NEWSLETTER OF THE ARKANSAS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Spring 1998 Voi. 19 , No. 1 ■JS. From the President’s Desk Did I really see new, Red Maple leaves on Ground Hog's Day, Peach and Iris in bloom on Valentine's Day? Yes, and several other species blooming also. The Executive Board will be formulating guidelines for The Carl Amason Conservation Award. Your input would be appreciated. Send your comments to Annette Holder, Awards/Scholarship Chairlady or to me. I believe we need to define "conservation". The nominating committee (Carl Hunter, Lana Ewing, Lois Wilson) submit the following candidates to be considered for election at the fall meeting: Vice-president-- John Simpson Treasurer Jason Anders Editor Ron Doran Arkansas Conservation Coalition Representative, Carl Hunter. Nominations will also be received from the floor. At the spring meeting, you can purchase (at our cost), Keys to the Flora of Arkansas , hand lens, and metric rulers. We have three "Keys". Hopefully, more of us will begin to carry the "Keys" with us in the field. Earth Day is April 22, 1998. You will receive more information in a separate mailing. Tickets may go quickly; therefore, act accordingly. Until we get together in Monticello, have a healthy, happy, safe, spring season. Creak & IN THIS ISSUE: SPRING GENERAL MEETING 2 SPRING FIELD TRIPS 3 RARE PLANT CONFERENCE 4 FALL MEETING MINUTES 6 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.. 8 OTHER PLANT EVENTS 8 CHAPTER NEWS : .9 MEMORIALS 9 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION 9 CfaytMfa Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Spring 98 . $ : ■ mrnmmmmmm- ■■■■ MonticelloH 1m psi Schedule Friday, April 24 Registration ...4:00-6:00 Dinner (On your own) General Meeting .7:00 Speakers : Minah Marsh - “Biodiversity Curriculum Design Project" followed by Wayne Owen, botanist with the Ouachita National Forest. Executive Board Meeting following Saturday, April 25 Morning field trips:......, 8:30 Warren Prairie led by Eric Sundell Hunger Run Creek led by Brain Lockhart and Jamie Kell urn of the UAM School of Forestry. Afternoon field trips 1:30 Repeat of the morning trips. Dinner.... on your own. Meeting 7:30 General business meeting followed by Speaker -Tom Foti of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission. Sunday, April 26 Big Cypress Bottoms field trip....... 8:30 Directions : The Cooperative is located at 1022 Scogin Drive in the Education, Health and Cultural Complex. Take Hwy. 83 Spur/Jordan Drive from Hwy. 425. The SEARK Cooperative is located at the intersection of Jordan Drive and Scogin. (Its to the north of UAM.) Accommodations: Best Western: (Newly renovated has given us the better deal- govt, rate of $42 + tax per double. Phone(870)367-6271 . Day’s Inn: $46 + tax. Phone (870)367-1881. Both are located just north of the 425/278 intersection. Hwy. 278 was Hwy. 4 Hi way Host: a less expensive hotel on Hwy. 4 just east of the 425/278 junction. $31 + tax. Phone(807)367-8555 Two bed and breakfasts are also excellent: The Trotter House (807)367-0200 Miss Rosalind’s (807)367-2703 Food : Not much except fast food places. The two better places are El Toro (Mexican and American) at the Best Western and Al ana’s located in the Wal-Mart shopping plaza. 2 } | Cfayttoi* Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Spring 98 Spring Field Trips March 7 - Cafion Led by Carl Amason. Directions: Those coming from the north, Follow US 167 when the concrete of the river bridge (Ouachita River) changes to blacktop go 0.9 mile to the intersection of Calico's Main Street which does not go across 167, turn left and then go 0.5 mile cross the old railroad dump, turn right onto Hoover Street between two cyclone fences, go one block, STOP sign, turn right on Ward Street which curves, crosses the end of Calion Lake, go 0.5 mile when Ward becomes county road, then 0.8 mile to Carl’s place on the right. There are no house on the left but three houses on the right. From El Dorado, go 2.5 miles past AR 335 to Calion’s Main Street. There is a small closed brick building on the north side of the intersection, only woods on south side. You should see early spring flowers of Gelsimium sempervirens, Viola villosa, Ciaytonia virginica, and others and two ferns"the rare Botrychium lunariodes and the common but rarely seen Ophioglossum crotalophorides. Contact Carl (best after dark) at (870)748-2362 March 14 - Little Missouri Falls Sponsored by the Ouachita Chapter For those coming from the east, meet at the Harvest Foods parking lot at the Junction of US 270 and Grand Ave. in Hot Springs at 9:30 a.m. Others can meet us at the junction of Forest Rd. 43 and AR 8 in Montgomery County between Norman and Mena at 10:30. We should see some Ozark Trillium sites, hopefully in full bloom. Bring a sack lunch. We will picnic at Little Missouri River Falls Recreation Area. Bring rubber boots as we’ll need to cross Crooked Creek. Contact John Peiton (501) 794-1883 April 4 - Village Creek State Park Sponsored by the NE Chapter. Come see the "razorbacked” hills of Crowley's Ridge. We hope to see the Pennywort ( Obolaria virginica), White Baneberry, DolFs-Eyes (Actea pachypoda) , Yellow Lady Slippers ( Cypripedium var. pubescens) and much, much more. Bring a sack lunch as there will be trips in the morning and afternoon. Be prepared!! Some of the areas we will take you will be steep, some will be wet, and some both. We will meet at 10:00 A.M. in the parking lot outside the visitor's center of Village Creek State Park. The park is located outside Wynn, AR. If you are coming from the West on 1-40, take exit #242 at Forrest City and go 13 miles north on AR 284 to the park. If you come into Wynn from the west on AR 64, at the light turn south on AR 1 , and follow the signs to the park from there. Contact Justin or Annette Holder for more inf. at (870) 935-7880 r e •* 3 Cfaytonia Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Spring 98 May 15 and 16 - Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge Sponsored by the management and personnel of the refuge. The Saturday field trip is a repeat of the Friday trip making it possible for people who cannot participate on one day to come the other day. See Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and other birds of Spring and the flush of flowering wiidflowers and fruiting Mayhaw trees. The woodpeckers are a sure thing as adults will be feeding the young in the nest holes. People are expected to bring their own lunch and drinks. There are no restroom facilities or picnicking areas in the refuge, but we will eat at a rest area with rest rooms in the town of Felsenthal. Those coming from the east can meet at the refuge headquarters west of Crossett on US 82; those coming from the west can meet at the restaurant entrance of King’s Inn Best Western in El Dorado on US 167. The Crossett group will leave headquarters at 9 a.m. and those leaving El Dorado will leave at 8 a.m. Both groups will meet at the junction of US82 and Shallow Lake Road and the field trip will last until about 3 p.m. Lodging is available in both Crossett and El Dorado. For further information contact Ruth Me Donald at Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 1157 , Crossett, AR 71635 during business hours call (870) 364 3168, or contact Carl Amason at (870) 748 2362 after the sun goes down. June 6 - Calion Carl Amason leader. Expect to see a colony of Aiophia drummondii, Erythrina herbaceae and perhaps some blooms on Spanish Moss - Tillandsia usneoides. For directions see March 7 field trip. Rare Plant Conference Mark you calendars! On the 11th of August, your Native Plant Society will convene its first Rare Plant Conference. The purpose of this meeting, to be held in beautiful Hot Springs, is to assess the status of 140 native plants considered to be at-risk by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the National Forests in Arkansas. This is a conference for everyone interested in Arkansas' rare flora, not just professionals and experts. Its your chance to have a first-hand look at what's being done for imperiled plants around the Natural State. Its also your chance to make a substantial contribution to the state of botanical and ecological knowledge in Arkansas. The results of this conference will be forwarded to policy-making governmental organizations in the hope that our input will influence the degree of attention given to rare plants in our state. Our plan is to show slides and maps and gather information from conference attendees concerning the current distribution, abundance, and population trends of each of the 140 rare plants, its also a chance for amateur botanists and wildflower lovers to become familiar with seldom-seen plants. Tuesday evening, you'll have an opportunity to socialize with other rare plant fans at a banquet. Flowers ail day, good food at night, all in air- conditioned comfort; what more could you ask for? In order to successfully organize a conference of this scope together, we will need the help of The Arkansas Native Plant Society membership. While we have pictures of many of the 140 plants, we don't have pictures of everything. Please scan through the list below. If you have a 4 day tenia Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Spring 98 photograph or slide, we'd be very grateful for a chance to use it. All you have to do is send the original or a duplicate to: Wayne Owen Ouachita National Forest P.O. Box 1270 Hot Springs, AR 71913. (501) 321-5323 email: wowen/r8_ouachita@fs.fed.us If you send an original, we'll make a copy and return your slides to you. If your slides are copyrighted, please send us a release form. Also, if you'd like to volunteer to work at the conference, please contact Wayne. In addition to the general rare plant meeting on the 11th, there will be a technical Agalinis auriculata A morph a pan icu fata Anemone quinque folia Aster furcatus Berlandiera subacaulis Brickellia grandifolia Calamagrostis porter i ssp. inseperata Callirhoe bushii Card amine angustifolia var. multifida Cardamine angu state var ouachitana Carex amphibola var. giobosa Carex basiantha Carex bicknellii var. opaca Carex decompista Carex fissa var. fissa Carex oxylepis var. pubescens Carex prasina Carex socialis Carex stricta Carex verrucosa Carex virescens Crataegus carroliensis Crataegus thermopegaea Cyperus grayioide s Dalea gattingeri Dennstaedtia punctiloba meeting on the 12th geared primarily for professional botanists. In that session, we will be discussing ranking and inventory needs for lichens and bryophytes, the status of a standard community classification system for Arkansas's natural vegetation, and other issues relevant to land management. We'd love to see as many people as possible turn out to learn about Arkansas' rare flora. Registration forms and more information will be published in the summer edition of Claytonia, look for it then. Until then, get out there and find those rare plants and get yourself ready for a day of unbridled flower-fun in Hot Springs on the 11th of August. Plagiochila acanthophylia var. ciliigera Prenanthes barbata Psorafea digitata var. parvifolia Ptilinmium co statu m Quercus arkansana Rueliia humilis var . depauperata Sagittaria ambigua Saxifraga palmeri Scleria reticularis Scutellaria bushii Silene ovata Tradescantia ernestiana Tricho manes boschianum Trichomanes petersii Trichomanes pusiilum var : ozarkanum T rifolium s toloniferum Trillium fiexipes Valerianella ozarkana Vernonia fasciculata Viola canadensis Waidsteinia fragarioides Woodsia scopulina var. appalachiana Xyris difformis Disporum ianuginosum Dryopteris X australis Dryopteris spinulosa Echinodorus parvulus Eryngium hookeri Euphorbia langicruris Galium arkansanum var. pubiflorum Helianthus occidentals ssp. plantagineus Heuchera parvi flora var. puberula Heuchera villosa var. arkansana Hexalectris spicata Hieracium sea brum Hypericum adpressum iris verna Jugians cinerea Lesquerella fitiformis Lilaeopsis carolinensis Lilium superbum Li paris loeseili Marshailia caespitosa var. signata Minuartia godfreyi Mitella diphylla Osmunda claytoniana Paronychia virginica Phlox bifida ssp. stellaria 5 CfaytMi* Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Spring 98 fad Meeting Minutes John Pelton, President, called the meeting to order, welcoming members and guests and thanking all who lead field trips earlier in the day, John also thanked all who had helped to make the meeting a success. John reported on activities during the year. The first mentioned was The Wildf lower Symposium, held in Little Rock, on using wildflowers and wild education in our gardening and landscaping plans which brought in about 1600 dollars and twenty to thirty new memberships. A result of the symposium was also a move to invite the natural science teachers in the state into ANPS. Janet Carson asked that a slide show be made and scripted and then placed in their libraries. Also a slide show will be made available to science teachers. John speculated on the size membership could grow to in the next five years if we make a reasonable effort and the amount of money that could be raised from a larger membership. John discussed the Carl Amason Conservation Award. Carl has agreed to get a plaque for it. The Nature Conservancy and the Natural Heritage Commission are moving forward with the Arkansas Forestry Commission on training people how to do prescribed burns. The Nature Conservancy will bring a trainer in, the Natural Heritage Commission will pay for the trainer, and the Society will help with the facilitation. There is an initiative by the Executive board to look at checking on some preservation sites. John Logan and Mina Marsh at the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission will check on options. We have elected chairpersons for Publicity/Communications, and Membership, John called for the reports of the officers. John also spoke of a spring plant sale on April 22 at the spring Wiidflower Symposium for fund raising purposes. The minutes of the spring meeting were included in Claytonia and were approved as printed. Jason Anders made the treasurer’s report that was approved as read. Don Crank made his report as program chairman. After the regular program a 45- minute tape brought by Vernon Bates and produced by the Union of Concerned Scientist will be shown. Carl Hunter asked Don to announce that any group or organization that will buy ten or more of his books, can get the tree book for $13.50, the flower book for $15.00 and the leaves book for $8.00. Jewel Moore suggested that hand lens, metric rulers, Smith's atlas and Smith's keys be available for people to buy. Don thanked the trip leaders: Bruce and Lana, Eric, and John Simpson. Vice- president Joe Stuckey said the spring trip will be in Monticello but no date has been set. Don introduced an idea that the Society and the Natural Heritage Commission will work on together. The Heritage Commission has made a poster listing all counties and the Natural Heritage Natural Areas in them. The Natural Heritage Commission would like Society members to adopt a natural area and agree to check on it once a month for one year. Tom Foti said a simple reporting form 6 Cfaytto/4 Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Spring 98 will be provided. Members should check after the meeting. Hopefully all 54 areas can be "adopted". The Heritage Commission will alert Society members as to sensitive species in the area that need to be monitored. Joe Stuckey gave his report that the spring meeting will be in Monticello. Ron Doran was unable to attend the general meeting. John reported that we are now putting out 4 issues of the newsletter each year. Bob Clearwater gave the report of the nominating committee. The vote was taken by ballet this year. Bob announced the 1 998 officers: President Don Crank; Vice President Stephen Marak; Treasurer Jason Anders; Scholarship Committee chair Annette Holder; Membership chair Eric Sundeil; Communication/Publicity Gary Tucker. Gary Tucker brought up the issue of Kate Nessler's witdflower painting collection which has been traveling around the state, it is now time for it to have a permanent home. There is a movement to raise money so that the coilection can be on permanent display at the North Arkansas Community College at Harrison. The cost of the collection is $62,000 and there are 38 paintings. Kate is internationally known artist who lives near Harrison. Gary brought this issue to the executive board who agreed to contribute money. ($250) John introduced Leslie Sprague of the Nature Conservancy who works in the Delta with landowners to conserve bottomland areas. Jason Anders reminded John that a waiver of the current bylaws would have to be made in order for Eric Sundeil to serve a four year term on membership. The bylaws stipulate that only -tbe-historian and newsletter editor can be re-elected beyond five years. Jason Anders brought a motion from the executive board to amend article 5 which defines officers and terms to add the membership chair to the other two offices that are exempted from the five year limitation on the executive board. We also need to add two other clauses describing the offices of communications chair and membership chair Concern was raised about amending the bylaws. Jason Anders pointed out that if we want to add the new positions we must amend the bylaws to include those new offices. Vote was taken by a show of hands. Motion passed by three-fourths majority. Eric Sundeil reminded the membership of a change in policy concerning membership changes and change of addresses including renewal checks. Eric will forward the checks to the treasurer after recording the membership information. Also, the annual basic dues are $15.00 not $10.00 as is stated in the directory. Eric extended an invitation to everyone to come to the spring meeting in Monticello and assured everyone that no matter when it is there will be wonderful things to see. There was a request to avoid the weekend before and after the April 22 Wildflower symposium. Respectfully submitted, Cathy Marak 7 CfaytMta Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Spring 98 0 Letters te the Miter Hi, Ron! Do you know about the new magazine Wild Garden? I have an approval copy and am really excited about it. It's 90 pp. of good information and ads for even more sources of good information and, at the same time, a truly beautiful publication. Eric Sundell is listed in it as a contact person for ANPS, and three of Arkansas's native plant nurseries are listed in it elsewhere. My idea is that Wild Garden can serve the same purpose for native plant societies around the country that Audubon magazine does for bird clubs, and I think many of our ANPS members would subscribe if they knew about it. Please publish some details about Wild Garden in the next issue of Claytonia. Subscription for 6 quarterly issues is only $23.95. The circulation office is at: P.O. Box 70570 Eugene, OR 97401 phone: 541/465-1383 fax: 541/465-1380 E-mail: lp@wild-garden.com Bill Shepherd P.S. And a subscription would make a great gift! Eric Sundell thought the following tour may be of interest to members: “Wildficwer Sightings Along the 7 Rails of Colorado.” July 18-26. Contact Centennial Tours, P.O. Box 1416, Fort Collins, CO. 80522. Phone 1(800) 223-0625 for details. Carl Hunter will be giving the following Wiidflower presentations this Spring: March 7 - Russelvtile - Flower and Garden Show. March 20-21 - N.W. Ark. -Master Gardeners, etc. April 1 - Stuttgart ~ Garden Clubs April 4 - Pinnacle Mt. St. Park -Ark Garden Clubs April 12 Pinnacle Mt. St. Park April 15 - Little Rock - Garden Gate Club April 18 - Lake Catherine St. Park- Early Wildflowers April 19 - Huntsville -- Ozark Science Center April 22 - Little Rock 4-H Center -Native Plant Symposium - Extension Service May 11 -Hot Springs - 20th Century Gardens May 14 - North Little Rock -Layman Library June 9 - Little Rock - Master Gardeners Ext. Service Building June 15 - Little Rock -Wildwood Week Wildwood Park For information concerning time and location call Carl at (501)455-1538 8 Clay tenia Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Spring 98 Chapter Hews The Ouachita Mt. Chapter of the ANPS was organized on March 29. 1997 with 12 members. Four field trips were made in 1997, and by the end of the year, the chapter had grown to 27 members. Our first planning meeting for 1998 was held at the Garland County Library in Hot Springs on January 17. Field trips were planned for the first half of the year.. Carl Hunter discussed current and future plans for the Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts in Little Rock. The chapter unanimously approved a motion to assist Carl in the establishment and maintenance of native plants areas at Wildwood. John Peiton presented a program on native orchids to the Arkansas Orchid Society in LR on January 18 which was attended by over 30 people. On January 25 Carl Hunter presented a program on native iris and related species to the Hot Springs Iris Society which was attended by 30 people. John Peiton also attended the meeting and informed those present about the ANPS and the Ouachita Mt. Chapter As of January 30, we have 32 members, the next planning meeting will be held in June to schedule field trips for the rest of the year and to nominate officers for 1999. x Memorials Memorials on the behaff of Kathleen Peek have been made to the society by: Carl Amason Breck Campbell Florence Mallard William Shepherd, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Howard Stebbins 111 A memorial in honor of Howard and Elsie Stebbins has been received from: Mr. and Mrs. James H. Rice. Thank you. Arkansas Native Plant Society Membership Application Please check below. Membership Categories: Name □ $10 Student □ $15 Regular □ $20 Supporting □ $25 Family Membership □ $30 Contributing □ $150...* Lifetime Membership (55 and over) □$300 ....Lifetime Membership (under 55) Address: Street or Box City State... Zip Telephone: - E-Mail address □ New Member □ Renewal P/ease cat and scarf Ms farm a/cap with cay Pass tc □ Address Change Me membership chairman listed ea Me ether side. Thanhs, . 9 1997/98 ANPS OFFICERS or* Please check your mailing label. If your mailing label has a 97 or earlier it is time to renew! Life members should have an L. Please fill in the information form on the bottom of page 9 and send with your renewals, applications for membership, changes of name, address, e-mail address or telephone numbers to: Eric Sundell, Membership ANPS Division of Mathematics and Sciences University of Arkansas Monticello, AR 7 1 6 5 5 L President: Don Crank Past President: John Pelton President Elect: Joe Stuckey Vice-president: Steve Marak Editor: Ron Doran Historian: Martha Wyre Secretary: Cathy Marak Membership: Eric Sundell Treasurer: Jason Anders Arkansas Coalition: Carl Hunter Awards/Scholarship: Annette Holder Communications: Gary Tucker The purpose ef the Arkansas Natiue Plant Society is te promote the preservation, conservation, end study of the wild pleats and vegetation of Arkansas, the educe the at the public te the vetue ef the uetive Here end its habitat , and the publication ef related information. C fay ton in Ron Doran, Editor 900 E. Center Harding University Box 10846 Searcy. AR 72149-0001 CULWELL, Dr. Donald E. LF 3 Magnolia Drive Conway, AR 72032 Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society SPRING 1998 NEWSLETTER OF THE ARKANSAS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Summer 1998 Vol. 19, No. 2 From the Presiden t’s Desk Joe stuckey is over-seeing the building of a house for one of his children and has asked to be relieved as an officer; therefore, Steven Marak moves to President-elect, the Board appointed Dr. John Simpson to fill the position of Vice President. The slate of officers to be voted on in September will be: President-Steven Marak, President-elect-John Simpson, Vice President-Dr. Robert Wright (one of the founders of ANPS), Treasurer-Jason Anders, Editor-Ron Doran, and Arkansas Conservation Coalition representative-Carl Hunter. Wayne Owen has been appointed by the Board to f;n * in mm li ic vntuo \ j i vuiiiuiui iii.cu.iui io/r uuiidiy. Nominations will also be taken from the floor. Joe and Gary, the ANPS thanks you for serving as officers. If you wish to nominate a person or an organization for the Carl Amason Conservation Award, please correspond with Annette Holder (or me). She and her committee will need a little time to select the person/organization for presentation to the Board at the September meeting. Since Carl Hunter is a Board member, it would be a bit difficult to keep it unknown to him that he has been nominated for the Carl Amason Conservation Award. If you have a conservation project that you want the committee to present to the Board for the Carl Amason Conservation Award, please let Bruce Ewing (or me) know. His committee will make their recommendations to the Board at the fall meeting. Wayne Owen, Tom Foti, John Logan, Cindy Osborne and I met to further the plans for the Rare Plant Conference. I am excited about the contribution that we will make to the ranking/re-ranking of some of the flora. WE NEED YOU AT THE MEETING ON AUGUST 1 1 , 1998 to help up-date the data base which, ■ iVpvlun jr , tim IWUU IV U M3 puUIIOI ill ly Ml a I low, up-to-date list. Please send slides to Wayne Owen. The list of slides needed is shown in the Spring 1998 Claytonia. Did you send your list of "favorite' 1 areas to John Logan? If not, please take a moment and compile a list of "special areas" that are in your county. Send them to John at ANHC so he and Mina can have the data for use with the Outdoor Classroom project. Don Crank, President & IN THIS ISSUE: ARKANSAS RARE PLANT CONFERENCE 2 RARE PLANT CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 3 RARE PLANT LIST 4 ODES TO WEEDS 5 TRAVELING WITH BARTRAM .6 FIELD TRIP HIGHLIGHTS 8 CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FORM .9 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION .9 C/aytMtc Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Summer 98 1st Arkansas Rare Plant Conference by Don Crank. President AN PS It’s time to make your plans to attend the 1st Arkansas Rare Plant Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday, 11-12 August 1998 in Hot Springs. This conference is the product of the hard work of a committee of devoted people and is made possible by the dedication of the Society’s Board of Directors, our membership, and the Natural Heritage Commission. We have never before attempted a thorough as- sessment of the rare plants in our state. The potential to contribute to a broader understanding of Arkan- sas’ flora and make a difference in the way rare species are managed is significant. With this conference we are making an important statement. If we don’t speak up for Arkansas’ rare plants, who will? Our first rare plant conference is modelled after similar conferences put on by other native plant societ- ies. We’ll review the status of 140 of Arkansas’ rare plants. We will show pictures of most of these plants (see the article in the Spring Claytonia) and their current distribution. We hope to get lots of in- formation on new locations, site conditions, and a generally more accurate view of our rare flora. Your participation is essential to the success of this conference. Even if you don’t know anything about rare plants, by attending this gathering you’ll learn about the rare species near your home and perhaps you’ll be able to contribute at the Second Arkansas Rare Plant Conference. The conference will be held at the Econo Lodge in Hot Springs. Their address is 4319 Central in Hot Springs. This is on the south end of Central, near the Outlet Mall and Lowe’s. The good people at Econo Lodge are offering conference attendees special room rates ($49. 5 0/s ingle, $53.10/double). To make your reservations, call 800.745.6160. When you make your reservations, please mention that you will be attending the Arkansas Native Plant Society Conference. You are not required to stay at the Econo Lodge, but this is a very fair rate for Hot Springs (and if we fill 15 rooms, the conference room will be provided at no cost to the society). Our Rare Plant Conference isn’t just about work. We hope that you’ll attend the catered dinner on the evening of the 1 1th. Following dinner, Richard W. Davies, the Executive Director of Parks and Tourism for the State of Arkansas will address the society. He is an excellent and very entertaining speaker. Good food, wildflower talk, lots of laughs; it’s hard to imagine a more enjoyable evening. We expect our first Rare Plant Conference to be a wonderful and rewarding experience. We hope to have a big turn-out and further hope that everyone in attendance goes home feeling better informed and more motivated. See you in Hot Springs! 2 CfcytPfi/4 Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Summer 98 1st Arkansas Rare Plant Conference Arkansas Native Plant Society Hot Springs, Arkansas When: August 11-12, 1998 Where: Econo Lodge, Hot Springs, Arkansas Purpose: To examine the current status of the rare plants of Arkansas Registration: Registration may be done by mail (via the attached form), or at the door. The preregis- tration fee is $ 1 0 per person. Late registration and registration at the door is $ 1 5. Deadline for Preregistration is 11 July 1998. Conference Agenda Tuesday, August 11th 8:00-9:00 Registration at the door and general socializing 9:00-9:30 Introductory remarks by ANPS President Don Crank 9:30- 1 0:30 Assessing Arkansas’ Rare Plants 1 0:30- 1 0:45 Short Break 1 0:45- 1 2:00 Assessing Arkansas’ Rare Plants 12:00-1:00 Lunch 1:00-2:30 2:30-3:00 3:00-4:30 4:30-5:00 Assessing Arkansas’ Rare Plants Long Break Assessing Arkansas’ Rare Plants Wrap-up of the 1 st Arkansas Rare Plant Conference. 7:00- Rare Plant Conference Dinner with Richard W. Davies, Executive Director of Parks and Tourism for Arkansas Wednesday, August 12th 8:30-12:00 Rare Lichens and Bryophytes in Arkansas Towards a standardized community classification for Arkansas also... Field Trips. Places and times to be announced. If you have questions, please contact: Wayne Owen, Rare Plant Conference Committee c/o Ouachita National Forest P.O. Box 1270, Hot Springs, Arkansas 71902 wowen/r8_ouachita@fs.fed.us (or wayneo@arkansas.net) 50 1.32 1.5323 3 C/ay ton /a Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Summer 98 1998 ARKANSAS RARE PLANT CONFERENCE Program of Arkansas’ Rare Plant Taxa Listed Taxa Geocarpon minimum (Threatened) Lesquerelta filiformis (Endangered) Lindera meiissifotia (Endangered) Ptilimnium nodosum (Endangered) Trifolium stoloniferum (Endangered) G1 Taxa Carex oxylepis var. pubescens (G5?T1?) Hydrophyllum brownei Mespilus canescens Minuartia godfreyi Plagiochila acanthophylla var . ciliigera (G?T1) Polymnia cossatotensis Quercus shumardii var. acerifolia G2 Taxa Calamovilfa arcuata Carex bicknellii var. opaca (G5T2T3) Carex fissa var. fissa (G3G4GT2?) Eriocaulon kornickianum Galium arkansanum var. pubiflorum (G5T2Q) Helianthus occ identalis ssp. plantagineus (G5T2T3Q) Neviusi a alabamensis Oenothera pi lo sella ssp. sessitis (G5T2G) Prenanthes barbata (G2G3) Sagittaria ambigua (G2?) Silene ovata Strepfantbus squamiformis Thalictrum arkansanum (G2G) G3 Taxa Agalinis auriculata Amorpha ouachitensis (G3Q) Amorpha paniculata Am sonia hubrichtii Aster furcatus Astragalus soxmaniorum Berlandiera subacaulis Calamagrostis porteri ssp. insperata (G4T3) Caflirhoe bushii (G3Q) Cardamine angustata var. ouachitana (G5T3Q) Carex decomposita Carex latebracteata Carex socialis (G3?) Carex verrucosa (G3G4) Castanea pumila var. oz arkensis (G5T3) Chefone obliqua var. speciosa (G4T3Q) Crataegus carrollensis (G3G5Q) Crataegus thermopegaea (G3G5Q) Cyperus g ray io ides Cypripedium kentuckiense Dalea gattingeri (G3G4) Delphinium newtonianum Delphinium treleasei Dodecatheon frenchii Draba aprica Echinodorus parvulus Eryngium hookeri (G3G5) Fothergilla major Hedyotis ouachitana Heuchera parviflora var. puberula (G4T3T4) Heuchera villosa var. arkansana (G5T3Q) Hyper/cum adpressum (G2G3) Leitneria floridana Lilaeopsis c arolinensis Parnassia grandi folia (G3G4) Phlox bifida ssp. s tell aria (G57T3) Psoralea digitata var. parvifolia Ptilimnium costatum (G3?) Quercus arkansana Ruellia humilis var. depauperata (G5T3T4) Saxifrag a pa/meri (G3G) Schisandra glabra Schoenotirion wrightii Scleria reticularis (G3G4) Scutellaria bushii Silene regia Solidago ouachitensis Streptanthus obtusifolius Thalia dealbata (G3G5) Tradescant/a ernest/ana (G3G5) Tradescantia longipes (G3G4) Tradescantia ozarkana Trillium pusillum var. ozarkanum (G3T3) Valerianella ozarkana Valerianella palmeri Verbesina walteri (G3?) Other Taxa Anemone gumguefo/ia (G5) Astragalus c rassicarpus var. crassicarpus (G5T5) Brickellia grandiflora (G5) Cac alia muehlenbergii (G4) Cardam me dissecta (=Cardamine angustata var. muttilida) (G4?) Carex amphibola var. globosa (GST?) Carex bas/anffia (G?) Carex bromoides (G5) Carex hitchcockiana (GS) Carex laevivaginata (G5) Carex laxiculmis (G5) CfaytMta Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Summer 98 Carex laxiflora (G5) Carex pensylvanica (G5) Carex prasina (G4) Carex stricta (G5) Carex v/rescens (G5) Cau/opfty//um thalictroides (G5) Cirsium muticum (G5) Cypripedium reyinae (G4) Dennstaedtia punctilobula (G5) Disporum lanuginosum (G5) Dryopteris ce/sa (G4) Dryopteris X australis (Hyb) Dryopteris c arthusiana (=D. spinulosa) (G5) Echinacea paradoxa (G4) Erysimum capitatum (G5) Euphorbia longicruris (G4G5) Gaylussacia baccata (05) G ratio la brevi folia (G4) Hexafecfr/s spicata (04?) Hieracium scabrum (G5) Iris verna (G5) Juglans cinerea (G4) Lilium superbum (G5) Liparis loeselii (G5) Luzula acuminata var. carolinae (GST?) Marshaliia caespitosa var. signata (G4T4) Mite I la diphylla (G5) Osmunda c laytoniana (05) Panax quinquefolius (G4) Paronychia virginica var. scoparia (G4T4Q) Rhynchospora capillacea (G5) R/bes curvatum (G4) Ribes cynosbati (G5) Spiranthes lucida (G5) Stachys eplingii (G5) Stenanthium gramineum (G4G5) Thelypteris noveboracensis (G5) T rautvetter/a caroliniensis (G5) Trichomanes boschianum (G4) Trichomanes petersii (G4G5) Trillium flexipes (G5) Uvularia perfoliata (G5) Vernonia fasciculata (05) Viola canadensis (G5) Waldsteinia fra g a rioides (G5) Woodsia scopulina var. appalachiana (G4T4) Xyris difformis var. difformis (G5T5) GDtS TO WEEDS by Bill Shepherd HYPOCHAERIS Shy cat's-ear hides her face on chilly days Nor dares an inflorescence to unfold Til! Sol, arising, spreads his warming rays And strews our summer fields with purest gold. SPEEDWELL A glimpse of fair Veronica in bloom the chili of March belies; on Lilliputian scale her smile portends the hues of summer’s skies. CARDUUS Though stately and in royal purple clad, Musk thistle bears an humble name indeed; Her hands upraised announce the feast that's spread And bid goldfinches share her dainty seed. 5 CfaytMt* Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Summer 98 Traveling with John Bartram by Eric Sundell November 7, 1997 You may remember Emily Dickinson's travel itinerary from that wonderful poem that starts out, "There is no frigate like a book, to take us lands away; there are no coursers like a page of prancing poetry." Well, during the hot, dry summer, I was able to accompany 18th century naturalist John Bartram on several field trips using transportation provided by Edmund and Dorothy Smith Berkeley's biography, The Life and Travels of John Bartram: from Lake Ontario to the River St. John. I jotted down tidbits that I hoped to hold on to in spite of a memory too full of taxonomic names to hold much of anything else. Bartram (1699-1777) attended Quaker school in the early 1700's near Philadelphia. The movement toward year-round education in America may have gotten its impetus from Bartram's schedule: pupils attended 12 months of the year, 8 hours a day, Monday through Friday, and 4 hours Saturday till the age of 12. The authors claim the education was equivalent to that of a high school graduate today, but having taught such graduates for 18 years now, I think the Berkeleys may be overestimating the amount of learning that goes on in our modern public schools. Bartram was a lifelong correspondent of Englishman Peter Collinson, another Quaker, to whom he sent countless seeds, plants, and herbarium specimens. When his butterflies were damaged in shipment, he began sending cocoons. When the sailors ate his turtles, he sent turtle eggs; the first batch hatched the day they arrived. Mark Catesby found many plant models for his Natural History of the Carolinas in Collinson's garden, the majority of the North American plants having come from John Bartram. Bartram and Collinson never met. Bartram corresponded and provided specimens of American plants to several European botanists. He sent mosses to Dillenius. Via Collinson, he sent specimens of Dionaea to Linnaeus: the common name for Venus flytrap in his day was "t i pit iw itch et sensitive"! He corresponded with Philip Miller, Gronovius, and many more. Bartram was of course a great and resourceful farmer and gardener as well as one of America's first and best field naturalists. His Pennsylvania garden was described by an observer as "...a row of rare plants almost covered over with weeds." Nevertheless he could list 169 native American trees and shrubs under cultivation, and on an 800 mile journey to Fort Pitt, he discovered not one new woody species that was not already growing in his garden at home! Travels were planned with due regard to the current state of Indian reiations-a single, unarmed man could be a temptation (especially his horse) even in peacetime. Accommodations could be rougher than the roads. On a trip to the Catskills with "the little botanist" (14 year old son Billy), they traveled 90 miles in two days and spent a night at a cabin "hardly big enough for a hen roost," sharing it with five or six people and innumerable lice. Bartram was ill with a fever during most of the trip. In Virginia, the roads often proved rougher than the accommodations, for Bartram now carried letters of introduction from Collinson to local plantation owners. Concerning his lodgings on a Virginia trip of 1738, "...after hours of riding in the rain, he fulfilled Coilinson's worst fears for his appearance.” John Bartram's writings were not, in general, designed for publication and dissemination to a general readership. His journal notes were typically transformed into technical reports and often sent abroad to Collinson. In addition to botanical subjects, he published abundantly on insects and animal behavior. His journal of his visit to the five nations of the Iroquois in 1743 6 Cf ay tent a Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Summer 98 was copied and sent to CoIJinson but was lost at sea, as were the next two copies. The fourth one got through! Bartram described socializing in an Indian town house, smoking pipes, one of which was six feetlong. At Fort Oswego, an Indian trading post on Lake Ontario, he found that the English traders cheated the Indians more than the French. He came home with a favorable impression of the Iroquois, especially of Indian women as wives. Two of Bartram's most notable botanical discoveries were ginseng and Franklinia. (Benjamin Franklin was one of Bartram’s closest friends; they co-founded the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia in 1744.) Ginseng was discovered in May, 1738, along the Susquehannah. Its therapeutic properties were later described by one Colonel William Byrd: ginseng benefited a man in all manner of ways without "those naughty effects that might make men troublesome and impertinent to their poor wives." John and William Bartram discovered Franklinia on their trip via Georgia to St. Augustine, Florida, in 1765. The elder Bartram made no mention of the encounter in his journal, but as William explained 10 or 12 years later, they had no notion of the tree's identity because in late autumn there were neither flowers nor fruits. William collected seeds in 1777. The tree was last seen at the Altamaha River site--the only site in the wild where it was ever found--by John Lyons in 1803. In 1760, Bartram finally made his first trip to the Carolinas and was astounded by the flora: "Oh Carolina! Carolina! a ravishing place for a curious botanist." His host, Dr. Alexander Garden (for whom Gardenia), described his ardor when he found something new: "He seems almost ravished to his senses and lost in astonishment." The Carolina trip left a permanent mark: in a letter of 1761, he wrote, "...ye Botanick fire set me in such a flame as is not to be quenched until death or ! explore most of ye South Western vegetative treasures in North America or perish in ye attempt." Bartram made several more trips into the South, including one to Florida as the newly appointed King's Botanist. Though he was seasick all the way to Charleston, "...he recovered his bounce quickly." Of the mysterious powers of the accomplished field botanist, Bartram had this observation: "The particular appearance of different species can no more be described by writing than ye particular features of a man's face, voice, or behavior." Bartram was a lifelong Quaker, but a free thinker even among Friends. He was charged with disbelief in the divinity of Christ, and, in 1758, when he refused to mend his ways but maintained that Christ was a mortal man, he was officially declared to be no longer a member of the Christian Society of Friends. He continued to attend meeting all his life! His assessment of Solomon is one for the ages: "If Solomon had loved women less and books more, he would have been a wiser and happier man than he was." John Bartram's advice to his children still holds: moderation above all; prudence to regard distant good equal with present pleasure. "Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before God." Alexander Garden described John Bartram's greatest asset as a botanist to be his lack of credulity. He was indeed, as well as a traveler of undaunted courage and a field observer with the keenest eye, an original thinker unencumbered by preconceptions. He made original observations on the necessity of pollen to seed set and on its genetic contribution to progeny in catchflies (Lychnis). He recognized mastodon bones discovered along the Ohio River as representing an animal much larger than and therefore different from the elephant. From 7 Ctaytmte Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Summer 98 marine fossils in the Pennsylvania mountains, he concluded that the area had been beneath the ocean. And he recognized an organic origin for limestone and marble. And he lived passionately, with steady conviction. Is there a member of the Arkansas Native Plant Society who would not be moved by his confession to being captivated by the infinite variation and fascination of plants. Listen to this: "Oh botany! Delightfulest of all sciences! There is no end to thy gratifications!" The rest of the Dickinson poem, by the way, is better than the first: "This traverse may the poorest fake without oppress of toll; how frugal is the chariot that bears a human soul." FIELD TRIP HIGHLIGHTS by Lisa Gouwens The spring meeting in Monticello provided opportunities to visit Warren Prairie, over 500 protected acres shared by Drew and Bradley Counties. Two guided excursions led by Eric Sundell enabled plant enthusiasts to get acquainted with the preserve, which was purchased by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission aided by the Nature Conservancy. The prairie's ecological setting, characterized by saline soil (technically known as^lafe 15 ) provides a place for some rare plants to indulge their eccentric habits. We were greeted first on the morning walk by numerous yellowish-white Texas sunny-bells (Sc/7oeno//r/on wrightii). One of the species for which the prairie was preserved, sunny-bells have a very limited distribution in Arkansas. Another rare plant, Geocarpon minimum, was found later in the morning. Only "skeletons" were recovered because Geocarpon is an annual and its growth cycle for this spring was complete. This diminutive species provides a big reason for the protection of the prairie since it is among the scarcest plants on Earth. Also among the rare plants spotted was the sundew (Drosera brevifolia). Many of these carnivorous plants were in bloom, sporting small pink flowers standing just a few inches high. Some of the other plants encountered were green-flowered milkweed ( Asclepias vi rid is) beginning to bloom, yellow puffs ( Neptunia iutea), skullcap mint ( Scutellaria parvula), sundrops ( Oenothera linifolia), star grass ( Hypoxis hirsuta) , water leaf (Phacelia glabra ), reindeer moss, and haircap moss complete with sporophytes. Alert forestry students found a chinquapin ( Castanea pumila ), which was not on the list of Warren Prairie plants. Upon Eric Sundell's request, Dan Marsh, a bryologist from Henderson State, found the moss Sphagnum with capsules. Wanderers seeking shade found a dwarf palmetto ( Sabal minor) glade; dwarf palmettos are the only representatives of the palm family in Arkansas, and their range is restricted to this area of the state. Except the sundrops, most of the species sighted in the morning were visible in the afternoon. In addition, those who braved the hot sun saw yellow flax ( Linum sp.) and quillwort ( Isoetes meianopoda ) . While the plants specifically mentioned represent only a fraction of the diverse Warren Prairie flora, observers saw enough to appreciate the value of the preserve. There are smaller prairies in Drew and Cleveland counties that are home to some rare species found on Warren Prairie. Unfortunately, plants in Cleveland county may be vulnerable to habitat loss from human activities. Knowing the importance and worth of Warren Prairie is an incentive to continue its safekeeping, and perhaps to initiate needed preservation of other rare plant habitats in Arkansas. 8 Ctayfonto Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Summer 98 1st Arkansas Rare Plant Conference: Registration Form Arkansas Native Plant Society 11-12 August 1998 Name.„ Affiliation Address Telephone (day) Registration for the conference is $10 per person if received by 11 July 1998 Make checks payable to Arkansas Native Plant Society. Late registration and registration at the door is $15. I plan to attend the general conference on the 1 1th. I plan to attend the technical session on the 12th I plan to attend a field trip on the 12th I plan to attend the dinner the evening of the 1 1th (This is a catered affair at the conference site: approximate cost $12 per person) Cut and mail this registration form with your registration fee to: Rare Plant Conference c/o Don Crank P.O. Box 20116 Hot Springs, AR 71903 x Arkansas Native Plant Society Membership Application Please check below. Membership Categories: □ $10 Student □ $15 Regular □ $20 Supporting □ $25..... Family Membership □ $30 Contributing □ $150.... Lifetime Membership (55 and over) □$300 ....Lifetime Membership (under 55) □ New Member □ Renewal □ Address Change Name Address: Street or Box City S tate Zip T elephone: - E-Mail address Please cut and send this form along with any dues to: Eric Sundell, Membership ANPS Division of Mathematics and Science University of Arkansas Monticello, AR 71655 9 1997/98 ANPS OFFICERS Ptetee/gCtf^ecjE your If you*n milling label has a 97 of earlier it is time to renew! Life members will have an LF July 1st is the deadline for inclusion in the 98-99 ANPS Directory Please fill in the information form on the bottom of page 9 and send with your renewals, applications for membership, changes of name, address, e-mail address or telephone numbers to the address give on the form: [Not to the editor.] President: Don Crank (501)262-1571 Past President: John Pelton... (501)794-1 883 Pres. Elect: Stephen Marak... .(501)248-6683 Vice-pres.: John Simpson (501)321-9292 Editor: Ron Doran (501)268-2503 Historian: Martha Wyre (501)778-341 5 Secretary: Cathy M arak (501 )268-6683 Membership: Eric Sundell (870)367-2652 Treasurer: Jason Anders (870)836-0452 Ark. Coalition: Carl Hunter... .(501)455-1 538 Awards/Scholarship: Annette Holder Communications/Pubiicity: Wayne Owen. (501)623-7252 The purpose of the Arkansas Natiue Plant Society is to promote the preservation, conservation , and study of the wiid p/ants and vegetation of Arkansas, the education of the public to the value of the native flora and its habitat, and the publication of related information . ZZZ Ctaytonia Ron Doran, Editor 900 E. Center Harding University Box 10846 Searcy. AR 72149-0001 CULWELL, Dr. Donald E. 3 Magnolia Drive Conway, AR 72032 . Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plaujtt Society LF Summer 1998 XT ^ <1* NEWSLETTER OF THE ARKANSAS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Autumn 1998 Vol. 19, No. 3 From the President’s Desk Thank you for making this an enjoyable year for me as President; and now, let us welcome Stephen Marak and John Simpson as our next President and President-elect. The nominating committee (Carl Hunter, Lana Ewing, and Lois Wilson) submits the following slate of officers to be voted on at the Fall meeting: Robert Wright, one of ANPS original founders, (Vice-president), Jason Anders (Treasurer), Ron Doran (Editor of the Claytonia), and Carl Hunter (Arkansas Conservation Coalition Representative). Of course, nominations will be taken from the floor. Please bring lots of items for the auction and bring seeds for distribution during the seed exchange. As I think of things done and things yet to do, three items are foremost in my mind. First, please consider pursuing the monitoring of all our fifty four Natural Areas (in conjunction with ANHC). The Nature Conservancy has also invited us to assist them by helping to monitor their "..rare and threatened communities..". What an opportunity for us to see the areas and obviously our efforts have value to those organizations. Also, I would hope that ANPS will continue to encourage the publishing of a flora for Arkansas. Ai Mi. View, you voied for ANPS to be a repository for funds for this purpose. What better use of "conservation funds" than to provide "seed money" for this purpose if we were given the opportunity? In addition, please consider financing the design and publication of a first-class, color brochure for promotion of ANPS and its purposes. If you want to buy either a hand lens or "Keys to the Flora of Arkansas", a few will be available at the meeting and at cost. New members, we welcome you and hope to see you in Clarksville and/or on field trips. See you in Clarksville. Don Crank & IN THIS ISSUE: FALL MEETING INFORMATION 2 MAP OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE OZARKS 3 RARE PLANT CONFERENCE.. 4 FALL OUTINGS 5 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED... ....6 CARL'S COLUMN 7 OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS & MORE 8 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION 9 CfaytMia Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society AUTUMN 98 mu Me trine University of the Ozarks Clarksville Directions to campus Take Hiway 103 (Rogers Avenue, same street Comfort and Best Western are on) from 1-40 to Cherry Street (the first street past the Main St. stoplight.) Turn left. Go about 6 blocks and turn right onto College. When you reach the University, you will see public parking lots on the right. We will have signs indicating where the meetings are. See campus map on page 3. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Registration Baldor Auditorium in the Boreham Business Building 6:30 p.m. auction - Carl Amason auctioneer extraordinare! Executive Board Meeting following . SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 8:30 MORNING FIELD TRIPS Led by Gary Tucker and Gene Leeds 1 :30 AFTERNOON FIELD TRIPS 7:00 p.m. - Business meeting. ( Includes election of officers.) Program section Carl Hunter - short (10-15 minutes) Janet Carson (main speaker) Sunday, September 27 Everyone has been invited to Mary Ann King’s place in London. Time to be announced. Accommodations The Comfort Inn has given us a rate of 2 people for $40.00 plus tax or a room with 2 double beds and up to 4 people for $45.00 plus tax. They will hold rooms until 9/15* 1 1 67 S, Rogers Avenue, Clarksville, AR 72380, phone 501-754- 3000. Please call this number and not the toil free number to guarantee the special AN PS rate. Free continental breakfast, non-smoking rooms available, ground level and 2nd floor rooms available. Exit 58 north from 1-40. Fax number 501-754-4131, check in 3 p.m., check out 11 am." Best Western, also on Rogers Avenue, near the Comfort Inn. Exit 58 north from 1-40. P.O. Box 146, Clarksville, AR, 72830. $49.00 plus tax. Reservations 1-800-780-7234 or 1- 800-528-2222 hearing impaired or 501-754-7900 direct. Check in 6 p.m., check out 12 noon. Super o, also on Rogers Avenue. Exit 53 from 1-40. 1238 Rogers Avenue, Clarksville, AR 72830. Reservations 1- 800-800-8000 nationally or 501-754-8800 direct. Check in 11 am, check out 11 am. Rooms for 2 adults from $46-52 plus tax per night. Economy Inn, 1-40 & Exit 58 (Rogers Ave), Clarksville, AR 72830. 501-754-2990. Hampton Inn, 1-40, Exit 55, Clarksville, AR 72830. 1 -800-HAMPTON nationally or 501-754-4444 direct, rates $49-55 plus tax for 2 adults. Check in 1 p.m., check out 11 am. FOOD Woodward's Family Restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner is next door to the Comfort Inn, Fast food chains such as Wendy's, McDonalds, KFC, etc. are within a few blocks of the motel." 2 The Ozarks Campus Hurre Athletic Field University of the Ozarks Arkansas 3 | Cf ay tenia Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society AUTUMN 98 First Arkansas Rare Plant Conference an Unqualified Success by Wayne Owen The first Arkansas Rare Plant Conference on the 11th and 12th of August was bigger, more fun, and more rewarding than anyone had hoped. Ninety-six people attended the two-day meeting in Hot Springs. They came from every corner of Arkansas and nearly all of our surrounding states. Hard-core botanists and wildflower gardeners sat side by side and learned more than they expected about the identification and status of rare plants in the Natural State. The stated purposes of the conference were to improve the level of awareness about Arkansas' rare plants and to increase our knowledge of their distribution and ecology through involving the broadest cross-section of the botany community. We think we met our mark. In addition to illuminating new locations for several of the species that we reviewed (see Claytonia Summer ' 98) , we learned something about the threats to some populations, the security of others, and how to recognize some of these unique plants so that when the next Rare Plant Conference rolls around more people will be able to contribute. This information most directly benefits the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and federal agencies like the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Forest Service, but knowledge of the distribution and abundance of rare plants helps everyone interested in Arkansas botany. Of course the biggest benefactors of our successful effort are the rare plants of our state. The first day of the Conference was consumed with a review of more than 140 rare plants. It was my distinct impression that people paid more attention when we were discussing Cypripedium species than when we were discussing Carex species. The second day of the conference was probably more broadly entertaining. In the morning, Dr. Doug Jeffries from the University of the Ozarks lead a very stimulating discussion on Arkansas lichens. He was followed by an in-depth presentation on the mosses and liverworts of the southeast by Dr. Dan Marsh of Henderson State College and Dr. Frank Bowers of the Missouri Botanical Garden. All this talk about "lower life-forms" generated considerable conversation and comment and all in attendance came away with a better appreciation for the more delicate members of the plant kingdom. The second day was also a day to go out into the field to see some of the plants we had talked about. Trips were made to Meyers Creek to see ferns and orchids, Rainy and Fiddler Creeks to see the endangered Ptilimnium nodosum (harperella) and the rare Xyris difformis var. difformis , and Dripping Springs to revel in the ferns and bryophytes. The field trips were fun for all and had the added benefit that everyone learned and saw new things. Life doesn't get any better than that. What is the future of the Arkansas Rare Plant Conference? We are currently in the process of writing a formal report for state and federal land management agencies to help them better manage the rare plant resources in Arkansas. The Conference Evaluations were very helpful and have given us many good ideas for improving the next event (like having it in a bigger room and showing pictures of the habitat of each of the rare plants). At this time, we are planning the Second Arkansas Rare Pfant Conference for late winter, early spring 2000. Mark your calendars now and keep your eyes peeled for the rare stuff. 4 Ctaytonia Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society AUTUMN 98 ANPS Fall Field Trips Saturday, October 10 Fall wildflower drive in the Ouachitas. Meeting place will be the Harvest Foodstore at Malvern and Grand in Hot Springs at 8:00 AM. Saturday, October 24 Cation Carl Amason will be hosting a trip at his home. (870) 748-2362 Time: 9:00 a.m. Directions: Those coming from the north, Follow US 167 when the concrete of the river bridge (Ouachita River) changes to blacktop go 0.9 mile to the intersection of Calion’s Main Street which does not go across 167, turn left and then go 0.5 mile cross the old railroad dump, turn right onto Hoover Street between two cyclone fences, go one block, STOP sign, turn right on Ward Street which curves, crosses the end of Calion Lake, go 0.5 mile when Ward becomes county road, then 0.8 mile to Carl’s place on the right. There are no house on the left but three houses on the right. From El Dorado, go 2.5 miles past AR 335 to Calion’s Main Street. There is a small closed brick building on the north side of the intersection, only woods on south side ANPS regional chapters also schedule their own field trips and activities. Please contact the chapter presidents for information concerning their activities: Nature Conservancy Field Trips Special Note All Nature Conservancy field trips require advance registration. See registration form on page 9. Fall Canoe on the Bayou. Saturday, October 3 Benson Creek Natural Area Gently float through tupelo and cypress trees in the braided wetland channels of Bayou De View located near Brinkly in Monroe County. Bring a sack lunch. Drinks will be provided. Leader; Leslee Spraggins Time: 8:00 am - 2:00 p.m. Meeting place: meet at Arkansas Field Office and carpool to the sight. Cost: $20.00/person (limit 14) Fall in the Ozarks Newton County Saturday, October 17 Ozark Ecotours is a job creation program of the Newton County Resource Council, a non- profit community development corporation offering responsible travel that promotes appreciation and protection of the natural resources and rich cultural heritage of the county, as a special treat for Conservancy members, three hikes led by local guides are being offered featuring: 1) Archeological elements and points of interest (easy to moderate) 2) An historical and cultural perspective of the county (easy to moderate) 3) Unique aspects of the natural community (moderate) Leader: Ozark Ecotours and Page Shurgar Time: 9:00- afternoon Meeting place: Newton County Courthouse in Jasper. Registrants will be a sent a map (indicate on the registration form if you would like to carpool from Little Rock) [com. next page] 5 Clay font a Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society AUTUMN 98 Cost: $ 15.00/person. Limit 12 persons per group. Please rank (1-30 on the registration form which outing you would prefer. ( Note: well try to give everyone their first pick - so get your forms in early!) Mushrooming in the Ozarks Alum Cove, Ozark National Forest Saturday, November 14 Alum Cove is an area of special geological interest with unusual rock formations including a “Natural Bridge” that early settlers used as a wagon trait. For naturalist, Alum Cove has a large variety of tree species as well as mushrooms. Join us for a day of mushrooming to look for Honey mushrooms, Oyster mushrooms and a variety of others. Bring a sack lunch. We will eat overlooking the scenic Buffalo River. Leader: Jay Justice, President of the Arkansas Mycological Society. Meeting place: Alum Cove. Registrants will be sent a map to the meeting place. Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 p.m. Driving time from Little Rock 2 and 1/2 hours, (indicate on registration form if you would like to carpaol from Little Rock) NATURE CONSERVANCY WORK PARTIES Please contact Conservancy Stewardship Volunteer Coordinator Page Shurgar at the Arkansas Field Office (501) 663-6699 ext .61 or pshurgar@tnc.org if you plan to attend the work parties or need directions to the site. Your help is needed!!!!!! TERRE NOIRE September 26 November 7 December 5 We will be establishing erosion barriers, removing cedars, and reseeding washed out areas at both Terre Noire and International Paper Blackland Prairie. Place: Terre Noire Natural Area near Arkadelphia, Clark County Time: 9:00-11:00 am Leaders: Kathryn Burchfield and Page Shurgar. BAKER PRAIRIE October 3 November 7 This fall at Baker Prairie volunteer efforts will be concentrating on fencerow removal, erosion control, seep collection and planting Place: Baker Prairie Natural Area in Harrison, Boone County. Time: 9:00- 11:00 am Leader: Cheryl Satterfield 6 1 1 CtaytMia Newsletter ol the Arkansas Native Plant Society AUTUMN 98 In Appreciation of Vaccinium staminium by Carl Amason Among the many pleasant, lovely or beautiful flowering plants that grow naturally in Arkansas, the Vaccinium staminium is one of the most distinct. It is found almost statewide except on the Grand Prairie and Mississippi Delta Regions and is well known to those who appreciate the native plants. First the blooms are considered. It is considered now to be a Vaccinium species but its white flowers are so star shaped with its radiating petals , not united petals of urn shaped flowers that is common to the other species of Arkansas Vaccinium natives. They have been aptly described as resembling - with imagination of course, a ballerina’s tutu, the short flaring skirt that ballet dancers wear when performing. And this distinction makes it different to the point that early botanists frequently considered it to be a different genus. The flowers are born in early spring in small clusters and it seems that most often they occur just as the fresh green leaves are developing, giving a rather pretty spring show when so many other flowers are coming into early spring flowering. The stamen and pistil are exserted beyond the corolla (petals), again with vivid imagination, like the legs of a ballerina. These flowers develop into berries. Second: The fruits are large, for a Vaccinium, greenish round berries that really develop poor color -- to greenish purplish, that dangle on long peduncles, but are really not tasty for human beings but are eagerly eaten by birds and other wildlife, hence some local names of deerberry, gooseberry, and perhaps other “animal berry” that is not wide spread in usage. Third: The leaves are light but bright green when developing but grows into light but dullish leaves that are simple, entire, perhaps shiny, to over two inches long but usually from one to two inches long and about 1/2 inch wide. The leaves develop no color for the autumn season in spite of being deciduous. At this time the berries are long gone. Fourth: The shrub is stoloniferous, usually making a compact cluster of irregularly branched bushes that are between two and three feet tall. It is well behaved in cultivation, but for some reason, people don’t consider it a worthy garden addition as it should be grown more often, especially in a woodland garden where it prospers in light shade and sandy acid soiis. When established, it needs no additional watering and fertilizer. It can grow in quite dry areas to moist slopes but it must be well drained. For those who like to make arrangements of native plants in bloom, the branches last well and really can stump and confuse the ordinary people who do not realize what a showy plant they have been missing. And in winter the bare limbs have an Oriental splendor. So it is a plant for all seasons. 7 ChytMla Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society AUTUMN 98 OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS Here is what we need at Arkansas Natural Heritage in order to process “special areas” which you want us and AN PS to know about: LOCATION: County, nearest town, township, range and section (if you know it), very specific directions to the area. Also a map would be nice but is not necessary. OWNERSHIP: Do you know who owns it? If so who? KIND OF SITE: Swamp, forest, prairie, old field, spring, giade, etc. Be as specific as your knowledge allows. WHY IS THE AREA SPECIAL: Does it contain rare plants, unusual habitat or community, an interesting mix of plants, a diversity of natural features that might make it useful as an outdoor study area? Something else? PARKING: Is there room for a school bus to park? Turn around? Please send your information to: John Logan Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission 1500 Tower Building 323 Center Street Little Rock, AR 72201 Fourth Central South Native Plant Conference Friday, October 23, and 24th are the dates for this native plant conference to be held this year in Birmingham, Alabama. The conference is designed to foster awareness and appreciation of plants native to the Southeast. Registration fee is $65 if paid by October 10. $80 after that date. For further information contact Mary Joe Modica, University of Alabama Arboretum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama at 1-888-349-1815, Editor’s End Note Thanks to all of you who sent in information or articles for this issue of you r newsletter. Keep them coming!!! I can’t promise you that they will get in the next issue, but they will appear as soon as we have space. Chapters, are you still out there? Other members would like to hear what is happening in your parts of the state. Have you noticed that after a hot and dry summer many of our imported plants have been stressed to their limit but most of the natives are “hanging in there” and some of them have even managed a spectacular display despite September temperatures in the 100+ range. I have even found a couple of composites in my upper field that are new to me. Thanks again for your articles. See you at the fall meeting! 8 CfaytMta Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society AUTUMN 98 1998 Nature Conservancy Field Trip Registration Form Name... Address Telephone (day) (evening) Trip date # in party Trip date # in party Trip date ft in party Trip Fall in the Qzarks (rank 1-3 in order of preference) Archeological ft in party Historical/cultural ft in party Nature hike ft in part y Cut and mail this registration form with your registration fee to: The Nature Conservancy 601 North University Little Rock, AR 72205 x Arkansas Native Plant Society Membership Application Please check below. Membership Categories: □ $10 Student □ $15 Regular □ $20 Supporting □ $25 Family Membership □ $30 Contributing □ $150.... Lifetime Membership (55 and over) □ $300 ... . Lifeti me Membership (under 55) □ New Member □ Renewal □ Address Change set* Name Address: Street or Box City State Zip Telephone: - E-Mail address Please cut and send this form along with any dues to: Eric Sundell, Membership ANPS Division of Mathematics and Science University of Arkansas Monticello, AR 71655 9 1997/98 ANPS OFFICERS Please check your mailing label! If your mailing label has a 97 or earlier it is time to renew! Life members will have an LF Please fill in the information form on the bottom of page 9 and send with your renewals, applications for membership, changes of name, address, e-mail address or telephone numbers to the address given on the form: [Not to the editor.] President: Don Crank (501)262-1571 Past President: John Pelton... (501)794-1 883 Pres. Elect: Stephen Marak.... (501 >248-6683 Vice-pres.: John Simpson (501)321-9292 Editor: Ron Doran (501)268-2503 Historian: Martha Wyre (501 >778-341 5 Secretary: Cathy Marak (501)268-6683 Membership: Eric Sundell (870)367-2652 Treasurer: Jason Anders (870)836-0452 Ark. Coalition: Carl Hunter.... (501)455- 1538 Awards/Scholarship: Annette Holder Communications/Publicity: Wayne Owen. (501)623-7252 The purpose of the Arkansas Natiue Plant Society is to promote the preservation, conservation, and study of the wiid p/cots and vegetation of Arkansas , the education of the public to the value of the native flora and its habitat, and the publication of related information. Ctaytonia Ron Doran, Editor 900 E Cotter Harding University Box 10846 Searcy. AR 72149-0001 CULWELL, Dr. Donald E. LF 3 Magnolia Drive Conway, AR 72032 Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Autumn 1998 CLMOm L NEWSLETTER OF THE ARKANSAS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Winter 1998/1999 Vol. 19 No. 4 ■ ■ .-Ti,r.Tr.v,'- 11 ■■ ■ ~ti -■ ' ■■ -■■■■■ ■■■■.— — ^ » ■■ ■ . !■■■■■ 11 — ■ :i v ... ■ --ll* r: Winter and Spring Field Trips Feb. 27 ** Saline County*. Expect harbinger of spring and other "early birds". Meet at Owensville Baptist Church on Highway 5 (between Hot Springs and Benton) at 1 :00PM. March 1 3 ** Calion - Meet at Cart Amason's for early spring outing. Directions: Those coming from the north, Follow US 1 67 when the concrete of the river bridge (Ouachita River) changes to blacktop go 0.9 mile to the intersection of Calion’s Main Street which does not go across 1 67, turn left and then go 0.5 mile cross the old railroad ramp, turn right onto Hoover Street between two cyclone fences, go one block, STOP sign, turn right on Ward Street which curves and crosses the end of Cafion Lake, go 0.5 mile when Ward becomes a county road, then 0.8 mile to Carl's place on the right. There are no house on the left but three houses on the right. From El Dorado, go 2.5 miles past AR 335 to Gallon's Main Street. There is a small closed brick building on the north side of the intersection, only woods on south side Meet at 9:00 AM. ‘ March 20 ** The Ouachita’s. Day trip . It is recommend that you bring waders for shallow creek crossing. Meet at Harvest Food at corner of Malvern Ave. and Grand Ave. in Hot Springs at 10:00 AM. Expect Ozark trillium and round-lobed hepatica and much more April 3 ** Calion - Duex See what's new. Meet at Carl Amason's at 9:00 AM see directions above. April 10 ** Saline County etc. Start with inventory project for large ladies' slippers in Saline County then onto Garland and Montgomery Counties to include Buttermilk Springs and it's exciting plants. Meet at the old deserted Colonial Nursing Home on Highway 5 (between Hot Springs and Benton) at 10:00 AM. May 1 ** Mount Magazine Outing to be led by our orchid specialist Dr. Carl Slaughter(expect showy orchis and much more!) Meet at the Greenfield use area on top of the mountain at 1 0:00 AM May 1 5 ** West Arkansas Outing to be led by Bruce and Lana Ewing. Will feature the Cossatot State Park. Meet at the parking lot on west side of bridge over the Cossatot River on Highway 4 at 1 0:00 AM. E xyttwia Newsletter of the Arkansas Plant Society Winter 98/99 FIELD TRIP REPORT CALION, ARKANSAS 24 OCTOBER 1998 by Carl Amason The effect of the long warm dry summer was evident by the show of late flowers; there were precious few and far between. In spite of cooler and more pleasant weather, the dry effect prevailed on our Saturday field trip. An outstanding attendee was Dr. Johnnie Gentry of Fayetteville, Arkansas who is replacing Dr. Edwin B. Smith at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Gentry is a very much trained advanced botanist but appreciates all forms of plant life and as such his work in Arkansas will be far ranging and there should be more additions to the Flora of Arkansas as published by. Smith. Two plants growing here on the place that were shown to Dr. Gentry were the hardly showy Acanthospermum australe, a plant that is becoming rare in past years, that doesn't belong in North America but in Paraguay, South America, and Micranthemum umbrosum . This little field trip occurred before the crowd arrived but specimens of both species were collected. Bob and Sandra Gamble came early and always contribute remarks that add to the field trip. Mary and John Macchietto arrived from Hot Springs, Chris Doffitt, an advanced student of Dr. Dale Thomas, came form Monroe, Louisiana and then some of the Camden delegation began to arrive; Will Daniel, followed later Hay his mother-and sister Kathy and Kate Daniel, Glenda Jones and Jason Anders, all of which completed our group. mowed plants had ventured to put up some flowering stems in spite of dry conditions. Seen and compared where Heliantbus angustifolius and Bidens aristosa , both yellow composites that bloom in late summer and early fall. A common name of the Helianthus is narrow-leafed sunflower ( an exact translation of the Latin scientific name) and it is one of the loveliest yellow flowers of the season. It has dark fertile center flowers surrounded by infertile ray flowers. The Bidens is known as showy Spanish needle or tickseed sunflower - the common name given in Smith's atlas or most often as ditch daisy. It blooms in late summer ( late August or early September ) and in moist rainfall season, entire roadsides are in bloom — if the road mowing crews don’t mow them down. It is a true type of daisy so it closes up at night time. It also has infertile ray flowers that surround a yellowish duster of fertile flowers that produce the pronged seeds of the Spanish needle. It is an annual -and-grows in sutiny moist ditches and is a good bee plant as well as a butterfly attractant. The narrow- leafed sunflower is a short lived perennial and is very worthy of garden conditions. And away we went, mostly along the [continued on next page] mowed roadside where a few surviving 2 Newsletter of the Arkansas Plant Society Others blooming were: Gaillardia aestivalis var flavovirens the perennial yellow blanket flower which is common on dry roadsides ; Liatris elegans the white flowered blazing star that has lavender bracts , giving a light purple or lavender flowering effect; and the common acid soil loving Lobelia purperula. As we approached the roadside sight of the Acanthospemum I insisted to Chris Doffitt to take a twig of one of the plants for a herbarium specimen for Northeastern Louisiana University but first tell Dr Thomas that he “found it somewhere near Monroe”. It took only a question or two and Dr. Thomas was onto the conspiracy. Later, of all the hollies on the place only Ilex decidua var longipes or Hex longipes had red fruit and only one seven foot shrub had about five of them, on long pedicles that superficially made them look like small cherries. The field trip was a mixture of fellowship, a learning experience, a lesson in appreciation of the wildflowers and hopefully , what can be done with a few seeds and how to grow some wildflowers without digging them up from their natural location. TV WORTH WATCHING We have two TV’s in our house but they are rareiy turned on except for the news. I did get somewhat bored one evening when I ran out of reading material and tests to grade - that in itself is a rare event. Anyway, I was giving the remote a little workout between the four stations that we get fairly well and happened to catch the tail end of a video on AETN which had ANPS members Mina Marsh and Bill Shepherd in ft. What part I saw was excellent. I was going to contact the station to see if they were going to show it again when Bill e-mailed me the information below. You will want to see this program!” If you missed the first broadcast of the video Arkansas' Natural Heritage or want to see it again it is going to be broadcast on AETN at 7PM on Thursday, February 25, and at the same time on March 25. 3 I Newsletter of the Arkansas Plant Society SOME NOTES ON Cynoglossum Virginianum, by Carl Amason A fairly common and distinct wildflower of the eastern United States is Cynoglossum virginianum which is found in the woodlands as far west as Missouri, eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas back across to northern Florida and up into the Northeastern states. It is named for the state of Virginia where it was probably first found by scientists of their day. Interestingly the name is from the Greek and has been translated into dog's or hound’s tongue the latter of which is one of its common names. Other common names are wild comfrey or wild forget-me-not or some combination of for-get-me not as all these plants are in the Borage family, a family known for useful home remedies, dyes, and garden plants. But our native subject is sometimes described as weedy, or little known, or often just ignored. There seems to be no published use of the plant except it is a pleasing wildflower when seen. It doesn’t seem to be demanding in its soil type, only well drained woods. In Arkansas, it is found in ail of the state except on the Delta or Grand Prairie but is known all of the length of Crowley’s Ridge. Cynoglossum virginianaum plants are perennials, coming up from the forest litter before the deciduous trees leaf into shade. It quickly develops a rosette of radiating leaves, up to at least a foot long and several inches wide. The leaves are fuzzy medium green and from the middle arises a stem which has smaller leaves and has a cyme of buds that open in a spiral pattern of several small steely blue flowers ( about the same color as some of the Amsonia species). The flowers open into five petaled corollas, perhaps a half inch across, about twelve to twenty-four inches above the ground. Only four to five flowers are opened at a time but the blooming period lasts for a few weeks and the seeds quickly develop into little burrs that will get onto trousers, socks, and dog fur . These burrs are not an uncomfortable or painful thing nor are they numerous enough to be a real nuisance. In fact, seeing the plant in bloom is one of the pleasures of woodland strolls. Growing the seeds to flowering plants is a challenge to the casual grower because the seeds are erratic in germinating and as a perennial several years are needed for flowering plants to develop, and the plants go dormant in summer. Since it is not one of the more flashy wildflowers, its modesty keeps it from being well known in spite of its charm. Many people have never seen the plant and unfortunately some people don’t know that it exists. It is a wonderful plant to grow in a wildflower woodlands where the ground is on a slope. It is easily grown as it maintains itself and it comes up year after year, giving its flowers as a pleasing tribute but in looking at established plants there seems ta be veryiittle “establishment of seedlings. It is apparently free from diseases and insects and doesn’t seem to suffer from the browsing of white-tail deer. Apparently it will outlive the person who grows it from seed and sees it bloom. 4 0£oft*tUd, Newsletter of the Arkansas Plant Society SPECIAL FOREST PRODUCTS AND YOU BY WAYNE OWEN What are they? Special Forest Products (SFPs) are known by many names. From the Forest Service's perspective, they are those things you might take from the woods that are not part of their well established programs. Special Forest Products do not include things like timber, firewood, Christmas trees, rocks or minerals, or forage for livestock. SFPs are things like berries, moss, pinecones, medicinal herbs, grapevines, live plants, herbarium specimens, and just about anything else that comes from plants. The collection of SFPs for private use and commercial resale is increasing dramatically and national forest lands are being especially hard-hit. We've all seen the proliferation of herbal health supplements and a trip to your favorite craft store will highlight the popularity and range of SFPs available to the consumer. On the down side of the SFP issue, just about everybody has seen a favorite patch of coneflowers disappear, an old patch of lady-slipper orchids eradicated, a hidden moss bed laden with partridge beny stripped, or a seep full of cinnamon ferns devastated. The Forest Service, in order to devise means of assuring the future survival of all those species that fall into the SFP category, has embarked on a process to assess who uses SFPs and how they use them. The Forest Service realizes that there is rarely any harm in a family going out to pick dewberries for jam, collecting a few pine cones for a holiday wreath, or picking up a decorative piece of heartwood for a home garden. These, and other, low-intensity, private uses are part of a great tradition and an important avenue by which we experience the natural world and pass our traditions and values along to our children. The Forest Service is more concerned about people who remove quantities of SFP for private profit. It is important that any such removal be done in a way that is ecologically sustainable and not injurious to the health of the forest. The Forest Service is not necessarily opposed to the commercial extraction of SFPs. Conversely, there is no guarantee that it will allow such collections. If it does, there are several issues to resolve. Chief among those issues is the cost of a SFP program. When the Forest Service sells timber, the timber purchaser pays for the preparation of the timber sale; the environmental analysis before hand and the clean-up — after the sale.— If the -Forest -Service decides to allow the collection of Special Forest Products, someone is going to have to pay for the administration of the permit process. The options are that either you pay for it via your tax 5 I'M "l"'l Newsletter of the Arkansas Plant Society Winter 98/99 dollars, or that the people making money from SFPs pay for it. This issue of Claytonia contains a SFP survey. Please take the time to fill it out and return it. Your anonymity is assured. Remember that the Forest Service’s SFP policy, what ever it ends up being, will apply only to national forest lands. Th is is your best chance to tell the Forest Service what you think. All options are currently being - - considered so your input will help frame the issues in a way consistent with the goals of the Arkansas Native Plant Society, *******************++++********** Wayne Owen, Plant Ecologist/Range Program Manager Ouachita National Forest P.O. Box 1 270 Hot Springs National Park, AR 71902 OXALIS VIOLACEAE OR VIOLET WOOD SORREL BY CARL AMASON The genus oxalis is found in one form or another ail over the world where some kind of flowering plants are growing wild. This excludes the polar regions but includes temperate, semi-temperate, and tropical areas wherein are woods, plains, mountains, deserts, and places with heavy rains. Many are weedy, some are sources of food and some are beautiful to see and have become horticultural subjects. In Arkansas, of the five or so species that are considered part of the flora, most are fibrous rooted yellow flowered weeds, one is an escaped exotic cultivated plant ( Oxalis rubra) from South America, and one is a bulbous glabrous piant found statewide in almost aH types of soil and situations except in flooded river plains. This is Oxalis violaceae or violet wood sorrel. The true sorrels are Rumex, a broad leafed perennial or sometimes annuals with a sour lemony flavor, the only thing that can be classed as common with the wood-sorrels. There is not a one of us as children who has plucked a leaf or stem of wood sorrel and gently sampled the pleasantly sour- lemon flavor. Such is the trademark flavor of oxalic acid in dilute or salt form but beware of pure oxalic acid! Oxalis violacea is a common woodland bulb of perennial status. It is found in sunny and shady spots, really never invasive in nature, and each tiny bulb sends up several triparted leaflets at the end of a petiole from one to five inches tall. The leaves frequently have some maroon markings or design and the pinkish purple flowers are borne on leafless scapes about the same height but several five petaled flowers can be in bloom or bud on the tip of the scapes. Blooming lasts several days of the early to mid spring season and when there is a clump of leaves or flowers, the clump is a beautiful sight. And such beauty is appreciated even by unlearned men, who frequently pluck a leaf and sample it. And such beauty is frequently brought into cultivation , especially in rock gardens where the small size of the flowering plant is extraordinarily admired in such surroundings. In the garden, like in the woods or sunny edges, it is not a problem of getting out of bounds. While some species of Oxalis or its family relatives are used for food, this is one admired for its beauty, only too fleeting. It has no insect enemies or diseases and survives in woods or gardens for years. 6 1 Newsletter of the Arkansas Plant Society Winter 98/99 I EDITOR’S ENDNOTES " Every storm has a silver lining" is a statement I heard a lot when l was growing up. Like most kids I took the meaning to be literal . Every time there was a storm I looked for that silver and all I saw was dark gray with an occasional silvery glow when the sun poked through the clouds. We have had our share of storms this winter ice storms which toppled evergreens and broke them like matches; tornadoes which tossed everything in their path around as if they were weightless and plowed right of ways through towns and forests alike. Those storms have made old friends and family members dearer and have shown that fellow Arkansans and people around the world do care. The forests also have new breaks in them which will allow seeds and plants that have been waiting for years to spring forth and be the next generation of native plants. Storms are natures way of rejuvenation. I have also learned that lightning storms precipitate nitrates and nitrites and increase the fertility of our land. Storms do have “silver linings" but they are not always obvious until the storm is over. In Searcy the claytonias have been blooming for weeks and the white and blue bluets are now coloring the lawn. The butter-yellow daffodils are trumpeting that spring is not that far off. If you have something you would like included in the spring Claytonia please get the information to me an soon as you can. It really helps to be able to do a little at a time. Sending your info by e-mail is the most convenient for me but snail mail is fine if your not hooked on to the web yet. I want to give special thanks to Carl Amason. He always comes through with articles of interest. . Arkansas Native Plant Society Membership Application Please check below. Membership Categories: □ $10 Student □ $15 Regular □ $20 Supporting □ $25 Family Membership □ $30 Contributing □ $150.... Lifetime Membership (55 and over) □$300 ....Lifetime Membership (under 55) □ New Member □ Renewal □ Address Change Name Address: Street or Box City State _2ip Telephone: - - E-Mail address Please cut and send this form along with any dues to: Eric Sundell, ANPS , Membership, Division of Mathematics and Science University of Arkansas Monticello, AR 71656 Please check your mailing label! if your mailing label has a 9_8 or earlier it is time to renew! Life members will have an LF Please fill in the information form on the opposite side of this page and send it with your renewals, applications for membership, changes of name, address, e-mail address or telephone numbers to the address given on the form: [Not to the editor.] 1998-1999 ANPS OFFICERS President: Stephen Marak (501)248-6683 Past President: Don Crank (501)262-1 571 Pres. Elect: John Simpson (501)321-9292 johnbensimpson@prodigy.net Vice-pres.: Robert Wright (501)771-0717 Editor Ron Doran (501)268-2503 doran@harding.edu Historian: Martha Wyre (501)778-3415 Secretary: Cathy Marak (501)268-6683 Membership: Eric Sundeil (870)367-2652 Treasurer: Jason Anders (870)836-0452 Ark. Coalition: Carl Hunter.. .. (501 J455-1 538 Awards/Scholarship: Annette Holder Communications/Publicity: Wayne Owen. (501)623-7252 The purpose of the OFfesiDDsas MaQflop® [POaooG SmeflsGyg is to promote the preservation, conservation, and study of the wild plants and vegetation of Arkansas, the education of the public to the value of the native flora and its habitat, and the publication of related information. Claytonia Ron Doran, Editor 900 E. Center Harding University Box 10846 Searcy. AR 72149-0001 LOGAN, John M. 99 59 Caney Creek Rd Conway, AR 72032 Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Winter 1998/1999