March - April 1995 Vol. 5, No. 2

In This Issue

Eric Lamont has contributed two articles for this
issue. The first is about Fanny A. Mulford, a botanist
in the Hempstead area around the turn of the century
and the orchids she found on Long Island.

Eric Lamont's second contribution is excerpts from
Roy Latham’s letters and notes called "In the field with
Roy Latham". This is expected to be an ongoing series.

We still need field trip leaders and ideas. The only
field trip scheduled so far is to Pelham Bay Park in the
Bronx on June 25, 1995. This trip will be led by Dave
Kunstler. We will put more about this trip in the next
newsletter.

Next Month: will be devoted to the Conifers of
Long Island. The Flora Committee has been working on
distribution maps and notes about this group. If you
have any information and would like to contribute please
call Skip Blanchard.

PROGRAMS

14 Mar 1995 - 7:30 pm*, Steven Clemants, "The New
York Metropolitan Flora Project.'.' Muttontown
Preserve Nature^genter, East Norwich. (For
directions to Muttontown Preserve^call 516/571-
8500).

V \

1 1 April 1995 - 7:30 pm*, Dr. Mar^ty Condon,
"Natural History of Rain forest Cucumbers."
Muttontown Preserve Nature Center; East Norwich.
(For directions to Muttontown Preserve call
516/571-8500).

’ Refreshments are available starting at 7:30 om; the
meeting, begins at 8 pm.

FANNY MULFORD’S
ORCHID COLLECTIONS
FROM'THE LATE 1890's

On 2 June 1 896, Fanny
A. Mulford of Hempstead
botanized the rich woods
surrounding Hempstead Lake.
During the previous few
years she had meticulously
prepared a modest collection
of plants from near her home;
ultimately, she would present
future botanists with a
detailed account of the flora
of southwestern Nassau
County at the turn of the
century. On this fine spring
day Fanny planned to visit a
site where she had previously
collected the Pink Lady’s-
slipper ( Cypripedium acaule),
As she walked through the woodland her attention was
diverted to a plant which, at first glance, resembled a
lily. Nearby was a second plant with pale purplish-
brown flowers; her excitement was piqued by the
discovery of the Lily-leaved Twayblade (Liparis
Uliifolia). She had heard that this rare orchid had been
collected several times during the 1860's at Inwood,
approximately six miles southwest of Hempstead Lake.
She did not know that her collection would be the last
report of this species from Nassau County; nor could she
have imagined that in less than 100 years the Lily -leaved
Twayblade would be considered extirpated from Long
Island and extremely rare throughout New York State.

Two weeks later Fanny botanized at Cherry Valley,
located less than one mile northwest of Hempstead Lake.
The "valley" was little more than a slight depression in
the Hempstead Plains, but the vegetation was unique.
Cherry Valley was dotted with freshwater wetlands, a
small lake was located near the valley's north end, and
woody plants dominated the landscape. As Fanny

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Botanical Society

March - April 1995

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skirted through the shrub thickets and around the wet
meadows she located a population of the Rose Pogonia,
or Snake-mouth ( Pogonia ophioglossoides). The specific
name ophioglossoides means "like the Adder's-tongue,"
referring to the plant's single leaf which resembles the
solitary leaf of Ophioglossum, the Adder's-tongue fern.

It is interesting to note that Fanny may have shared her
find with another local botanist,

A. E. Hamilton, because on 4 July 1896, Hamilton
collected the Rose Pogonia at a "swamp at Baldwin,"
just south of Hempstead. Today, all that remains of
Cherry Valley is the highly manicured Cherry Valley
Golf Links, and Adelphi University; but the small lake,
where Fanny may have once collected orchids, still
persists across the street from the Cathedral School of
St. Paul.

Fanny Mulford may have been in contact with
another local botanist, J. McCallum. As previously
mentioned, on 2 June 1896 Fanny collected the
Lily-leaved Twayblade near Hempstead Lake. On 5
June 1896, McCallum collected Loesel's Twayblade
(Liparis loeselii) on the Rockaway Peninsula of southern
Queens County; the voucher specimen, deposited at the
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, represents McCallum ’s first
collection of an orchid species. On 27 June 1896, Fanny
traveled to Rockaway Park and also collected Loesel's
Twayblade. Did Fanny contact McCallum about her
Twayblade discovery at Hempstead, and did he respond
by searching his neck of the woods only to find a
different species which he in turn shared with Fanny?

We do know that Fanny Mulford’s most active years of
plant collecting occurred from approximately 1895 to
1905. McCallum’s major collections were from 1903 to
1913; he began collecting at the western end of Long
Island and eventually moved east to areas near Bayshore,
Islip, Smithtown, and Yaphank. It appears that Fanny
Mulford may have been a positive influence upon the .
early botanical endeavors of J. McCallum.

On 17 July 1896, Fanny retuned to the vicinity of
Hempstead Lake. From this botanical excursion,, Fanny
is credited with the first Nassau County collection of the
Green Adder's-mouth ( Malaxis unifolia). In 1902 Fanny
revisited the site and once again collected this small and
inconspicuously flowered orchid. On 4 July 1903
Eugene Bicknell collected this species from a "mossy
bank in the woods, on the east side of Hempstead
Reservoir." William Ferguson collected the last Nassau
County specimen of this orchid from "Massapequa, in
rather dry woods near swamp," on 17 July 1926.

The East Meadow portion of the Hempstead Plains
was the focus of Fanny's collecting trip on 27 July 1896.
Hidden among the tall prairie grasses were the delicate
and lacy blossoms of the Ragged Fringed Orchid
(Platanthera lacera), and along the shaded edges of a
small creek grew the Little Club- spur Orchid

( Platanthera clavellata). Conspicuously swaying among^
the grasses were thousands of individuals of the Yellow
Fringed Orchid ( Platanthera ciliaris). William Ferguson
would later write in 1925 that this orchid had been
widespread throughout the Hempstead Plains. Today,
the Yellow Fringed Orchid is considered extirpated from
western Long Island, Staten Island, and Westchester
County; only a few small populations precariously
survive at the east end of Long Island.

During this same period of time, A. E. Ha mi lton
was also busy collecting orchids in the nearby vicinity.

On 24 June 1896 Hamilton collected the Little Club-spur
Orchid, on 1 July 1896 he collected the Ragged Fringed
Orchid, and on 4 July 1896 he collected the White
Fringed Orchid ( Platanthera blephariglottisf, all three
collections were from the vicinity of Baldwin. On 28
July 1896, Fanny Mulford collected the White Fringed
Orchid at Hempstead Gardens, located adjacent to the
northwestern portion of Hempstead Lake. Once again,
was Fanny and other local botanists sharing information
on the flowering dates and habitats of these orchids?

On 21 August 1896, Fanny located a group of
delicate Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes) growing in dry,
sandy soil at Garden City. Upon close examination she
noted that some plants had white flowers with a large
green central spot on the lip, while other plants had pure
white flowers. When she carefully dug up some plants
she noted that the individuals with pure white flowers
had a single root (S. tuberosa), whereas the plants with
green-spotted flowers had several roots (5. lacera var.
gracilis). On 2 September 1896, at a mesic site near
Hempstead Reservoir, Fanny located a taller, more
robust species of Spiranthes, the Nodding
Laddies'-tresses (S.cernua).

During the years 1897 through 1900 Fanny Mulford
made only sporadic orchid collections. Maybe she did
not want to exploit these rare wildflowers by
overcollecting them. She continued to collect species
previously unreported from the area, but she rarely
collected the same species twice. Her additions to the
orchid flora of Nassau County are as follows:
Dragon's-mouth ( Arethusa bulbosa ), Meadowbrook, 15
July 1897; Downy Rattlesnake Plantain (Goody era
pubescens), Hempstead, 12 August 1898; Grass-pink
( Calopogontuberosus ), Meadowbrook, 26 August 1898;
Spotted Coral-root ( Corallorhiza maculata), Searington,
30 August 1900; Large Whorled Pogonia (Isotria
verticillata), Hempstead, without collection date. She
did continue to collect species of the genus Spiranthes
until 1906; possibly she, like many others, was uncertain
of the identity of her Spiranthes collections.

Apparently, Fanny Mulford never again collected an
orchid specimen, and her contributions in this specific
field seemed to be ended. However, twelve years after

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Botanical Society

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collection a significant botanical event occurred
er life. On 12 May 1918 Fanny’s sister, Harriet
ulford, walked through the dry woods surrounding
Hempstead Lake. She passed the familiar site where the
Large Whorled Pogonia occurred, discovered almost 20 .
years earlier by her sister. But this time Harriet noted
something different: two plants had flowers with short,
sepals less than one inch long, all the other plants had.
flowers with much longer sepals approximately two
inches long. Upon closer inspection, she observed that
the two plants with short, greenish-colored sepals also
had stems that were a pale greenish color; all the other
plants had long, widely spreading, purplish sepals, and
purplish stems. Harriet must have rushed home in
excitement to share her discovery with Fanny. The two
women returned to the site and admired the Small
Whorled Pogonia ( Isotria medeoloides). The top portion
of one plant was carefully removed, pressed, and
preserved. This was the first of only two Long Island
collections of the "rarest orchid east of the Mississippi."
Today, the Small Whorled Pogonia is Federally listed as
an endangered species; no extant populations are known
in New York State.

In Norman Taylor's classic Flora of the Vicinity of
New York, published by the New York Botanical
Garden in 1915, several outstanding botanists are
acknowledged in the preface. The distinguished list
includes: Nathanial Lord Britton, founder of the New
York Botanical Garden, Merritt Lyndon Fernald, the
eminent Harvard University Professor of Botany, Bayard
Long, Roland Harper, and Arthur Hollick. Positioned
among these names of botanical giants is the name of an
unpretentious woman, Miss Fanny A. Mulford,
acknowledged for her abilities as a gifted botanist.

-Eric Lamont

Gardiner's Island Publication

The South Fork Natural History Society has recently
published a 52 page acStftint of the natural history of
Gardiner's Island. The publication includes historical
and current articles on vegetation, geology, birds,
reptiles, amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, native
Americans, the Gardiners, and much more. Almost
every page includes a photograph, illustration, or map.
The publication is free to members of the South Fork
Natural History Society. For information, please call
Carol Crasson at 516-267-7944. ■ ■

In The Field With
Roy Latham, #1

This article is the first of an anticipated senes. The
information that will be presented has been largely
obtained from archival letters and other papers on file at
the New York State Museum, the Southold Indian
Museum, the New York Botanical Garden, and the New
York Natural Heritage Program. Significant scientific
information previously unpublished by Roy Latham will
not be presented in this series (Latham's natural history
collections contirtue to increase our understanding of
‘ New York State's biodiversity). Since the next issue of
the Long Island Botanical Society newsletter will be
devoted to conifers of Long Island, I herewith include
Roy Latham’s observations of EasternWhite Pine ( Pinus
strobus) and Red Spruce (Picra rubra) on the North
Fork of Long Island, New York.

24 November 1918
(Sunday)

I flivvered to
Greenport at 8 am to
explore the
Vaccinium swamp
that lies between
Moores Woods and
the Greenport
school-house. Since
last July, when Mr,
Davis reported white
pines from the
swamp, I have
sought an
opportunit to
investigate the
region. Wearing
hipboots, I entered
the wetland from the
west and found a virgin swamp. The growth of shrubs
was almost impenetrable at spots as I followed the
narrow water course that snaked between hummocks
crowded with shrubs. Often the water and oozy mud
came above the knees.

My spirit ran high with delight as I reached the first
tree of the white pine, and I immediately proclaimed it
to be a pure native to the region. It was growing on one
of the little rises of mucky land, the exposed roots were
running across the waterways - a most unlikely place
for the white pine. The first tree was 20 feet tall with a
circumference of 36 inches, measured 4 feet above the
ground. Near it was a sapling 4 feet high. Some fine
large cones were collected and a specimen of the tree

Pinus strobus

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was taken for my herbarium.

The locality surrounding this tree was a typical
primeval swamp with a few maples from 20 to 30 feet in
height and trunks 4 to 6 inches in diameter; The maples
were a great deal older than they appeared, their age
showed on the lichen coated barks. The under-growth
consisted of swamp blueberry, swamp black alder,
chokeberry, sweet pepperbush, a few catbriers, and
rarely a bayberry. One bayberry was measured as
follows: trunk 19.5 inches in circumference, measured 2
feet above the ground; height 20 feet. The general
height of the Vaccinium and other shrubs was about 10
to 12 feet. The earth was covered with broom and
sphagnum mosses.

Climbing the first pine, I counted 30 or more trees
in the near vicinity to the eastward. Working toward the
east I came to the main colony of pines but was grieved
to find that many of the fine old pines had been badly
mutilated by vandals, evidently the work of boys. The
trunks of numerous trees had been hacked off by a dull
edged ax, two or three feet above the ground. This had
been done two or three years ago with the exception of
one tree which had been cut the present season. I
counted the rings of a one foot diameter trunk and
placed the age of the tree in the neighborhood of 100
years. Just past the central part of the swamp, where the
trees were the closest and thickest, practically all the fine
trees had been cut and ruined; they had not been
utilized, but laid there to rot and decay. To the
naturalist they told a heart-braking story of waste and
folly, there in the depths of the sink. At one spot I
counted over thirty stumps in sight. I suppose this is no
more than could be expected with a locality at the very
edge of a large village like Greenport. Some of the
nearer trees had been evidently carried out for firewood
by the poor class that live on the south and eastern
border of the site.

I would place the full number of trees in the swamp,
cut, standing, and seedlings, between two and three
hundred. There were a large number of one year old
seedlings that were two to four inches high, and many
others that were two years and older - some beautiful
specimens, four to six inches high. It was extremely
interesting to see the little things growing from the sides
of the mossy banks, slanting out over the reflecting pool.

The tallest tree was 40 feet high, and several were
at 30 feet. The largest trunk was 42.5 inches in
circumference, measured 5 feet above the ground;
another was 39.5 inches, with a uniform trunk diameter
extending ten feet up from the ground to the first branch.
A great many of the trees were heavily top branched.

The largest cones were 4 to 5 inches long. Some fungi
were collected from these trees for future study. One
gray salamander was collected from under a pine log,
along with a collection of pill-bugs. I observed evidence

of muskrats, a ruby-crowned kinglet, blue jays,
chickadees, and goldfinches. Also seen were many
catbird nests from last year, a few cuckoo's, and one
crow’s nest in a pine. I did some photography work
with the pines, but all may be a failure due to the wind
and darkness of the swamp.

It was such an interesting site, and a'great record -
white pine is a new species to the local flora. It is a
pity that they cannot be preserved. What would be the
use of telling about the site? To speak might be the
means of doing more harm than good.

24 July 1920 (Saturday)

j . Norman Taylor and Dr. Gager from the Brooklyn
Botanic Garden came out to Orient last night, and this
afternoon we went to the Red Spruce station on Cid's
Island. These are the only spruce trees known to occur
as a true native on Long Island, and I am glad to have
the honor of first discovering them. Taylor said that this
is the most interesting botanical find on Long Island.
AfterTaylor first came down to see the station a few
years ago he told Dr. Britton who laughed at him and
said he did not believe they were here.

The four large spruce trees in the island's woods
makes this one of the most interesting bits of wild
woodland in Orient. One of the old trees is dead and
two are nearly dead; the fourth, a fine specimen, is
beginning to die around the lower parts. I climbed to
the top of this tree and found that it was covered with
large green cones. I was most pleased to find four
young seedlings from 10 to 22 inches in height and from
12 to 17 years old - the largest one a lovely little fellow
with bright, glossy green foliage. A large cedar had
been cut in the nearby woods and the rings showed it to
be 125 years old.

These spruce trees are relics of the conifer forest
that once covered the island and are the last of their
race. They seem to be fighting a losing battle.

Sunday, 25 July 1920: Taylor, Dr. Gager (who is 51
years old and Director of the Garden), and I went out for
the day. We first went to Moores Woods and found
three plants of Tipularia in bud. In the same woods we
found clusters of what seemed to be yellow Indian Pipe,
but the plants were bright yellow and seemed different -
it was most interesting. Then we went to the Swamp
Poplar trees west of Greenport, followed by a visit to the
trees north of the Orchard House; they proved to be
American Elm, the second station for Long Island, the
other is way up in Queens County. We then visited the
Magnolia trees in eastern Southold and went on to the
Dunes which was new to them and is a most interesting
and unique spot on the north shore of the island.

--Eric Lamont

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March - April 1995

Page 10

Botanist Wanted

Society News

January 10 meeting

Members Night

Glenn Richard is looking for volunteers to lead
field trips and/or suggest locations in the coming year.
Suggestions can be given to A1 Lindberg to co-chair.

Bob Laskowski showed "The Botany of Birdseed"
with pictures of the traditional seeds and the plants they
came from.

Vince Puglisi showed slides of a bird rookery off
the south shore and some of Mitchell Field prairie -
before and after.

Julius Hastings had some of his favorite slides -
could you guess? - orchids.

Steven Clemants wound it up with a succession of
exotic plants in Hawaii, Japan, Africa and South
America.

February 14 meeting

Prof. Ray Welch presented a thought provoking
talk on the changes in Long Island's vegetation since the
retreat of the last continental glacier. Much of the
historical information was based upon pollen data.
Discussion eventually centered on past vegetation patterns
of what we now call the "pine barrens." Sleveral recent
investigators have suggested that the Long Island pine
barrens have been recently formed (during the past 250
years) as a result of human activity. Prof. Welch
disputed these suggestions from evidence based on
pollen analysis.

New Orchid Journal

The Seatuck Foundation in Islip recently was
nwarded a Return a Gift to Wildlife Program contract
from the NYSDEC to. develop an inventory of natural
habitats, nature reserves, and protected areas in the New
York City area and on Long Island. This project will be
conducted with Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
computer software. Satellite imagery data and aerial
photography will be used as guides for mapping local
vegetation types; however, groundlevel observations of
major plant community typrs will be necessary to verify
the maps. This procedure, which is sometimes called
"ground-truthing," involves identification of common
trees, shrubs, and, grasses in relation to specific latitude
and longitude locations. In most cases,
latitude/longitude positions will be determined by use of
a Global Positioning System (GPS) which receives the
data from satellites orbiting the earth. A Long Island
habitat inventory will indicate to NYSDEC which
natural habitat type(s) need greater protection in order to
preserve the region's biodiversity.

A botanist will be hired as a summer intern to assist
in this project. A general knowledge of Long Island's
common flora is required to identify major plant
> community types; the position does not require the
ability to identify rare and confusing plant species.
Students are welcome to apply. Interested applicants
should contact: Dr. Margery Oldfield, Executive
Director, The Seatuck Foundation, P.O. Box 31, Islip,
NY, 11751 [5 16/58 1-6908] .

New Members

The Long Island Botanical Society is pleased to
welcome the following new members:

The North American Native Orchid Alliance, a.
group dedicated to the conservation and promotion of
our native orchids, has announced the publication of:
"NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE ORCHID JOURNAL."
Issue number one will be sent to members in March
1995, and will consist of informative articles,
illustrations, orchid news, a checklist of North American
orchids, index to 1994 orchid literature, book reviews,
and extensive information about the North American
Native Orchid Alliance. Paul Martin Brown is
Editor-in-Chief of the journal.

Membership in the North American Native Orchid
Alliance, which includes a subscription to the Journal, is
S22 per year and should be sent to Nancy Webb, 84
Etna Street, Brighton, MA 02135. Membership/
subscriptions received prior to I June 1995 will be
offered at a special price of only $18 for the first year.

Mindy Block, Port Jefferson; Lucille Blum,Huntington
Station; Arthur Cooley, East Patchogue; Christine
Engelhardt, Kings Park; Hank Foglino, Smithtown;
Edward Fontana-Daguerre, Port Jefferson; Kathy
Krause, Patchogue; JoAnne Larson, Franklin Square;
David Lean, Hollis; Dianna Poliak, Whitestone; Steven
Rubenstein, Farmingdale; Lynne & Mort Silver, Fresh
Meadows; Bill Wilkinson, Riverhead; Marie Zazzi, East
Hampton; John Zuzworsky, Broad Channel, N.Y.

L.I. Flower Show

LIBS will display its education exhibit at the Long
Island Flower Show at the Nassau Coliseum from
Thursday evening, 2 March to Sunday, 5 March. If you
visit the flower show you may want to stop by and see
our exhibit.

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March - April 1995

Page 1 1

LONG ISLAND BOTANICAL SOCIETY
Founded: 1986; Incorporated: 1989.

The Long Island Botanical Society is dedicated to the
promotion of field botany and a greater understanding of
the plants that grow wild on Long Island, New York.

President
Vice President
Treasurer
Rec'rd Sec'y
Cor'sp Sec'y
Local Flora
Field Trip

Membership

Conservation

Education

Hospitality

Program

Editor

Eric Lamont

Steven Clemants ....

Carol Johnston

Barbara Conolly ....

Jane Blanchard

Skip Blanchard

Glenn Richard

Allan Lindberg

Lois Lindberg

Louise Harrison . . . .

John Turner

Mary Laura Lamont .

Tom Stock

Nancy Smith

Betty Lotowycz . . .

Eric Lamont

Steven Clemants . . .

Membership

Membership is open to all. and we welcome new members.
Annual dues are $10. For membership, make your check
payable to LONG ISLAND BOTANICAL SOCIETY and
mail to: Lois Lindberg, Membership Chairperson. 45 Sandy
Hill Rd„ Oyster Bay, NY 11771-3111

LONG ISLAND BOTANICAL SOCIET Y
c/o Muttontown Preserve
Muttontown Lane
East Norwich, NY 11732

Long Island
Botanical Society

March - April 1995

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