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PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES<br />
Series 4, Volume 63, No. 8, pp. 269–320, 12 fig. pls., 3 tables October 14, 2016<br />
Vegetation and Flora of the Southern Black Mountains<br />
of West-Central Arizona<br />
Mary L. Butterwick and Thomas F. Daniel<br />
Department of Botany, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park,<br />
San Francisco, CA 94118 U.S.A.; Email: mlbutterwick@gmail.com<br />
This study documents the botanical resources of the southern Black Mountains<br />
along the western edge of Mohave County, Arizona. The flora area covers approximately<br />
883 sq. km (341 sq. mi) in the southern third of the range from Arizona Hwy.<br />
68 to Sacramento Wash along U.S. Interstate 40. Eight plant communities are identified<br />
and described and an annotated catalog of the vascular plants of the southern<br />
Black Mountains is provided. Seventy-two families, 276 genera, 471 species, and<br />
seven additional infraspecific taxa are documented from this region of the Mohave<br />
Desert (478 total taxa at rank of species or below). Plant families with the largest<br />
presence in the flora area include Asteraceae (89 species), Poaceae (53), Boraginaceae<br />
(35), Fabaceae (24), Brassicaceae (19), Cactaceae (16), and Polygonaceae (16).<br />
Of the 205 taxa of ephemeral herbs in the flora area, 182 (89%) are winter ephemerals.<br />
Thirty-eight taxa (8% of the flora) are not native to the flora of Arizona. Twelve<br />
species of biogeographic significance are noted, including Monardella eplingii, which<br />
is endemic to the Black Mountains.<br />
KeywOrdS: Mohave desert, Arizona, plant communities, floristics, ethnobotany<br />
The Black Mountains are an extensive desertic mountain range along the western edge of<br />
Mohave County, Arizona, paralleling the Colorado river for approximately 156 km (97 mi), from<br />
Lake Mead southward to Sacramento wash. The range was previously called the Ute Mountains,<br />
in reference to the Ute people who lived in the vicinity (Barnes 1960). The names Ute Mountains<br />
or Black Ute Mountains occur on the labels of several early plant collections from the area. This<br />
flora covers the southern third of the range from Union Pass along Arizona Hwy. 68 to Sacramento<br />
wash along U.S. Interstate 40. This portion of the range is approximately 24 km (15 mi) west of<br />
Kingman and 13 km (8 mi) east of the Colorado river (Fig. 1). The flora area comprises approximately<br />
883 sq. km (341 sq. mi).<br />
The flora area (Fig. 1) is bounded on the north by Arizona Hwy. 68 through Union Pass, and<br />
on the northeast by the main mass of the mountains, generally along the 1036 m (3400 ft) to 853<br />
m (2800 ft) elevation contours from north to south. South of Mohave Co. 10 (Oatman road), the<br />
flora area extends from Meadow Creek southeastward down Sacramento Valley to Sacramento<br />
wash, and follows the wash as it curves to the west near its junction with Franconia wash. From<br />
there the southwest boundary generally follows the 305 m (1000 ft) elevation contour to Mohave<br />
Co. 10 (Topock—Oatman road), then continues northward along the eastern edge of Mohave Valley<br />
on the west side of McHeffy Butte and Boundary Cone to Mohave Co. 153 (Boundary Cone<br />
road). From there, the boundary continues northward to encompass the hills on the west side of<br />
the Black Mountains generally following the 610 m (2000 ft) to 670 m (2200 ft) elevation contours<br />
from south to north, and reconnects with Arizona Hwy. 68 in Union Pass.<br />
269
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