Plant species at Pleasant Valley Conservancy with high C values (Coefficient of Conservatism)

Yesterday with the interns I was discussing the concept of C values (Coefficient of Conservatism). 

C values are widely used in restoration ecology when deciding whether a site merits restoration work. Each native species is assigned a value from 0 to 10, that represents the probability that this plant species is likely to occur in landscapes relatively unaltered from those of pre-settlement times. Plant species with high C values are relatively specialized in their requirements, and thus are found in more restricted habitats. Thus, a widespread species such as Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), found in numerous habitats from roadsides to remnant prairies, is assigned a value of 1 whereas prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), found almost exclusively on high-quality remnant prairies, has a value of 10.

A set of C values for all members of the Wisconsin flora has been published by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Areas. The C value for each native species is also given on the University of Wisconsin-Madison Herbarium web site and in Wildflowers of Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest, by Merel Black and Emmet J. Judziewicz, University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, Wisconsin.

Here is a link to the DNR on-line version 

Pleasant Valley Conservancy has quite a few plant species with high C values. Some of these species were native to the site and others have been introduced and are surviving well on their own.

The table below is a list of the high C value plants (C ranging from 7 through 10) that are fairly widespread at Pleasant Valley Conservancy.

Latin	Common	C value	Comments
Sporobolus heterolepis	Prairie dropseed	10	Native
Cypripedium parviflorum	Yellow lady-slipper orchid	9	Native
Ceanothus americanus	New Jersey tea	9	Native
Eupatorium sessilifolium	Woodland boneset	9	Native
Astragalus canadensis	Canada milkvetch	8	Planted
Aureolaria grandiflora	Yellow false foxglove	8	Planted
Baptisia alba	White wild indigo	8	Native
Bromus kalmii	Prairie brome	8	Native
Cirsium muticum	Swamp thistle	8	Native
Coreopsis palmata	Prairie tickseed	8	Planted
Dalea candida	White prairie clover	8	Planted
Eryngium yuccifolium	Rattlesnake master	8	Planted
Hasteola suaveolens	Sweet Indian plantain	8	Native
Oxalis violacea	Violet wood-sorrel	8	Native
Parthenium integrifolium	Wild quinine	8	Planted
Pedicularis canadensis	Wood betony	8	Native
Pedicularis lanceolata	Lousewort	8	Native
Silphium laciniatum	Compass plant	8	Planted
Symplocarpus foetidus	Skunk cabbage	8	Native
Actaea rubra	Red baneberry	7	Native
Allium cernuum	Nodding wild onion	7	Planted
Amorpha canescens	Lead-plant	7	Native
Asclepias exaltata	Poke milkweed	7	Native
Carex trichocarpa	Hairy-fruit sedge	7	Native
Chelone glabra	Turtlehead	7	Native
Dalea purpureum	Purple prairie clover	7	Planted
Desmodium illinoense	Illinois tick-trefoil	7	Native
Dodecatheon meadia	Shooting star	7	Native
Echinacea pallida	Pale purple coneflower	7	Planted
Gentiana alba	Cream gentian	7	Planted
Gentianella quinquefolia	Stiff gentian	7	Native
Helianthus pauciflorus	Prairie sunflower	7	Planted
Heuchera richardsonii	Prairie alum-root	7	Native
Saxifraga pensylvanica	Swamp saxifrage	7	Native
Silphium terebinthinaceum	Prairie dock	7	Planted
Sisyrinchium campestre	Blue-eyed grass	7	Native
Solidago missouriensis	Missouri goldenrod	7	Native
Taenidia integerrima	Yellow pimpernel	7	Native
Thalictrum dioicum	Early meadow-rue	7	Native
Uvularia grandiflora	Bellwort	7	Native
Viola pedata	Bird's foot violet	7	Native
Zizia aurea	Golden Alexander	7	Native

Native = Native to the site

Most of the native species have also been planted at other areas on the Conservancy in order to extend their range.

In addition to the above species which are widespread, a few species native to the site are well-established in only a few restricted areas. These include: hoary puccoon (10), purple milkweed (9), fringed puccoon (8), and prairie turnip (8).