Whitman Mission National Historic Site - Plants

Whitman Mission is located on the southern extreme of the Palouse Prairie Region. Originally, this prairie was dominated by perennial grasses, principally bluebunch wheatgrass which flourished over the plains. Intermixed with it were smaller patches of sandberg bluegrass and Idaho fescue. The region is classified as the Agropyron-Poa habitat type. Large native herbivore were generally absent from the Palouse, and because of this, the grasses evolved with a low resistance to grazing. Subsequent grazing by domestic livestock and extensive cultivation for wheat are the main reasons why native perennial grasslands are now rare on the Palouse. The staff at Whitman Mission National Historic Site has compiled a vascular plant checklist and a collection of voucher specimens. There are almost 200 specimens in the herbarium. At this time, there are no known federally listed threatened or endangered plant species within the NHS.