Vol. 21 No. 3

Long Island
Botanical Society

The Quarterly Newsletter Summer 2011

Editor’s Introduction

By Margaret Conover

This special issue of the LIBS Newsletter is a record of the
LIBS 25th anniversary field trip to Florida. Between March 30
and April 8, sixteen LIBS members and friends drove the length
of the state. Along the way, they were joined by four other LIBS
members and friends, and enjoyed the leadership of five terrific
guides. They explored eight unique habitats from Tallahassee
to Fakahatchee and observed 33 federal- or state-listed rare,
threatened, and endangered plant species, 30 species of ferns/
allies, and 12 species of native orchids.

Many of the trip participants contributed to this issue of
the LIBS Newsletter. We received a variety of submissions
from 1 1 authors and photographers. We’ve included most of
them here, and more may be found on the field trip blog at
http:/ /libsfl.blogspot.com/

I had the pleasure of participating in this trip and have enjoyed
preparing this issue of the newsletter, as a way of reliving the
experience. I’ve used square brackets to insert editorial notes and
to cross-reference photographs and articles throughout. Authors
of articles are acknowledged with a byline. Photographers are
acknowledged by initials (EL: Eric Lamont, MVC: Margaret
Conover, BC: Barbara Conolly, JH: John Heidecker, AFJ: Ann
F. Johnson).

I wish to thank all who contributed to this issue of the LIBS
Newsletter, and particularly Skip and Jane Blanchard and Ann
Johnson for indispensable help in fact-checking, copy editing,
and proof-reading.

We all are grateful to LIBS president Eric Lamont for inspiring
this trip and for supporting the efforts of Barbara Conolly
organizer of the trip and long-time LIBS secretary. Barbara
spent close to two years planning this event. With help from
her friend, Elaine Jacobsen, Barbara previewed every site, saw to
every detail, and planned for every eventuality We all agree that
it was perfect, in every way!

We appropriately lead off this issue with some highlights from
Barbara Conolly

Highlights of the LIBS Florida
Trip, March 30 - April 8, 2011

By Barbara Conolly

The trip began with a highlight: bad weather and tornados were
predicted in the Florida Panhandle west of Tallahassee, but they
failed to materialize!!

And so, on Thursday March 31, we sailed into Torreya State
Park under the guidance of Ann Johnson and her dear colleague,
Wilson Baker, for our first day in the field. Highlights were the
unexpected beauty of the steeplands forest there, the view of
the Apalachicola River when we descended to the bottom, and
finally seeing the needles on the needle palm (Rhapidophyllum
hystrix j\ And of course, the amazing Ophioghssum fern found in
the grass at the edge of the driveway there [Fig. 1], all of an inch
and a half high!

[Ed. Note. — Other highlights of Day 1 are reported by Carol
Johnston and Margaret Conover on page 21.]

The next day, Ann led us through the wonders of the bogs in
Apalachicola National Forest [Fig. 2] where we were greeted
by a field of the great yellow globes of trumpet pitcher plants
(Sarracenia flam) [Figs. 23, 28o] interspersed with the well-named
dew- threads sundews (Drosera tracyi) [Fig. 3], swamp Coreopsis
(Coreopsis nudata) [Fig. 28k] and the totally bizarre toothache
grass (Ctenium aromaticum) [Fig. 4].

[Ed. Note. — Barbara also participated in Eric’s cottonmouth
adventure, described by David Heerwagen on page 24.]

On our way to Perry that afternoon, we enjoyed the unspoiled
country road along the Gulf, followed by a visit to the edge
of St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge to see the rare Ixitneria
(corkwood) in its disjunct location in a swamp there. [See Ann
Johnson’s article on page 22.]

Saturday our long drive to Sebring was broken by a stop at
Fanning Springs where Ron Lang, a friend of Joanne Schlegel,
led us to the bizarre, striped pinewoods milkweed (Asclepias
humistrata).

( Continued on pg 19)

Page 18

Long Island Botanical Society Vol. 21 No. 3

Long Island
Botanical Society

Founded: 1986
Incorporated: 1989

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

Visit the Society’s Web site

www.libotanical.ora

Executive Board

President

Eric Lamont 631-722-5542
Vice President

Andrew Greller 516-364-9377
Treasurer

Carol Johnston 516-676-6648

Recording Secretary
Barbara Conolly 516-922-5935

Corresponding Secretary
John Potente 631-361-6756

Committee Chairpersons

Flora

Eric Lamont 631-722-5542
Andrew Greller 516-364-9377
Field Trips

Michael Feder 917-714-4461
Programs

Rich Kelly 516-354-6506
Membership

Lois Lindberg 516-922-0903

Conservation
Bill Titus 516-671-7351

Education

Mary Laura Lamont 631-722-5542
Hospitahty

Kathleen Gaffney 516-742-4019
Zu Proly 516-676-4023
Dorothy Titus 516-671-7351

Newsletter Editor
Margaret Conover 631-357-3065

with special thanks to

Skip & Jane Blanchard

Webmaster

Donald House
hbsweb@yahoo.com

Society News

LIBS 25th anniversary field trip participants (left to right)
Eric Lamont, Barbara Conolly, Donald House, Joanne Schlegel,
Jane Blanchard, Marian Hubbard, Ellen Kritzman, Yvonne
Kuperberg, Regina Conlon, Carol Johnston, David Heerwagen,
Ann Johnson, Elaine Jacobsen, Skip Blanchard, Dot Titus,
Bill Titus, Margaret Conover, Kathy Gaffney.

♦♦♦

Rare plants seen at Florida field sites between March 31 and April 7, 2011.
Compiled by Ann Johnson. The blog for the trip (http:/ /libsfl.blogspot.com/)
includes Ann’s detailed list, including locations and Florida Natural Areas
Inventory global and state ranks as well as a list of ferns/ailies, compiled by
Carol Johnston and a list of orchids, compiled by Eric Lamont.

Calamintha ashei (Ashe’s savory)

Carex baltgellii (Baltzell’s sedge)

Celtic pallida (— ehrenbergiana )

(spiny hackberry)

Croomia pauciflora (Croomia)

Cynoglossum lirginianum
(wild comphrey)

Cyrtopodium punctatum
(cowhorn orchid)

DendropJylax lindenii (ghost orchid)

Dina palustris (eastern leatherwood)

TLpidendrum nocturnum

(night-scented orchid)

Garberia heterophylla (Garberia)

Gugmania monostachia

(Fakahatchee Guzmania)

I lexastylis arifolia (heartleaf)

Hymenocallis gholsonii (recently

described-soon to be listed)

Hypericum cumulicola

(highlands scrub hypericum)

Hechea cernua (nodding pinweed)

Teitneria floridana (Florida corkwood)

Magnolia ashei (Ashe’s magnolia)

Panicum abscissum (cutthroat grass)

Parnassia grandifolia (large-leaved
grass-of-Parnassus)

Paronychia chartacea ssp. chartacea
(paper-like nailwort)

(violet- flowered butterwort)
Polygonella myriophylla

(Small’s jointweed)

Rhododendron austrinum

(Florida flame azalea)

Stapkylea trifolia (American bladdernut)
Taxus floridana (Florida yew)

Tillandsia balbisiana (inflated and
reflexed wild pine)

(stiff-leaved wildpine)
Tillandsia pruinosa

(fuzzy wuzzy air plant)
Tillandsia utriculata (giant wild pine)
Tillandsia valenguelana

(soft-leaved wildpine)

Torreya taxifolia (Florida Torreya)

(narrow-leaved Trillium)
Verbesina chapmanii (vegetative)
(Chapman’s crownbeard)

Long Island Botanical Society Vol. 21 No. 3

Page 19

( Highlights cont. from cover)

The big surprise when
we reached the Holiday
Inn at Sebring were
nearby vacant lots
which yielded a fantastic
number of scrub plants.
An Ashe’s calamint
( Calamintha ashei) in full
bloom [Fig. 5] there so
Figure 1 . Ophioglossum petiolatum [BC]. moved Elaine Jacobsen

(it was her birthday)
that she burst into tears. And, as an answer to a prayer, there
were a number of young Florida rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides)
shrubs [Fig. 6] making it unnecessary to make the long walk to
the location at Archbold Biological Station where Ann, years
ago, had conducted post-doctoral research on this important
and rare Florida native.

Figure 2. Botanists in a bog. Apalachicola National Forest [EL],

Sunday morning we rendezvoused with Ranger Rick at
Highlands Hammock State Park. There we surrendered all our
cameras to him in order to be photographed in front of a 970
year-old live oak (Quercus lirginiana) [Fig. 7]. Our smiles turned to
gasps as we watched Ranger Rick’s big white sneaker obliterate
Carol Johnston’s camera on the ground. (Happily, Carol was
reimbursed for her loss very quickly.) Subsequently we walked
a Cypress Swamp trail where lizard’s tail (Saururus cernuus) was
in full bloom.

Figure 3. Dew-threads sundew ( Drosera tracyi)
[MVC].

That after-
noon we
arrived at
A r c h b o 1 d
Biological
Station and
tried to master
the oaks (six
more to add
to the 10 oaks

we had been shown at
Torreya! Who knew there
were so many oaks?) on
the nature trail, besides
the tarflower (Bejaria
racemosa), Garberia (G.
heterophylla), sand spikemoss
(Selaginella arenicola ) and
the tiny papery whitlow-
wort (Paronychia chartacea).
We were all amazed at the
variety of endemic plants
which thrive on that white
sugar sand which is devoid
of organic nutrients.

Figure 4. Toothache grass, Ctenium
aromaticum. Inflorescence from last
year [EL],

That night we checked in for the first of five nights at the
Comfort Inn near the airport in Ft. Myers. Monday morning we
went to Sanibel for a day of R and R at Conolly’s in Gulf Pines
(where two young eaglets were perched on their nest in a dead
Casuarina tree just off the main drive). Sanibel shells beckoned
to all who went to the beach for the day.

Figure 5. An Ashe’s calamint ( Calamintha
ashei) in full bloom being photographed by
Elaine Jacobsen [MVC].

Wildlife Refuge
there. Though the
roseate spoonbills
had left for nesting
duties, a large
bunch of white
pelicans remained
on a sand bar
with shorebirds.
Reddish egrets, little blue herons,
tricolored herons and both snowy
and great egrets fed along the shore.
And George Wilder was there to
educate us about the white, red and
black mangroves at the Mangrove
Overlook.

We moved on to the Shell Mound

Figure 6. Young Florida
rosemary ( Ceratiola
ericoides) [MVC].

(still at Ding Darling) with George
[Fig. 8]. Since the mounds are made
[by native people] from shells, they
support a unique plant population.
We ogled rarities like the Jamaica
capertree (Capparis cynophallophora), spiny hackberry (Celtis pallida),
pullback (Pisonia acukata), doctorbush (Plumbago scandens), rubber
vine (RJoabdadenia biflora). A predicted thunderstorm drenched

(Cont. on page 20)

On Tuesday,
it was back to
Sanibel and onto
the five-mile drive
at Ding D arli ng,
the National

Page 20

Long Island Botanical Society Vol. 21 No. 3

( Highlights cont. from pg 19)

Figure 7. At Highlands Hammock State Park, near a 970 year-old
live oak ( Quercus virginiana) [Ranger Rick],

Figure 8. George
Wilder shows
the difference
between myrsine
(Rapanea
punctata) and
island marlberry
(Ardisia
escallonioides)
[MVC].

us but we were close enough to Conolly’s that we could repair
there, and eat lunch while drying our clothes in the dryer. We
then went back to the Shell Mound to finish up.

Wednesday, we motored down to Fakahatchee Strand Preserve
State Park where Mike Owens regaled us with the history of the
orchids and other plants like the bromeliads (which included the
fuzzy wuzzy airplant, Tillandsia pruinosa [Fig. 9]), arthritis vine
( Hippocratea volubilis), and strangler fig (Ficus aurea ).

After lunch Mike led us about six miles into the Strand on Janes
Scenic Drive. We parked our vans and followed him along a

Figure 9.
Fuzzy wuzzy
airplant
(Tillandsia
pruinosa) [EL],

tram line (a raised ridge
constructed for the
trains that carted the
cut cypresses back to
the depot during WW
IF) There he showed us
ten species of orchids
of which three were in
bloom, as well as the very
rare bromeliad, Guzmania
(G. monostachia ), [Fig.
28h] which resembled a
cascade of healthy orchid-
like leaves, cascading
down a rotten log, and
has so far escaped the
predations of the [exotic]
“Evil Weevil” which has
demolished many large
bromeliads. We wished
it luck!

[Ed. Note. — Be
sure to read Elaine
Kuperberg’s reflections
on the preservation of
the Fakahatchee on
page 23.]

Our final day in the
field was at Corkscrew
Swamp, the Audubon
sanctuary about 20
miles east of Naples
which boasts the largest
collection of old-
growth bald cypress
(Taxodium distichum) in
the country.

Figure 10. LIBS at the Fakahatchee
Strand [JH],

There Dick Brewer led H9Ure 11 ' SaC0 " a < S P lranthes >
i nere u icjc brewer tea /anceo/ate scar | et | a dies’-tresses [EL],

us along the 2.25-mile-

long boardwalk so we could revel in the aura of those giant
trees. Virginia willow (I tea virginica) was blooming and so were
several enchanting foot-high terrestrial red orchids, once
categorized as a Spiranthes but now given the genus Sacoila
and known as scarlet ladies’- tresses [Fig. 11]. But Dick was
saving the best for last and led us down a side trail to view
an enormous cow’s horn orchid (Cyrtopodium punctatum j in the
top of an old cypress tree which sported fluffy blooms of red
and orange flowers way over our heads.

[Ed. Note. — we were all surprised and delighted when, at
the conclusion of our last day, Barbara treated us to a special
banquet to close our Florida trip in style!]

Long Island Botanical Society Vol. 21 No. 3

Page 21

Savannah Grassland of
Torreya State Park

By Carol Johnston

After an exciting time in ravines that ran down to the Apalachicola
River, we made a brief foray into a totally different habitat just
before we left the park [Fig. 12].

This was a savannah habitat, higher than the forested ravines of
hardwoods, where sand overlays the limestone. This savannah
grassland had widely scattered long-leaf pines. Pirns palustris. It
burns often and the plants are extremely fire-adapted.

Recendy burned, the young long-leaf pine saplings were
arresting to look at. They still held long skirts of burnt needles
out of which a fat green terminal bud was poised to go
[Fig. 13]. Full of life, they were jaunty and comical to look at
[Fig. 14]. It takes these young pines a number of years before
they start to branch, and so the juveniles as well give the savannah
a distinctive look.

Besides the grasses, especially Andropogon gyrans (Elliott’s
bluestem), and Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle), I was drawn to
Darrow’s lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium darrowii, with its tiny,
very blue leaves, scattered here and there in the sunny, dry, park-
like savannah.

Figure 12. Savannah grassland of Torreya State Park
[C. Johnston],

Figure 14. Long-leaf pine saplings
look jaunty and comical [EL],

Croomia Reunion

By Margaret Conover

Croomia (Croomia pauciflora) is a rare spring ephemeral of the
southern coastal forests of the U.S. and the only member
of the Stemonaceae to occur in the Western Hemisphere.
With net-veined leaves and flower parts in multiples of
four, members of the Stemonaceae are unique among the
monocotyledons.

Figure 15. Croomia pauciflora [MVC].

I first saw Croomia when I traveled to the Florida panhandle in
March, 1 978 to collect it for my dissertation research. My guide
at the time, the legendary Florida field botanist Dr. Robert
Godfrey, generously escorted me to a Croomia collecting
site in a soon-to-be-developed location where I gathered
Irving specimens to grow in the University of Massachusetts
greenhouses. Dr. Godfrey drew me a map to a place high on
the river bluff at Torreya State Park where I also observed
Croomia to be growing. When I next visited the park, twenty
years later, I was unable to relocate that population, and on
this trip I learned, to my disappointment, that Croomia is no
longer believed to occur in the park.

So I was delighted when, at the end of our long day of
botanizing at Torreya, a small party of tired LIBS botanists
led by Wilson Baker continued north to a swamp forest on
the east bank of the Apalachicola River. There, we waded
through the muck to a gentle slope where we found not only
Croomia, but several species of flowering spring ephemerals.
For me, it was a happy reunion after 33 years. I snapped a few
photos [Fig. 15] and promised to return soon.

Figure 13. Terminal bud of long-
leaf pine sapling [EL],

Page 22

Long Island Botanical Society Vol. 21 No. 3

Leitneria floridana, the Florida Corkwood

By Ann F. Johnson

Community Ecologist, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee, FI 32303

Figure 16. Locations (74) for Leitneria floridana in Florida [Florida
Natural Areas Inventory 2011].

During our Florida trip, LIBS members made a detour on their
way to Perry for a look at leitneria floridana (Florida corkwood),
a peculiar shrub growing in swampy woodlands near the coast
in the Big Bend area of Florida (Figure 16). The species name
honors Edward Leitner, a nineteenth century German naturalist,
and the common name refers to the local use of the light wood
as floats for fishnets 1 . Leitneria is clonal, deciduous, and relatively
unbranched— in winter it looks like a bunch of sticks stuck in
the middle of mucky depressions, often growing with sawgrass
( Cladium jamaicense) or Walter’s sedge ( Carex striata ), in the live
oak-cabbage palm forests near the coast. The sticks develop
catkins in late February and each clone generally has either male
(yellowish) or female (reddish) catkins (Figures 17, 18). Fruits
(Figure 19) and leaves (Figure 20) develop in late March. Its
unbranched form and large leaves clustered at the top of the
stem have earned it the nickname “leaves-on-a-stick.” Besides
shady woods ponds, it can also occasionally be found in open,
sunny sawgrass marshes where it is subject to regular fires, after
which it re-sprouts vigorously.

Figure 17. Male catkins of Figure 18: Female catkins of
Leitneria floridana [AFJ], Leitneria floridana [ AFJ],

Evidence that it is a relic species includes its widely disjunct
distribution in small areas in Texas (SI 2 ), Arkansas (S2), Missouri
(S3), Florida (S3) and Georgia (SI), as well as its taxonomic
isolation. It has been classed as the sole representative of
the order Leitneriales, the family Leitneriaceae, and the genus
Leitneria. Most recently it has been put in the Simaroubaceae
within the Sapindaies based on molecular evidence (Angiosperm
Phylogeny Group 2003).

In other states
it is found in
widely varied
habitats (Sharma
et al. 2008),
none of which,
except for their
swampy-ness,
come very close
to matching
those found in
Florida. These
include, for
example, pond cypress-gum swamp along the Altamaha River
and limesink depression ponds in Georgia (T. Patrick, Georgia
Natural Heritage Program, pers. comm. 2011), margin of a
pond shaded by Carya aquatica and Fraxinus pennsylvanica in Texas
(J. Poole, Texas Natural Heritage Program, pers. comm. 2011),
and swales of a sandy dune/ swale topography at Sand Ponds
Conservation Area in Missouri (S. Farrington, Missouri Natural
Heritage Program, pers. comm. 2011).

The currently accepted fossil
record of Leitneria extends to
the early Oligocene. Fossils
of the inner wall of the
ripened ovary (endocarp)
have been identified in the
early Oligocene and Pliocene
of western Siberia, as well as
the Miocene and Pliocene
of Europe (Dorofeev 1994;

Nikitin 2006, both as cited
in Clayton et al. 2009). It’s
tempting to speculate that
Leitneria is a relic of a group
of plants that grewin swampy
areas around the shores of
the epi-continental seas that
gradually drained off North Figure 20. Leaves of Leitneria
America (and Eurasia) during floridana [Gil Nelson],
the Tertiary Period, most

Figure 19. Fruits of Leitneria floridana
[Gil Nelson],

Long Island Botanical Society Vol. 21 No. 3

Page 23

Figure 21 . The author in a stand of Leitneria floridana in Florida
[EL],

precipitously in the Oligocene. The shallow northeast arm of
the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida’s Big Bend has
been identified by geologists as one of the last of these seas
(Davis 1997).

1) In Florida Leitneria is sometimes confused with Stillingia aquatica
(Euphorbiaceae) which is also called “corkwood.”

2) state Heritage rank (NatureServe 2010).

Literature Cited

Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. 2003. An update of the
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders of
flowering plants: APG II. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 141: 399-436.

Clayton, J.W, P.S. Soltis, and D.E. Soltis. 2009. Recent long-
distance dispersal overshadows ancient biogeographical patterns
in a pantropical angiosperm family (Simaroubaceae, Sapindales).
Syst. Biol. 58: 395-410.

Davis Jr., R.A. 1997. Geology of the Florida Coast, pp. 155-168.
In: A.F. Randazzo and D.S. Jones, eds. The Geology of Florida.
University Press of Florida, Gainesville.

Dorofeev, PI. 1994. Leitneria, pp.8-12, pi. 47-55. In: L. Budantsev,
ed. Fossil Flowering Plants of Russia and Adjacent States,
vol. 3. Leitneriaceae-Juglandaceae. Komarov Botanical Institute,
Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia, [cited in
Clayton et al. 2009].

NatureServe. 2010. NatureServe Explorer: an Online

Encyclopedia of Life, http:/ / www.natureserve.org/ explorer/
(accessed April 21, 2011)

Nikitin, V.P. 2006. [Paleocarpology and stratigraphy of the
Paleogene and Neogene strata in Asian Russia.] Academic
Publishing House Geo, Novosibirsk, Russia. [Russian: cited in
Clayton et al. 2009].

Sharma, J., J.A. Schrader, and WR. Graves. 2008. Ecology and
phenotypic variation of Leitneria floridana (Leitneriaceae) in
disjunct native habitats. Castanea 73: 94-105.

Preserving the Fakahatchee Strand

By Yvonne Kuperberg

On a hot, humid day in March, replete with deer flies, the LIBS
Florida tour marched into the Fakahatchee Strand State Park.
Mike Owen, park biologist had already walked us through the
boardwalk in the southern portion of the park. Now we were
“off-roading” it where we could see bromeliads, orchids, ferns,
cypress and palms up close and personal. Mike enthusiastically
explained how he regularly visited, talked with, and measured his
orchid “friends.”

This was the part of the tour I was most anxious to see. Years
ago, Mel Finn, a Florida east coast attorney and orchid lover,
had talked to everyone he could get to listen to him, describing
the beauty and unusual diversity of this part of Florida. Mel was
determined that the land be saved from development and/or
deforestation. My husband, Joel, was director of Florida State
Lands when Mel first talked with him. Later, when Joel was
working with the Trust for Public Lands, Mel continued selling
his idea for preservation of these lands.

Finally, one day Mel caught him in a weak moment and Joel
agreed to join Mel in a trip to the Fakahatchee Swamp. That
trip, in April 1970, sold Joel. He added his voice to Mel’s request
for preservation of the land and, eventually the State purchased
about 80 square miles at the western edge of the Everglades.

For years I have heard about this unique piece of land, complete
with the “ghost orchid” featured in the book. The Orchid Thief.

By the time the State got the land, Joel and I were living in
Washington State, trying to preserve habitat on Vashon Island.
After Mel Finn’s untimely death, Joel and Nat Reed, a Floridian
and former Assistant Secretary of Interior under Nixon,
arranged to recognize Mel’s part in preserving this property in
its natural state. Today there is a plaque on a huge rock at the
trail head that does just that.

There is a great sense of satisfaction in seeing the preservation
of an ecosystem come to pass. There is even greater satisfaction
in knowing how many people and how much time went into that
project. This is the satisfaction I experienced in finally walking
into that part of the Fakahatchee. My husband, Joel, played a
small part in this effort, but it was good to see the habitat that
Mel was so passionate about still preserved, appreciated and
monitored.

[Ed. Note. — Author Yvonne Kuperberg is neither a Long
Islander nor a botanist, but she joined us on this trip in order to
experience the natural areas that she and her family had enjoyed
exploring (and protecting) when they lived in Florida many years
ago. Mike Owen spoke to us, warmly, about Joel Kuperberg’s
important role in the preservation of the Fakahatchee Strand,
and this was a memorable and moving moment of our trip. For
those interested in knowing the full story, a newsletter issue of
the Friends of the Fakahatchee Strand is available on the web,
and has been posted to the LIBS Florida Field Trip Blog.]

Page 24

Long Island Botanical Society Vol. 21 No. 3

Some Personal Reflections on Tallahassee to Fakahatchee

By David Heerwagen

We had barely left
the Tallahassee
Airport on our
way to the motel
in Blountstown
when we passed
a group of
churches, and I
knew we had hit
the Bible Belt. We
would also see
another cluster
of churches in
Perry. There’s nothing else like it at least in the Northeast — to
see these conglomerations of churches cheek by jowl.

As soon as we were checked into our motel in Blountstown
some of us started botanizing the grounds. There would be little
rest from botany for this group for the rest of the trip.

Eric staring down an agitated cottonmouth with its jaws gaping,
its cotton mouth showing and its fangs baring [Fig. 24]. We just
stood there frozen about four or five feet away just admiring the
animal for far too long.

High on my nature wish list was to see the actual cotton mouth
of that very same animal. But having had a chance to think
it over that night, Eric and I agreed the following morning

at breakfast that what
we did was pretty
stupid. Yvonne had
called her son-in-law (a
herpetologist I think)
and he agreed that
what we did was "pretty
stupid.’ Still I have to
thank Eric for my most
t hr i lli ng moment in the
Figure 24. Cottonmouth snake [EL], field ever.

Torreya State Park was our first stop and for some of us it was
our introduction to Florida flora. I noted that with all the lichen,
moss and algae on the trees down here it was hard to read the
bark. Up north you could sometimes ID a tree just from its
bark and gestalt. Down here even for the same trees we have up
north (e.g, the tulip and sweetgum) you had to look up at the
leaves for certain identification.

At Torreya we saw many wonderful plants and shrubs. Sadly
we saw how the emblematic Florida Torreya tree [Fig. 22] was
succumbing to disease. Just as with our chestnut trees up north,
these Torreya trees rarely reach past the sapling stage before they
are blighted. On one of the trails at Torreya we were in view of
the Apalachicola River and we came across some earthworks
that had been the sites of Confederate batteries. This lent an
interesting historical note to the tour.

One of our very best days
was the following day at
Apalachicola National Forest.

We hit a pitcher plant bog
and saw pitcher plants and
sundews that were new to
many of us [Fig. 23]. As we
moseyed around looking at
the bog plants Eric Lamont
decided to do some off-site
tramping and he soon let out
with a shout that he had a
cottonmouth in attack mode
- or words to similar effect.

Being a snake enthusiast Figure 23. Flower of Sarracenia
myself, I rushed over to see ^ ava (y e ^ ow pitcherplant) [BC].

Perhaps our most memorable lunch stop was the Family Coastal
Restaurant in Sumatra, Florida. I never thought to ask how the
town of Sumatra got its name. This was definitely the funkiest
eatery we stopped at the whole tour. The waitress was pure
Florida outback. I had fried mullet, fried okra and hushpuppies,
and it was good.

All of our guides were remarkable but none was more upbeat
than Mike Owen [Fig. 25] who took us through Fakahatchee.
Mike had received some press in Susan Orlean’s noted book
The Orchid Thief. Mike was an expert in all manner of flora and
fauna but I’m not sure I could have held up under his boyish
enthusiasm for an entire day.

If there was one disappointment in the entire trip it was the less-
than-spectacular orchid show at Fakahatchee and Corkscrew. I
had just come from the New York Botanical Gardens orchid
show and I was naively expecting all kinds of showy orchids to

Figure 25. Ranger Mike Owen describes the ghost orchid
while John Fleidecker photographs it [MVC].

Long Island Botanical Society Vol. 21 No. 3

Page 25

Figure 26. Epidendrum
amphistomum
(big-mouth star orchid),
seen at Fakahatchee
Strand [JH],

Figure 27.
Epidendrum
rigidum (stiff
flower star
orchid), seen
at Corkscrew
Swamp [EL],

be gracing the trees. With the help of our guides we had to look
hard and learn how to identify orchid plants by their less showy
parts. Only a few were in flower [Figs. 26 and 27] and they were
not easy to see.

Corkscrew Swamp was the most remarkable nature preserve
I’ve ever seen. Within 2 % miles of boardwalk-can there be
anything else like it in the world? With all the wonderful plants

and unspooked animals it is as close to paradise for a nature
lover as you can get. You don’t have to work hard to see so much
great stuff.

In sum Barbara put together a great itinerary and with the help
of all our superb guides we had a fantastic trip. There is an
‘other’ Florida (as the title of one book has it) that is unspoiled
by development, and we saw a good part of it.

Tallahassee to Fakahatchee: On the Road with the
Long Island Botanical Society

By Joanne Schlegel

[Ed. Note. — Joanne is vice president of the Niagara Frontier
Botanical Society in Buffalo, NY, and a LIBS member. This
is an excerpt of an article she wrote for the spring issue of
their newsletter.]

First stop: Torreya State Park. Here we saw Florida Torreya
( Torreya taxifolia) which resemble yews [Fig. 22] . They are now
one of the rarest trees on earth thanks to the invasion of a
fungus which has reduced their number in the wild to about
200. We also saw Florida yew (Taxus floridana) also listed as
federally endangered. This species is more tree-like than our
local shrubby yew species (Taxus canadensis). Because the park
is located at the north end of the state we also saw many trees
familiar to us northerners, including beech, white oak, white
ash, pignut hickory, tulip tree, and ironwood.

While in the Florida Panhandle we stopped at two magnificent
bogs where we feasted our eyes on a plethora of carnivorous
plants, including three species of sundews, two species of
butterworts, and two species of pitcher plants with Sarracenia
flava actually in flower. All this plus Calopogon barbatus [Fig. 28f],
a beautiful bog orchid which blooms only after fire. Later that
day, on the drive south, our guide led us to an off-trail stand
of corkwood (Leitneria floridana) in St. Mark’s National Wildlife
Refuge. This weird looking shrub is the only member of the
family Leitneriaceae and is listed as federally endangered.

On April 2 we began driving southward in earnest. A day
was spent at two contrasting sites in central Florida south of

Orlando. In the morning we visited Highlands Hammock State
Park, a moist-to-wet climax forest where we saw 1000-year-
old live oaks (Quercus virginiana), our first bald cypresses of the
trip, and many other new plants including marlberry (Ardisia),
native swallow- wort (Cynanchum), and shoestring fern (Vittaria
lineata). Then it was on to Archbold Biological Station to
experience a dry “scrub community.” Here life has evolved
along a spine of ancient nutrient-poor sand dunes deposited
prior to the Pleistocene. Plants seen included four species
of shrubby oaks, sand pine (Pirns clausa ), and a number of
endemics. Highlight: seeing a federally-threatened gopher
tortoise [Fig. 28m]!

Then it was on to Fort Myers in southwest Florida where
we stayed five nights. The days were spent exploring three
renowned sites in the area: Sanibel Island, Fakahatchee
Strand Preserve State Park, and Corkscrew Swamp
Sanctuary. Sanibel’s highlights included seeing all four
species of North American mangroves, and visiting a
shell mound created by Calusa Indians centuries ago and
containing unique species. In Fakahatchee and Corkscrew,
the focus was on the many epiphytic orchids and bromeliads.
We were lucky enough to see a number in bloom, including
a stunning red ladies’ tresses (Sacoila lanceolata) and a
massive cowhorn orchid (Cyrtopodium punctatum). Also, we
were kept very busy learning dozens of new species such
as pond apple (Annona glabra), strangler fig (Ficus aurea), and
arthritis vine (Hippocratea volubilis).

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Long Island Botanical Society Vol. 21 No. 3

Figure 28. A sampling of photographs taken by LIBS members:

a. Cnidoscolus stimulosus (tread lightly) [MVC]

b. Illicium floridanum (Florida anisetree) [MVC]

c. Tillandsia fasciculata (cardinal airplant)[EL]

d. Atypical LIBS photographer: Donald House [BC]

e. Erythrina herbacea (coralbean or Cherokee bean) [EL]

f. Calopogon barbatus (bearded grasspink) [MVC]

g. Pinguicula lutea (yellow butterwort) [EL]

h. Guzmania monostachia (West Indian tufted airplant) [JH]

i. Borrichia frutescens (bushy seaside tansy) [BC]

j. Tradescantia hirsutiflora (hairy spiderwort) [EL]

k. Coreopsis nudata (swamp Coreopsis) [BC]

l. Spring azure butterflies [Jane Blanchard]

m. Gopher tortoise [EL]

n. Rhododendron austrinum (Florida flame azalea) [EL]

o. Sarracenia flava (yellow pitcher plant) [MVC]

p. Trillium underwoodii (longbract wakerobin) [BC]

Long Island Botanical Society Vol. 21 No. 3

Page 27

Field Trips

JULY 23, 2011 (SATURDAY) 10 AM

Christie Estate South (Muttontown South), Nassau County, NY
Trip leader: Rich Kelly

Cell: (516) 509-1094 Email: vze2dxmil@verizon.net

This is a former Winthrop estate, and the habitats include
mixed upland woods, successional fields, and kettle hole
ponds. There will be a wide variety of summer wildflowers.
Bring plenty of water, suntan lotion, and insect repellent. This
will be a long but easy walk. The trails may be muddy, but you
would have to make a special effort to walk in standing water
on this trip. It would be best if you could carry your lunch.
Please contact the leader prior to the trip. (This is a joint trip
with the Torrey Botanical Society.)

Directions: Meet at 10:00 AM at the parking area for Nassau
Hall at 1864 Muttontown Road, Syosset. By car only: From
either the Long Island Expressway or Northern State Parkway,
go north on North Broadway (Rtes. 106/ 107) in Jericho. Very
soon after passing under Jericho Tpke (Route 25), bear right
onto Rte. 106 which is Jericho - Oyster Bay Road. Continue
north for 2.2 miles and turn left onto Muttontown Road/
Eastwoods Road. Go west 0.4 mile and turn left at Nassau
Hall. If the gate is locked, backtrack a few feet and take the
driveway that goes through the building.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2011 (SATURDAY) 9:30 AM

Hubbard Creek Marsh <& vicinity, Suffolk County, NY
Trip leader: Eric Lamont Email: elamont@optonhne.net

We will visit tidal marshlands, a tidal creek, seepy roadsides and,
if time permits, an Atlantic white cedar swamp. We should
see several rare plant species and ecological communities,
including Agalinis maritima, Bartonia paniculata, Carex collinsii,
Carex hormathodes, Chamaecyparis thyoides, Cuscuta obtusiflora
var. glandulosa, Oclemena (Aster) nemoralis, Plantago maritima var.
juncoides, Solidago sempervirens var. mexicana, Viburnum nudum ,
and the northernmost populations in eastern North America
of Fimbristylis castanea and Lythrum lineare. Not long ago,
Helianthus angustifolius and Lilaeopsis chinensis occurred here, but
have not been recently seen. We will see very common coastal
plants (e.g.. Ilex glabra) that do not occur in New York, north
of Long Island. Dress for possibly wet (ankle deep) marshes.
Bring water, lunch, and insect repellent. (Co-listed with the
New York Flora Association.)

Directions: We will meet at 9:30am at the McDonald’s on
Route 24, just east of the Riverhead traffic circle. NOTE:
there are two traffic circles in Riverhead; you don’t want the
one on Route 58 at the hospital. You want the traffic circle
just south of Peconic River, in the Township of Southampton.
Travelling from the west, take the LIE to exit 71 (Route 24)
and proceed east to the traffic circle.

OCTOBER 1, 2011 (SATURDAY) 10 AM

Hempstead Plains, Nassau County, NY

Trip leader: Betsy Gulotta Cell: (516) 317-7267

Over 200 species of native and non-native flowering plants have
been identified at the 19-acre Hempstead Plains at Nassau
Community College (NCC). The native grasses characterizing
the tall grass prairie are particularly beautiful at this time of year.
The walk takes about an hour. Bring water and sturdy shoes

Directions: From either Meadowbrook Parkway Exit M4
or Merrick Ave. north of Rt. 24 Hempstead Turnpike, take
Charles Lindbergh Blvd west. Turn at first right into East
Parking of NCC. Go to first intersection. See parking along
fence and sign for Hempstead Plains.

OCTOBER 15, 2011 (SATURDAY) 10 AM

Caumsett State Historical Park, Suffolk County, Hong Island, NY
Trip leader: Dr. Andrew Greller
Email: agreller2@optonline.net

This is an all-day trip. We will explore for fall flora and
identify oaks and hickories. Bring plenty of beverage, lunch,
insect repellent, and sturdy footwear. Camera, binoculars and
hand-lens are optional but recommended. (This is a joint trip
with the Torrey Botanical Society.)

Directions: Meet at the parking area after the entrance booth
(NYS Park fee may be applicable). By car only: From New
York City take the Long Island Expressway to exit 36 toward
Searingtown Rd/Port Washington; merge onto Nassau Blvd/S
Service Rd; turn left at Searingtown Rd; continue north about
1 mile (to the end), and turn right at 25 A E /Northern Blvd/
North Hempstead Tpke; continue east on 25A for 14.5 miles
and turn left at West Neck Rd, Huntington; continue north on
the winding West Neck Rd for 4.4 miles until you find yourself
bearing sharply right onto Lloyd Harbor Rd; continue on Lloyd
Harbor Rd until you see the sign for Caumsett State Park (on
your right); turn left at the sign for the park and continue up
a hill after which the road will veer to the right. Go past the
guard house and you’ll see a parking lot on your right. From
eastern Long Island take LIE to Route 110 Huntington; go
north until you reach Main Street (Route 25A) in Huntington
- make a left; on the third block from your turn (about 400
yards distance), make a right turn onto West Neck Rd. Follow
directions as above.

LIBS T-shirts & Sweatshirts are once again available
for a limited time. They can be picked up at monthly
meetings. The cost is $15 for T-shirts and $25 for
sweatshirts. For more information, contact Mary Laura
Lamont at 631-722-5542.

Long Island Botanical Society
PO Box 507
Aquebogue, NY 11931

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Long Island Botanical Society Vol. 21 No. 3

Upcoming Programs

September 13, 2011* Tuesday, 7:30 PM
Andrew M. Greller: “Galapagos

Natural History.” Learn about Darwin’s “Class-
room in Evolution.” This talk will cover plant life, ani-
mal life, and geology of the enchanted islands. Andy
is LIBS Vice President, Co-Chair of the LIBS Flora
Committee, and is a world traveler in search of bo-
tanical wonders.

Location: Bill Paterson Nature Center, Muttontown

Preserve, East Norwich

October 11, 2011* Tuesday, 7:30 PM
John Turner: “Atlantic White

Cedar: Notes on its Historical and Current
Status on Long Island.” .” Atlantic White Cedar
is one of the Island’s most iconic trees. This program will
discuss the historical abundance and current distribution

of Atlantic White Cedar on Long Island and opportuni-
ties for potential reintroduction. John is a naturalist, con-
servationist, and writer whose 2nd Edition of “Exploring
the Other Island: A Seasonal Guide to Nature on Long
Island” has recently been published. He is also founder
and president of Alula Birding & Natural History Tours, a
nature tour company connecting people with the natural
world, and a co-founder and past board member of the
Long Island Pine Barrens Society.

Location: Museum of Long Island Natural Sciences,
Earth and Space Science Building, Gil Hanson Room
(Room 123), Stony Brook University, Stony Brook

* Refreshments and informal talk begin at 7:30 p.m.
Formal meeting starts at 8:00 p.m.

Directions to Muttontown or Stony Brook: 516-354-6506