This description provides characteristics that may be relevant to fire ecology, and is not meant for identification. Keys for identification are available (e.g. [11,22,24,57,58]).
Longflower snowberry is a native, perennial shrub mostly 20 to 39 inches (50-100 cm) tall [58]. Low spreading branches 20 to 39 inches (50-100 cm) long [22] are commonly spread at right angles to the stem [58]. Older branches become fibrous and shreddy [57], and smaller twigs tend to persist so plants may be "somewhat thorny" [11]. The deciduous leaves are simple and opposite [57]. Perfect flowers [22] are solitary or paired in leaf axils, or in small, terminal, few-flowered racemes [58] and produce a berry-like drupe with 2 nutlets [57].
Longflower snowberry occurs from southeastern Oregon to Colorado, Utah, Texas, and southeastern California [22,60].
Plants database provides a distributional map of longflower snowberry.
The following lists include North American ecosystems, habitat types, and forest and range cover types in which longflower snowberry may occur. These lists are not necessarily exhaustive or completely inclusive. More information is needed regarding areas where longflower snowberry may be part of the flora.
Fire adaptations: Bradley and others [8] state longflower snowberry has a root crown and rhizomes that sprout after fire.
FIRE REGIMES: Bradley and others [8] place longflower snowberry within a fire group in Utah that consists of late-successional stands dominated by pinyon, juniper or both. In the presettlement era, fire was a relatively common event in pinyon-juniper stands. Fire increased productivity of understory species like longflower snowberry. Specific fire history studies of pinyon-juniper are few, with none focusing on Utah, but the literature contains studies of fire history of pinyon-juniper stands in other areas.
Leopold [31] suggests fire occurred at intervals of 10 to 30 years for Colorado pinyon-alligator juniper (P. edulis-J. deppeana) in Arizona. On 4 study sites in the climax western juniper (J. occidentalis) stands of southwestern Idaho, fire-free intervals were 23, 18, 8, and 11 years between the years 1840 and 1910 [9]. Moir [35] believed that Mexican pinyon (P. cembroides) stands in the Chisos Mountains of Texas could be maintained in a "natural" condition by fire occurring every "50 years or so."
The following list provides fire return intervals for plant communities and ecosystems where longflower snowberry is important. It may not be inclusive. Find further 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".
Community or Ecosystem Dominant Species Fire Return Interval Range (years) silver sagebrush steppe Artemisia cana 5-45 [19,43,61] sagebrush steppe Artemisia tridentata/Pseudoroegneria spicata 20-70 [39] basin big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. tridentata 12-43 [45] mountain big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. vaseyana 15-40 [2,9,34] Wyoming big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata var. wyomingensis 10-70 (40**) [56,64] California montane chaparral Ceanothus and/or Arctostaphylos spp. 50-100 [39] curlleaf mountain-mahogany* Cercocarpus ledifolius 13-1,000 [3,47] mountain-mahogany-Gambel oak scrub Cercocarpus ledifolius-Quercus gambelii < 35 to < 100 blackbrush Coleogyne ramosissima < 35 to < 100 western juniper Juniperus occidentalis 20-70 Rocky Mountain juniper Juniperus scopulorum < 35 pinyon-juniper Pinus-Juniperus spp. < 35 [39] Mexican pinyon Pinus cembroides 20-70 [35,53] Colorado pinyon Pinus edulis 10-400+ [15,17,26,39] Jeffrey pine Pinus jeffreyi 5-30 [1] interior ponderosa pine* Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum 2-30 [1,4,30] Arizona pine Pinus ponderosa var. arizonica 2-15 [4,10,48] oak-juniper woodland (Southwest) Quercus-Juniperus spp. < 35 to < 200 [39] interior live oak Quercus wislizenii < 35 [1] *fire return interval varies widely; trends in variation are noted in the species reviewLongflower snowberry has narrow ecological boundaries and is usually found on xeric sites [33]. Longflower snowberry is common on dry, rocky soils in desert areas of southern Utah [60]. In the White Mountains of California, longflower snowberry occurs on granitic substrate at an elevation from 9,500 to 10,000 feet (2,896-3,048 m) [62].
Reported elevational ranges for longflower snowberry in some states where it occurs are:
State Elevation Reference Arizona 4,000 to 8,000 feet (1,219-2,498 m) [25] California 4,429 to 5,249 feet (1,350-1,600 m) [20] 4,500 to 10,000 feet (1,392-3,048 m) [38] Colorado about 5,000 feet (1,524 m) [18] Nevada 3,800 to 7,500 feet (1,158-2,286 m) [24] New Mexico 6,000 to 8,000 feet (1,829-2,438 m) [32] Texas 5,000 to 6,500 feet (1,524-1,981 m) [42] Utah 3,002 to 9,514 feet (915-2,900 m) [58]Stanton [51] describes the minimum mean annual precipitation for longflower snowberry occurrence as 8 to 9 inches (203-229 mm).
Most authors report limited use of longflower snowberry by livestock and wildlife. McArthur and others [33] state snowberry is usually less preferred by game and livestock in winter than other shrubs. However, since it leafs out early in the spring, they report it is utilized by all browsing animals at that time.
Longflower snowberry is browsed by deer and livestock and the seeds are eaten by birds, especially the gallinaceous birds such as ring-necked pheasants, grouse and quail [57]. Sage-grouse in Nevada utilize longflower snowberry as both juveniles and adults [46]. The American pika and various ground squirrels also eat the seeds [57].
Kufeld and others [29] provide a literature review of plants utilized by Rocky Mountain mule deer. Longflower snowberry is used "lightly" in all seasons but winter, when it is not utilized. Limited summer use of longflower snowberry by pronghorns in Utah has been observed [50].
Palatability/nutritional value: Longflower snowberry is considered "largely unpalatable" to livestock in the desert regions of Nevada and Utah [54], and is rated as fair in both energy and protein content [12]. Plummer and others [41] give palatability of longflower snowberry an overall rating of fair, a winter rating of poor, summer rating of fair, and a spring rating of very good in a discussion of shrubs used in restoring Utah big game range.Cover value: Cover value of longflower snowberry for big game is limited by its size (see General Botanical Characteristics). However, it provides fair cover for both upland game birds and small nongame birds and good cover for small mammals in Utah [12]. It is reasonable to assume that longflower snowberry provides this same cover value for birds and small mammals in other areas where it occurs.
There is little in the current literature (2005) describing habitat types or
plant communities where longflower snowberry occurs. What information is
available centers on sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) and pinyon-juniper
(Pinus-Juniperus spp.) communities.
In a description of northern Nevada sagebrush plant associations, Zamora and Tueller
[65] list plants occurring with longflower snowberry. Shrubs occurring with
longflower snowberry in northern Nevada include low sagebrush (A. arbuscula),
big sagebrush (A. tridentata), fringed sagebrush (A. frigida), black
sagebrush (A. nova), green rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus),
antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), and gray horsebrush (Tetradymia
canescens). Grasses associated with longflower snowberry in northern Nevada are
bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), Sandberg bluegrass (Poa
secunda), and Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis).
Issacson [21] lists Saskatoon serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), curlleaf
mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius), and Idaho fescue as plants associated
with longflower snowberry in the pinyon-juniper woodlands of central Nevada and Utah.
Classifications describing plant communities in which longflower snowberry is a dominant
species are:
Flowering dates for longflower snowberry are:
State Flowering dates Arizona April to August [25] Nevada May to June [24] New Mexico May to August [32] Texas May to August [42,57]
Information concerning regeneration of longflower snowberry is scant. Vines [57] states longflower snowberry can be propagated by seeds. Bradley and others [8] describe longflower snowberry has having a root crown and rhizomes that sprout after fire. Presumably, sprouting would occur after other forms of disturbance.
McArthur and others [33] state all species of snowberry establish readily from seed and cuttings from wild plants and that plants spread rapidly by layering.
Breeding system: Snowberries produce perfect flowers [22] so are considered monoecious.
Pollination: No information is available on this topic.
Seed production: No information is available on this topic.
Seed dispersal: There are no direct references to seed dispersal of longflower snowberry in the available literature as of this writing (2005). The seeds of longflower snowberry are eaten by birds, especially the gallinaceous birds such as ring-necked pheasants, grouse, and quail [57]. In a study of western snowberry (S. occidentalis), Pelton [40] concluded that "at least some" of western snowberry nutlets would survive passing through the digestive system of birds, so birds could act as seed dispersal agents. Since the nutlets of longflower snowberry are similar to those of western snowberry, birds likely play a part in seed dispersal of longflower snowberry. McArthur and others [33] state mice and other small rodents cache seeds of snowberries, and plants are widely established from these caches [41].
Since snowberries produce drupes as a fruit, it is reasonable to assume wind plays little role in longflower snowberry seed dispersal. Pelton [40], in a discussion of western snowberry, states, "Wind is probably of very minor importance in dispersal."
Seed banking: There is no information in the literature concerning longflower snowberry and seed banking. Snowberries in general have a tough seed coat and a partially developed embryo, which sometimes delays germination [41]. This delay in germination may provide a small, temporary seed bank. Morgan and Neuenschwander [37] reported finding seeds of both common snowberry (S. albus) and creeping snowberry (S. mollis) in the seed bank after clearcutting and broadcast burning in northern Idaho. The authors comment that seeds of neither species had been reported in previous seed bank studies.
Germination: As of this writing (2005), there is no information available concerning germination of longflower snowberry seeds. Stanton [51] discusses germination of mountain snowberry (S. oreophilus), a plant very similar to longflower snowberry, and states mountain snowberry has a seed germination rate of 67% to 78%.
Seedling establishment/growth: No information is available on this topic.
Asexual regeneration: Bradley and others [8] state longflower snowberry has a root crown and rhizomes that sprout after fire. Additionally, all species of snowberry spread rapidly by layering [33,41]
The currently accepted scientific name for longflower snowberry is
Symphoricarpos longiflorus Gray (Caprifoliaceae) [11,22,24,57,58].
There are no recognized varieties or forms.
Because of the paucity of specific information on longflower snowberry, some
reference is made to the genus of snowberries (Symphoricarpos spp.) in
this review.
Longflower snowberry has limited range (see General Distribution) with relatively narrow environmental constraints (see Site Characteristics). Within these limits longflower snowberry is "vitally important" for rehabilitation of disturbed sites because no substitute with similar attributes has been found [36]. McArthur and others [33] describe longleaf snowberry as having the same adaptive attributes as mountain snowberry but in more xeric sites. These attributes include erosion control on roadcuts and fills as well as mine spoils, especially in pinyon-juniper sites in Utah and Nevada. Plummer and others [41] also describe longflower snowberry as having the same adaptive properties as mountain snowberry.
Vines [57] states longflower snowberry can be propagated by seeds and softwood or hardwood cuttings. McArthur and others [33] state all species of snowberry establish readily from seed, wildings, and nursery stock and that plants spread rapidly by layering.
Symphoricarpos longiflorus is a species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known by the common names desert snowberry[1] and fragrant snowberry. It is native to the western United States from the Great Basin to western Texas, as well as northwestern Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua, Baja California).[2][3][4]
Symphoricarpos longiflorus grows in rocky desert habitat, sagebrush, chaparral, forests, woodlands, and other habitat. It is most often found in dry habitat types.[5]
Symphoricarpos longiflorus is an erect, spreading shrub with many stiff branches, reaching up to about a meter (40 inches) in height. It is hairless to lightly hairy and sometimes glandular, and the branches may be lined with tiny spines. The bark is reddish and ages white and shreddy. The thick, fuzzy, green or blue-tinged leaves are generally lance-shaped, sometimes with rounded tips. They are usually no more than 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) long. The fragrant flowers occur singly or in pairs in leaf axils, or are borne in a small raceme. Each flower has a long, slender, tubular throat up to 1.5 centimeters (0.6 inch) long, and a spreading face with five pointed lobes. The tube is bright to pale pink or cream in color, and the face of the corolla may be lighter in tone. The fruit is a dry drupe under a centimeter wide with two seeds.[3]
Symphoricarpos longiflorus is a species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family known by the common names desert snowberry and fragrant snowberry. It is native to the western United States from the Great Basin to western Texas, as well as northwestern Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua, Baja California).
Symphoricarpos longiflorus grows in rocky desert habitat, sagebrush, chaparral, forests, woodlands, and other habitat. It is most often found in dry habitat types.
Symphoricarpos longiflorus is an erect, spreading shrub with many stiff branches, reaching up to about a meter (40 inches) in height. It is hairless to lightly hairy and sometimes glandular, and the branches may be lined with tiny spines. The bark is reddish and ages white and shreddy. The thick, fuzzy, green or blue-tinged leaves are generally lance-shaped, sometimes with rounded tips. They are usually no more than 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) long. The fragrant flowers occur singly or in pairs in leaf axils, or are borne in a small raceme. Each flower has a long, slender, tubular throat up to 1.5 centimeters (0.6 inch) long, and a spreading face with five pointed lobes. The tube is bright to pale pink or cream in color, and the face of the corolla may be lighter in tone. The fruit is a dry drupe under a centimeter wide with two seeds.
