans ssp. glaucus. The two are also easily distinguished morphologically. The tepals of Zigadenus leimanthoides are smaller (3-6 mm) with only a single unlobed gland at the base. Vegetatively, A. elegans var. glaucus could look like a number of members within the Liliaceae (especially Veratrum and Amianthium species), so it is important to identify the plant with fruit or flowers. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Mountain Death Camas (Anticlea elegans ssp. glaucus) 4

5 Conservation Comments Based on molecular and morphological studies the genus Zigadenus has been segregated into a few distinct genera including Anticlea. Taxonomy Kingdom Phylum Plantae Anthophyta Class Monocots (Monocotyledoneae) Order Liliales Family Additional Common Names Alkali-grass White Camas White Camass Liliaceae (Lily Family) Synonyms Anticlea glauca ((Nutt.) Kunth) Zigadenus elegans ssp. glaucus ((Nutt.) Hulten) Zigadenus glaucus (Nutt.) Additional Resources Links New York Flora Atlas Species Page Flora of North America Minnesota Wildflowers USDA Plants Database ZIGADENUS+ELEGANS+SSP+GLAUCUS NatureServe Explorer S+SSP+GLAUCUS Google Images NYNHP Conservation Guide - Mountain Death Camas (Anticlea elegans ssp. glaucus) 5

6 References Fernald, M. L Gray's manual of botany. 8th edition. Corrected printing (1970). D. Van Nostrand Company, New York pp. Flora of North America Editorial Committee Flora of North America, North of Mexico. Volume 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford University Press, New York. 723 pp. Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. 910 pp. Holmgren, Noel The Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist's Manual. Illustrations of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. Keys, Jr.,J.; Carpenter, C.; Hooks, S.; Koenig, F.; McNab, W.H.; Russell, W.;Smith, M.L Ecological units of the eastern United States - first approximation (cd-rom), Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. GIS coverage in ARCINFO format, selected imagery, and map unit tables. Mitchell, Richard S. and Gordon C. Tucker Revised Checklist of New York State Plants. Contributions to a Flora of New York State. Checklist IV. Bulletin No New York State Museum. Albany, NY. 400 pp. NatureServe NatureServe Central Databases. Arlington, Virginia. USA Voss, E.G Michigan Flora, Part I. Gymnosperms and Monocots. Cranbrook Institute of Science Bulletin 55 and the University of Michigan Herbarium. Ann Arbor. 488 pp. Weldy, T. and D. Werier New York flora atlas. [S.M. Landry, K.N. Campbell, and L.D. Mabe (original application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research University of South Florida New York Flora Association Albany, New York Zomlefer, W.B., N.H. Williams, W.M. Whitten, and W.S. Judd Generic circumscription and relationships in the tribe Melanthieae (Liliales, Melanthiaceae), with emphasis on Zigadenus: evidence from ITS and trnl-f sequence data. Amer. J. Bot. 88: New York Natural Heritage Program 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY Phone: (518) acris@nynhp.org This project is made possible with funding from: - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program - Division of Lands & Forests, Department of Environmental Conservation - New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Information for this guide was last updated on Aug 10, 2017 This guide was authored by Stephen M. Young, Elizabeth Spencer, Richard M. Ring. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Mountain Death Camas (Anticlea elegans ssp. glaucus) 6