Mallow Ninebark

More info for the term: prescribed fire

The Research Project Summary Understory recovery after low- and high-intensity
fires in northern Idaho ponderosa pine forests provides information on prescribed
fire and postfire response of plant species including mallow ninebark.

mallow ninebark
few-flowered ninebark
mallow ninebark
mallowleaved ninebark
mountain ninebark
ninebark
shallow ninebark

More info for the term: cover

Mallow ninebark can form dense thickets, which provide good shelter and cover
for a variety of wildlife species from small birds to large mammals.

More info for the terms: capsule, fruit, rhizome, shrub

This deciduous shrub is generally 2.0 to 7.0 feet (0.6-2.1 m) tall;
broad stem structure; twigs glabrous; bark shreddy on older branchlets;
inflorescence corymbose [21].  The fruit is an inflated two- to
three-chambered capsule with two to four very small seeds per chamber.
Mallow ninebark leaves are palmately three- to five-lobed, and begin to turn
color as early as late July, becoming brownish-red by early autumn [23].

Mallow ninebark has a horizontal perennating root system, although it is often
called a "rootcrown shrub".  Sectioning revealed that its perennating
organ is a rhizome [3].

Mallow ninebark generally occurs east of the Cascades, from south-central
British Columbia to central and eastern Washington and Oregon; east to
southwestern Alberta, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah [17].

More info for the term: fire regime

Mallow ninebark sprouts vigorously following fire.  Sprouts originate from
horizontal rhizomes, of which a high proportion are situated in mineral
soil.  Mallow ninebark has 36 to 99 percent of its rhizomes buried in mineral
soil, ensuring its potential for survival and sprouting following a
fire.  It has been ranked in the highest fire-survival category in a
western Montana study [4,9,14,38].

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

  
   Phanerophyte

More info for the terms: duff, mesic

Mallow ninebark is most commonly found on hillsides, canyons, and grasslands on
mesic ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir sites [17,23].  It also has been
found on moist slopes and streamsides in mountain-brush, aspen, and
mixed-conifer woodlands at 5,250 to 10,000 feet (1,600-3,000 m)
elevation [37].

Soils:  Mallow ninebark is found predominantly on soils with no exposed rocks.
Parent materials range from calcareous/noncalcareous sedimentary rocks
such as limestone, sandstone, and conglomerates, to igneous rock such as
granites and basalts.  Soil textures found on mallow ninebark sites range from
sandy loams to silty clay loams.  Ash layers have been found on some
loess soils in central Idaho.  Surface soil acidity range from pH 5.5 to
7.1.  The average duff layer is 2.6 inches (6.5 cm) with an effective
rooting depth generally at 15 inches (38 cm) [8,40,47].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

   210  Interior Douglas-fir
   212  Western larch
   213  Grand fir
   217  Aspen
   237  Interior ponderosa pine

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

   FRES20  Douglas-fir
   FRES21  Ponderosa pine
   FRES25  Larch
   FRES28  Western hardwoods

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

   KO11  Western ponderosa forest
   K012  Douglas-fir forest
   K014  Grand fir - Douglas-fir forest
   K018  Pine - Douglas-fir forest
   K037  Mountain-mahogany - oak scrub
   K063  Foothills prairie

Mallow ninebark is classified as fire resistant [14].  It is, however,
susceptible to death from severe fire temperatures.  Roots may be damaged by
moderate to severe fires.  Often there is a decrease in aboveground
parts following fire, subsequently delaying regeneration [9,14].

Prefire and postfire measurements of mallow ninebark in central Idaho are as
follows [25]:

        Avg. Live       Avg. Live     Avg. Crown   Avg. Dead   No.  Avg. Sprout
      Crown Diameter   Crown Height   Below 7ft.     Crown    Basal    Height
          (ft)             (ft)          (%)          (%)    Sprouts    (ft)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prefire    2.5             4.5          100.0         20.0     4.0      2.0
Postfire   1.5             3.0          100.0        100.0    21.0      2.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*  prefire measurements taken March/1965;  postburn measurements taken
   August/1965.
** postfire measurements were taken on the part of the plant which
   existed before treatment.

More info for the term: shrubs

Mallow ninebark's importance to livestock and wildlife is generally low to
moderate.  In central Idaho and western Montana, the grazing values for
livestock and wildlife are poor to none [35,46].  Mallow ninebark made up only
8 percent of bighorn sheep browse in central Idaho [12].

Wildlife use of mallow ninebark is usually minimal because more palatable
shrubs are commonly associated with it.  For up to 3 years following
fire, mallow ninebark sprouts are frequently browsed by deer.  Mallow ninebark becomes
a more important browse species on drier sites [38].

More info for the terms: forest, mesic

Mallow ninebark occurs in a wide variety of habitat types from cool/moist
subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), grand fir (A. grandis), and Engelmann
spruce (Picea engelmannii) to more mesic Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga
menziesii) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) sites.  Mallow ninebark's
associates generally include ocean-spray (Holodiscus discolor), common
snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), mountain snowberry (Symphoricarpos
oreophilus), white spirea (Spiraea betulifolia), serviceberry
(Amelanchier alnifolia), Oregon grape (Mahonia repens), and pinegrass
(Calamagrostis rubescens) [8,20,40,45,47].

Publications listing mallow ninebark as an indicator or dominant species in
habitat types (hts), plant associations (pas), or community types (cts)
are as follows:

Area                   Classification            Authority
----                   --------------            ---------
c ID                   forest (hts)         Steele and others 1981
c ID                   forest (hts)         Steele & Geier-Hayes 1989
e ID, w WY             forest (hts)         Steele and others  1983         
n ID                   forest (hts)         Cooper and others  1991
  MT                   forest (hts)         Pfister and others 1977
w MT                   forest (hts)         Arno and others  1985
  OR                   forest (cts)         Cole 1982
  OR: Wallowa-Whitman  forest (pas)         Johnson & Simon 1987
      National Forest
n UT                   forest (hts)         Mauk & Henderson 1984
  WA                   forest (hts)         Williams & Lillybridge 1983

More info for the term: shrub

Shrub

More info for the terms: forest, scarification, shrub

Mallow ninebark decreases the productivity of forest lands by severely
restricting regeneration.  Tordon 22K and Tordon 101 have been used
successfully to control this deep-rooted, perennial shrub [41]. Distortion,
curling, and browning of mallow ninebark leaf margins were
noted 1 week after application.  At the end of one growing season, there
was almost 100 percent browning and drying of foliage [41].

In northern Idaho, mallow ninebark showed two peaks of apparent susceptibility
to damage from spraying 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T:  in June, when the plants
were in bloom, and again in September before leaf drop.  Crown kill
averaged 99 and 80 percent respectively.  Following these treatments,
sprouts averaged about two per plant.  Spraying at these times decreases
mallow ninebark, thereby possibly benefiting associated species [28,36].

Two to three quarts (1.9-2.8 l) of Roundup herbicide with water
top-killed 62 to 80 percent of mallow ninebark foliage when applied during late
foliar development [33].  Mallow ninebark control using Esteron brush killer
achieved best results when this herbicide was mixed with diesel and
sprayed by helicopter from low altitudes [less than 150 feet/(46 m)]
[34].

In many Douglas-fir/mallow ninebark habitat types, pocket gophers have been
identified as a management problem.  They apparently damage young pines,
perhaps allowing mallow ninebark communities to outcompete conifer species.
Burning, livestock grazing, and scarification have been attempted to rid
mallow ninebark sites of pocket gophers [46].

In Montana and Utah, mallow ninebark only rated "fair" in energy and protein
values [10].

Mean mineral concentration values of the upper one-third of mallow ninebark's
current annual growth measured over 3 years (1974-76) on burned and
unburned sites on the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Idaho, were as
follows [32]:

            N      K     Mn    Cu      Mg    Ca     P     Zn     Na
            %      %     ppm   ppm     %     %      %     ppm    ppm
          ------------------------------------------------------------
Burned     1.30   1.60   40    6.50   0.22  1.20   0.30   14     48   
Unburned   0.90   1.20   60    5.80   0.20  1.00   0.28   20     53

     ID  MT  NV  OR  UT  WA  WY  AB  BC

More info for the term: cover

Mallow ninebark is generally avoided as browse.  In northern Idaho, mallow ninebark
was scarcely browsed when it exhibited a high cover percent [31].  In
cedar/hemlock (Thuja/Tsuga) ecosystems, it was found to be less
palatable than associated browse species [19].  In northern Utah,
however, mule deer browsed on mallow ninebark during the summer months [44].
In northern Idaho, livestock browsing on mallow ninebark seemed to increase its
utilization by producing more palatable stems.  Thilenius [48] found
that mallow ninebark became more palatable to white-tailed deer following
browsing by livestock.

The degree of mallow ninebark use shown by livestock and wildlife species
in several western states is rated as follows [3,10]:

                      Montana          Utah       British Columbia
                      -------          ----       ----------------
Cattle                 poor            poor             ---
Sheep                  fair            fair             ---
Horses                 poor            poor             ---
Bighorn                ---             ---              poor
Elk                    ---             ---              poor
Moose                  ---             ---              poor
Mule deer              ---             ---              poor
White-tailed deer      ---             ---              poor
Caribou                ---             ---              poor

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More info for the terms: fruit, seed, shrubs

Mallow ninebark flowering and fruiting dates are as follows [16]:

                             Flowering    Fruit Ripening   Seed Dispersal
     Site        Elevation     Dates           Dates           Dates
---------------  ---------   ---------    --------------   --------------
Kootenai Co. ID   3200 ft    5/20 - 6/30      August        Sept. 15 +
Missoula Co. MT   3200 ft     5/30 - 6/25    8/20 - 9/5      Oct.  10 +
                  4400 ft     6/20 - 7/10    8/20 - 9/25     Oct.  5 +
                  5400 ft     6/25 - 7/15    8/20 - 9/30     Oct.  5 +
                  6400 ft     7/5  - 7/25    9/5  - 9/25     Oct.  10 +

Mallow ninebark shrubs in northern Idaho showed stem elongation 25 days earlier
on southern aspects than on the cooler eastern aspects.  From this, it
is hypothesized that stem elongation may be controlled by air
temperature [11]. 

Seasonal development for mallow ninebark east of the Continental Divide in
Montana and Yellowstone National Park from 1928 to 1937 are as follows
[43]:

                     Average    Earliest    Latest  Standard  Number of
                      Date        Date       Date    Error    Observations

First Appearance     May  3      Apr   6    May  20    2          23
Leaves Full Grown    June 18     May  17    July 20    3          23
Flowers Start        June 13     May  22    June 30    2          24
Flowers End          July 6      June 18    July 21    2          24
Fruits Ripe          Aug  4      June 16    Sept  9    4          24
Seed Fall Starts     Aug  17     July 26    Sept 18   16           3
Leaves Wither        Aug  9      July  1    Sept 19    3          24
Leaves Fallen        Aug  24     July 23    Sept 26    3          24
First Frost Injury   Sept 25     Aug  28    Oct  26    3          24

Major phenological activities of mallow ninebark in northern Idaho are as
follows [36]:

        Bud     Leafing     Stem                Fruit   Leaf Color  Leaf
Year   Swell      Out      Growth    Blooming   Growth   Change     Fall
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1971     NA     4/21-5/11  5/4-6/18  5/26-6/18  6/18-NA   9/23      9/23     
1972     NA     4/19-5/23  5/6-6/13  5/19-6/13  6/13-NA   9/26      9/26
1973  4/3-4/15  4/23-6/4   5/2-6/4   5/23-6/12  6/19-NA   8/28      10/2

More info for the terms: shrub, shrubs

Mallow ninebark has been found to be more abundant on burned sites than on
unburned sites.  Twig densities on mallow ninebark shrubs increased through the
third postfire growing season in northern Idaho.  Shrub heights on
burned and unburned sites were equal by the fourth growing season, while
aboveground biomass of burned shrubs was only 64 percent of that of
unburned shrubs [5,32].  Owens [39] found that the annual twig
production for mallow ninebark increased proportional to the removal of shrub
canopy by fire in northern Idaho.

   survivor species; on-site surviving rhizomes

More info for the terms: fruit, presence, rhizome, shrubs

Seeds, flowering, and fruiting:  Flowering dates vary from May to July,
and fruit ripening occurs between late August and early October.
Mallow ninebark averaged 756,000 cleaned seeds per pound (344,000/kg), with a
16 percent soundness value [16].  Mallow ninebark seeds are primarily
transported by gravity.  Seeds stored in the soil are 11 percent viable,
and germinate in partial shade on scarified soil [46].

Regeneration following disturbance:  In western Montana, Bradley [4]
found mallow ninebark to occur in two forms:  singularly or in small clumps of
stems sprouting from one rhizome; or in large groupings with many stems
originating from a number of interlaced rhizomes.  External observations
of rhizomes revealed numerous suppressed buds along the entire length of
the axis.  One half of the shrubs excavated had stems arising from more
than one section of the rhizome.  Presence of buds throughout the
rhizome may permit sprouting at many points given the proper
environmental conditions [4].

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

   2  Cascade Mountains
   5  Columbia Plateau
   6  Upper Basin and Range
   8  Northern Rocky Mountains
   9  Middle Rocky Mountains

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More info for the terms: association, climax, competition, herbaceous, rhizome, shrub, shrubs, wildfire

Mallow ninebark is associated with a variety of species through its
successional progression.  In early seral stages, mallow ninebark is a part of
communities that reflect great species diversity.  This would include
overstory species such as quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), shrub
species like redstem ceanothus (Ceanothus velutinus), and numerous
herbaceous species.  In mid-seral communities mallow ninebark is associated
mostly with ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir, shrubs in the Salix and
Prunus genera, and herbs such as penstemon (Penstemon attenuatus) and
Fragaria species.  In climax mallow ninebark associations, Douglas-fir is the
dominant overstory species and occurs in pure stands.  Shrub layers
become increasingly simple, consisting primarily of Physocarpus,
Symphoricarpos, Amelanchier, and Spiraea.  The herbaceous layer decreases
and is generally limited to shade-tolerant rhizomatous species [46].

In the Intermountain West, mallow ninebark forms a union primarily in the
Douglas-fir/mallow ninebark association.  In northern Idaho, this association
is generally found between the drier ponderosa pine/Idaho fescue
(Festuca idahoensis) or ponderosa pine/mallow ninebark associations, and the
moister grand fir/mountain lover (Pachistima myrsinites) association
[6].

Mallow ninebark responds to various forms of disturbance such as silvicultural
cutting or wildfire by major vegetative responses.  This includes an
increase in coverage from existing plants and vigorous rhizome sprouting
[46].  Mallow ninebark is an obligate pioneer species that predictably
increases rapidly in average height following disturbance.  Over time,
as overstory competition increases, the height of mallow ninebark generally
decreases [24].

The currently accepted scientific name of mallow ninebark is Physocarpus
malvaceus (Green) Kuntze [17]. There are no recognized subspecies,
varieties, or forms.

The Soil Conservation Service in Pullman, Washington, has evaluated
mallow ninebark in order to develop this shrub's soil-stabilizing
characteristics for streambank stabilization projects [26].  Results
from this evaluation are not available.

Mallow ninebark suitability ratings for revegetating road cuts in northwestern
Montana are as follows [18]:

Initial(1)  Final (2)                   Natural    Soil (4)    Composite
Survival    Survival  Growth  Vigor(3)  Spread  Stabilization    Rating
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   6           8         5       5         0          4            28
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Ratings for each factor are based on a scale from 0 to 10 with 10
    being best.   
(2) Final survival based on percentage of initial survivors alive after
    4 years.
(3) Based on flowering growth rate and appearance.
(4) Based on root system and observed holding power.

Opulaster malvaceus (Greene) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 949. 1891
spiraea opulifolia y Hook. Fl. Bor. Am. 1 : 171. 1832.
Spiraea opulifolia pauciflora T. & G. Fl. N. Am. 1 : 414, in part. 1840.
Spiraea pauciflora Nutt.; T. & G. Fl. N. Am. 1 : 414, as a synonym. 1840.
Neillia malvacea Greene, Pittonia 2 : 30. 1889.
Physocarpus malvaceus Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 219. 1891.
Neillia monogyna malvacea M. EJones, Zoe 4 : 43. 1893.
Opulaster pauciflorus YLqWqt , Bull. Torrey Club 25: 581, 626. 1898.
Opulaster pubescens Rydb. Mem. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 1 : 205, 1900.
Neillia Torreyi Hook, f . Bot. Mag. pi. 7758. 1901.
Physocarpus pauciflorus Piper, Fl. Palouse Reg. 94. 1901.
A shrub, 1-2 m. high ; branches brown, stellate or glabrous ; petioles 1-2 cm. long ; leafblades orbicular or rounded-ovate in oiitline, more or less distinctly 3-5-lobed, doubly crenate, glabrous or more or less stellate on both sides, thin, obtuse, or those of the sterile shoots acute at the apex, usually cordate at the base, 2-6 cm, long and about as broad; bracts spatulate or cuneate, caducous ; pedicels 1-2 cm. long, densely stellate ; hypanthium 4-5 mm. wide, stellate; sepals ovate, 4-5 mm. long, stellate on both sides, acute or sometimes obtuse ; petals white, orbicular or broadly obovate, often 5 mm. long ; follicles 2, united nearly two-thirds their length, about 5 mm. long, flattened laterally, and somewhat keeled, dehiscent after falling; beaks straight, erect; seeds elliptic-pyriform, 1.5-2 mm. long ; caruncle small.
Type locality : Shore of Lake Pend d'Oreille, northern Idaho.
Distribution : Mountains, hillsides, and rocky banks, from British Columbia to Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana.

Physocarpus malvaceus is a species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common name mallow ninebark. It is native to western North America, where its distribution extends from British Columbia to Nevada to Wyoming.

This plant is a deciduous shrub usually growing up to 2.1 meters tall, sometimes reaching 3 meters. It can form dense thickets. The branches are hairless, and older ones have shreddy bark. The leaves have three to five lobes and serrated edges. Dark green when mature, they turn brownish red by early fall. The inflorescence is a corymb of flowers that have white petals measuring about 4 millimeters in length. The fruit is a follicle roughly one centimeter long.

This shrub grows in forests, woodlands, and oak scrub. The forests are dominated by subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), grand fir (A. grandis), Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). It is associated with plant species such as oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor), common snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), mountain snowberry (S. oreophilus), white spirea (Spiraea betulifolia), serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), Oregon-grape (Mahonia repens), and pinegrass (Calamagrostis rubescens). This shrub is codominant with Douglas-fir in a common plant community.

This shrub is a pioneer species that increases after disturbance and decreases as the overstory grows back and shades it out. It grows rapidly after events such as wildfire, sprouting up from its rhizomes. It is considered a "fire-resistant" plant. It survives fire and resprouts, becoming more common on burned sites than unburned.

This is not a favored food plant among wild and domesticated herbivores. It does provide good cover for small animals. The Dusky Flycatcher (Empidonax oberholseri) nests in it.

This plant is known to hamper regeneration of forest habitat after disturbance such as fire or logging. It outcompetes new conifer seedlings. It is controlled with herbicide spray in some regions.