Dracocephalum parviflorum, American dragonhead
Matthews, Robin F. 1993. Dracocephalum parviflorum, American dragonhead. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-reviews/drapar
| Abbreviation | Common Name | Scientific Name | Classification | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plants | ||||
| DRAPAR | American dragonhead | Dracocephalum parviflorum | Life Form: Plants/Forb Kingdom: Plantae Class: Dicot Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Dracocephalum | Fed. Protected: No Nativity: Native Invasiveness: Noninvasive |
The currently accepted scientific name of American dragonhead is Dracocephalum parviflorum Nutt. (Lamiaceae) [8,17,29]. There are no recognized subspecies, varieties, or forms.
Synonyms
- Moldavica parviflora Britt.
Other Common Names
American dragonhead, false dragonhead, dragonhead, dragon's head
General Distribution
American dragonhead is distributed from Quebec to Alaska, south to Arizona in the West, Missouri in the central United States, and North Carolina in the East [8,12,29].
States and Provinces
- United States: AK, AZ, CO, CT, DE, ID, IL, IN, IA, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WV WI, WY
- Canada: AB, BC, MB, NT, ON, PQ, SK, YT
Site Characteristics
American dragonhead commonly grows on open, moist sites [8,17,20] and in disturbed areas [9,15,18]. In the Great Plains it grows on gravelly soils along streams, in open woodlands, or on moist wooded hillsides [15]. In the Northeast, American dragonhead is found on rocky or gravelly calcareous soils in recently cleared areas [12]. It occurs from 4,500 to 10,000 feet (1,360-3,000 m) elevation in Colorado [16], and from 4,850 to 10,890 feet (1,470-3,300 m) elevation in Utah [29].
Plant Communities
See the Appendix for plant communities and cover types in which subterranean Indian breadroot may occur.
Some species commonly associated with American dragonhead include russet buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis), Oregon-grape (Mahonia repens), snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.), serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), western yarrow (Achillea millefolium), strawberry (Fragaria spp.), heartleaf arnica (Arnica cordifolia), fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), Bicknell geranium (Geranium bicknellii), and wild hollyhock (Iliamna rivularis) [1,4].
Botanical Description
American dragonhead is a native annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial forb. Solitary or clustered stems arise from a taproot and are 6 to 32 inches (15-80 cm) tall [8]. Leaves are coarsely serrate and flowers are crowded in a dense terminal or axillary cluster. The fruits are nutlets [29].
Raunkiaer Life Form (Raunkiaer 1934)
- Hemicryptophyte
Seasonal Development
American dragonhead flowers from June to August in the Intermountain region [8], and from June to September in the Great Plains [15].
Regeneration Processes
American dragonhead is a seed-banking species. Seeds are large and are not wind-dispersed. Buried seeds remain viable for a long period of time [13]. Seeds require fire or other disturbance for germination [20].
Successional Status
American dragonhead is prominent in initial or early successional communities following disturbance [26]. Its seed-banking ability allows colonization of disturbed areas even when no parent plants are present [13]. American dragonhead has usually disappeared or declined in importance within the first few years following disturbance [4].
Immediate Fire Effects
No entry.
Postfire Regeneration Strategy (Stickney 1989)
- Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
- Secondary colonizer - on-site seed
Fire Adaptations
Seed-banked American dragonhead seeds are fire activated, germinating after even severe fire [22]. American dragonhead flowers during the first few postfire years. New seeds remain dormant in the soil until the next stand-replacing fire or other disturbance occurs [1].
Plant Response to Fire
American dragonhead is a residual colonizer that is prominent in initial postfire communities, even after holocaustic fires [26].
After fire in Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) habitats in central Idaho, American dragonhead dominated the initial postfire vegetation. Plants were absent from prefire communities and adjacent 20-year-old burns. Frequencies in postfire years 1 and 2 were 96 and 100 percent, respectively. American dragonhead comprised 30 percent of all plant cover in the first postfire year and 37 percent of all cover in the second postfire year. It's cover was greatly reduced by the third growing season following the fire [21].
In ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) types in the Black Hills of South Dakota, American dragonhead exhibited initial postfire prominence but disappeared or greatly declined in importance by the second or third postfire growing season [23]. It showed the same response in jack pine (Pinus banksiana) habitats in Saskatchewan [6], white spruce (Picea glauca) habitats in Alaska [28], quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)-mixed conifer types in Idaho [5], and in Douglas-fir habitats in western Montana [7]. American dragonhead was present in 4-year-old and 29-year-old burns in pinyon (Pinus spp.)-juniper (Juniperus spp.) habitats in Colorado, but cover was sparse [10]. It played an important role in early succession after severe fires in fir (Abies spp.)-spruce (Picea spp.) habitats in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, but disappeared within 43 postfire years [2]. American dragonhead had greater density in moderately-burned stands compared to severely-burned lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) stands in Yellowstone National Park [1].
Fire Regimes
For fire regime information, search FEIS for this species by entering the species name or acronym on the home page and selecting “Fire Regime” as the publication type.
Fire Management Considerations
No entry.
Federal Status
None
Other Status
American dragonhead is classified as rare in New York. Its state rank there is listed as S1 (critically imperiled in New York State because of extreme rarity or is extremely vulnerable to extirpation from New York State due to biological factors) [30].
Importance to Wildlife and Livestock
No entry.
Palatability and Nutritional Value
No entry.
Cover Value
No entry.
Value for Rehabilitation or Restoration of Disturbed Sites
No entry.
Other Uses
No entry.
Other Management Considerations
No entry.
Table A1— Forest and range ecosystems, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) physiographic regions, Kuchler plant associations, Society for American Foresters (SAF) forest cover types, and Society for Rangeland Management (SRM) rangeland cover types in which this species occurs.
Forest and Range Ecosystems (Garrison et al. 1977)
- FRES10 White - red - jack pine
- FRES11 Spruce – fir
- FRES19 Aspen – birch
- FRES20 Douglas-fir
- FRES21 Ponderosa pine
- FRES23 Fir – spruce
- FRES26 Lodgepole pine
- FRES29 Sagebrush
- FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub
- FRES35 Pinyon – juniper
- FRES44 Alpine
Probably occurs in other ecosystems, but information is lacking
BLM Physiographic Regions (Bernard and Brown 1977)
- 1 Northern Pacific Border
- 2 Cascade Mountains
- 3 Southern Pacific Border
- 4 Sierra Mountains
- 5 Columbia Plateau
- 6 Upper Basin and Range
- 7 Lower Basin and Range
- 8 Northern Rocky Mountains
- 9 Middle Rocky Mountains
- 10 Wyoming Basin
- 11 Southern Rocky Mountains
- 12 Colorado Plateau
- 13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
- 14 Great Plains
- 15 Black Hills Uplift
- 16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
Kuchler Plant Associations (Kuchler 1964)
- Occurs in most Kuchler Plant Associations within its range
SAF Cover Types (Eyre 1980)
- Occurs in most SAF Cover Types within its range
SRM Rangeland Cover Types (Shiflet 1994)
- Occurs in most SRM Cover Types within its range
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2. Barmore, William J., Jr.; Taylor, Dale; Hayden, Peter. 1976. Ecological effects and biotic succession ollowing the 1974 Waterfalls Canyon Fire in Grand Teton National Park. Research Progress Report 1974-1975. Unpublished report on file at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 99 p. [16109]
3. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p. [434]
4. Bradley, Anne F.; Noste, Nonan V.; Fischer, William C. 1992. Fire ecology of forests and woodlands in Utah. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-287. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, ntermountain Research Station. 128 p. [18700]
5. Brown, James K.; DeByle, Norbert V. 1989. Effects of prescribed fire on biomass and plant succession in western aspen. Res. Pap. INT-412. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 16 p. [9286]
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7. Crane, M. F.; Habeck, James R.; Fischer, William C. 1983. Early postfire revegetation in a western Montana Douglas-fir forest. Res. Pap. INT-319. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 29 p. plus chart. [710]
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23. Orr, Howard K. 1970. Runoff and erosion control by seeded and native vegetation on a forest burn: Black Hills, South Dakota. Res. Pap. RM-60. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. 12 p. [1802]
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