NEWSLETTER OF THE

I

to ’

<:^K^ /S-^Si^

TENNESSEE NATIVE
PLANT SOCIEPT

Volume 38, Number 3

October 2014

TNPS Awards to Kathleen
Williams and Hal DeSelm

Nominees Named
for Officer and
Board Terms

A weekend of programs, awards, and a field trip to May Prairie were
part of the TNPS annual meeting Sept. 19-20 at Beersheba Springs,
which is situated at the edge of Savage Gulf State Natural Area.
During the member-
ship meeting, Kathleen
Williams, executive
director of Tennessee
Parks and Greenways
Foundation, was
named recipient of the
2014 TNPS Conserva-
tion Award. The late
Hal DeSelm, professor
emeritus of botany at
the University of Ten-
nessee and long-time
TNPS member, was
inducted into the
Botanist Hall of Fame.

(See more complete
information in this
issue.)

A roster of nomi-
nees for TNPS offices
and the board of direc-
tors was announced, with the election process to be completed by the end of
the year. (See complete story in this issue.)

On the opening night of the gathering, Aaron Floden, representing the
University of Tennessee Herbarium, presented an outstanding program on
trillium species.

The second night’s program was given by Heather Slayton, a forest health
unit leader, who gave a lively presentation, with illustrations, about the hem-
lock woolly adelgid.

The hemlock adelgid has devastated whole populations of eastern hem-
locks across the Appalachians and is invading the Cumberland Plateau,

Kathleen Williams, winner of this year’s Conservation
Award, admires the view at Pogue Creek Canyon.

S usan Sweetser, a long-time
TNPS member, has been
nominated to replace retiring
Bart Jones, who is closing out a
four-year tenure as president of
the society.

Sweetser is leading a slate of
nominees toward two-year
terms beginning in January.

Other nominees include
Todd Crabtree, vice-president;
Lorie Emens, treasurer; and
Margie Hunter, who continues
as secretary. Nominees for
three positions on the board of
directors are Dennis Horn,
Larry Pounds, and a new face
among the leaders, Louise Gre-
gory.

Lorie Emens, a horticultur-
alist from the Memphis area,
moves up from the board into
the treasurer’s position, replac-
ing Darel Hess, who has managed
the books with precision since
2010 .

The slate of nominees was pre-
sented at September’s annual meet-
ing. Additional nominees may be
made but only under strict require-
ments of the TNPS By-Laws. (See
requirements on page 4 .)

Susan and her husband Allen
joined TNPS at the Great Smoky
Mountains Wildflower Pilgrimage

Continued on hack page

Continued on page 4

2

TNPS Newsletter

A Letter from the President

October 2014 Vol. 38, No. 3

This newsletter is a publication of the
Tennessee Native Plant Society and is
published four times a year, generally in
February, June, August, and November.

The Tennessee Native Plant Society
(TNPS) was founded in 1978. Its pur-
poses are to assist in the exchange of in-
formation and encourage fellowship
among Tennessee’s botanists, both ama-
teur and professional; to promote public
education about Tennessee flora and
wild plants in general; to provide,
through publication of a newsletter or
journal, a formal means of documenting
information on Tennessee flora and of
informing the public about wild plants;
and to promote the protection and en-
hancement of Tennessee’s wild plant
communities.

Dues for each calendar year are;

Regular; $20
Student; Complimentary
Institution; $50
Life; $250

Dues may be sent to;

Tennessee Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 159274
Nashville, TN 37215

Officers

Bart Jones, President
Todd Crabtree, Vice-President
Margie Hunter, Secretary
Darel Hess, Treasurer

Directors

Bertha Chrietzburg
Lorie Emens
Michelle Haynes
Dennis Horn
Larry Pounds
Susan Sweetser

Latham Davis, Editor
Please send comments or material for
the newsletter to TNPS Newsletter, P.O.
Box 856, Sewanee, TN 37375 or
lathamdavis@bellsouth.net

TNPS Website;
www.tnps.org/

H aving just returned home from our annual membership meeting in Beer-
sheba Springs, I still reflect back on the previous year’s accomplishments
with a sense of satisfaction and pride, not as an individual, but as part of
a wonderful organization
composed of hundreds of
amazing people who care
about the plants and natural
heritage of Tennessee.

As my time as president
comes to a close, I can’t help
but to look back over the past
four years in the same way. It
was with great trepidation that
I accepted the office. As a
member of the board of direc-
tors and then as secretary, I
had seen up close the fantastic
job each of my predecessors
had done.

Jane Norris had steered the
society through the travails of the early years of the wildflower field guide when
everything seemed to be critically important and problems weighed so heavily.
Just as it seemed the book might never make it to a publisher, Karl Fdeinzman
provided the know-how and confidence to make it happen.

When Mary Priestley assumed the presidency, Tm sure she felt many of the
things I did. She took over as the society shifted its focus from the field guide.
Mary took the opportunity of a book in hand to bring attention to TNPS like
never before. Fder efforts resulted in a surge of new memberships and publicity
for the group on TV and in print.

So what was I going to do? First, I was going to make sure that I listened to
our members. I was so lucky to have a board that could provide great ideas. One
of the hallmarks of my four years is the creation of the TNPS Botanical Fdall of
Fame, an idea proposed by Latham Davis. I also wanted to provide support for
local conservation groups that often struggle financially, but do tremendous work
with little. These organizations are often overshadowed by larger national groups
but are the epitome of the oft-quoted saying, ‘Think globally, act locally” and I
hope that’s what we’ve done. These two objectives coordinate with an initiative
of Mary’s, the TNPS Conservation Award.

I’m also very proud of the work we’ve done in supporting other books in the
past year. The Woody Plants of Kentucky and Tennessee: The Complete Winter
Guide to Their Identification and Uses by Ron Jones and Eugene Wofford, Rita
Venable’s Butterflies of Tennessee, Field and Garden, as well as the upcoming
Manual of the Vascular Flora of Tennessee are all excellent examples of projects
that TNPS has supported to further the public’s natural history education.

TNPS and many of our members have contributed to another educational proj-
ect, the Tennessee Naturalist Program, that I hope will become as synonymous
with citizen scientists as the Master Gardener Program is with horticulture. As I
step away, it is this that I wish to be the epitaph of my presidency, that TNPS
made great strides in educating the public to the beauty of Tennessee’s natural
communities.

Southern prairie aster (Eurybia
hemispherica)

photo by Bart Jones

3

Presidents Letter — continued

Now it is time for a new president to assume the mantle of leadership. Thanks to
the efforts of the nominating committee the following slate of officers and direc-
tors are put before the membership for election:

President — Susan Sweetser
Vice-President — Todd Crabtree
Treasurer — Lorie Emens
Secretary — Margie Hunter

Directors — Dennis Horn, Larry Pounds, and Louise Gregory
As in the past, these nominees will be elected on January 1 unless there are
other names placed in nomination. If you would like to nominate someone else
or place your name for consideration, please let us know as soon as possible. A
new list of nominees would then be presented before the membership, and a vote
would take place to determine the new officials.

It is also my pleasure to announce this year’s honorees for the awards I men-
tioned earlier in this article. In June, the Board met and agreed to grant $500 to
the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Loundation to support the great work they
do in securing land and money to insure that future generations of Tennesseans
will be able to enjoy the abundant natural beauty of our state. When discussing
all that TPGL is doing and has accomplished, there was a consensus that their
executive director,

Kathleen Williams,
would be a natural
choice for the TNPS
Conservation Award,
so the Board voted to
give the award to her.

Linally, we turned
our attention to the
2014 class of the TNPS
Botanical Hall of Lame.

Two nominees were
discussed at length,
after which the decision
was made to honor Dr.

Hal DeSelm. There are Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)

short biographies of

both winners in this issue of the newsletter that will make it clear why these peo
pie and the organization are worthy recipients of their respective awards.

o

-S;

Linally, even though the society is in good shape financially, we did experience a
significant drop in membership dues this past year. This is my fault in large part
as I failed to send reminder notices to those in arrears. If you receive the print
form of the newsletter and it shows a date earlier than 2014, please take this time
to renew. If you receive the electronic version, I will be sending emails to those
members who need to catch up. The membership log will be edited at the end of
the year, so don’t hesitate in sending in your dues. And again, accept my apolo-
gies for failing to notify you sooner.

See you on the trail.

Kathleen Williams:
Energetic, Dedicated
Conservationist

W hen Kathleen Williams was
selected for the TNPS
Conservation Award, it
seemed to be a surprise, mainly
because she had been overlooked for
so long.

The board of directors had just
voted to give $500 to Tennessee
Parks and Greenways Foundation
for its work to protect plant ecosys-
tems. Suddenly members were able
to recall that it was Williams who
had been the force behind that
organization for all of its 17 years.

Under her leadership, TennGreen,
as it’s also known, has protected
more than 1 5,000 acres of forested
land through acquisition and conser-
vation easements and has saved more
than 40 natural treasures across the
state.

Its mission has been to protect
Tennessee’s natural treasures and to
create a network of parks, green-
ways, and wildlife areas. Several
innovative programs have been
started. Under one such initiative,
grants totaling $3 1 5,000 have helped
nonprofit groups begin or improve
greenway/blueway projects.

Previously, Kathleen was execu-
tive director of the Tennessee Recre-
ation and Parks Association and
helped establish permanent dedi-
cated funding for land acquisition
through the Tennessee Real Estate
Transfer Fund. Then after the fund
was eliminated, Kathleen organized a
successful state-wide effort to
restore more than $16 million in
annual funding to conservation.

Kathleen has received awards
from many other organizations,
including Tennessee Trails Associa-
tion, the Sierra Glub, and the
National Wildlife Federation. More
information about TennGreen may
be found at www.tenngreen.org.

4

DeSelm’s Research
and Life a Treasure

H al DeSelm, for 3 3 years a
member of the botany de-
partment and ecology pro-
gram at the University of Tennessee
and a long-time member of this soci-
ety, has been inducted into the
TNPS Botanist Hall of Fame.

Professor DeSelm is not being
honored simply for his service to the
university and to his students,
though that is exceptional. TNPS
wants to recognize his extensive
study and documentation of plant
communities throughout the state.

His colleagues at the University
of Tennessee note that before his
death in July 2011, Professor De-
Selm “compiled the most compre-
hensive sample of the natural vegeta-
tion communities of Tennessee in
existence. As a distinguished conser-
vation biologist and professor of
botany and ecology ... he was re-
sponsible for the conseiwation of
some of Tennessee’s rarest ecosys-
tems. . . . He sampled over 3,000
sites, primarily in old growth forests,
but also in wetlands, floodplains,
barrens, and glades.

“He catalogued many reference
sites that no longer exist in their nat-
ural state. Remarkably, this work
was largely funded by Dr. DeSelm
and his wife. ... It was a labor of
love. These data are a treasure to the
state of Tennessee, as was he.” (Tree
Improvement Program, DeSelm Pa-
pers: treeimprovement.utk.edu)
DeSelm envisioned using his data
to compose a book, “The Natural
Terrestrial Vegetation of Tennessee,”
but his death kept him from realiz-
ing his dream. A plan has been de-
veloped to organize the data and to
prepare for publication. Funding is
being sought.

More information is available at
the website www.treeimprovement-
.utk.edu

Veterans and Newcomer Among Nominees

— Continued

in the mid-’8os. Their home then, as now, was a 16-acre tract of limestone ridge
tops, north-facing slopes, and a floodplain that all support several different plant
communities. It was a near-perfect classroom for a growing interest in botany.

“The first wildflower we learned was the bloodroot, and we’ve been learning
ever since,” Susan said. “Our early plant mentors were Ed Schell, Tom Patrick,
and Dennis Horn. We spent many hours on the trail with these plant experts.

One of the best things about TNPS is learning something on every trip.”

Once only novice participants in the Wildflower Pilgrimage, both Susan and
Allen are now hike leaders for the Pilgrimage. They have also participated in fern
forays as a part of the Smokies Discover Life in America.

A board member for many seasons, Susan has also served as treasurer.

Board Nominees

Dennis Horn and Larry Pounds have been nominated to continue to serve on the
board of directors. Louise Gregory has been nominated to replace Lorie Emens,
who jumps to the treasurer’s job.

Louise joined TNPS in 2006. It was the occasion, she remembers, when she
bought a copy of the TNPS wildflower book at a lawn and garden show in
Decatur County where she lives. She was inspired to join walks with Bart Jones.

“TNPS has opened up a new world to me— plants, geography, geology, and
people,” she said. “Most of the people I now count as friends and look forward
to seeing on walks and at the annual meeting would not be in my world without
TNPS.”

In 2007 Louise retired from teaching high school algebra and geometry,
though she continued to substitute for five more years. She has been married for
50 years to Joe Gregory. Her children, Richard and Julianna (who is a TNPS
member), both teach at the college level.

Dennis Horn, retired and at home in Tullahoma, is a premier taxonomist
despite his “amateur” status. Among the founders of TNPS, Dennis is said to
harbor a complete collection of society newsletters.

Larry Pounds is a botanical consultant with a Ph.D. in plant ecology and spe-
cializes in rare plants and habitats. He and his son have worked together on plant
inventories along the new Cumberland Trail.

Both Dennis and Larry are veteran hike guides for the Smoky Mountains
Wildflower Pilgrimage.

How the Election Process is Completed

Under TNPS By-Laws, all nominees will automatically begin their terms
in January unless additional nominees are forthcoming.

Any eligible member may be nominated to the board of directors by
written petition of not less than ten members, received by the chair of the
nominating committee within three weeks of publication of this issue of the
newsletter. Therefore, if you would like to make a nomination, contact
Susan Sweetser immediately at ssretiree@yahoo.com. Nominations must be
accompanied by the written consent of the nominee to be a candidate and to
serve if elected.

TNPS FIELD TRIPS

5

May Prairie, TNPS Annual Meeting
September 20, 2014

T his trip took us to May Prairie, a 346-acre natural
area in Coffee County. The prairie is an open grass-
land community surrounded by oak forest. The for-
est formed the headwaters of the prairie tributary before it
was drained for agricultural use. Recent restoration work
seeks to return the prairie tributary to a more normal loca-
tion and flow. A major restoration challenge is to prevent
woody species from encroaching any further into the
prairie, even pushing back the forest to reclaim lost prairie.

Grasses and sunflowers of many species were abundant
during our visit. The soil seed bank has repopulated the
prairie with a rich variety of native plants with more likely
to be seen in the future. Some are disjunct from their origi-
nal populations along the coast or the mid-western prairies.
May Prairie is a beautiful place to visit with the springtime
offering a completely different view of the prairie species.

Flat Creek Trail, Great Smoky Mountains
August 23, 2014

W e couldn't have picked a better day to be in the
mountains. It was in the ’90s close by but we
had cool temperatures and no rain all day. Our
group consisted of several folks from West Tennessee —
Louise, David, Tobie, and Bettina; Nita and Donna from
Clarksville; locals Juliana, Larry, Judy, Carolyn, Bruce and
the Sweetsers. The long distance award goes to Harland
from Massachusetts.

We were followed along the trail by white snakeroot
(Ageratina altissima) with many sightings of Indian
pipe/ghost plant (Monotropa uniflora). We did find pink
turtlehead (Che lone lyonii) and scarlet bee balm (Monarda
didyma) in bloom. In other wet areas along Flat Creek, we
saw swamp or rough leaved goldenrod (Solidago patula).
The fly poison (Amianthium muscitoxicum) was in abun-
dance but only in fruit. Small flower or Appalachian
bunch flower (Melanthium parviflora) traveled along the
trail and was a first for many folks.

Ferns were along the entire trail and the most unusual
was silvery glade fern (Deparia acr o stick oides). Showy
stands of cut-leaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) also
kept us company as we walked down the trail. Some of us
added a boost to our senses by smelling crushed ramp
(Alium tricoccum) seeds and chewing sorrel leaves.

Several people left Balsam Mountain via the 29 mile
one-way road to Cherokee. Allen and I camped and took
the road out Sunday a.m. A few of the plants we saw were
Rugel's ragwort (Rugelia nudicaulis)., a Smoky Mountains
endemic and Steele's Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium steelei). If
you haven't ever driven this road, it is a botanical treasure.

Susan Sweetser

Karen Ripple

Todd Crabtree, right,
Tennessee state
botanist, guides mem-
bers into the open
areas of May Prairie,
during the annual-
meeting weekend.

Photo by Dr. David Hill

TNPS FIELD TRIPS

Flat Rock Cedar Glade and Barrens Natural Area
September 6, 2014

T his natural area contains a variety of habitats in-
cluding forests, glades and barrens. There are even
a few sinkholes that harbor plants that favor a
cooler environment.

As we hiked the trail we observed a sampling of these
habitats and the plants that grow there. The most extreme
sites are in the center of the limestone glades. These areas
of mostly bare rock have pockets of thin soil that support
a few species that are adapted to the harsh conditions.

Some plants germinate from seeds, grow and produce a
new generation of seeds before the dry weather arrives at
the end of summer. Soon after this the plants begin to

wither

and die, completing
their life cycle in a few
months. One of these
annuals is poverty
grass (Sporoholus
vaginifloms).

We saw numerous
plants carpeting the
gravel portions of the
glades and some were
growing as small tufts
in the bedrock where
bits of soil had accu-
mulated in small de-
pressions. Glade he-
liotrope (Heliotropium
tenellum) also occurs
in the dry gravel of the
open glades. Missouri

primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa) needs a deeper soil but still grows in
the glades and we saw plants with numerous fruits.

There is a nodding onion in middle Tennessee that is found in many
limestone glades. It differs from Allium cernuum but that is what we
must call it until further investigations determine its proper taxonomic
placement and identity. We saw these plants at their most floriferous and
they are striking when in full flower.

Price's aster (Symphyotrichum priceae) isn't rare and can be quite
abundant along the edges of glades. It is usually light lavender colored
but the petals can vary to almost white. At the time of our trip it was in
the early stages of flowering.

We saw other plants characteristic of barrens where deeper soils allow
them to survive and reproduce. Ontario blazing star ( Liatris cylin-
dracea) was flowering nicely alongside Gattinger's goldenrod (Solidago
gattingeri). Northern slender ladies' tresses (Spiranthes lacera var. gra-
cilis) was scattered in the barrens at several points near the trail. This
plant is attractive but even more so when viewed through a lOx hand

lens. The tiny flowers look like they are made of crystalline
sugar. (See photo on page eight.)

When we were making our way back to the trailhead
through the forest we saw a native bean. Thicket bean
(Phaseolus polystachios) is closely related to the pole beans
that we grow in our home gardens. It is a perennial and
grows in open woods or at the edge of a forest. The plants
we saw were no longer flowering but had produced several
beans.

The preceding months of normal amounts of rain led to
more robust and floriferous plants in the glades and barrens.
The following list includes most of the species we observed
and most were in flower.

Todd Crabtree

Allium cernuum

Todd Crabtree

Partial Flat Rock Plant List

Aureolaria flava

Symphyotrichum priceae

Cassia fascicularis

Rudheckia triloba var. triloba

Kuhnia eupatorioides

Liatris cylindracea

Solidago gattingeri

Sida elliottii

Dasy stoma macrophylla

Spiranthes lacera var. gracilis

Asterella tenella (a liverwort)

Mecardonia acuminata

Allium cernuum

Heliotropium tenellum

Strophostyles umhellata

Asclepias verticillata

Lobelia appendiculata var. gattingeri

Liatris aspera

Desmodium ciliare

Scleria verticillata

Helenium autumnale

Samolus valerandi ssp. parviflorus

Silphium pinnatifidum

Sporoholus heterolepis

Callicarpa americana

Phaseolus polystachios

Saccharum alopecuroides

Glandularia canadensis

Centaurea heihersteinii (an invasive)

Sporoholus vaginiflorus

TNPS FIELD TRIPS

7

Sweetser Ranch
September 13, 2014

Participating: 1 8 humans, one dog.

W e were the guests of Allen, Susan, and
Lacie Sweetser on the Sweetsers’ prop-
erty in the ridge and valley region near
Powell, Tennessee. We had perfect weather for our
walk.

After a short detour to see ginseng in fruit (a res-
cue), we started out with a walk through the
woods, where we saw Appalachian bugbane (Cimi-
cifuga ruhifolia) and Prenanthes crepidinea, two
rare plants. Susan demonstrated the use of Chinese
yam vine (Dioscorea polystacha) fruits to make arti-
ficial warts, very useful with Halloween coming up!

We proceeded into a field along the creek bottom, where
we encountered a number of late summer composites, in-
cluding Helianthus
tuherosa, leafcup,
yellow and white
wingstems, Silphium,
Bidens, ironweed,
and hyssop-leaved
boneset. We walked
along the creek to
see the results of the
TVA remediation
project. We saw a va-
riety of floodplain
plants, including
buttonweed (Diodia
virginiana), fogfruit
(Phyla lanceolata),
and cardinal flower
(Lobelia cardinalis).
We saw several
bushes festooned
with climbing buck-

Then we crossed the field for one of the highlights of the
hike, a huge patch of about 30 to 40 Spiranthes odorata,
another rare plant. After that treat we proceeded back to
the house for lunch, chicken salad sandwiches and Susan’s
sinful chocolate mint covered Oreos. Allen and Susan gave
us a tour of the house and told us what it’s like to live off
the grid (laundry appears to be the most problematic
thing).

After a brief postprandial rest we climbed one of the
Sweetsers’ own personal mountains to see more plants. One
of the highlights of the day was all the goldenrods: we

Rugel’s ragwort as found on the
Heintooga Ridge Road during
Sweetser trip to Flat Creek

wheat vine (Polygonum scandens).

Michelle Haynes, Susan Sweetser, and Bettina Ault explor-
ing the Sweetser ranch.

counted seven species (Solidago caesia, S. erecta, S. ulmifolia,
S. sphacelata, S. canadensis, S. nemoralis, and S. speciosa).

On the top of the ridge we found a large patch of pine-
sap (Monotropa hypopithys) and several striped gentian
plants (Gentiana villosa). We also found a small patch of St.
Andrew’s cross (Hypericum stragulum). Allen showed us
three of the four Commelina species in Tennessee, C. com-
munis (two blue and one white petal), C. virginiana (three
blue petals), and C. diffusa (three small blue petals).

We followed a Sweetser-made trail down the other side
of the ridge and walked back through the woods, where we
had a chance to see the results of a “geological happening”:
a Volkswagon-sized chunk of rock that fell off the
dolomitic limestone cliff on February 20, 1986.

Back at the house we relaxed for a few minutes before
heading back to our respective homes. Many thanks to the
Sweetsers for an enjoyable day!

Bettina Ault

Annual Meeting — Continued

which is the western limit of the hemlock’s range. The loss of hem-
locks in the Appalachians throughout the eastern states has meant the
loss of the complex ecosystems associated with these coniferous
giants.

Brought into the U.S. on nursery stock from Asia, the tiny adelgid
has no natural enemies, and hemlocks are at its mercy. Systemic insec-
ticides are effective and are being used selectively in national and state
parks and forests, as well as by private landowners. However, the
insecticides are effective for only a few years with each application and
their use is not economically feasible over wide areas.

Laboratories are also experimenting with the introduction of bee-
tles that are natural predators of the hemlock adelgid. These may
prove to be a long-term solution, though they too are an exotic
species.

Heather Slayton recommended the website protecttnforests.org for
answers to other questions about the hemlock adelgid and other pests.

Both programs were arranged by Todd Crabtree.

Spiranthes lacera var gracilis photographed
at the Flat Rock Cedar Glades and Barrens
State Natural Area.

Check Your Dues Date, and Checkout the TNPS Website

You can renew your membership online quickly and easily at www.tnps.org. While you are there, check out other nice
features of the website. Newsletter issues are also available online in color, and you can ask for your own copy by email.

<^L£L£ NX ‘99UBM9S
9S8 xog -oa
J3ia3|SAV9^ SdNX