LONG ISLAND
BOTANICAL SOCIETY

Vol 10 , No.2

The Quarterly Newsletter

Apr.-Jun. 2000

^ The Status of
i y Sweetbay Magnolia
on Long Island, New York

Daniel Karpen

Sweetbay Magnolia ( Magnolia virginiana ) is
near the northern limit of its range on Long Island,
New York. It is a smooth barked magnolia com-
monly found growing in swamps and along the
borders of ponds from Essex County, Massachu-
setts, Long Island, and New Jersey south along the
coastal plain to Florida and west to Texas. It is a
slender tree or low bush 20 to 30 feet high, with a
trunk rarely more than 15 to 20 inches in diameter,
with slender bright green branchlets marked by
narrow horizontal pale lenticels, gradually turning
bright red-brown in their second summer (Sargent,
1961).

In New York State, Sweetbay -Magnolia is cur-
rently known to occur naturaly on Long Island and
on Staten Island. Extant populations from Long
Island occur in Nassau and Suffolk counties; his-
torical populations from Brooklyn, Queens, and the
Bronx have been destroyed, although individuals
escaped from cultivation have been reported from
the vicinity of the Bronx Zoo. Sweeetbay Mag-
nolia is currently listed as “critically imperiled” in
New York State because of its extreme rarity; less
than 5 naturally occurring populations are known
from the state and very few individuals remain
(Young, 1998).

In The Trees of Long Island, George Peters states
that it is “a southern treee that originally was found
in deep swamps along the lower ends of streams
from New Utrecht (Miller, 1889) to Speonk
(NYSM), (NYBG), (BBG). According to H. Hicks,
it was systematically dug out from each stream by

nurserymen seeking plant material suitable for
landscaping. It may still (1972) persist in the
Speonk swamps. There is one North Shore record
at Flushing (BBG)” (Peters, 1973). According to
Eric Lamont, the population at Speonk is still
thriving and is probably the largest population in
the state.

I have lived in Lloyd Harbor for the past 43
years. The largest population of Sweetbay Mag-
nolia was known to me about 40 years ago as a
youngster near several ponds along West Neck
Road just north of Mill Road about 2.3 to 2.5 miles
north of Route 25 A. The trees are best developed
on a small island about 60 reet in diameter in a
pond at 394 West neck Road now belonging to
Tintle. The trees can be easily seen from the shore
of the pond which borders West Neck Road. In
June, one can smell the fragrance of the blossoms

Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)

Page 13

Long Island Botanical Society
Founded: 1986 Incorporated: 1989

The Long Island Botanical Society
is dedicated to the promotion of
field botany and a greater under-
standing of the plants that grow

wild on Long Island, New York.
Executive Board of Directors

President
Eric Lamont

(631)722-5542

Vice President
Skip Blanchard

(631)421-5619

Treasurer
Carol Johnston

(516) 676-6648

Recording Secretary
Barbara Conolly

(516) 922-5935

Corresponding Secretary
John Potente

(631) 361-6756

Committee Chairpersons

Local Flora
Steven Clemants

(718) 941-4044

Field Trips
Tom Meoli

(631)427-9458

Programs
Zu Proly

(516) 676-4023

Membership
Lois Lindberg

(516) 922-0903

Conservation
John Turner

(516) 829-3368

Karen Blumer

(631) 821-3337

Education

Mary Laura Lamont

(631) 722-5542

Thomas Stock

(631)275-1293

Hospitality
Betty Lotowycz

(516) 676-2047

Jane Blanchard

(631)421-5619

Editor

John E. Potente

(631) 361-6756

Membership

Annual Dues of $ 1 5 payable to :

Long Island Botanical Society
Mail to:

Lois Lindberg, Membership Chairperson
45 Sandy Hill Road
Oyster Bay, New York 11771-3111
Article & News Submissions
Long Island Botanical Society
P.O. Box 5001

Hauppauge, New York 11788
LIBS@nativeamerica.org

Society News

Grants for plants: LIBS wishes to thank Steven Englebright, a
New York State Assemblyman, for helping procure a $2,500 grant
that will be used to help construct an atlas for Long Island plants.
This will enable an intern to begin cumulative studies. Informing
LIBS of the grant Assemblyman Englebright wrote: “Your
organization’s work is important to our community and deserves the
support and recognition of New York State. Thank you for your in-
terest in requesting the assistance of my office on this important
project to benefit our community.”

LIBS lights the “Big Screen”: LIBS botanists Eric Lamont and
Skip Blanchard will be appearing on national television. The PBS
program “Nature” will be featuring “Obsession with Orchids” on
channel 13, April 16 at 8:00 PM. The program will delve into the
secret life of orchids with photography never befor captured on film.
After 25 minutes of spectacular videography, the attention goes to
the eastern tip of Long Island where Eric and Skip, along with Jim
Ash (Director of SOFO) and David Taff (Ranger at Jamaica Bay
NWR) guide the filmakers through the Walking Dunes.

Conserving coastal contour: Three parcels comprising 105 acres
about the Corey and Cranberry Ponds in Wading River are the focus
of a preservation effort. There exists a rare coastal plain pond eco-
system and LIBS has provided input and information on rare plants
to interested parties. The North Fork Environmental Council, The
Long Island Pine Barrens Society, The Nature Conservancy, and oth-
ers are in favor of seeing the area protected.

Keeping it together: The Center for Biodiversity and Conserva-
tion of The Museum of Natural History and the Wildlife Conserva-
tion Society’s Metropolitan Conservation Alliance are co-sponsor-
ing a two day program on land use called “Nature in Fragments”. For
info call: 212-769-5200

Talmage trashes the Sandhills: On February 1, the new town
board of Riverhead overrode the islandwide pleas from the environ-
mental and scientific communty and expeditiously passed a zone
change and concurrently a site plan approval for a game of golf that
is to be sandwiched onto the rare and beautiful Grandifolia Sandhills.
The board cited justification from the testimony of Les Sirken, a
former teacher from Adelphi U., who cooperated on behalf of the
developer.

Owner Bill Talmage promptly began creating multiple extensive
swaths through the last large unprotected forest land on the north
fork of Long Island. The Oak-beech forest that acted as a buffer zone
for the rare dwarf beech trees has been severely fragmented and the
broken oak and beech trees are being piled up as “waste debris”.

The Long Island Pine Barrens Society, along with the North Fork
Environmental Council, has filed a lawsuit against the Riverhead
Town Board for making “an arbitrary and capriciouse decision”.

Page 14

Letters to the Editor

Sweetbay Magnolia (continued)

“Seven broad tracts have been cut through ma-
ture hardwood forest destroying the integrety of
the Grandifolia Sandhills. Bill Talmage has
wasted no time making his initial mark on the
landscape after the February first Riverhead Town
Board approval to allow the construction of a golf
course on his ancestors’ farmland and forest.

Just seven days after this approval, the bull-
dozer began toppling trees. Why so fast? One rea-
son could be that the owner and develper both
know in their deep conscience that the destruc-
tion of forested moraine for fairways is likely to
be met with dispproval. But they also know that
this destruction is removed from public view by
its remoteness as well as how quickly the public
forgets that the forest was ever there. They quickly
come to accept the fariways as part of the land-
scape. So, too, they figure that they’d better start
right away lest the Town board reverse their deci-
sion. Fat chance of that happening. Riverhead is
fast turning into a Levittown. But alas, we will
soon forget what the lovely open farm fields
looked like. We will soon forget what the vistas
of open space did to our deep psychological
bieings.

The sooner the golf couse is completed, the
sooner the cash register drawers will open and
close.

Well the children lament? No. They will not
even have the opportunity to forget, not having
even known or experienced a quiet walk in a ma-
ture oak, beech, birch forest land.

What we need is some balance, some compro-
mise, so we can show the children those dwarf,
globaly rare beech trees and explain to them how
the environment influences not only trees, but
each of us as well.

This is the sad outcome , that we will not be
able to use the Grandifolia Sandhills to teach this
lesson to our children.

Sincerely,

Tom Stock”

There are several clumps of Sweetbay Magnolias
on the island and along the shore of the pond; these
clumps of trees have a circumference of about 8
feet at the base. Under these clumps of trees, there
are large numbers of seedlings and saplings, per-
haps 300 to 500 individuals in total. The larger
trees drop prodigious amounts of seeds and seed
pods; the seeds scatter or are carried by birds.
There is another large clump of trees just 400 feet
up West Neck Road. Seedlings and saplings also
occur at the rear of the pond in the Red Maple
swamps.

The stream empties from the pond, with a small
number of seedlings along the side of stream on
the other side of the grass. The stream then flows
under Harbor Hill Drive, and flows into another
pond. Again, a small number of seedlongs can be
found along the north bank of the pond. The
stream from the pond at Harbor Hill drive flows
through the Fiske bird sacntuary owned by the
Village of Lloyd Harbor; several seedlings occur
in the woods along the path running from the far
comer of the pond back to the Lloyd Harbor Po-
lice Station.

The trees on the Tintle property may have been
planted by Savage when he owned the proprerty
in the 1920’s. I suspect the trees are not native,
although they could be, as the pond is an artificial
pond dug to water cattle, and there are also east

Fruiting Cone of Sweetbay Magnolia

Page 15

em larch planted on the island that Savage may
have brought down from the Adirondack^., I
showed these trees to Steve Young from the NYS
Heritage Program in the summer of 1998.

I always suspected that there were additional
possible sites for Sweetbay Magnolia on the north
shore of Long Island. About three years ago, I
found a group of about 10 to 15 trees at the head
of Northport Harbor, on the north side f Route 25 A,
opposite the intersection with Stony Hollow Road.
There is a possibility that these trees could be
native.

I found a clump of trees at the Cold Spring Har-
bor Laboratory, about 800 feet north of Route 25A,
near a spring that flows down from the hillside.
These trees are about 30 feet high, and about 5 to
8 inches in diameteer,

Norman Soule, director of the Cold Spring Har-
bor Fish Hatchery, planted several Sweetbay Mag-
nolias on the grounds. One tree is found to the
south of the main building; several others were
planted in the artificial freshwhater wetlands just
south of the lower fish pools. He transplanted his
trees from the Chelsea estate, which has a num-
ber of sapling sizes trees around the main estate
building. The Chelsea estate is owned by Nassau
County, and is located on the south side of Route
25 A in East Norwich, just west of the Muttontown
Preserve.

An unreported discovery is a single seedling, in
fair condition, on the east side of the stream that
winds north from Valentines Lane to Wishing Well
Lane in Old Brookville. Valentines Lane is oppo-
site the entrance to the New York Institute of Tech-
nology on Route 25 A . I have been told that there
may be a number of Sweetbay Magnolias in the
wetlands along the south side of Route 25 A just
west of the entrance to the New York Institute of
Technology

Steve Young was kind enough to send me a
copy of the occurences of Sweetbay Magnolia in
the Heritage Program data base. The trees at
Speonk are still there. There are more than 25
multi-stemmed individuals.

There is a small population at Belmont Lake;
this population may have been planted but it is
now naturalized and it is not in a landscaped area.
The 1984 report has 2 large trees and 5 young trees.

Shu Swamp Preserve in Mill Neck has some
easily accessible trees. You can find them along
the sides of the trail leading along the railroad
tracks down to the pond; the seedlings can be seen
in the woods just before one reaches the pond; there
are probably 25 individuals there. When you reach
the pond, there is a nice specimen about 25 feet
tall; it is about 40 to 60 years old. There are about
40 seedlings and saplings at the south end of Shu
Swamp; these trees also can be found around a
private pond adjoining the preserve; the connect-
ing street is Frost Mill Road. Steve Young and I
verified this occurence in the summer of 1998.

There is also a small population along Tanbark
Creek in the township of Hampton, according to
Eric Lamont.

There are a few sites on Staten Island: two trees
at Salong South Avenue.This site was recorded first
in 1896. There is also about 10 trees at Hyland
Boulevard and Bedell Avenue. Richard Stalter has
also reported a small population from the Gate-
way National Recreation Unit on Staten Island.

The Large Tree Survey of Long Island, conducted
by the NYSDEC, reported one tree at Kings Point
Road in Kings Point on the former Brickman es-
tate. It was 5’2” in circumference in 1995.

References

PETERS, G. 1973. The Trees of Long Island. The Long
Island Horticultural Society, Planting Fields Arboretum.
Oyster Bay, NY 96p.

SARGENT, C. S. 1961. [Dover Reprint]. Manual of the
Trees of North America. Volume 1, page 346.

YOUNG, S. 1998. New York Rare Plant Status List. New
York Natural Heritage Program, N.Y.S. Dept, of Environ-
mental Conservation. Latham, NY. 72p.

Page 16

Sweetbay Magnolia

Historical Notes

“Magnolia glauca, L., on Long Island. -This
tree, reported in the N.Y. state flora as occur-
ring on Long Island, and which has hitherto
eluded the search of recent explorers, includ-
ing the authors of the Catalogue of the Plants
of Suffolk Co., has been found by Mr. Robert
W. Newbery, of this city, growing spontane-
ously on both sides of the L. I. Railroad culvert
at Tuttle’s Pond, a short distance east of
Speonk Station, Suffolk Co.

Brooklyn, N.Y. W.H. Rudkin.”

Published in 1883 in the

Bull, of the Torrey Botanical Club, Yol. 10, p. 95

“The Long Island Station for Magnolia
glauca.- Near the end of last June, Mr. E. S.
Miller, of Wading River, and I went in search
of the locality at which the Magnolia glauca
had been detected. There was no difficulty
whatever in finding the place, as it is clearly
described in Mr. W. H. Rudkin’s note in the
BULLETIN for August, 1883, (p. 95) “Tuttle’s
Pond”, a long, narrow mill-pond, formed by
damming a brook, has, at its northern end, a
swamp of several acres, through which passes
the Long Island Railroad, which has here a
cullvert through which the brook enters the
swamp. This is about two miles east of
Speonk Station.

There were a few red maples and swamp
laurels (Kalmia angustifolia), and scattered
amongst these, in large numbers, were the
magnolias, many of them from 15 to 20 feeet
in height and of remarkabley vigorous growth.
We were a few days too early to find the
flowers fullly out, and had to content ourselves
with buds only. G. M. Wilber”

Published in 1885 in the

Bull, of the Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. 12, p. 87

Editor’s Note: Magnolia glauca is an older
(now incorrect) term for Magnolia virginiana)

US Range Map for Sweetbay Magnolia

Long Island is actually at or near the northern
limit of its range. There is only one reported
disjunct population in Massachusetts (arrow).

Henry David Thoreau described
frost damage to magnolia in a
Massachusetts swamp: “I saw
last year’s shoots, which had died
own several feet, and probably
will be the fate of most which has
grown this year.”

Long Island Range Map for Sweetbay Magnolia

Page 17

Mixed Hardwood Swamp Forest
on Rolling Uplands Near Lake Success
on Long Island, New York

Andrew M. Grelier
Dept, of Biology, Queens College
of the City University of New York

Rolling uplands near Lake Success are dominated by
Sweet Gum (. Liquidambar styraciflua ), Red Maple ( Acer
rubrum ), Northern Red Oak ( Quercus rubra), and White
Ash ( Fraxinus americana). All but the Northern Red Oak
form pure stands on low, periodically wet sites on Long
Island. Their dominance on rolling morainal uplands is
probably due to the presence of a perched water table,
which is also responsible for the maintenance of the wa-
ter level in Lake Success. This report presents the largest
set of data on trees for any Mixed Hardwood Swamp stand
on Long Island.

Much of the fresh water used on Long Island is with-
drawn from aquifers at varying depths and in different
geological formations beneath the land surface. Swamp
forests indicate a near-surface fresh water source. Swamp
forests are a consipicous feature of the vegetation through-
out Long Island. They are especially well developed along
the river margins that drain the morainal hills and follow
south and east on the outwash plains. Swamp forests are
also found around the many ponds that occupy depres-
sions on the surface of the moraines and outwash plains.

Detailed descriptions have previoustly been presented
for Red Maple swamps (Cain and Penfound 1938) and
Coastal White Cedar swamps (Harper 1907, Taylor 1916).
Grelier (1977) compiled references to other descriptions
of swamp forests and proposed a system of classification
for all Long Island forests. He noted that many tree spe-
cies, besides Red Oak and Atlantic White Cedar form
nearly pure stands in wet soils. Grelier proposed that var-
ied swamp forests composed of two of more co-domi-
nant species be classified under the name Mixed Hard-
wood Swamp. The present study presents the first docu-
mentation of a Long Island Mixed Hardwood Swamp that
is dominated by White Ash, Red Maple, Northern Red
Oak, and White Ash.. It constitutes the most thorough
documentation of tree composition of any Mixed Hard-
wood Swamp on Long Island.

Site Description

Lake Success is located on the terminal moraine
complex of Nassau County, just east of the Queens
County border, on western Long Island
(40°45’45”N lat., 73°42’55”W long.). The lake
marks the merger point of the older Ronkonkoma
Moraine with the younger and overlaping Harbor
Hill Moraine. Topography in the vicinity of the
lake ranged from hilly to gently rolling. Isolated
or coalescing kames and interspersed kettle holes
account for the irregular surface (Swarzenski
1963). Lake Success is the largest kettle lake in
till or mixed moraine on Long Island (Fuller 1914,
p. 186). Altitude near the lake ranged from 260
feet (80 meters) above sea level (asl) to about 190
feet (59 m.) at the surface of Lake Success. Well
N 8038, which was drilled in 1966 from an eleva-
tion of 208 feet (64 m.) asl reached the principal
water table 165 feet (51 m.) below the land sur-
face in the Magothy (Cretaceaous) Formation
(Kilbum 1979). Walter S. Newman (unpubl. data)
et. al. sounded Lake Success in the fall of 1963
and recorded a maximum depth of about 78 feet
(24 m.). Thus, the lake is high above the main
water table. Water is maintained by a “perched
water table” (Veatch and others 1906). Perched
water tables are common within the morainal area.
They usually occur close to the land surface in
depressions tha are underlain by impervious clayey
till (Swarzenski 1963, p. 29). The few boring logs
reported form the vicinity of Lake Success record
considerable clayey and silty glacial drift at and
near the surface (Veatch and others, 1906;
Swarzenski, 1963).

The land on the north side of the lake is occu-
pied by Lake Success Golf Course. No vegeta-
tion there remains unmodified by humans. Tall,
occasionally massive, relic trees of the original
forest remain standing in patches around the lake
and in strips between fairways. Those trees are
the object of the present study.

Page 18

» PJiptograph by Andrew Greller/ February, 2000

Mixed Hardwood Swamp Forest near Lake Success, New York.

Methods

On the slightly hilly to rolling land of Lake Success
Golf Course, patches and long strips of original for-
est trees were censused by species for individuals
with diameters (dbh) greater than 8 inches (20 centi-
meters). Species with lesser diameters were listed,
but not tailled. Cultivated trees were ignored. No-
menclature follows Gleason and Cronquist (1991).

Results and Discussion

The dominant tree species of the rolling uplands at
Lake Success are Sweet Gum, Red Maple, Northern
Red Oak, and White Ash. Also present are Black
Walnut ( Juglans nigra). Tulip Tree (Liriodendron
tulipifera ), Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica ), and Pin Oak
(Quercus palustris). All of these species, with the
exception of the Northern Red Oak, are dominant or

co-dominant species on poorly-drained soils of Long
Island. Various local combinations of these species
were recognized collectively as the “Mixed Hardwood
Swamp” forest type by Greller (1977, p. 379, 380),
and this name is herewith proposed for the forest of
rolling uplands at Lake Success. Grace Forest, a Mixed
Mesophytic stand (Greller, Calhoon, and Mansky
1978) is approximately 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) east
of Lake Success.

Northern Red Oak and Red Maple are common in
both stands, but Sweet Gum and White Ash are domi-
nant species only at Lake Success. The dominants at
Grace Forest, Tulip Tree, American Beech (Fagus
grandifolia ), and Flowering Dogwood ( Cornus
florida) are relatively uncommon at Lake Success.
Greller (1977, p. 381) suggested that Mixed Meso-
phytic forest be distinguished from Mixed Hardwood

Page 19

Swamp Forest by the dominance of Flowering Dog-
wood in a sub-canopy tree layer of the former, whereas
the latter has an understory dominated by “Spicebush
(. Lindera benzoin ), Arrowwood ( Vibernum dentatum),
and/or Sweet Pepperbush ( Clethra alnifolia ).” The
understory has been removed on the rolling uplands
of Lake Success, so that no evaluation can be made.
At Lake success, the relatively minor contribution of
Flowering Dogwood suggests that the name Mixed
Flardwood Swamp Forest is appropriate.

The surprising occurrence of Mixed Hardwood
Swamp on rolling uplands may be explained by the
presence of a perched water table above impervious
glacial drift throughout the Lake Succcess area. The
capillary fringe of the perched water table frequently
approaches the land surface and creates the hydro-
logical conditions that enable certain water-tolerant
trees like Sweet Gum, Red Maple, White Ash, and
Northern Red Oak to occupy large areas. Mottling of
soil was observed 6.5 inches (16+ cm.) below the sur-
face at Grace Forest, where the high water table was
associated with a Mixed Mesophytic Forest (Greller
et al 1978, Table 2). With increasing depth and the
absence of a perched water table a variety of oak-domi-
nated forests are present on Long Island (Greller 1977).

White Ash in Flower

Literature Cited

CAIN, S.A. and W. T. Penfound. 1938. Aceretum
rubri: The Red Maple Swamp Forest of central
Long Island. Amer. Midi. Nat. 19: 390-416.
FULLER, M.L. 1914. The Geology of Long Island,
New York. U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 82, 231 p.
GLEASON, H.A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of
the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States
and Adjacent Canada. Van Nostrand, Princeton, N.J.

810 p.

GRELLER, A, M. 1977. A classification of mature
forests on Long Island, New York.

Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 104: 376-382.
GRELLER, A. M. ,Calhoon, R. E. , and J.M. Mansky.
1978. Grace Forest, a Mixed Mesophytic stand on
Long Island. Bot. Gaz. 139: 482-489.

HARPER, R.M. 1907. A Long Island Cedar-Swamp.
Torreya7: 198-201.

KILBURN, C. 1979. Hydrogeology of the Town of
North Hempstead, Nassau County, Long Island, New
York. Long Island Water Resources Bull. 12, 87 p.
Nassau County Department of Public Works.
SWARZENSKI, W.V. 1963. Hydrogeology of
northwerstem Nassau and north-eastern Queens
Counties, Long Island, New York. U.S. Geological
Survey Water-Supply Paper 1657, 90 p.

TAYLOR, N.A. 1916. A White-Cedar Swamp at
Merrick, Long Island, and its significance.

New York Botanical Garden Memoirs 6: 79-8.
VEATCH, A.C., Slichter, C.S., Bowman, I., Crosby,
W.O., and R.E. Horton. 1906. Ungderground water
Resources of Long Island, New York. U.S. Geol .
Survey Professional Paper 44, 39 4 p.

Editor’s Note:

The complete table of field data upon which this
study was based is available upon request

Page 20

/ Sandplain Gerardia
rebounds to record levels

Marilyn Jordan, Ph.D.

Stewardship Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy

Sandplain gerardia ( Agalinis acuta) is a small
annual plant with delicate pink blossoms in the
figwort family (aka snapdragon family)
(Scrophulariacaea), and is the only Federally
listed endangered species on Long Island.
Sandplain gerardia is found in coastal grasslands
at only 12 natural sites in the world, six of them
on Long Island. Agalinis acuta is known to have
occurred at over a dozen sites on Long Island in
the early 1900’s, based on herbarium specimens.
By the late 1980’s only six sites could be found:
two on the Montauk peninsula, two in Bellport,
one in Sayville and one at the Hempstead Plains
in Nassau County. Sandplain gerardia needs open
native grasslands on loamy soils, and disappears
if its habitat is invaded by brush and trees. In the
past grasslands were maintained by fire, cutting,
and grazing, but these practices declined as the
human population on Long Island grew.

Most of the eary discoveries of Sandplain ger-
ardia on Long Island were made by LIBS member
Dr. Robert Zaremba, who worked for The Nature
Conservancy on Long Island from 1984 to 1987,
and continued his involvement for several more
years. Bob found the gerarida sites at the
Hempstead Plains (1984), Bellport Ave, (1985),
and Montauk Downs ( 1985). Bob won the Ameri-
can Horticultural Society Plant Rediscovery
Award in 1985 for the find at the Hempstead
Plains. Also in 1985 Bob and LIBS member Rob-
ert Laskowski found the Sayville gerardia site. Bob
found the Bellport Ave. site in 1984 based on a
lead from LIBS member Betty Lotowycz. The
Bellport rairlroad site was found by the late Jo-
seph Beitel in 1984. Larry Penny found and Ri-
chard Mitchel (NYS botanist) identified a popu-
lation of 500 gerardia plants at Shadmoor in 1 98 1.

Bob Zaremba began the first efforts to collect
and move gerardia seed to establish new subpopu-
lations in 1989. He and other TNC employees

began cutting and mowing to remove invading
pines and shrubs at the Sayville grasslands in 1990,
an effort that rescued the Sayville Agalinis acuta
population from near extinction (there were only
3 plants in 1991). The conservancy is still main-
taining grassland habitat at several gerardia sites,
along with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, which
has cleard many acres at Saybille grasslands over
the last three years.

After arriving on Long Island as a new Conser-
vancy employee in 1992, I carried on Bob’s ef-
forts to establish new populations. I carried out ex-
periments to determine the best methods for pre-
paring new reintroduction sites, and for collecting
and sowing Agalinis seed. These efforts were
funded by grants from the US Fish & Wildlife Ser-
vice. I established several new subpopulations at
Sayville Grasslands in previously unoccupied ar-
eas. Also, new populations have been established
at two Nature Conservancy preserves. Perhaps
most important, seed from three of the four small
gerardi populations on the verge of extinction have
been “rescued” and planted in secure locations at
the Sayville grasslands. Thus, their genotypes will
not be lost, and are available for reintroduction new
sites.

Due to these efforts, numbers of Sandplain ger-
ardia have been gradually increasing. In 1998 a
record-breaking 4,200 plants were counted, more
that double the highest number recorded within the
last 12 years. In 1999 numbers increased to 4,650
plants despite severe drought, due in part to selec-
tive watering by the US Fisth & Wildlife Service
and The Nature Conservancy. For the first time
ever, there were more plants growing from seeds
planted in augmentation or re-
introduction plots than there
were in natural populations.

Populations of Sandplain ger-
ardia planted at two Nature
Conservancy preserves tripled
in 1999 compared to initial
numbers in 1998. It may take
at least five to ten more years
of work before Sandplain ger-
ardia can be considered secure
on Long Island, but these re-

Sandplain Gerardia

suits are very encouraging.

Page21

Size of Agalinis aorta populations on U, New York

5000 y
4500 -
4000-
& 3500

I®

a 3000 -

\ 2500-
0

■g 2000-

M 1500-
1000 -
500-
0 —
1984

Hempstead

1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2G00

Herrpstead Bans
— Sayvffle

BeHport Avenue
— M— Bellport Railroad
Shadmoor

— #— Mbrrtauk Dow ns
— f— -INC preserve
■fvteshofTBck
Roosevel Go. Park
•TOTAL

z

Natural and experimentally seeded Agalinis acuta on LI, NY

5000 x

1000 +

1985

1990

1995

2000

4000

Total

3000

Seeded

2000 -

Natural

Special thanks to Marilyn Jordon of
TNC for providing these graphs.

Page 22

Field Trips

April 15 @ 10:00 AM, (Saturday)
Caumsett State Park, Lloyd Neck, NY
Hike Leader: Ray Welch

The hike will lead us to one of the few, perhaps
only, remaining native populations of bloodroot
(Sanguinaria canadensis ): a spring wildflower
once common along the north shore. Slippery
Elm is another species likely to be found along
the way. This roughly 3 mile ramble will take
us from fields and upland woods to damp
hollows and, perhaps, to a saltmarsh or the
beach. Bring lunch and liquids.

Directions : Take Route 110 north to Main
Street, Huntington (Route 25A). Turn left (west)
and go 3 blocks to light at West Neck Road.

Go right (north) and continue a couple of miles
to the causeway (water on both sides) leading to
Lloyd Neck. Once over, continue approximatley
1/4 mile to the park entrance (large sign and
gatehouse) on the left. Meet in parking lot.

May 20 @ 10:00 AM, (Saturday)
Wicks/Froelich Farm, Huntington, NY
Hike Leader: Tom Stock

This 30 acre meadow has lain fallow for 25
years and makes for a good study of field
succession. We will identify and list a baseline
of plants found on the property. An additional
400 acres is preserved; part of which will
become an organic farm. Involved in the co-op
are the Town of Huntington, Huntington
Audubon and The Nature Conservancy.
Directions : Take Route 110 north from the Long
Island Expressway or Northern State Parkway to
Jericho Turnpike (Route 25). Go left (west) on
Route 25 for a little more than a mile until you
see a McDonalds and a diner on the left. Make a
right at the light onto Oakwood Road and
continue north over the railroad tracks. At the
2nd light make a left onto Pulaski Road and go
1/2 mile to dirt parking lot on the left (next to
large greenhouse which is easily visible from
the road).

June 3 @ 9:30 AM ((Saturday)
Walking Dunes Bog Community,
Nauppauge, NY
Hike Leaders: Tom Meoli,

Skip Blanchard

We will study the unique plants of a cranberry
bog community including the insectivorous
sundew plant. If our timing is right, we may
view a couple of rare, native orchids in full
bloom. We may also visit another site further
east if time permits. Lunch not necessry, but
liquids are recommended. Please take neces-
sary precautions for ticks.

Directions : Take Long Island Expressway
east to exit #70. Go south to Sunrise Highway
(Route 27). Go east over the Shinnecock canal.
Continue east toward Montauk. After
Amagansett, Route 27 runs straight toward
Montauk. Look for a tall radio tower on the left
and make the next left turn onto Napeague
Harbor Road. Cross railroad tracks and follow
road north all the way to the end.

June 24 @ 9:00 AM, (Saturday)
Paulins Kill Trail, Andover, NJ
Hike Leader: Otto Heck

Don’t miss what promises to be another won-
derful hike with Otto along an old railroad right-
of-way. Again this year, we will see too many
fern varieties to list. Also, many wildflowers
and, undoubtedly, many indigenous inverte-
brates as well. Bring along lunch and liquids.

A long hike in a beautiful, natural area.
Directions : From Long Island take Throggs
Neck Bridge ($3.50 toll). After toll, bear left
onto 1-95 south (Cross Bronx Expressway) to
George Washington Bridge ($3.50). On New
Jersey side, follow Route 1-80 West. Take exit
25, which is Route 206 North, to Andover. We
will meet in the parking lot of the Holiday
Motel which is on the left side, approximately 8
miles north of Route 1-80. From there, we will
carpool to the trail. Plan on approximiately 2
hours travel time from the Nassau/Suffolk line.
(Holiday Motel: 973-786-5260).

Page 23

Long Island Botanical Society
Muttoetown Preserve
Muttontown Lane
East Norwich, New York 11732

Elections

Long Island Botanical Society officers were
elected at the November meeteing. The follow-
ing officers will serve for a two year term:

President:

Vice President:
Treasurer:

Recording Secretary:

Eric Lamont
Skip Blanchard
Carol Johnston
Barbara Conolly

Corresponding Secretary: John Potente

Treasurers Report: 1999

Opening Balance (Jan.l, 1999):

6,944.49

Unrestricted Funds:

Income Total

2,077.44

Expenses Total

2,968.68

Net Loss

891.24

Restricted Funds:

Income total

12,210.00

Expenses Total

5,998.65

Net Gain

6,211.35

Closing Balance (Dec. 31, 1999):

12,264.60

Respectfully Submitted:
Carol Johnston,
Treasurer

Luesther

LIBRA

T Mertz
RY

Programs

April 11, 2000 Tuesday, 7:30 PM

Frank Burly: Frank Hurly, of the
Muttontown Preserve will give a stinging pre-
sentation; “Life of the Drones” divulging his
fascination as a beekeeeper.

Muttontown Preserve, East Norwich*

May 9, 2000 Tuesday, 7:30 PM

Jessica Gurevich: Jessica Gurevich,
Professor of Ecology at the State University of
New York at Stony Brook will show slides of
some unpopular immigrants and stowaways in
her presentation: “Invasive Plant species in the
Long Island Forest”

Earth Science Center, SUNY Stony Brook*

March 14, 2000 Tuesday, 7:30 PM
Annual Bar-B-Que: Come treat your
palate to the exceptional open charcoal cooking
of Eric Lamont. Eric has had years of experience
turning hot dogs and flipping hamburgers at this
once a year affair. He is expected to courteously
dazzle your appetite once again by personally
overseeing your grillside orders. And let’s not
forget to mention the long table of home pre-
pared salads concocted by well-seasoned bota-
nists that awaits you.

Location: Bill Patterson Nature Center,
Muttontown Preserve, East Norwich*

^Refreshments and informal talk begins at 7:30.

Formal meeting starts at 8:00 PM.

For directions call: 516-571-8500

NEW YORK
BOTANICAL GARDEN

Page 24