SHORTIA NEWSLETTER OF THE WESTERN CAROLINA BOTANICAL CLUB SPRING 1987 DOROTHY RATHMANN, Fditor ■ V 2 OFFICERS ( President: , Millie Blaha Treasurer: Louis Wagner Vice President: Louise Foresman Historian: Anne Ulinski Secretary: Ruth Mack A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT Millie Blaha It is a privilege and honor to serve as the first woman president of WCBC . This is your organization. We, the officers, want to provide the activities and services you want. So, please let us know your wishes. The Program Committee, under Elton Hansens' guidance, has provided an exciting program for February through July 1987 which includes some "learning" sessions, workshops, overnight outings, picnics and local botanical hikes. As you participate in these activities, may the associ- ations and discoveries bring you a full measure of joy and satisfaction. FINANCIAL NOTES FROM ANNUAL MEETING Treasurer Margaret Kuhn reported a year-end balance of $290 after expenses of almost $1045, including contributions to University Botanical Gardens at Asheville, North Carolina Nature Conservancy, and Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. Annual dues continue to be $8.00 per family, now payable to the new treasurer, Lou Wagner. NEW HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS, JOHN AND MARGARET KUHN In a letter dated 30 January 1987 President Elton Hansens' wrote to the Kuhns : On behalf of all your fellow members, we are delighted to elect you Honorary Life Members of the Western Carolina Botanical Club, in recognition of your dedication to the Club and the significant contributions which both of you have made to the Club since you joined in 1975. Heartiest congratulations and best wishes from all of us. WELCOME — NEW MEMBERS Hendersonville unless otherwise stated Armstrong, Mary A., 50 Heywood Crossing, Arden, NC 28704. Darken, Marjorie A., 8 Friar Tuck Lane, Brevard, NC 28712 Dickinson, Clifford L. & Betty Ann, Rt . 13, Box 286 692-2861 Krecker, Frederic M. & Maxine M. , Laurelwood #24 1300 Brevard Rd 693-8553 o Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from IMLS LG-70-15-0138-15 https://archive.org/details/shortianewslette9141 west 3 SCHEDULE CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS. .Elton Hansens Feb. 6: Correct spelling is Pitillo. April 6: Correct spelling is Kline. June J6 1 Add BUCK SPRING TRAIL* (Pete Sawyer 697-1282) (Fri.) Another trip to the Nature Trail but at a different date to see more of the extensive flora. Short walks will be made at other suitable Parkway stops. An easy 2 mi. walk. Drive about 75 mi. Meet at Ingles North at 9:00 a.m. Join others at Pisgah Ranger Station at 9:30. June 25-26: Add FRANKLIN, NC OVERNIGHT (Elton Hansens 692-7245) Visit Perry's Water Garden leaving from the Franklin Motel at 10:30 a.m. Thurs. In the afternoon a "mystery hike" led by the Stickles from Franklin. Friday drive to Wayah Bald and hike on the bald and visit other points in the vicinity. Plan to carry your lunch both days. In driving to Franklin we prefer to take I 26 to I 40 West, to US 23 to US 441 (near Sylva). At Franklin continue on the US 441 By-pass to NC 28 on the west side of Franklin. Take NC 28 north 1.1 mi. to reach the Franklin Motel (on left). Make your own reservations, preferably by June 1 for: Franklin Motel, 223 Palmer St. (704) 524-4431. Large, well furnished rooms, near restaurants, 2 beds/2 persons $34-36, deposit. OR Kountry Kampground, US 441 South 2.3 mi. from NC 28 North, (655 Georgia Highway). A fine campground with full hook-ups. (704) 524-4339. Also, inform Elton Hansens as soon as you decide to make the trip. INVITATIONS Frank and Cal la Bell extend a cordial invitation to WCBC members to visit and enjoy the Green Cove Camp area, not just on scheduled Club outings, but at any time of the year. As a courtesy to the Bells, please phone them in advance (692-3241). The North Carolina Wild Flower Preservation Society will be holding its Spring meeting in Hendersonville May 8-10. WCBC members are invited to attend all or part of the week-end activities. For more information call Millie Blaha 885-2424. April 16, Friends of the Library: Rev. Walter Roberts, formerly associated with St. John in the Wilderness Church, will combine a review of LEGACY OF BEAUTY with local material on St. John in the Wilderness. The book deals with the story of Magnolia Gardens and Drayton Hall in Charleston. The developer of Magnolia Gardens was associated with St. John in the Wilderness, and Rev. Roberts was married to a member of the Drayton family. Meeting at 2:00 PM in Hendersonville Library. Admission is free. CORRECTIONS IN WCBC HISTORY Barbara Hallowell In the WCBC History as recorded in SH0RTIA, Winter 1986-87, page 4, an error slipped through in the list of Club presidents. Joe Schatz was not a president. Please delete his name and also change the number 7 above it to 6 . I apologize for the error ! ^ Please correct all archival copies. (Ed. note: How many readers spotted the error in the title/name of Club? Of course it's WCBC not WNCBC.) 9 ' INTRODUCING OUR OFFICERS Jeanne Smith Millie Elaha, President: Millie and George moved to North Carolina in 1973 from Western Springs, Illinois, where they had both been active in the fields of conservation and nature photography. Before retirement, Millie was a statistician. She has written the Nature Notebook column for the TRANSYLVANIA TIMES in Brevard since 1975. Millie is a relative newcomer to WCBC but from the very first she has waded right in and assumed much responsibility, bringing ability and experience. For the past two years Millie has chaired our committee which is compiling a list of all the plants in Holmes State Forest. She also wrote the script and did the narration for the two color slide programs contributed to the Forest as a community service project. Millie has been vice president for the past two years. Louise Foresman, Vice President: Louise and her late husband, Ken, were early members of WCBC and came to Hendersonville from St. Louis, Missouri. She served 18 years as a Child Welfare Supervisor for that State. Louise was an enthusiastic and able Club Historian for four years. She has been a faithful member of the Holmes State Forest Committee since its inception. Ruth Mack, Secretary: Ruth and her husband, Franklin, moved to Hendersonville in 1980 from Southbury, Connecticut and joined WCBC almost immediately. Ruth has served on the Honors Committee for two years. She has been Chairman and/or served on the covered dish suppers at Holmes State Forest as well as the Annual Meeting luncheon. This is her second year as secretary. Louis C. F. Wagner, Treasurer: "Lou" and his wife, Louise (also "Lou"), have just settled permanently in Hendersonville.' Heretofore they have been "snowbird" members of WCBC. Lou majored in engineering at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, and was employed by the Chase Manhattan Bank, building bank premises in New York City and branches in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. This will be Lou's first tour of duty' for the Club. Anne Ulinski , Historian: Anne came to Hendersonville from McLean, Virginia, in 1981. She has a degree in chemistry from Bennington College, Vermont, but has had many and varied occupations, not necessarily in that field, such as, treasurer of a college, co-owner of a telephone answering company in Florida, working with Ralph Nader, and being a Foreign Service wife living in various countries. She also is a member of the Holmes State Forest Committee and has actively participated in the Buck Spring Trail project. Anne has been innovative in the use of her computer in connection with WCBC activities. This is her second year as Club Historian. WORDS OF TRIBUTE Barbara Hallowell The late 1986 loss of two members who played important roles in WCBC has been felt deeply by those who knew, admired and loved them. Helen Turner died in mid-November. A fine naturalist and teacher, and editor of SHORTIA for nearly five years, she enlivened many a field trip and class with her wonderful bits about nature. Gifts in her memory may be made to: The Illinois Prairie Path, c/o Paul Mooring, 295 Abbotsford Court, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137. ^ Harvey Krouse died in late December. A Club president and editor of SHORTIA, both for three years, he was active in helping develop WCBC and providing knowledgable leadership and botanical information.- Memorial gifts may be made to: Abernathy Memorial United Methodist Church, PO Box 403, Newton, NC 28658. MEMBERSHIP AND IDENTIFICATION CARD Millie Blaha That little green card you received recently — what is it for? Not only is it your membership card in WCBC but it also is your identification card in case of an emergency, especially when you are on a Club outing or hike. Please fill in the necessary information and carry the card in your backpack. Fasten it in the small outside pocket or, if there is no pocket, fasten the card to the inside at the top of the backpack so that it can be found easily. If you have no backpack, put the card in your shirt pocket. If you have several backpacks and want a card for each one, additional cards may be obtained from Millie Blaha at a cost of 10 cents each. EXCERPTS PROM 1986 HISTORIAN'S REPORT. ................................ .Anne Dlinski Statistics: 42 hikes were scheduled; 2 were cancelled; average of 20 per sons /hike. Nine indoor meetings drew an average of 44 persons /meeting. We had two study sessions: a Pisgah Forest Study with 30 persons and a plant fruit workshop with 20 attendees. An average of 10 members volunteered for workdays. Weather: But statistics don't tell everything. We struggled with weather conditions. If it was cold and rainy at Callaway, it was hot and dry at Green Swamp and the Carolina Bays. It was hot and humid as we climbed a mountain in the Smokies to Albright Grove and we had to reach for our ponchos at Daniel Creek and Roan Mountain. But each struggle had its rewards. Who could help but admire Fred Galley, our guide at Callaway, who seemed indifferent to the cold falling rain and who shared with us his knowledge and affection for each and every plant. We dried out at Roan Mountain and went on to see an unusual display of Appalachian avens (Geuin radiatum) . Despite unfavorable weather condition at Green Swamp and Carolina Bays the group reported many interesting and unusual plants. And at Albright Grove we were rewarded with the sight of dwarf ginseng, Fraser ' s sedge and giant silverbell trees . Plants: Over 3000 plants were recorded during the hikes — - many of course duplicates but more than a few uncommon and very special. Although we continued to favor the recording of plants in bloom, there seemed to be a developing interest in identifying everything — ferns, trees, birds, insects, and non-blooming plants. People: There was always the companionship of being together with others who had our same somewhat crazy enthusiasms. There was the sharing of information, the lunches as we sat on rocks by streams or by waterfalls. We shared scenic views, the satisfaction of having made a hard climb despited misgivings all along the way. And together we enjoyed the rock faces, the sunlight in the woods, the clear mountain air, and the patient waiting while some "keyed out" to help us learn the identity of an unusual plant species. At one of our last meetings, 63 people came to the library to hear Dr. Creech talk about the new arboretum. At the same meeting Margaret Kuhn gave us copies of the program schedule for the next 6 months. Although historians record the past, I have to say the future looks wonderful — not only the programs planned by the scheduling committee but the opportunity to watch an arboretum be bom, grow and develop. . 6 WILDFLOWERS — PROPAGATE RATHER THAN COLLECT If you have, or are planning to have, wildflowers in your garden, this is a good time to consider sources of seeds and plants. The importance of securing propagated plants rather than collecting from the wild (except when necessary to save specimens from road building and land development) was the theme of a June 1986 news release from the New England Wild Flower Society, Inc., written by David Longland, Director of Garden in the Woods. Some excerpts: The great surge in popularity of wildflowers over the past decade has resulted not only in a greater public awareness of our country’s native plant heritage, but also in an intense demand for these garden-worthy specimens. Most native plant organizations promote appreciation of wildflowers in order to conserve them and their habitats. However, it may be that their popularity endangers these plants in the wild as gardeners and nu^erymen dig them to satisfy increased public demand .... Some professionals and amateur horticulturists practice "ethical collection" — thinning colonies and using this stock to propagate progeny for distribution. However, ethical collecting should be practiced only by individuals with an extensive knowledge of native plant biology, only on colonies which can quickly replenish their numbers, and only for purposes of propagation .... Many nurseries still buy and sell wild-collected wildflowers. Customers should always ask their nurserymen how they acquire the wildflowers they sell, and buy only propagated material. This practice will shift the demand toward propagation .... Some plants, like Pink Lady’s slippers and other wild orchids, never should be purchased from nurseries for two reasons: first, there is no known method for propagating these plants; therefore, they are bound to be wild-collected. Second, these plants seldom survive the trauma of digging, storage, shipping, and transplanting beyond one or two years .... [The Society's] Native Plant Nursery Source List (to be published for spring of 19871 Indicates which North American nurseries propagate the native plants they sell .... For our area, the Society lists: Sunlight Gardens, Inc., Rt. 3, Box 286-B , Louden, TN 37774; and Woodlanders, 1128 Colleton Ave., Aiken, SC 29801 . In addition, a recommended book is Harry R. Phillips, GROWING AND PROPAGATING WILD FLOWERS (Chapel Hill, NC; U. N. Car. Press; 1985). With a Foreword by C. Ritchie Bell, this book includes chapters on Cultivating native plants; Propagating native plants; Wild flowers; Carnivorous plants; Ferns. For specific plants, there is a Botanical description; Suggestions for seed collection, cleaning and storage;,* Propagation; Cultivation; Uses in the garden and landscape. The Appendix includes a Calendar of blooming dates; Production timetable; Guide to recommended literature. j <•> LOOK AGAIN ! One of the very earliest of the spring arrivals that we seek out in rich mountain woods is Hepatica, or Liverleafo Whether the flowers are white or some delicate shade of blue, lavender or rose, they are undeniably pretty — and would be considered so even if it were not for the fact that they often are the first blooms we see after the drabness of winter. It comes as a sur- prise, then, to learn that they have no petals (the colorful parts are petaloid sepals, and what look like three green sepals are actually bracts) . There are a number of other genera in the Butter- cup Family that lack petals, and some of them, like Black Cohosh ( Cimicifuga) and the Meadow Rues (Thalictrum) even lose their small sepals as soon as the flowers open. Our most common species is Sharp-lobed Hepatica (H. acutiloba) in which, as the names indicate, the leaf segments are pointed. White flowers seem to be the rule rather than the ex- Round-lobed Hepatica (H. americana) is less common in our mountain province. It is a slightly smaller plant, and the sepals tend to be broader and slightly spatulate. Flowers of this species are more likely to be colored, especially favoring the blues. Although hybrids occur, it is quite easy to distinguish the two species. The new foliage does not develop until later, but bronzed leaves from the previous year are almost always present. If all else fails, remember that the lobes of the bracts correspond to those of the leaves — rounded or blunt-pointed depending upon the species. ' ■«.+ v ;- r ’***'U;j Vol . IX, No. 1 Spring 1987 S H 0 R T I A A quarterly publication of the Western Carolina Botanical Club Editor: Dorothy Rathmann Distribution: Frances Gadd Please submit contributions for next issue by May 15 to: Dorothy Rathmann, Editor Carolina Village Box 23 Hendersonville, NC 28739 C ***** SHORTIA c/o Frances Gadd 218 Pheasant Run Hendersonville, NC 28739 SHORTIA NEWSLETTER OF THE WESTERN CAROLINA BOTANICAL CLUB SUMMER 1987 DOROTHY RATHMANN, Editor - 2 - OFFICERS President: Millie Blaha Treasurer: Louis Wagner Vice President: Louise Foresman Historian: Anne Ulinski Secretary: Ruth Mack ✓ i A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT Millie Blaha Enclosed with this issue of SHORTIA is the Schedule of Field Trips for the remainder of 1987. A new procedure is being tried this year: all publications — SHORTIA, the Field Trip Schedules and Membership Roster — will be mailed to all members. Because 50 per cent of the dues will be used to defray the costs of printing and mailing these publications, it is important that dues be paid promptly at the beginning of each year . It is with regret that we accept Dorothy Rathmann' s resignation as Editor of SHORTIA. She very ably assisted the late Helen Turner while she was Editor. It is obvious that Dorothy had layout, writing and designing experience. She has set a high standard for our newsletter which, it is hoped, will be continued. If you are interested in becoming Editor of SHORTIA, please let Millie Blaha know (885-2424) as soon as possible. Dorothy has outlined the objectives of SHORTIA and the Editor's responsibilities. The objective of this newsletter is to provide WCBC with up-to-date information about Club activities; to include newsworthy and semi-technical articles about plants and their environment relevant to the Western Carolines . The Editor has the responsibility for soliciting and editing items to appear in SHORTIA. The Editor is also responsible for preparing print-ready copy for reproduction. There are four issues annually: Spring (to reach members about mid-March); Sumner (mid-June); Autumn (mid-September); Winter (mid-December). WELCOME — NEW MEMBERS Hendersonville unless otherwise stated Barr, Charles B. & Jane H. , 147 Haywood Knolls Dr. .................... 891-8893 Bryant , Harry & Kathryn, 215 Ewbanks Dr. 893-8131 Burgess , Ralph E. & Adele , 209 Balsam Rd 693-0822 Chandler, William M. , PO Box 2680, Hendersonville, NC 28793 ........... 693-0313 Dominy, John F. & Elain B. , 39 Foxglove Rd. 692-7999 Hunt , Jane R. , 1901 Country Club Rd. 697-9616 Rogers, J. Speed & Beth K. , 251 Purple Finch Lane, Brevard, NC 28712 .. 883-3048 Wolff , Alans , 14 Cedarbrook Dr . 7 - 3 - ANNUAL meeting Lois & Bob Winters, Co-Chairmen Aline & Elton Hansens Beth & Fred Woodlock Milton & Dorothy Lucas Louise Foresman BOCK SPRINGS LODGE TRAIL Dick Smith, Chairman Elton Hansens CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES Dorothy Rathmann, Chairman Louise Foresman COMMUNITY RELATIONS Bill Verduin, Chairman Louise Foresman Dean Crawford Bud Pearson Millie Blaha, Ex-Officio FIELD TRIP SCHEDULE TYPIST Harriet Kuster HOLMES STATE FOREST PROJECT Millie Blaha, Chairman Charlotte Carman Louise Foresman Don Prentice Anne Ulinski HONORS Tom Hallowell, Chairman Margaret & John Kuhn Bessie Sinish 1987 COMMITTEES LIBRARY DISPLAY Grace Rice, Chairman Charlotte Carman Louise Foresman MEMBERSHIP Margaret Kuhn NOMINATING Ken Sinish, Chairman Laveme Pearson Sam Childs PROGRAM Millie Blaha, Chairman Louise Foresman Anne Ulinski Charlotte Carman Barbara Hallowell Elton Hansens Ivan Kuster Harry Logan Lowell Orbison Don Prentice Dick Smith Ben Tullar Bill Verduin SHINN'S GARDENS GUIDES Elton Hansens, Chairman SHORTIA - EDITOR Dorothy Rathmann SHORTIA - REPROD'N & DIST'N Frances Gadd, Chairman Estelle Donnell ABOOT FIELD TRIPS As is evident from the Recorder's Report, weather or poor trail conditions may cause a change in Field Trip destination or even a cancellation. Such changes in the Schedule are made by the Leader at the meeting place, since prior announcement is rarely possible. Franklin, NC Overnight (June 25-26) information was in the Spring issue of SHORTIA. Elton Hansens needs to know who is going on this trip. Make your own reservations: Franklin Motel, 223 Palmer St. (704) 524-4431 or Kountry Kampground, US 441 Soufh 2.3 mi. from NC 28 North (655 Georgia Highway) - (704)524-4339. In driving to Franklin, take I 26 to I 40 West, to US 23, to US 441 (near Sylva). At Franklin, continue on US 441 By-Pass to NC 28 on the west side of Franklin. Then take NC 28 north 1.1 mi. to reach Franklin Motel (on left). - 4 - THANKS , THANKS , THANKS ! Millie Blaha { Please join me in expressing deep appreciation to Margaret Kuhn for the wonderful job she did as Treasurer for six years and for personally distributing SHORTIA, the Field Trip Schedules and Membership Roster to those who participated in the outings. Margaret is currently Membership Chairman, a newly created position in WCBC. She will greet new members and all others in her usual friendly way. If you have friends who wish to join WCBC, please obtain a Membership Application Form from Margaret and have them fill it out and return it to her. Also, please join me in thanking Bob Taber for typing the Membership Roster and Field Trip Schedules for the past four years. They were accurately typed and meticulous in their arrangement. Our thanks to Harriet Krister who was the typist for the Schedule which you received with> this issue of SHORTIA. Thanks, too, to Aline Hansens for creating the illustrations, lettering and design of the front page of the Field Trip Schedules. Thanks, too, to Dick Smith for his "Look Again" page in SHORTIA — the outstanding feature of our newsletter. WCBC can be proud of Elton Hansens, Chairman, and those members who served as guides at the Shinn's garden on May 2 and 3. The garden was one of the field trips of the 15th Annual Spring Wildf lower and Bird Pilgrimage sponsored by UNC-Asheville , the Blue Ridge Parkway and University Botanical Gardens. On Saturday, the guides were Millie Blaha, Dean Crawford, Nan Morrow, Win Newcomb and Grace Rice. On Sunday, Louise Foresman, Ivan Kuster , Win Newcomb and Grace Rice were guides along with Elton. On Sunday, Ivan Kuster was one of the leaders of the Wildf lower Motorcade on the Blue Ridge Parkway which started from the Folk Art Center and continued to Craggy Gardens. The weekend. of May 8-10 the NC Wildf lower Preservation Society held its meeting at Kanuga Conference Center. On Friday night, 15 members of WCBC attended the program presented by Rob Sutter, Endangered Plant Botanist for NC. On Saturday morning, your president was the guide on the trails at Frank Bell's Green Cove Camp. In the afternoon, Charlotte Carmen was the guide on the long trail at Holmes State Forest. Your president and husband, George, were privileged to present the featured program on Saturday night. My thanks to those of you who have given your time, your knowledge and efforts in these various projects and have helped to make the Western Carolina Botanical Club a very special organization. MISSING (?) ISSUES OF SHORTIA Dorothy Rathmann In going through the SHORTIA file I found the following gaps: Vol. I, No. 4 (Dec. 1979); Vol II, No. 3 (Sept. 1980); Vol. Ill, No. 4 (Dec. 1981). Perhaps, Harvey Krouse did skip these issues. However, if any of you have kept old copies of SHORTIA, I would appreciate your looking for these issues and loaning them to me for duplication. Thanks ! - 5 - LEARN AND SHARE Barbara Hallowell On Feb. 13, 1987, an enthusiastic group of WCBC members exchanged information and asked lots of questions during the Learn and Share session — and agreed Learn and Share should be an annual event. Some subjects covered (several offered by people who came just to listen but soon couldn't resist getting involved) were: By what mechanism does Boston ivy cling to a wall? Additional bits about ivy: It can "count" — has tendrils on 2 nodes, skips one, then 2 more and skips. A single clinging disc can support 2 lbs. of weight. How do mistletoe seeds get from high limbs on one tree to high limbs of another — and stay without falling off? When do tendrils start to coil and in which direction? Paulownia pods were once used for packing fine porcelain. What have Japanese honeysuckle and the white man in common? Indians considered the latter invasive; We consider the former invasive. Plant succession is a series of intriguing interrelationships we see daily — Nature ' s determined effort to reclothe bare ground with annuals, perennials, vines, shrubs and trees. Identifying oaks by their leaves is shaky at best. Buds and acorns are more reliable, but oak hybrids still present problems. Enter hairs! The minute hairs on oak leaves are infallibly specific . You can ' t miss — all you need is an electron microscope . What are the four requisites for life? Think on it. Ruining any one of these would be fatal for life, yet man is working hard to ruin all four: water, air, light, soil. After considering succession from bare rock, from bare field, and from a pond or lake, we investigated climax forest zones across the USA. We even had map handouts. A cross section of 180 year old black spruce from the Arctic was compared with a local tulip tree cross section of the same diameter, the latter only 6 years old. Mushroom guidebooks led to an interesting discussion. What happens inside the wood of a trunk when a tight vine like honeysuckle spirals around it? The trunk reacts vigorously, and both cross and longitudinal sections of an affected tree trunk had WCBC members on the floor examining them. Are slime molds plants or animals? They have characteristics of each. In lower forms of life the distinction between plant and animal is not easy, even sometimes impossible. . RECORDER'S REPORT Anne U1 i nsk i - 6 - Our indoor meetings tor this period began with a slide presentation on William Bartram and his contribution to America's natural and cultural heritage. At the same meeting Bob Siegler, Supervisor of Holmes Educational State Forest, told us about the exhibits, educational -features and other activities at Holmes State. / We had a Learn and Share session at the Hallowells and a preview of spring flowers by John Kuhn. Jeanne Cummings talked about her unusual experience as an Earthwatch volunteer in the rain forests of Borneo. The Blahas gave us another of their special presentations this one entitled THE GOOD EARTH with emphasis on the earth and man's stewardship of it. An ice storm forced the cancellation of the Hardy Souls Hike and we were unable to go to Lake Jocassee because of snow. But as the weather changed for the better, we drove to Tryon and guided by Ivan Kuster, we walked the trail at the Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE). We spent the usual delightful morning at Millie Pearson's. Spring was late this year, so. we appreciated each bloodroot, spring beauty, trill i um and violet. Those who went to Pearson's Falls saw walking fern, fragile fern and resurrection fern as well as the early saxifrage (saxifraga v i rg i n i ens i s) and golden saxifrage or water mat ( Chrysop 1 en i um americanum). The group which went to Bob Creek's Pocket Wilderness with Max Kline felt like “hardy souls." There was snow on the ground as we left the parking lot at this unusual area which has been set aside as a reserve by the woodlands organization of the Bowater Carolina Corporation of S.C. We took the 3 1/2 mile loop, finding the trail itself clear of snow. We crossed and recrossed brooks, got our feet wet, saw the early flowers blooming, and had lunch in the sun at Sentinel Rock. Millie Blaha and Don Prentice took us to Jones Gap and Wildcat Gap State Park both in S.C. At Jones Gap we walked the trail along a rushing Middle Saluda River. We found flowering plants in abundance at both locations. A few days later a group went with Bill Verduin for an overnight in the Smokies. We saw flowers galore just as Bill had promised. The walk in the Baxter Creek area along Big Creek was memorable. We had fine views of Big Creek and identified many plants including the rare maidenhair spleenwort found by Barbara Hallowell. At lunch we sat where we could view masses of the lettuce saxifrage (saxifraga m i cran th i d i f ol i a) . The following day we drove to the Cosby area, and walked through misty woods admiring the dwarf ginseng and Fraser's sedge. There were some extras on this trip — -unexpected. Our planned modest motel accomodations turned into suites at a time-sharing establishment. Each suite had a different decor and a jacuzzi. It was cold and rainy the morning of our second day, but a breakfast table set for us before the fire at Cosby Restaurant cheered us on our way. A special word of thanks needs to be said to Ivan Kuster and to Millie Blaha who took the time to prepare workshops on plant families. Ivan's came first, with a talk and a walk at Pearson's Fall on the lily family (Liliaceae). A few weeks later, Millie Blaha held a workshop on plant famil.ies. The charts she prepared for each of us illustrated how plants evolved from the most primitive to the most advanced. Her slide presentation covered more than 60 of the families, shown in order as they appear in Radford's, "Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carol inas". The group met in the board room of a Brevard bank, the chairs were luxurious, learning- was painless and was followed by lunch and a walk at Charlie Moore's. ^ And then came a return to an old favorite, Laurel River Gorge past Mars Hill north of Asheville. We identified many of the spring plants among them silverbell, dwarf crested iris, purple phacelia, 7 species of violets and the uncommon bleeding heart (dicentra eximia) and corydalis (corydalis semper v i rens) . ' . - 7 - LOOK AGAIN ! The Melastoma Family is represented by approximately 4,000 species all around the world, including many with handsome flowers. Its members are nearly all tropical, though, and only two are found in our area. The species we can claim are Meadow Beauty, or Deer- grass ( Rhexia virginica) and Pale Meadow Beauty (_R. mariana) . They are stiff plants with opposite, toothed trinerved leaves and showy flowers with four petals arising from an expanded receptacle, or hypanthium, which in fruit becomes an urn-shaped capsule. The conspic- uous bright yellow anthers are unusual : long, curved, and bearing a short spur near the point of attachment to the filament. Rhexia Virginia is our com- monest species. It has bright, deep purple flowers and a square stem ridged with four thin membranous wings. R. mariana has a wider dis- tribution but in the mountains usually grows at lower elevations. The petals are pale rose (pure white in one coastal form) and the stems are angled but devoid of wings. Its leaves are narrower than those of virginica and have tapered rather than rounded bases. Several other species of Rh exia occur in the Southeast, but as might be expected of a tropical plant family they are much more at home in savannahs and bogs on the coastal plain. RHEXIA VIRGINICA Vol . IX, No. 2 S H 0 R T I A Summer 1987 A quarterly publication of the Western Carolina Botanical Club Editor: Dorothy Rathmann Distribution: Frances Gadd Please submit contributions for next issue by August 15 to: Dorothy Rathmann, Editor Carolina Village Box 23 Hendersonville, NC 28739 SHORTIA c/o Frances Gadd 218 Pheasant Run Hendersonville, NC 28739 *7 9 SHORTIA NEWSLETTER OF THE WESTERN CAROLINA BOTANICAL CLUB AUTUMN 1987 MILLIE BLAHA, Editor 2 FROM THE PRESIDENTS DESK Millie Blaha V Dr. Jim Perry, (JNC at Asheville, has sent a letter of appreciation expressing hs thanks to those who served as guides at Shinn’s Gardens during the Sprina Wild^lawer Pilgrimage. Elton Hansens was responsible for coordinating the volunteers from the Botany Club. The dates for the Sixteenth Pilgrimage are Mav 6-8, i998. Please put these dates on your calendar so that you will be available to help with this project. Elton Hansens and Jane Blackstone who served as nature guides for children from the Venable School when they visited Bent Creek Forest area in May reported that this was a most rewarding experience. They could have used the help of at least six more volunteers on that day1. Please mark your calendar for June 1, 1988 so that you may assist as a volunteer m introducing the children from this school to the world of nature. Our thanks to Grace Rice, chairman, Louise Foresman and Charlotte Carman for the beautiful display featuring the Botany Club at the Hendersonville Library during the month of May. Their assignment truly was a challenge because the committees responsible for this effort in preceding years have done such an excellent job. We are proud of and grateful for the talents of these three ladies. COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS The Holmes Educational State Forest Plant Study is continuing for the third year. The studv area being focused on is the second half of the Forest Demonstration Trail. The committee consisting of Charlotte Carman, Louise Foresman, Don Prentice, Grace Rice, Anne Ulinski and Millie Blaha has been spending one day a week recording the plants that are in bloom on that day. Eventually this information, along with the data compiled for the preceding two years, will be compiled and put into a report. Dick Smith reports that progress on the Shut-In Trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway has been taken over by events. Damage resulting from last winter’s devastating ice storm as well as announced construction of personnel headquarters for the Parkway have put the committee’s work on hold. The trail however, is still open. If, in the course of visits to the trail, anyone finds plants that are unusual, please let Dick Smith know (885-8530) so that he can add them to the trail’s plant list. <#> # # WELCOME — NEW MEMBERS Hendersonville (28739) unless otherwise indicated Flanagan, Betty (Mrs. John V.), P.Q. Box 265* Flat Rock NC 28731 693-3113 Florence* Dr. Thomas J. & Glenna, P.Q. Box 32, Gerton, NC 28735 .704/625-4401 Lovick, Robert & Dorothy, 2608 Kanuga Pines Drive 697-6614 Menotti, Amel R. & Mary, 302 Browning 891-4211 Taylor, Fred & Charlene, Box 566, Flat Rock NC 28731 693-8400 Change of address Hoogstra, Donald 6 Lois, Carolina Village, 24 Larks Spur 3 RECORDER'S REPORT r£X In May 16 members of the UNC Botanical Club drove to Cullowhee, N.C. -for a two-day program planned for us by Dr. J. Dan Pittillo, Professor of Botany at Western Carolina University. We arrived early enough on a Thursday to tour the Mountain Heritage Center at the University, then back to our motel for dinner and a slide presentation by Dr. Pittillo describing some of his studies in paleoecology in the Balsam Mountains.* The following day we made an early morning visit to view the large hybrid collection of rhododendrons at the University gardens and then drove to the Nantahal a area where we walked the Uasilik Trail. 4mong many plants identified, we saw the Wasilik Champion Poplar, yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea) and Goldie's fern (Dryopteris goldiana). Later in May we drove to Lake Issaqueena in the Clemson Experimental Forest. Dick Smith, Don Prentice and Anne U1 inski had scouted the area the day before so they already knew that a little walking and some stop and go along the road would introduce us to a wealth of plants, including some species new to our group. We saw arrow arum and spatterdock at the Lake. We saw the oldest living chestnut tree in S.C., the beautiful Indian pink (Spigelia mar i 1 and i ca) , Barbara's buttons (Marshal lia obovata) and 75 other plants. Walking back into the woods we counted over 50 pink lady slippers in one small area. Ice storm damage caused us to cancel our hike to Big Butt but following Marge Little's suggestion, we successfully substituted a new area, Bear Pen Gap trail at Mile Post 427.6. The trail follows an old road under birch and beech trees to a large open meadow. Along the wooded section we saw an unusual stand of umbrella leaf in bloom and for a good botany lesson, we found growing almost next to each other a mountain maple and a striped maple, both in bloom. In June Elton and Aline Hansens took a group to the Franklin area. Perry's Water Garden was visited and the lush Albert Rufus Morgan Trail was hiked. There was a day to hike to the tower at Wayah Bald and the group returned with a list of 55 wildflowers identified. As always there was "THE PARKWAY". We went south with Dick Smith in May, south again in June with Bill Verduin, north with Miles Peelle in July. We saw pink shell azalea, saxifrage, violets, Canada mayflowers, purple fringed orchids, fire pink, nodding onion (Allium cernuum) , liatris, bearsfoot (Polymnia uvedalia) alumroot, and many others. During this same period we had outings to Pilot Mountain, Daniel Creek, Roan Mountain, and hiked the Buck Springs Lodge Trail and the Shut-In Trail where we made the usual detour to see the Turk's-cap lilies. The last outing covered in this report is of the August Soco Gap to Heintooga trip led by Bill Verduin. It was cool! We had a nice group of 19. We saw the very infrequent Rugel's ragwort (Senecio rugelia) at Round Bottom Road . After lunch at Heintooga we drove to an open meadow near the Masonic Monument. Here we saw many flowers in bloom — beebalm, bas «1 balm, sunflowers, lilies (Turk's-cap and Carolina), starry campion, spiderwort, and many more. Bill led us to a nearby area where we saw a large display of orange f r i nged-orch i ds (Habenaria ci liar is). We left reluctantly to return to the "lowlands" and the heat. *The following papers are on file with the recorder; "Comparison of contemporary vegetation anc pollen assemblages, an altitudinal transect in the Balsam Mountains, Blue Ridge Province, western North Carolina, USA* by Hazel R. Delcourt and J. Dan Pittillo; "Phytogeography of the Balsam Mountains and Pisgah Ridge, Southern Appalachian Mountains", by J. Dan Pittillo anc Garrett A. Smathers; and "Flat Laurel Gap Bog, Pisgah Ridge, North Carolina: Late Holocene Development of a High-Elevation Heath Bald", by David S. Shafer. Anyone wishing to see these papers, or make copies for their own files, please contact Anne U1 inski. sP 4 is IN a NAME? Millie Biaha To many persons the scientific name of a plant (also referred to as botanical or technical) is bewildering, difficult to remember and difficult to pronounce. Such a name should not be frightening. A scientific name is not a string of meaningless syllables. It consists of two parts - the genus and species. This binomial nomenclature, begun with Linnaeus’ SPECIES PLANTARUM in 1753, not only names the plant but places it in a system. It is the means by which plants are known by peoples throughout the world . Oftentimes the generic or first part of a binomial honors some person. Some of these names were given to a plant when our Continent was being explored and its botanical treasures were being sent or brought back to England and Europe to be studied and added to the growing record there of American flora. Others commemorate the lives of naturalists, botanists, entomologists, explorers and other persons whose 1 1 yes are recorded in the chapters of history. Listed below are the genus names of some plants which you may have seen in bloom during the summer months with the names of the persons whom they honor. BQEHMERIA - False nettle - honors George Rudolph Boemer (1723-1823), German scientist and professor at Wittenberg University COLLINSQNIA - Horse balm, nchweed - honors Peter Collinson (1694-1769), English botanist who corresponded widely with such men as Linnaeus, John Bartram and John Clayton DIERVILLA - Bush honeysuckle - honors Dr. N. Diereville, a French surgeon and traveler who carried this plant from Canada to the botanist Joseph Pitton c. Tournefort in 1699 EUPATORIUM - Joe-pye-weed , boneset, thoroughwor t , white snakeroot, etc. - honors Mithridates Eupator (132-63 BC ) , king of Pontus, who is said to have used a soecies of this genus in medicine GALINSOGA - Peruvian daisy - honors Mariano Martinez Galinsoga, Spanish physician and botanist of the 18th century GENTIANA - Gentians - Named for Gentius, king of Illyria who, according to Pliny, discovered the medicinal value of this family of plants GERARDIA - Gerardia - named for John Gerard (1545-1612), an English botanist, barber-surgeon, and garden superintendent to Lord Burghley, Minister to Queen Elizabeth I. He grew many exotic plants in his garden but is best known for his HERBALL , first published in 1597 with many subsequent add i t ions GOODYERA - Rattlesnake plantain orchid - honors John Goodyer (1592-1664), English botanist, who assisted a Mr. Johnson in his edition of Gerard’s HERBALL HEUCHERA - Alum-root - honors Johann Heinrich von Heucher (1677-1747), German botanist and Professor of Medicine at Wittenberg University. HOUSTQNIA - bluets - named for Dr. William Houston (1695-1733), Scottish botanist who collected and wrote about plants in Mexico and the West Indies LAPORTEA - Wood nettle - named for Francois L. de Lapor te ,( 1810- 1880 ) , Count of Castelnau, French entomologist ^ LOBELIA - Lobelia - honors Matthias de L’Obel (1538-1616), Flemish botanist and physician to James I of England 5 15 1 N A NAME7 continued from page L MONARDA - bee-balm - named for Nicholas Monardes (1993-1588), Spanish phvsican and botanist; author of many tracts upon medicinal and other useful plants, especially those of the New World RUDBECKIA - conef lower - honors Qlaf Rudbeck ( 1 630- 1 790 ) and his son, Qlaf (1660- 1 740 )» The elder Qlaf was a Swedish anatomist and botanist who discovered the lymphatic system SAEATIA - Rose pink, bitter-bloom - named for Liberato Sabbati, Italian botanist and author of the 18th century TOVARA - Jumpseed - honors Simon a Tovar, Spanish physician of the 16th centurv TRADESCANTIA - named for John Tradescant (1570-1638) and his son John (1608- 1662). John, the Elder, was gardener to Charles I of England. Jonn, the Younger, was said to have introduced to England the tuliptree, red maole, sycamore, black walnut, butternut, bald cypress and hackberry. TRAUTVETTERIA - Black cohosh, false bugbane - honors Ernest Rudolph von Trautvetter (1809-1889), a Russian botanist. VERN0NIA - Ironweed - named for William Vernon, (16? - 1711) English botanist who traveled in North America NEW BOOKS BERRY FINDER by Dorcas 5. Miller; illustrated by Cherie Hunter Day This pocket-sized guide to native plants with fleshy fruits one inch in diameter or smaller will be especially useful at this time of the year. The scope of its coverage is the Eastern United States. This guide is a part of the series which includes the FERN FINDER by Barbara Hallowell and her daughter Anne. Although this booklet with a bright red cover is not a guide to edible slants, it marks with a danger sign those berries that are known to be POISONOUS. ~ ~ As in all the other pocket guides in this series, the BERRY FINDER has excellent drawings and illustrations of terms and symbols used in it. Look for this guide at your book store. $ # & HOPE FOR THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT? Niles Peelle New research on the "yellow killer", fungus Endothica parasitica or Chestnut Blight, rekindles hope to eventually restore the Chestnut. In northwest Michigan, near Cadillac, over 600 mature trees, planted in the early 1850’s, are being studied, as some are just showing blight symptoms. Others, including sprouts are with blight but are still growing and leaves are not dying as these "sick" trees also have a white spore infection. An amateur naturalist of Rockford, MI sent bark of these trees to a Connecticut Research Lab and it was discovered that a white spore fungus H.V. type was attacking the yellow spore killer, Endothica parasitica. In past studies (1950), a white spore fungus was found in Italy that suppressed the blight of chestnuts growing on farm lands. Testing this "parasitic" white form in New England was unsuccessful as the white spores did not spread to trees - probably due to climatic and ecological factors. So, when white spores H.V. types were found in Michigan, hope was rekindled. Mavbe this H.V. type in Michigan would spread widely and allow young trees growing from cut stumps in Southern regions to reach maturity??? J ' 6 WILDFLQWERS ALONG NORTH CAROLINA HIGHWAYS Dorothy Rathmann As you traveled along North Carolina highways this spring and summer, have you not ice. the special plantings of cornflowers, calliopsis, annual phlox and California popDies7 These non-natives were planted by the N.C. Dept. of Transportation, along with the seeds of such native plants as black-eyed Susan, lance-leaved coreopsis and butterfly weed whose seeds take two or more years to become established. Eventually these native oerennials will replace the instant color of the exotic annuals. Mowing schedules are to be restricted in these areas in order to encourage seed production of the desired perennial wild flowers and to discourage invading successional woody sDec les . Building on the results of test plots set out across the State in 1986, the DOT sowed seed mixes appropriate for the specific regions of the State. For example, seeds of coastal area tvpe plants were not sowed in the mountain areas. According to Ken Moore of the North Carolina Botanical Gardens at Chapel Hill, establishment and maintenance of wild flowers along roadsides is still a relatively young and not well understood discipline. Management techniques will be altered as determined bv the successes and failures of each year’s activities. It is a credit to North Carolina that this large scale wild flower program has been adopted by the DOT as a long term project to determine the best practical procedures for increasing wild flowers along our roadsides. If you like - or dislike - the efforts toward maintaining natural wild flower displays along our State’s highways, please write to Bill Johnson, State Landscape Engineer and Harold Ritter, State Horticulturist North Carolina Dept, of Transportation P.0. Box 25201 Raleigh, NC 27611 <#> <%> WILDFLQWER SEEDS AVAILABLE Growing native plants in your own garden from seeds or spores is satisfying and economical. The New England Wild Flower Society is offering for sale more than 150 varieties of wild flowers or ferns in their 1988 Seed List. Requests for this list must be received by March 1, 1988. Seed sales close March 15. Send a self-addressed $.39-stamped envelope (#10 business size) to SEEDS, New England Wild Flower Soc iety/Garden in the Woods, Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA 01701 for a seed list. # <#> A BOTANICAL TIDBIT Miles Peelle The gypsy moth is denuding oak trees and is moving in the direction of North Carolina. The pesticides Sevin and Dilox are minor controls. Now comes the following: Southern Pennsylvania State research has found a plant, Bacillus thur ing iensi s -LBT ) that feeds only on gypsy moth larvae, killing most and slowing down remaining larvae which allows parasitic wasps a chance to further control of the gypsy cycle. Latest report? indicate that this is better control than pesticides. DEADLINE for next issue is November 15, 1987 7 LOOK AGAIN ! I used to love my garden, But now my love is dead; I found a Bachelor's Button In my Black-eyed Susan's bed, --Unknown Nurtured in a flower garden or rampant in a summer meadow, Black-eyed Susan certainly is one of our favorites. We think of it as a native, although actually it is an introduced species here, having hitched a ride with other seeds from the West. And, as with any old friend, we recognize it on sight. Or do we? The most familiar species is Rud- beckia hirta (R. sero tina of some authors), and most of the time our identification will be right, but there are other attractive "coneflowers" which we might miss getting to know if we are too sure of ourselves. The very similar _R. fulgida is known as Orange Coneflower because the yel- low ray flowers are often tinged with that color at the base; it is more common in the piedmont, less so in the mountains. Then there is the Thin-leaved Coneflower ( R. triloba) , which at a distance may look like a slightly smaller Black-eyed Susan. Its rays are proportion ately wider and a deeper shade of yellow. Most distinctive, though, is the fact that some of the lower leaves have a pair of basal lobes, and this sets it apart from the others No discussion of the genus should omit mention of the tall, handsome Green- headed Coneflower (R± laciniata) , although there is no mistaking it because of its disk, which is yellowish-green instead of brown, its drooping rays, and its pinnately-cut foliage. R. TRILOBA SHORT I A Vo 1 . IX, No. 3 Autumn 1987 GARD£* SHORT I A ’/. Frances Gadd 218 Pheasant Run Hendersonville, NC 28739 FIRST CUSS xs HCf ■'? SHORTIA NEWSLETTER OF THE WESTERN CAROLINA BOTANICAL CLUB WINTER 1987-88 MILLIE BLAHA, Editor 2 FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK As you will see from the Nominating Committee's report, I will not be continuing as President in 1988. This is because I had asked the Nominating Committee to replace me. And they found an excellent candidate! It has been an honor for me to serve as your President. However, since last August, I have been doing two jobs. When Dorothy Rathmann resigned as Editor of SHORTIA so that she could take advantage of travel opportunities, a replacement was sought. Two persons responded, but one was experiencing health problems, and the other already was carrying a heavy schedule. Since I have had experience in editing newsletters - the most recent being the newsletter of the Nature Study and Camera Club of the Morton Arboretum - I decided to take on this responsibility. This issue, I believe, is better than my first issue. Hopefully each issue will be better than the issue before. So, instead of continuing as President, I will be the Editor of SHORTIA. A complete report of what has been accomplished during my year as President will be presented at the Annual Meeting. ACTING TREASURER APPOINTED It might not be obvious, but Margaret Kuhn is wearing two hats - one, as Membership Chairman; the other, as Acting Treasurer. In mid November, Louis Wagner found it necessary to submit his resignation as Treasurer. It was accepted with regret. The time and effort that Louis devoted to carrying out his responsibilities are greatly appreciated, especially since our member- ship roster now lists 139 families with234 individual members. For six years Margaret Kuhn served as Treasurer during the period of the Club's greatest growth. Because of her prior experience with the Club’s records, it seemed logical that she be appointed as Acting Treasurer until the Annual Meeting in Jan. 1988. Margaret is to be commended for so graciously accepting this added responsibility. DUES ARE DUE IN JANUARY Because it is so easy to overlook paying dues, a reminder form is enclosed with this issue of SHORTIA. This procedure is being initiated for several reasons: 1. By paying dues by the time of the indicated deadline, all of the dues will be received at the beginning of the year, making it easier for the President and Executive Committee to prepare a budget for the year. 2. The information on the dues notice form supplied by you will provide the Membership Chairman with the correct information for the Membership Roster which will be mailed with the Spring issue of SHORTIA. It also will provide the Treasurer with the correct information for his records. 3. The person who mails SHORTIA will have the correct mailing information so that SHORTIA will be certain to reach you. 4. The Treasurer can enjoy the Annual Meeting instead of spending time collecting dues. The year 1987 is coming to an end. I look forward to the Botany Club having May the gentle beauty of Nature not only brighten your holidays but also all the days of the coming year! ^ ' 3 & & £ The NOMINATING COMMITTEE presents . . . The Nominating Committee, consisting of Dr. Kenneth Sinish, Chairman and members Sam Childs and Laverne Pearson, present the following candi- dates for offices in 1988: BILL VERDUIN, President. For the past 38 years, Bill and Evelyn Verduin have called Western North Carolina "home". From 1950 to 1964 Bill was manager of the Kanuga Conference Center. Following several years of temporary affilia- tion with Camp Sequoyah, Bill became Director of Asheville Boys School where he remained until his retirement in 1982. Over the years Bill has camped out with "his" boys and has hiked and explored many of the back roads of Western North Carolina. That Springtime in the Smokies is one of his favorite places is evidenced by the outings he volunteers to lead in this wonderful botanical area. Bill brings to the club administrative experience and a wealth of knowledge about the natural world. Bill and Evelyn's retirement home is perfectly located for a nature lover - adjacent to Kanuga. LOUISE FORESMAN, Vice President. In 1987 Louise served as Vice President. She has led outings and has served on many of the Club's committees. The note- books that she kept during the four years that she, was plant Recorder are evidences of her devotion to detail and dedication to carrying out assigned responsibilities. For the past three years she has been a faithful member of the Holmes Educational State Forest plant project. Whenever you hear some- one say "Let me help you", you can be sure it is Louise who has said it. CHARLOTTE CARMAN, Secretary. Charlotte joined the Botany Club as soon as she moved to Hendersonville in 1982. She is an active hiker with the Carolina Mountain Club, Welcome Wagon and Haywood Knolls group. As a girl, Charlotte hiked on her father’s land in Massachusetts. It was her lawyer father who stimulated Charlotte's interest in nature and wildf lowers. Charlotte's entire career was as a first grade teacher in Springfield, Mass. In addition to serving on the Holmes Educational State Forest plant project, Charlotte also volunteers with the remedial reading program and the High School Writing project. Her sister is Botany Club member Ann Peavey. JOHN SABY, Treasurer. John's training is as a physicist. At the time of his retirement, he was manager of a Research Laboratory for General Electric. Among the various projects of his lab was the challenge to create more efficient light bulbs. John attributes his early interest in wildf lowers to the influence of his sister who loved flowers and to his mother's wonderful garden. John is a keen observer not only of wild flowers but also of other aspects of the natural world as anyone who has walked beside him on an outing soon observes. When John and his wife Mary moved to North Carolina, John decided to take a more serious interest in wild flowers and nature. ANNE ULINSKI , Recorder. As a Foreign Service wife, Anne lived in many countries while raising five children. Somehow she also found time for a career and had many interesting work experiences. Since the inception of the plant study program at Holmes Educational State Forest, Anne has been one of its members. For the past two years she has served as plant Recorder. Her computer has served as an invaluable tool in recording plants seen on outings as she lists them according to Family, Genus and species, and Common name. She also is keeping a separate list of unusual, rare and uncommon plants seen in bloom on our outings. She also is maintaining a list of the plants found on the Buck Springs Lodge Trail. In addition to all her work for the Botany Club, Anne also is a volunteer for the Head Start program. A - LOOKING AHEAD Included in this issue of SHORTIA is the Outings and Program Schedule for January through June 1988. Please read it in order to learn what the Committee has planned for your enjoyment. The Committee consisted of Louise Foresman, Anne Ulinski, Charlotte Carman, Barbara Hallowell, Elton Hansens, Don Prentice, Dick Smith, Bill Verduin, with Millie Blaha, chairman. All of the indoor programs planned for Jan., Feb., to mid-March are outstand- ing. Special attention is called to the Jan. 15 program when Anne Hallowell Reich, Tom and Barbara Hallowell' s daughter, will be the speaker. Elisabeth Feil's program on Feb. 19 will serve as preparation for the outing she will lead on May 13. On March 4, the Director or Assistant Director of the Western North Carolina Arboretum will give us an up-to-date progress report on activities there . There will be an overnight in the Smokies in April, led by Bill Verduin. Reservations are needed. The number is limited. You will notice some different names among the leaders and co-leaders. We are delighted that these members have volunteered to serve in these capacities. Please note that two outings are scheduled for SATURDAYS - one on Saturday, April 23, and the other on Saturday, May 21. Dick Smith suggested that area College students who are members of their school's Science clubs be invited to attend some of our outings. The Program Committee concurred. The Botany Club as well as the students should benefit from this exchange of knowledge and experience . Please take note of the Work Days at Holmes Educational State Forest and at Millie Pearson's, and the Orientation for the days at Shinn's Gardens. Your help is needed on these days and will be greatly appreciated by the coordinators for these Community Service Projects. At least 10 volunteers are needed (men and women) to serve as guides for young school children from the Venable School who will be visiting the Bent Creek Forest area on June 1. Millie Blaha (885-2424) would like to know in advance of this date if you can help. June 24 is the date that has been set for our picnic at Holmes Educational State Forest. Those who would like to do so will have an opportunity to hike either the long or short trail in the morning. At noon we shall enjoy fantastic food brought by you. I hope that, when you. read the schedule, you will be as excited about it as I am. THE ANNUAL MEETING The Botany Club holds only one formal meeting each year. It is the ANNUAL MEETING. This year's meeting will be held on Jan. 22 in the Parish Hall of St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church in Flat Rock. The business meeting will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m. It will include reports by the Officers and Committee chairmen. The Honors Committee will present its report. There will be an election of officers. Following the business meeting, there will be a covered dish luncheon. We will enjoy the covered dishes, vegetables, meat, salads, desserts, bread and rolls that everyone has brought to share. Coffee and tea will be provided. Following lunch, there will be a program marking the 15th anniversary of the Club. Please plan to stay for this. Your presence at this meeting will contribute to its success! Surely there is something in the unruffled calm of nature that overawes our little anxieties and doubts: the sight of the deep-blue sky, and the clustering stars above, seems to impart a quiet to the mind. Edwards ■ A a) a J B ul iajS k i ^ c o ae ^ As the leaves -fall -from the trees I -find it difficult to go back to my notes and realize that my last report covered our activities up through May 4! But there it is. So i f you can ignore the chill in the air -for a -few minutes, we can remember the outings the schedul ing committee planned -for us -for the spring and summer o-f 1937. In May, sixteen members drove to Cullowhee to stay overnight at the Forest Hills Motor Lodge. We had time to explore the campus at Western Carolina University. We visited the Mountain Heritage Center and Dan Pittillo took us through the University rhododendron garden to see the -fine hybr i d display there. On our -first evening Dr. Pittillo gave us a slide presentation on the Balsam Mountains. The next day we all drove to the Nantahala area to walk the Wasilik Trail. We saw the 50 0 year old "Champion Poplar", Goldie's -fern (Dry op ter is goldiana), yellowwood trees (Cladrastis kentukea), and many spring plants. Lunch was at Standing Indian camp ground and we walked the Kimsey Trail be-fore returning home. The other overnight, led by the Hansens, was to the Franklin, N.C. area. The eight members who made this trip visited Perry's Water Garden the -first day. The second day they walked the Albert Ru-fus Morgan Trail, and hiked to the tower on Wayah Bald. Here are some o-f the highlights o-f our late spring and summer ac t i v i ties: - the yellow -fringed orchids (Habenaria ciliatis) on our Soco Gap-He i n tooga trip - the umbrella lea-f (Diphylla cymosa) in bloom on the Bear Pen Gap trail - Barbara's Buttons (Marshal lia obovata) and Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica) at Cl emson Experimental Forest - The -fruit o-f the Mountain ash on the road to Shining Rock W i 1 derness - Picking blueberries and having lunch on the rocks at Tennent Mt . - Sundews (Drosera r olind i f ol i a) on the Blue Ridge Parkway (south) A - The view from Ogle Meadow - Meadow flowers and cows at Sugarloaf Mountain - Bearsfoot (Polymnia uvedal i a) near Craven Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway - And finally, ice cream, a friendly cat, a beautiful fall day and Frank and Cal la's hospitality at Green Cove Camp. ~ AN OPPORTUNITY TO "LOOK AGAIN" FROM THE BEGINNING IC was in the June 1981 issue of SHORTIA that Dick Smith's "LOOK AGAIN" page first appeared. Dick is not only a talented artist and writer but n also an expert botanist. "LOOK AGAIN" is the one page that probably not only is read by EVERYONE but also undoubtedly is the FIRST page to be read. Usually, the differences between two or more species of plants (trees, fungi, lycopodiums, etc.) are described and illustrated in order to encourage the reader to look again. These truly are pages to be treasured . Realizing that these pages are a wonderful reference source, someone suggested that perhaps these should be put into a booklet. Dick has graciously agreed to loan the Botany Club the originals so that they may be duplicated and assembled into a packet. The pages then can be arranged in the order that they appeared, or alphabetically by common name, by family, genus and species or in any other way that makes these pages useful. The only charge will be the cost of duplicating each page. The greater the number of copies produced, the lower the cost. If you would like a set of these "Look Again" pages, please send a note to this effect to Millie Blaha, Drawer F, Cedar Mountain, NC 28718 by feb. 15, 1988. Those who have already indicated their interest in these pages are Mary Hahn, Elton Hansens, Milton Lucas, Donald Prentice, Dorothy Rathmann, Elizabeth Redecker, Anne Ulinski, Lou Wagner, and Millie Blaha. "Look Again" appears on the last page of SHORTIA so that it may be easily detached for keeping. We are deeply grateful to Dick Smith not only for the many hours he spends in creating this page four times each year but also for sharing his knowledge and talents . The cover which presently appears on SHORTIA also was created by Dick Smith and first appeared with the Spring 1982 issue. WILD FLOWER OF THE YEAR FOR 1988 For the seventh consecutive year, the North Carolina Botanical Garden and the Garden Club of North Carolina are co-sponsoring the Wild Flower of the Year Project. The 1988 selection is Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii. It is one of several Rudbeckia species commonly called "Black-eyed Susan".. Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii is primarily a plant of moist places of the Piedmont areas. It is a sturdy, compact plant. The ray flowers are a bright yellow and may be partly or all orange. They usually are shorter than those of the Black-eyed Susan common in our area, Rudbeckia hirta. The disk flowers of R. fulgida var. sullivantiijare shorter and flatter and not as ovoid in shape as those of R. hirta. For seeds and information on this Black-eyed Susan, write to 1988 Wild Flower of the Year, North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Totten Center 457A, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Please submit contributions for the next issue of SHORTIA by Feb. 15, 1988 to Millie Blaha, Editor Drawer F Cedar Mountain, NC 28718 7 GOOD NEWS about the endangered BUNCHED ARROWHEAD Since 1977 when North Carolina Nature Conservancy was first established, it has worked diligently to save the federally endangered Bunched Arrowhead, Sagittaria fasciculata. This plant is of special interest because it grows in two known boggy areas of Henderson County. The first population found growing in a ditch near the G.E. plant and Southern Railroad tracks has been under the protection of Nature Conservancy since 1982 through a management agreement with G.E. and Southern Railroad. At the Botany Club's annual meeting on January 25, 1982, it was reported that the Club would take responsibility of monitoring this plant population to make certain that G.E. and Southern R.R. lived up to their agreement with Nature Conservancy. Harvey Krouse was designated to monitor this situation . Because of the precariousness of this habitat, an Endangered Species Biologist from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service searched for additional stands of Bunched Arrowhead. Fortunately, a second group of these plants was found only a few miles away, growing in a bog on private property, the only known natural habitat of the Bunched Arrowhead. This was an area that was easier to protect but was not any easier for Nature Conservancy to obtain control of in order to save these plants from extinction. Diligent work and negotiations with the out-of-state landowner convinced her to sell a 2.81 acre tract of land which was needed to protect the 200 plants growing there. In Dec. 1986, the transaction was consummated and North Carolina Nature Conservancy assumed the responsibility for managing this endangered species habitat in cooperation with the N.C. Plant Conservation Program and the Endangered Species Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From the illustration above, one can see that the leaves are not sagittate or arrow-shaped on this plant as its genus name implies but are distinctly lance-shaped. Apparently the name Sagittaria was given to this genus because some of the plants in it have arrow-shaped or hastate leaves. For example, the leaves of S. latifolia, Wapato or Duck potato are sagittate. Our Club, as well as some individual members, support North Carolina Nature Conservancy with contributions each year. It appears as though our money is well spent! J 8 JANUARY IS A MONTH OF CHANGING MOODS January . . .br-r-r ! Its cold temperatures freeze open fields and still waters and nip toes and noses. Dark green rhododendron leaves, rolled into cigar-like shapes tipped by pale, pointed buds, hang limply like upside down exclamation marks , emohasizing that this really is winter! January ... is the month when snow, that miracle of six-sided miniature glistening stars, transforms the bleakness of the landscape into a winter wonderland. The forest floor is blanketed with whiteness. Snow cascades off the evergreens, and every hardwood branch and twig is decorated with flowerlike fluffiness. Hollow stumps wear ermine-like crowns. Purple shadows lace the distant Blue Ridge mountains, crisply outlined against a cloudless blue sky. January ... is the time of the year when birds, managing a somewhat bare existence on natural foods, flock to the feeders. Purple finches, winter visitors to our area, overwhelm and outnumber the year-round chickadees, titmice and nuthatches and eat heartily of the -free handouts provided for them. Juncos and doves scratch the snowy ground for seeds or any kind of morsel. Woodpeckers accept suet as a substitute or supplement to their diet of insects. The peanut butter feeder is a favorite dining area of the bluebirds. The brilliant red male cardinal brings an especially cheery accent to the winter scene. On a thawing day, the Carolina wren will sing again and the titmouse will pipe a cheerful note. January . . . finds bare trees and shrubs decorated with tightly closed buds which contain the promise of flowers and leaves of Spring as well as the fruit and nut crops of summer. But it is too early for then| to spill out their con- tents. In the meantime, hemlocks, pines, rhododendron and laurel, sprinkled among the naked gray hardwood trees, must satisfy our green-hungry eyes. January . . . can produce spectacular sunsets of frothy tangerine and turquoise flung fancifully behind fringes of bare trees rimming the ridges. The broad layers of colors deepen, gradually darkening into the infinite space of night. January . . . can bless us with stars sparkling like diamonds in a cloudless night sky. A full moon can floodlight the snow-covered ground and snow-etched trees in an unearthly silvery light. Night animals searching for food write their signatures in the snow. The five-toed pad print of the striped skunk and star-shaped tracks of a 'possum reveal that their meeting was friendly and not one of confrontation. Elsewhere, in an almost straight line the four-toed, imperfect pattern made by the fox's small, dog-like feet indicate that these tracks were made with a purpose. January . . . can be felicitously fickle, dispensing weather at her will. Perhaps the day will bring balmy temperatures, bright pleasant days, or growling gray skies with whistling winds and an icy breath. But, whatever the weather, longer days mean that the southward sun has begun its journey to the north, with a promise of Spring yet to come! 9 LOOK AGAIN ! The western Carolina mountains are well known as a meeting ground for northern and southern flora, and the overlapping of ranges affords many interesting comparisons. A good example of this is represented by two small evergreen ferns i Common* Polypody (Polypodium virginianum) and Resurrection Fern (P_. polypodioides) . Common Polypody has earned the name Rock Cap Fern by its habit of growing on the tops of boulders. It is essentially a northern species and because of its predilection for rocky habitats is found mostly inland. Resurrection Fern, on the other hand, is widespread throughout the southern states and extends into the tropics. In warm regions it is a conspicuous epiphyte where it spreads along the horizontal limbs of massive live oaks. In our area it occurs in various situations — at the foot of trees, on logs, in crevices on rocky banks, etc. Both have fronds that are once-divided into rather blunt segments. These are widened at their bases, and the sinuses be- tween them often stop short of the midrib. The sori, which are limited to the upper leaflets, are round and disposed in two rows. f Besides being the smaller of the two, Resurrection Fern has a copious covering of minute scales on the underside (these are absent from Common Polypody). It also curls and turns brown when dry, which makes it appear dead, but it has the ability to quickly revive and regain its green color when moisture returns, hence the common name. P. POLYPODIOIDW S H 0 R T I A Vol . IX, No. 4 Winter 1987-88 A quarterly publication of the WESTERN CAROLINA BOTANICAL CLUB Editor: Millie Blaha Distribution: Frances Gadd President: Millie Blaha, Drawer F, Cedar Mountain, NC 28718 Vice President: Louise Foresman, 67 Gosling Circle, Hendersonville, NC 28739 Secretary: Ruth Mack, Rt. 9, 110 Rockwood Drive, Hendersonville, NC 28739 Acting Treasurer: Margaret Kuhn, #281 Carolina Village, Hendersonville NC 28739 Recorder: Anne Ulinski, 1212 Chanteloupe Drive, Hendersonville, NC 28739 os#'2* S H 0 R T I A % Frances Gadd 219) Pheasant Run FIRST CUSS Hendersonville, NC 28739