SHORTIA NEWSLETTER OF THE WESTERN CAROLINA BOTANICAL CLUB SPRING 1982 HELEN TURNER, Editor 2- PRESIDENT'S NOTE The ever whirling wheele. Of Change, The which all mortall things doth sway. It seems appropriate to use this quotation from Spencer to preface the brief Note assigned to me. For with this issue we do have a change of Editor-ship for SHORTIA. We welcome the new Editor, Helen Turner. At _ the same time we wish to wholeheartedly express our appreciation to Verna and 0 ' Harvey ^ause for their part in the successful launching of SHORTIA. So many things die "a-bornin" and, hence, we appreciate all that Harvey and Verna did in guiding SHORTIA through the early stages of its life, and bringing it successfuUy°to its present stage. It is human to resist change, and we did all we could to convince them to continue their good work. Having failed in this, we say '‘Many, many thanks to both of you." And to Helen, we all wish you the best and pledge to you our cooperation as you take over the Pilot’s wheel. August Kehr (on behalf of the WC3C) BOOK REVIEW FERN FINDER by Anne C. Hallowell and Barbara G. Hallowell. Published by Nature Study Guild, 1981* Why is it that after someone has taken a difficult problem and presented a clear, simple solution we all say, "I wish I had thought of that"? So it is with this superb guide to ferns written by the Hallowells, mother and daughter. We are honored that Barbara is a member of WCBC. If you were to use a conventional taxonomic guide on ferns, it would start: (a) Leaves (fronds) broad, flat, and f era-like, more or less pirmately or ternately divided or entire (see b)' . (b) Leaves narrow, small, and scale-like or larger, divided, and clover- like (see 3db) Now if you are like me, you really would not know whether to go to b or 3db. As a result I never did learn my ferns. It was too difficult, a matter of frustrating decisions because the instructions themselves were indecisive. The FERN FINDER, on the other hand, starts out with seven pages of interesting drawings, and never once must the user refer to any glossary or dictionary for the meaning of a word — the drawings are self-explanatory. The user starts on page 3 and, by means of simple diagrams, can track through identifications of all ferns growing from Hudson’s Bay south to Tennessee and North Carolina, and from the Atlantic Coast west to midsections of the U. S. and Canada. Nowhere in the 60 pages of text is there any terminology that one would not find in the local news- paper. One has only to procede from one readily understood drawing to the next, and it is so easy it is actually fun. By actual timing it took me U min.' to identify one unknown fern. With the conventional guide it would have taken me far longer to decide whether to go from a to b or to 3db before giving up in utter frustration. The FERN FINDER is indeed a guide for finding the names of ferns in an utterly simple, accurate, complete and fun- filled way. Congratulations, Anne and Barbara. I wish I had thought of it.’ August Kehr The trilliums constitute one of those genera in which aber- rant plants, even monstrosities, are common. Some taxonomists have reduced a number of these to the status of varieties or forms, while others have tended to accord them the rank of full species. A good example is Trillium erectum, popularly known by such names as Wakerobin, Purple Trillium, Birthroot, Brown Beth and, because it often has a rank odor, Stinking Benjamin and Wet-dog Trillium. If you ask anyone in the north- eastern United States about it they probably will tell you that it has maroon flowers, but in the southern Appalachians so many of the plants have white ones that the name forma albiflorum was applied to them, (The most variable of all the trilliums, it also comes in pink, pale yellow and greenish white, but only rarely) . Fortunately, there are some fairly constant characters which, in combina- tion, serve to identify the species: The flower is held erect above the leaves (hence "erectum"), the petals do not overlap but spread apart from the base, and the ovary is maroon no matter what the color of the petals. In the southern mountains - and nowhere else - we encounter Vasey's Trillium, often referred to as T^ erectum var, vaseyi. Here we have a somewhat larger flower, nearly al- ways maroon, differing from the typical spe- cies in that the flower hangs below the leaves and the wide petals do overlap. The stamens are longer and extend conspicuously beyond the pistil. Then we have Nodding Trillium, usually identified as T\_ cernuum but sometimes re- garded as still another variety of T_^_ erectum. As in Vasey’s Trillium, the peduncle is re- curved to bring the flower beneath the leaves (again the name is helpful, "cernuum" denoting this pendent posture), but the petals are white or light pink and curve strongly back- ward. Moreover, the ovary is lavender, and the anthers (yellow in the others) are an unexpected purple. All Those Violets! i Primrose- leaved , long spurred, halberd- leaved , birdfoot:, Canada, sweet white, smooth yellow, marsh blue to the person who loves to tramp the coves and hills and fields and mountaintops, these are adjectives of spring, recognized as the descriptive common names of violets. Some violet species are abundant, some rare, some seem like tiny pansies, and some sport leaves with weird shapes, but all seem to have great appeal for spring wildflower hunters. Our WNC mountains provide habitats for a wide variety of these little members of the genus Viola. A checklist of spring flowers of the Smokies lists 31 species. Maps in the Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas spot 17 species for Henderson County and, if updated, would list at least 19, so there's plenty of challenge! i Before considering differences which help identify a violet, let's look at the likenesses which lump these flowers together. Violas typically have 5 petals: 2 upper, 2 lateral, 1 lower, just like a pansy, which is really a jumbo-sized violet. Lateral petals are usu- ally bearded, lower petals usually veined and extending back to form a spur. Sepals and stamens number 5 each, and the pistil is club like. Violets hide a secret in their foliage. Deep under the leaves at the base of the plant, developing after the showy flowers finish blooming, are strange flowers that never open and are self-pollinated and seldom seen. 3otantists describe these flower types with wonderful- sounding terms: chasmogamous flowers are the familiar, open, colorful, conspicuous ones, cleistogamous are the closed, secret ones. Only birdfoot violet of our WNC species is without the latter. "There is one in every crowd!" A big step in identifying violet species is noting whether the, plant is "stemmed" or "stemless." Stemless plants have leaves Stemmed plants have and flowers arising on / and flowers attached separate stalks. 1 \j/ an erect main stem. Adding flower color to this, a good book, such as Newcomb's WTi Id flower Guide, identification ot most species is fairly easy. Charting these two features for the Henderson County species helps, too. (See chart at end.) How quickly all the factual material on identification can be tossed aside in that wonderful moment in early spring when we stoop to peer closely into the first cheery faces of round leaved violets, their sunny spring yellow constrasting so strikingly against the heavy winter brown of the forest floor! During blooming time, their rounded leaves are barely beginning to unfold, but by summer they grow to surprizing size, to 4^", flattening out along the ground. We can momentarily ignore bearding and hairs or pistils and stamens when admiring the pristine beauty of the sweet white violet, which often stands "with its feet wet" as it grows in moist or wet places in deep shade. We need no vast technical vocabulary to appreciate fully , the rich lavendar of the birdfoot violet or the lush foliage and tall- stemmed , dark-centered flower of the marsh violet, and anyone Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from IMLS LG-70-15-0138-15 https://archive.org/details/shortianewslette4141 west can revel in a patch of sunny meadow purpled with common violets, set off by yellow mustard and dandelions . And incidentally, violets are delicious to eat! Both flowers and leaves lend colorful excitement to a toss salad, and tender leaves cooked like spinach are loaded with vitamins. A wide variety of violet recipes can be found in books on edible wild plants. Try violet jellol* With enough species to challenge but not enough to overwhelm, identifying our Henderson County violets is one of spring's most delight ful rewards, but isn’t the greatest reward just being in places where violets grow, from open fields to shaded streamsides, deep valleys to high mountains, rich woods to scrubby "waste" places? Get ready I The violets are coming! * Violet iello 2 envelopes gelatin 1 cup cold water 2/3 cup sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 1 cup boiling water 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 cup violet flowers, blended with 1 cup cold water Recipe from Eating Wild , a publication of the Massachusetts Audubon Society 1971. Sprinkle gelatin onto cold water. Add sugar, salt, and boiling water; stir till dissolved. Add lemon juice and COOL till at least room temperature or cooler. (Heat kills flavor and color of violets.) Add violets. Pour into mold or individ- ual bowls. Chill till set. Sprinkle several flowers on top before serving . Henderson County Violets White, stemmed V. canadensis Canada V. rafinesquii- -Field pansy (kitaibeliana) (sometimes bluish) V. striata --Cream White, stemless V. blanda Sweet white V. pallens - -Pale V. primuli folia- - Primrose- leaved Yellow, stemless V. rotundi folia- - round- leaved Blue- violet, stemmed V. rostrata Long -spurred V. rafinesquii Field pansy (sometimes white) Yellow, stemmed V. hastata Halberd- leaved V. pensy Ivanica- - Smooth yellow V. tripartita 3- part leaved Blue-violet stemless V. cucul lata- -Marsh V. emarginata Triangle- leaved V. f imbriatula- - Northern downy V. hirsutula Southern wood V. palmata Early blue V. papilionacea- Common blue V. pedata- -Mrdfoot V. triloba- -Trilobed B. Ha Howell *• FROM THE HISTORIANS' REPORTS In 1981 the dub had k3 bikes and 13 indoor programs. The hikes were attended by 1092 people (average 29.it); indoor programs by Ul8 (average 32.15). We drove 2672 miles (average 6 2. lit miles per trip.). Now think about the indoor programs, the hikes, the nice people you get to talk with, the thousands of flowers you see, the good exercise, how good the lunches taste, the places you visit that otherwise you would never see, the fresh air, the beautiful scenery seen from the tops of the mountains we reach, 2 schedules and U SHCRTIA papers per year. All this for a cost of 3»5^ each. Can you believe that you can get so much for so little? John F. Kuhn (Historian Sneritus) Despite ice, snow, rain and gloom, the WC3C has made an auspicious start on the new year. On January 8, Dick Smith gave a most carefully researched talk on the pioneer botanists (Asa Gray, Mark Catesby, Micheaux, Memminger and others) who came to this area in the 17th and 18th centuries. He illustrated it with very beautiful slides. The Annual Meeting on January 25 was held in the Parish House of St. John's in the Wilderness Church. Mary Lou and Augie Kehr brought pine boughs, berries and poinsettias which made the tables look festive. The covered dish luncheon provided sustenance and the companionship so valued by this group. The officers elected for 1982 are: President August Kehr; Vice President Sara Childs; Secretaiy Margaret Canfield; Treasurer Margaret Kuhn; Historian Louise Foresman. On February 5, a workshop on propagation of woody and herbaceous plants was presented by Augie Kehr at his home. Twenty nine persons, folding chairs and cuttings in hand, arrived and were most interested in the methods and variety of materials used in starting new plants. Sam Childs, John Kuhn, Margaret Canfield, Harry Logan, Dick Smith, Peggy Camenzind, Bruce Leech, Barbara Hallowell, Louise Foresman and Augie Kehr met and have provided us with a varied and interesting schedule for this Spring and Summer. On February 12, Chuck Snow, assisted by Tom Hallowell, Jim Maddox, John Townsend and Phil Babcock, presented "Beyond 6000" — a look into the experiences of the WCBC members who have climbed the hO peaks in this area with elevations above 6000 feet. The talk and descriptive slides and later questions and answers were enlightening and interesting. Dick Smith was back on February 19 with a clear presentation and superb slides of the large and varied "Heath Family11 as found in this area, the tundra country of Norway, the Colorado Rockies, northern Canada. The presentation was video-taped by a professor from Blue Ridge Tech for use in his classes — the first such taping at our meetings * Louise Foresman (Historian) The WCBC voted at the Annual Meeting to contribute $50.00 to each of the following organizations: University Botanical Gardens in Asheville, Nature Conservancy, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. «• ' - WHAT TO SEE 7 Now, of my threescore years and ten, Twenty will not come again, And take from seventy springs a score It only leaves me fifty more. Loveliest of trees, the cheriy now Is hung with bloom along the bough And stands about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide. And since to look at things in bloom Fifty springs are little room. About the woodlands I will go To see the cherry hung with snow. From "A Shropshire Lad" by A. E. Housman The "cherry hung with snow" is in England, but we have many flowering trees that beautify our woods in the Spring. The first to bloom, for which we all watch, is serviceberry. When we see its white blossoms, high on the side of the mountains, we are reminded of the pioneer days, when the preacher, seeing them, knew it was time to go up into the remote settlements to conduct "sarvices." The most loved and most widespread of the white-flowered trees is, of course, the dogwood. Others are more limited in habitat but all invite us to go "about the woodlands." Here are a few — an area where the Club has seen each — and the time of blooming. Helen Turner W3'~ >TOA s H o a T I A No, 1 Vol. P7 — . Quarterly for members of the Western Carolina Botanical Club. SHORT IA is published quart,^.r±/ „ .. Box 126, Hendersonville, NC 28739- Editor: Helen Turner, Carolina Tillage Box is , Please submit contributions for the next issue by Hay 1?- yo* •ota* 00 J SHORTIA NEWSLETTER OF THE WESTERN CAROLINA BOTANICAL CLUB SUMMER 1982 HELEN TURNER, Editor CONGRATULATIONS, AUGUST KEHR We are proud to announce that our president, Augie, received the 3. Y. Morrison Award at the annual meeting of the American Rhododendron Society in Washington D. C. on May 8. The Award included a medal and 31000 honorarium. Augie was president of the American Rhododendron Society 1975-1977 and of the American Genetic Association in the 1960's. The 3. Y. Morrison Memorial Lectureship was established by the Agricultural Research Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture to recognize outstanding accomplishments in the science and practice of ornamental horticulture and other environic sciences ... to encourage their wider application to improve the quality of life . . . and to stress the urgency of preserving and enhancing natural beauty in man's surroundings. Mr, Morrison was the first director of the National Arboretum. CALLAWAY GARDENS FIELD TRIP For the 21 WC3C members who toured the Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Ga., on March 25-27, Augie Kehr's knowledge of azaleas was obvious and his friendship with Fred C. Galle was a bonus. Galle is chief horticulturalist at the Gardens and spent a day and a half guiding us. He also arranged for us to tour the gardens at the Cason Callaway home under the guidance of its chief gardener, Gordon Tyre 11. Fred and his wife, Betty, capped the trip with an invitation to their lovely modern home, where we saw some of Fred's scale model wood carvings of mushrooms. For each family there was a souvenir plant — the rare and threatened Silene uolyoetala, which brightened many of our gardens in May with its fringed pink blossoms. Callaway Gardens is the result of efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Cason J. Callaway, Sr., to reclaim a large plot of depleted and eroded land. In time a portion became a place for employees in the family's textile mill to enjoy the out-of-doors. Today this is a 2,500 acre garden operated by the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation as a place "where all may find beauty, peace, inspiration, knowledge and wholesome recreation." A subsidiary operates recreational, lodging and retail facilities c Each of the participants would probably mention different plants or aspects of the plantings as the "best" of the trip: wildflowers, dogwoods, formal boxwood gardens, or even a newly emerged luna moth. The azaleas, however, were dominant. Several of the earliest native azaleas were in bloom and, with the exception of Finxter-Flower (Rhododendron nudiflorum) , alt were species not found in western North Carolina. Florida Azalea (R. austrinum), golden yellow with reddish tubes, and Piedmont Azalea (R. canescensT, which was seen in the typical shades of pink and also in a pure white form, were flowering profusely. Cconee Azalea (R. speciosum) was just coming into flower; this ranged in color from salmon to orange - red blended with apricot yellow. There were also a few specimens of Roseshell Azalea (R. roseum) whose normal distribution lies to the north, rather than to the south^of our area. With the foliage the sunshine, summer sight and fragrance o The Indian name very sound - somewhat which we enjoy enunci for we often apply it plants. of the trees overhead blocking out much of woodland flowers are relatively few, and the I Pipsissewa in bloom are especially welcome. i / "Pipsissewa" is an attractive one, and its like a birdcall - makes it one of those words ating. Maybe the temptation is too great, without favoritism to two quite different ^ For those who like to keep these things straight, the two are known technically as Chimaphila maculata and C . umbellata, but those supposedly descriptive scientific names can cause as much confusion as the indiscriminate use of . "Pipsissewa" or, as we shall see, some of their other common names. .In each species, the nodding waxy flowers are m a loose corymbose cluster; not only are uhey not arranged in umbels, but the one that more nearly approaches that form is not Co um- bellata, as you might expect, but C. maculata? Moving on to the latter, the specific epithet macula ia means "spotted" and refers to the white markings on the dark green leaves, but they are not spots^ at all but broad stripes that follow the midrib and the secondary veins. o Chimaphila maculata. We can resort to colloquial names, and yet avoid the "Pipsissewa"problem altogether, by calling maculata by its other nickname, •"Spotted Wintergreen". Ignoring the first part, the term "wintergreen" is entirely acceptable as being descriptive of the persistent, ever- C .umbellata green foliage. Provided, of course, we don't Via_+V, n , . forget that the true Wintergreen is another ' »#^lth?ri?-^r°GUmbe--! Chimaohila umbellata also has another name,_ Prince s Pine', but whether it is thought to be scientific- ally irresponsible or merely whimsical, one seldom hears it used. f.^nnr?^aily:.the plants themselves present less cause for con- fusion than do oheir names. In addition to the characteristics a^f?ady noPed» umbellata has bright green unvariegated leaves margins, and petals tending more toward pink, while the leaves of C . maculaxa have widely spaced teeth and its flowers, if not white, are only slightly roseate. y THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DNA — A LAYMAN'S EXPLANATION The letters DMA stand for deoxyribose nucleic acid which, in molecular form is found in cells of plants and animals, and which carries hereditary information. To relate this brief definition to plant life, it is helpful to first review the composition of a typical living plant cell. As shown by Sketch #1, the contents of the cell are contained within the cell wall (walls are lacking in animal cells ) . Adjacent to the periphery of the wall is the living material known as cytoplasm in which the nucleus and the chloroplasts , containing chlorophyll, are imbedded. Irregular in size and volume is the vacuole containing cell "sap" — mostly water with dissolved, very low concentrations of numerous chemical substances. For continued consideration we are concerned with the nucleus. As depicted in Sketch #1, the nucleus can be viewed by a light microscope magnified aDproxi- mately 600 times. To search farther to reveal the contents of the nucleus, the scanning electron microscope must be employed providing magnifications of several thousands of times that actually enables viewing of molecules of matter. Observed microscopically in the nucleus are elongated and irregularly shaped paired bodies known as chromosomes (Sketch #2). They are the determiners of hereditary characteristics • As cells divide during growth these chromosomes pair and split so that equal chromosomes and their genetic characteristics are faithfully reproduced. On these chromosomes is the actual carrier of this genetic information, the DNA molecule. More highly magnified, the DNA molecule appears long threadlike, assuming an irregular winding configuration, as shown by Sketch #3. This DNA strand, a complex chemical structure, has the hereditary genes in the form of proteins and bases distributed along its double helix length as shown diagrammatically by Sketch #U. The number and characters of the genes vary in accordance with subject under study — be it bacteria, higher plant tissue, or animal substance. So in effect, the language of life in the genetic code is stored in the DNA molecule. And this language is rapidly directing biological research into the alteration and recombination of the genes of the DNA ribbons in a relentless revolution known as genetic engineering. Gene splicing experimentation, although currently intensively pursued, has much to be proved before some of the envisioned benefits are attained. A long list of proposals includes the insertion of new genes to enhance the nutritive value of certain farm crops and enable plants other than the legumes to extract nitrogen from the air for soil enrichment. One study of the potential for new genetics in agriculture forecasts a 5 0 to 100 billion dollar worldwide market developing in the next 20 years. The latest actual development, "the gene machine", is a desk-top computer that automatically synthesizes fragments of genes whose genetic code can be typed on a keyboard! What next? Harvey Krouse S<£.raf vLj. f CO~ZLL- He.L/< of Vt/fl JUST A REMINDER On June 8 the WC3C will have its day of weeding at the Asheville Botanical Gardens, Let’s have a good turnout for this event. Bring your own tools and lunch. Hendersonville group meet at Ingles at 9*15 AM and join others at the Gardens at 10 s 00 AM. .Reprinted by p 10 Adventures of mission, troE Dura?e Conservationist, 3ler. £llyn, Illinois, 6C1^7 h cut o.nd pasted by John F. Kia^- ■ CL-l, xcTC GAHCU5 .v I LDFLCW jiRS I hold a record of sorts. I have taken Harvey's wilaflower course at BRTC more times than anyone else. Like Peggy Camenzind, I learned what zygomorphic and actinomorphic mean. But I also learned what cleistogamous plants are. Cne day Harvey told us that the Violets — all except Birdfoot — are cleistogamous. That is, they produce flowers that are self -fertilized within the unopened” flower bud. I held up my hand and asked Harvey if there were any other wild- flowers that had this same characteristic. You know what his answer was? He said: "Why don’t you just take that on as a research project? You find out and let us know.” I still say Harvey’s a great teacher. I finally got around to doing some research on this and, so far, I have learned that the following wildf lowers, in addition to Violets, are cleistogamous: o Gay Wings or Fringed Poly gala (roly gala paucifolia) — we saw this / rather rare plant at Charlie Moore's Preserve on April 22, 1977. o Venus's Looking-glass (Specularia perfoliata) ' o Hog Peanut (Amphicaroa brae teat a) o Touch-me-not or Jewelweed (Impatisns pallida) But that's all I can find. CAN ANYONE ADD TO THIS LIST so that I can complete iry research project and get rry degree? I also learned that the normal kind of flower is called chastogamous, and that every plant that bears cleistogamus flowers also bears chastogamous ones as well, but it's usually only the cleistogamous flowers that set seed. Usually the chastogamous are very colorful and conspicuous — witness Violets and Gay Wings. Ralph Raymond WHAT'S IN A NAME? I wondered wry the pretty Carolina wildflower Trautvetteria carol inensis , known also as False Bugbane, would have such a foreign sounding name. After consulting with Dr. Edgar Reilly, conservator of the N. Y. State Museum at Albany, and Ritchie Bell at Chapel Hill, and with some assistance from my son, John, I now have the story of the naming of this flower. In a list of some hundred plants collected at Salt Pond Mt. in Virginia in 1890 was this herbaceous plant that had originally been listed by Walter in his 1788 FLORA CAROLINIA in the genus Polygynia. Later, in 1803, Michaux in his FLORA BORIALI called it Cimicifuga palmata. Still later Anna Vail more correctly named it Trautvetteria since it had features of a Japanese species T. janonica, which had been named by Fisher and Meyer in honor of Ernst R. Trautvettia, Professor of Botany at the University of Kiev, Russia. So — this plant is a native American, similar to a Japanese plant named for a Russian botanist! There is only this one species of this genus in North America, but such a distribution pattern — southeast Asia and southeast North America: — is not uncommon in sane other families of plants. Ben fuller HISTORIAN'S REPORT Starting with the Hardy Souls hike in February, we have had a most interesting series of field trips this Spring. In February, 12 of us walked in the snow and cold and enjoyed it. At the end. Bob and Martha Taber invited us to their home to have our lunch in warmth and comfort. We have had several good indoor slide shows — all well attended. Harvey Krouse, Harry Logan, and Dr. Creech gave interesting talks on Plant Functions , Indian Artifacts, and Plants of Japan, respectively. John Kuhn gave us his Preview of ooring Flowers . Dick and Jeanne Smith not only showed slides but fed us doughnuts and coffee at the start of their Davidson River walk. Soon thereafter, Harry Logan and a sizable group took the trip to Callaway Gardens It is impossible with our limited space to tell the full story of every trip — so here are a few reminders : Clemson University Experimental Forest was an entirely new area to us. The trail was lovely and we saw many plants blooming. Several old stand-by areas provided the usual good walks and flower counts: Table Rock, Barnardsville, Augerhole, and Holmes State Forest. Moore Cove Falls brought out h3 persons to see a lovely trail and falls, and some UO flowers in bloom. The Great Smoky Mountain trip, taken by 15 members, proved to be a very beautiful one — flowers blooming all along the Blue Ridge Parkway; Serviceberry so thick on the mountains that it looked like a white mist among the pines. On the trail, we saw the most flowers blooming of any trip this Spring — 72 in all. Even the drive home late in the afternoon was lovely. Two scheduled trips had to be called off because of bad weather: Bat Cave (twice) and the Cradle of Forestry. This Spring we would like to acknowledge with appreciation a number of special and beautiful trips on private estates. To all the following we wish to say: "Many thanks for your interest in and kindness to the WCBC." Millie Pearson — at whose home we had our lunch along her. lovely rushing stream after we had walked her trails and seen some h.2 plants in bloom. Frank and Mrs. Bell — who asked us into their home. Frank took us on the trails and to the bog sifter which we ate lunch under the trees near their house high on a hill. Charlie Moore — who is always so willing to welcome our group and to spend his time taking us over the lovely trails, bog and meadows of his property, Vfe much appreciate his knowledgable, cheery trail guiding. Mr. and Mrs. Shinn — who have always welcomed our group and who, in recent years, have depended on us for trail guides during the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage at UNC when persons visit their gardens on two successive days. This has proved a mutually happy occasion. Reports of scheduled events after the middle of May will appear in the next issue of SHORTIA. Louise Foresman NEW" MEMBERS (Hendersonville understood unless otherwise specified) Aninann, William & Virginia, 29 Peachtree Lane 692-9UU3 Bellamy, Lorraine, Rte. 2, Box 519 Blaha, George & Mildred, Drawer F, Cedar Mt. 28718 885-2U2U Craves, Rupert D., 919 5th Ave. W 692-1690 Kriner, Ray 8c Janet, U Little River Lane 692-7295 Lindlev, Mary Ellen, Franklin, NC 2873U . . Moore, James 3. & Ruth, Rte. 3? Box U50, Fletcher, NC 28732 .. 63U-855U ..-Pearson, Mildred, Rte. 1, Box 330, Saluda, NC 28773 - 7U9-3171 Stevens, Bill 8c Jeanne, P 0 Box 2685, Hendersonville 28793 ••• 693-19U2 Wagner, Louise, 1700 5th Ave., Villa 13 692-7333 Winter, Robert 8c Lois, 110 Cannon Dr. 692-3855 *■ SKCRTIA is published quarterly for members of the Western Carolina Botanical Club. Editor: Helen Turner, Carolina Village Box 126, Hendersonville, NC 2973?. Production Committee: Dorothy Rathmann, Bruce and Blanche Leech. Please submit contributions for the next issue by August l£. SHORTIA NEWSLETTER OF THE WESTERN CAROLINA BOTANICAL CLUB AUTUMN 1982 HELEN TURNER, Editor ( 'TIL WE MEET AGAIN Some people in a club work wonders in quiet ways / providing strength for the growing organization far beyond the realization of many members. One such person, a guiding light in our Botanical Club since its inception in 1972, is moving from Hendersonville and will be missed by us tremendously. I speak of Harvey Krouse, of course. The members who have joined our club in recent years may not be fully aware how many roles Harvey has played m our organization. As a charter member, he was a prime mover in helping set the club on its feet. His knowledge of places to find special species has made him a consistent and important contributor _ on the committee which plans our itineraries, and his expertise m botany has been invaluable. How often has the solution to a problem about some pllnt come easily when someone _ stated , "Ask Harvey!" He answers quietly, then explains and enlightens us along the trail. Harvey has led several field trips annually, presented slide programs, served very ably as president for three Years, and initiated and edited SHORTIA until 1982, with the able _ assistance of Verna, his lovely wife-secretary and our special friend. These folks who are so important to our club will move to Newton NC, near Hickory: Mr. and Mrs. Harvey D. Krouse . 330 Geitner Ave . , Abernethy Village Newton, NC 28658 Harvey and Verna, we give you our warmest best wishes _ in your £ew venture, thanking you deeply for your solid contributions to the Western Carolina Botanical Club. We will miss you not only as associates in the club but as Hendersonville friends. Newton is not far away, and we're hoping you will join us from time to time! -- expecting — • that Barbara Hallowell WELCOME Carman, Charlotte, 403 Deerhaven Lane, Haywood Knolls Clark, Gertrude, 107 Old Kanuga Place Parmi, Erika, Rte. 2, Box 44E, Pisgah Forest 28768 .. Rice, Ed Schifeling, David & Anna Lee, Rte. 1, Box 122A, Brevard 28712 891-9550 692-5523 LOOK AGAIN ! Anyone seeing Euonymus americanus for the first time when it is in flower may be excused for raising an eyebrow at being told that its popular name is "Hearts a^ustin1 with Love. " After all, the flowers (which bloom just when the spring woods are their pret- tiest) have little going for them. They are sparse in number, modest in size, and so flat as to appear almost two-dimensional. And their color is so undistinguished that no one label suits; one must call it something like "pale creamy purplish yellow- green. " But a return visit in Sep- tember furnishes all the explana- tion that is needed for the quaint colloquial name. Where the drab little flowers had been there now are brilliant pink, warty capsules opening up to expose shiny ver- arils, which in turn enclose the seeds. These colorful fruits also account for another name, "Strawberry Bush." Although many of us are not aware of it, the "Hearts a'Bustin1" appellation is also given to a similar species, Euonymus obovatus . Both are square- stemmed bluish green shrubs with flowers that are virtually identical, but Euonymus americanus is erect and may attain a height of six feet, while in Eh obovatus the main stem is prostrate and the ascending branches do not exceed two feet. For this reason, the latter is sometimes called. "Running Strawberry Bush." The specific name also holds another clue: the leaves are obovate, or widest above the middle. The most striking difference, how- ever, is seen in the fruits, which in the case of Eh americanus are usually five-lobed whereas those of Eh obovatus split into only three parts. Both of these shrubs belong to the Staff- tree Family, which counts among its other members Celastrus orbiculatus , the rampant Oriental bittersweet vine which has overwhelmed native shrubs and trees in some areas, and scandens , the less aggressive American bittersweet. In each of these, the crimson arils revealed by the splitting of the yellow-orange capsules betray its close relation- ship with our species of Euonymus. RAMBLINGS PEOPLE , PLANTS AND PLACES A baker's dozen trips (13) from mid-May to mid-August kept us on the go. Nearly 30 enjoyed the Tabers trip along the HORSE COVE TRAIL with a pleasant lunch by the stream. The Tooleys invited us to their HARDLUCK RIDGE home with lunch beside a neighbor's lake — a great day — thanks for the special hospitality. John Kuhn led the trip on the EAST FORK OF THE PIGEON RIVER — one of our favorites. In addition to 48 flowers we found ginseng again. You didn't kill it when you sat on it, Dick! (Remember a year ago?) The last trip in May was to Camp Strauss, arranged by Peggy and Nan. It was a lovely place for a "covered dish", a bit wet but good fellowship. Eb Morrow, everyone loved the potatoes 'n ramps! The first of the 4 trips in June was a most interesting lichen hike, led by Dr. Sierk along MT. PISGAH TRAIL. We do appreciate his expert help. Sam Childs kept us in tow on the CRAGGY PINNACLE walk: a lovely forest, many flowers, spectacular rhododendron and a great view from the shelter at lunch time. The trip to HOLMES STATE FOREST was led by Sam Childs and John Kuhn. At lunch we feasted on a home-grown watermelon provided by Christine Clark — good! Miles Peelle led us along BUCK SPRINGS TRAIL through a deep, cool forest with many ferns and 34 flowers. In July the Tabers took us along the DAVIDSON RIVER — a multicolored thing among the ferns turned out to be a bowling ball retrieved by Wendy, Peavey's granddaughter. Remember the tadpoles in the puddles, the huge osage orange tree, the old basswood with showy orchis and resurrection ferns growing on it and a deer bounding across the meadow as we ate our lunch? BEARWALLOW MT. was a ride-hike led by Miles Peelle who was hard pressed to keep up with all the questions about 65 flowers. Chiggers anyone? Some knew they were there! Ben Tullar led on ROAN MT. , always a favored trip — a lovely day and many flowers. On the BENNET GAP TRAIL, led by Bruce Leech, we had more excitement than we bargained for — botanizing, a drive to the top and hike down an old logging road and an old tree stump with a noise first noticed by Elton Hansens — a cicada? He .looked down and there was a timber rattler warning us away — two more were there, including a very large one — all coiled but lethargic. Elton took pictures to prove to you all that we saw them. Fascinating! And luck was with us as none of us had ever seen one "in the wild." The MT. PISGAH hike, led by Chuck Snow, had a drizzly start but fog lifted so we had a good view from the top — - and blueberries galore. Besides the hikes, we made our annual WORK TRIP to the UNCA Botanical Gardens where 13 of us weeded the beds. Dr. Orbison, in a letter to our president, expressed deep appreciation for our help. There were 2 slide shows. PREVIEW OF SUMMER FLOWERS was presented by George Lemieux who also displayed some of his beautiful enlargements. PREVIEW OF FALL FLOWERS by Harvey Krouse included not only slide of flowers (John Kuhn's since Harvey's were packed for moving) but also a brief lecture on the goldenrods — see Key on last page of this issue of SHORTIA. After lunch at Camp Strauss in May, John Kuhn raffled off a copy of The Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas , a gift to the WCBC from Harvey Krouse — 59 tickets at 506 each added $29.50 to our treasury. The winner was the Foresman's granddaughter who literally danced for joy. Thank you, Harvey and John! Our congenial club members also ramble further afield! MARGARET KUHN took off by herself (John's not a traveler these days) to attend a National Wildlide Summit Conference at Lake Louise and the Banff-Jasper Park area in Canada. The people from everywhere, the meeting and the hikes were most rewarding experiences — the scenery, spectacular. PHIL and KITTY BABCOCK attended a different Summit — at Black Mt., NC — and especially enjoyed meeting people from all over the country. CHUCK and JANET SNOW went to still a different Summit in Wisconsin. BARBARA and TOM HALLOWELL have been busy this summer! The Smoky Mt. Field School in Smoky Mountain National Park offers weekend and week-long courses all year round. Barbara found a 5-day course on native trees most informative since it was centered outdoors. At the 6-day session of the National Wildlife Summit at Black Mountain, Barbara took some classes, taught one on ferns and gave two evening programs. Tom participated by quietly working behind the scenes helping to make all go smoothly, providing information about things to do and see in the area, etc. And — they have just returned from a most satisfying experience on the Coppermine River, Northwest Territories, Canada, above the Arctic Circle. Twelve persons went rafting down the river, studying tundra fauna and flora, fishing and camping, completely isolated for two blissful weeks — no phones, no TV's, no people for hundreds of miles. DICK and JEANNE SMITH are just back from a trip in New England where they attended the annual meeting of the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Woodstock, VT. A highlight was a lecture-slide prpgram on the "Penguins in the Falkland Islands" by Dr. Olin Pettingill, former head of Ornithological Labs., Cornell University. While hiking trails in the White Mountains they found many purple fringed orchids. On the way home, near the Virginia-North Carolina border they found masses of yellow fringed orchids and many white spikes of Culver's root, some 6-8' tall. When we were at Holmes State Forest m June, a newspaper article made the rounds for it showed a picture of MILES PEELLE, as a naturalist at Bok Tower Gardens in Florida, leading a group on a tour which he does on a regular schedule from Dec. 15-April 15 each year. We feel lucky to have him here for the Summer and Fall! Hi; Luweezy, Hi; Luweezy Lovely Day, nice and breezy All those flowers shining brightly Mark them down, all so rizhtly Ther-'s Frunella, called Heal All And great Lobelia, growing tall A Cardinal Flower with petals red Next a sunflower with yellow head. Louise Foresman, Historian Up above a sky of blue Flowers here of every hue The bees are busy every hour Making a visit to every flower They are welcome every time I put ^hat in to make it rhyme Climbing a hill we get a little wheezy But we enjoy it all, don’t we Luweezy? J. F.K . BUCKBERRIES For those who enjoy wild fruits, August is -berry picking time. Buckberry, an edible wild berry, is one of the huckleberries and a member of the Heath family. It is very special because it is one of the plants indigenous to the Southern Appalachians, growing in a rather restricted area: Transylvania and seven other counties in North Carolina, three adjacent counties in South Carolina and a few counties in Georgia and Tennessee. A much-branched shrub, buck- berry tolerates acid soil and covers the ground of oak and hardwood forests. Though it is usually a low growing shrub- about 4 feet tall, specimens are known to reach a height of 15 feet in some areas of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Gavlussacia ursina is its botanical name. Gaylussacia , the genus name for huckleberries, honors Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (1778-1850), a French chemist best remembered for his law concerning the volume of gases. His work laid the foundation for the food canning industry. Ursina means "like a bear." Perhaps when bears were more plentiful in the Appalachians, the fruit of this shrub was one of their foods; this may account for the folk-name of bear huckleberry. The fruits develop from the typical urn-shaped heath, flowers which appear in racemes on second-year wood in late April and May. When the fruit first forms, it hangs from short, yellow-shading- to- red stalks, like shiny red beads beneath the smooth bright green leaves. It darkens to a deep red and finally turns a shiny black by mid-July. At this stage the fruit is edible but tart. When it becomes a dullish black it is very tasty. Buckberry is often confused with wild blueberry, but the most obvious difference is the seeds: buckberry contains ten seeds, each of which is enclosed in a hard, bony covering; blueberry contains a large number of small, soft seeds. A hand lens will reveal another distinguishing feature of the buckberry: the many yellow, dot-like resinous glands on the underside of each leaf. Rust colored hairs on the stems of this year's growth continue along the midrib on the under- side of the leaf which is elliptically-shaped and wider near the tip. It ends in a tiny dripping point which helps the leaf to shed water. Millie Blaha KEY TO WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA SOLIDAGO (Harvey Krouse) gxaminifolia Inflorescence a flat-topped corymb Leaves linear, entire, base attenuate (rare) Inflorescence paniculate, racemose or in axillary fascicles I. Flower heads along upper sides of branches (second) that curve outward (open' panicles ) . Many very tali growing A- Lower stem leaves have three principal veins 1. Involucres 3-5 ran long a. Stems closely and minutely pubescent throughout. Inflorescence somewhat strict altissima a. Stems glabrous throughout, often glaucous (whitish bloom). Inflorescence more lax, recurved., gioantea 1. Involucres 2-3 mm long; noticeably small-headed; stems pubescent. Panicles large, lax canadensis A. Lower stem leaves have one Principal vein 1. Leaves with distinct petioles a. Lower leaves broad , stem smooth except in infloras- canes, branches of inflorescence often without heads on lower half ar^uta a. Lower leaves narrow, tapering into petioles b. Stems terete ( round ) ; mostly in ary, open places c. Leaves toothed, rough, and wrinkled, many and close on stem; stem usually very hairy ... ruaosa c. Leaves not rough and wrinkled d. Leaves lanceolate , lower cauline ones cuneata ............................. sceciosa d. Leaves not lanceolate e. Glabrous throughout, basal leaves broad , tanerine into Iona petioles colonial m drv ooen Places ............ juncea e . Stem hairy; leaves wider toward tio. toothed and downy; along roaa oanxs .... nemoralis b. Stem square or analed, stout;, always in wet places c. Leaves very scabrous (rough) above oatula c. Leaves smooth or essentially so above ....... ulicmosa 1. Leaves without petioles; leaves narrow, entire, punctate { spotted); anise odor; open, dry areas ...... odcra Flower heads m tall cylindrical clusters (racemes) in leaf axils ; many growing in woodlands Rays whit a ; dry soil, open areas at elevations over 3500 1 , Rays yellow 1. Tins of bracts distinctly bent outward and downward ( reflexed ) ; rare 1. Tits of tracts oppressed (close against), not reflaxed a. Heads in axils of leaves. Stems analed by slightly decurrant lines b. Leaves on long petioles; stems ziazaa .......... cicolor souarrosa fflexicaulis b. Leaves without oetioles . Mostly m woods c. Steins lax, turtlish, glaucous ............... caesia c. Stems erect, qraer., not glaucous curtisii a. Heads mostly in cylindrical close racemes ; leaves tapering into petioles d. Heads less than 1 cm. broad from ray apex to ray apex e. Stems very minutely oube ruler, t (under magnification) ; lower surface of leaves glabrous f . Heads dense, cylindrical . cuberula f . Heads narrow* and loose Stems essentially alaorous g. Tall plant to 3 ’ . Bracts oolong, tips rounded, coarsely 1 nerved; leaves continuous into inflorescence which is narrow and loose petiolaris erect; To 3* tall; bracts linear; inf lorescer.ce dense, cylindrical a. neaas * ;roaa :rot rav io rav atex Stem ana basal leaves tcotned; coarse slant 4 1 tail ....................... roanensis none rata Vol . IV * No. 3 ( If S H 0 R T I A A quarterly publication of Western Carolina Botanical Club. Editor: Helen Turner Carolina Village Box 126, Hendersonville, NC 28739 Production Committee: Dorothy Rathmann, Bruce & Blanche Leech Please submit contributions for next issue by Nov. 15. 90 fA&iCU SHORTIA NEWSLETTER OF THE WESTERN CAROLINA BOTANICAL CLUB WINTER 1982-83 HELEN TU RNER, Editor RAMBLINGS FROM A RETIRING PRESIDENT "Things are always best in the beginning" Pascal The fall season in the western Carolina mountains is truly a season to behold. Every hill is clothed with a garment of an uncount- able myriad of colors against a background of azure blue sky. In the words of the poet/ "then, if ever come perfect days." Even though the poet was speaking of June, perhaps he would have changed his poem to mean October had he seen our mountains in the fall. But just suppose that fall were to be our only season! How long would we continue to be overcome by the glories of the season? It would not be long before we would cease to see the finer things, and we would become depressed by the lesser joys of fall — thousands of leaves stopping up the downspouts, or increased heating bills, or roadways made dangerous with wet, slippery things on the surface, or just plain boredom of nothing new. My brother could not wait to get home from Hawaii when he was stationed there in the services. He so badly missed the change of seasons that he ceased to feel the warm sunshine day in and day out, or to enjoy all the other things that make it an island paradise. In like manner, it is good to have a new order of things in our organization. Such changes are invigorating. As retiring president, I wish to thank each member for making the Western Carolina Botanical Club such a fine organization. I extend best wishes to the incoming officers . L'U -w Z ■< THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE On August 6 at Carolina Village, President Augie Kehr appointed a nominating committee of Bessie Sinish, Tom Hallowell and John Kuhn. Believing the selection of qualified people to be vital to the continued success of this Club, the committee labored long to come up with the following slate: Historian - Louise Foresman; Secretary - Margaret Canfield; Treasurer - Margaret Kuhn; Vice President - Sam Childs. These people plus Augie Kehr have guided the Club through 1982, a very successful season. As our current President, Augie Kehr, did not wish to continue as President, we have selected a very capable person of wide knowledge' in the botanical field — a quiet, pleasant personality who knows where the flowers are and the trails to travel to find them. WE LOOK FORWARD TO A VERY SUCCESSFUL SEASON WITH — ■ DICK SMITH! John F. Kuhn c - -X