Vegetation and Habitat
Research and Monitoring - Sticky Buckwheat and Threecorner Milkvetch Conservation
Sticky Buckwheat and Threecorner Milkvetch Conservation
Threecorner milkvetch (Astragalus geyeri var. triquetrus) and sticky buckwheat (Eriogonum viscidulum) are rare, annual plants listed as critically endangered in the state of Nevada. Both species occur in sand deposits associated with the Muddy Creek Formation with historical ranges that extend from the southern edge of Lincoln County, NV south to Lake Mead NRA in Clark County, NV. The objective of this project is to support existing sticky buckwheat and threecorner milkvetch conservation programs to ensure that the existing abundance of the species in and adjacent to the LCR MSCP planning area is maintained or increased.
In 2008, monitoring plots were established for threecorner milkvetch and sticky buckwheat. The objectives of the monitoring are to assess the status and trends of select populations of each species and to evaluate abiotic variables that may influence population condition. Specifically:
- Maintain the current density (within 30% of the baseline measurement calculated from a year of average to above average rainfall) over the next 10 years,
- Correlate the abiotic factors of rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, and soil chemistry, with the density (measured in average to above average rainfall years) of sticky buckwheat and threecorner milkvetch,
- Detect changes in species richness and cover of native and non-native plant species over the next 10 years.
For additional information on this project, please refer to Work Task C2: Sticky Buckwheat and Threecorner Milkvetch Conservation (PDF). Find Technical Reports for this Work Task here.
Updated October 14, 2011