TENNESSEE NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Vol. 4, No. 1 February 9, 1981 MESSAGE FROM THE NEW TNPS PRESIDENT Rob Farmer started a good thing with his P.M. in each newsletter. I have some ideas for the Society; some continuations some new, but I do wish to continue this tradition. I'll start by wishing Rob Many Thanks for his efforts as President of the Society for the past two years, and Bon Voyage in his new career in Thunder Bay, Ontario. As of this writing, after phasing out his re- search work with the TV A Forestry Div., Rob is starting to teach Forest Physiology at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. I love that name; at this time of the year it conjures up images of thundering winds sweeping out of the Arctic over the Canadian plains. I hope my image isn't too accurate, but having just returned from central Vermont, I suspect it is. Before Rob departed a few of us nearby dropped in for a surprise evening with refreshments just before Christmas and left be- hind a Sierra Designs down vest as a reminder of all of us at TNPS, One Board member with a motherly instinct even contributed a pair of bright red long johns. It would be too bad if it didn't get cold up there. But in a more serious vein. I'll speak for the Society in thank- ing Rob for getting us off to a good start. His efforts have provided me with a hard act to follow here, and I hope his new enterprise is challenging and rewarding. But back at TNPS we need to carry through the winter doldrums and keep the shop in order. Our Board meeting at the UT Arboretum on Dec. 6, was well attended, even with Dennis Horn from Tullahoma and Larry Wilson from Memphis attending. With that kind of enthusiasm we can't go wrong. We planned the trip schedule for the year, the outlines of which are included in this newsletter, as well as information for the first sche- duled events, caught up on committee work and made plans for this year. Several people have expressed concern about whether or not they are on the mailing list. I hope everyone is who should be. We have a beautiful computer program to assure us that you are. I'll say no more. Pass the word if some are omitted and we will straighten it out. One person at least is getting a free subscription this year, because he got missed last year - even led a trip for us. But be advised that our year follows the calendar not when you send dues. We send out newsletters for several months to people who have not paid up, and lots of folks don't pay up until they stop coming, which is a nusiance for everyone. New members get some flexibility if they sign on at the end of the year - if late enough it is simply credited to the next. But late-paying regular members are reminded that memberships are January to December, and this may be cause for confusion for some. Join or renew early and there won't be any problem - we hope. We are going to send out cards to all new and renewing members this year, to make sure we get this straight ene- out. In the dead of winter we tend to think Spring - Dogwood festivals, Wild- flower pilgrimmages. But there are things to explore about plants at this time of the year. We teach a course here on woody plants in winter; mostly identification, but partly experiencing and observing how plants adapt; as adapt they must; there are no warm fires and thermostats out there. I have been teaching plant morphology this winter, and needed (wanted?) to show students some clubmosses, horsetails and adders-tongue ferns. On one excursion I dug a little shining clubmoss (Lycopodium lucidulum) out of the snow and frozen ground and was interested to find that it was still shedding spores in little yellow clouds when disturbed. I would have assumed spore release would have been over long before Jan- uary. Another day, with spade in hand, I went to a nearby marsh where the common horsetail ( Equisetum arvense) is abundant, and I was sure I knew right where I could dig a little, even though I knew all evidence would be buried. I dug a little here, a little there, and a little all over the place before my eyes became tuned to the fine black wiry rhi- zomes about 4 cm. underground, and I finally found a few shoots sitting out the winter underground. Jack Sharp has a big patch of Adder-tongue fern (Ophioglossum engelmannii) in his back yard. This is an unusual fern to find even when it is up, and it would be especially fun for the students to see what it looked like in the dead of winter. So he probed his patch for me, and brought in 6 or 8 plants, all muddy and cold, each with a miniature shoot about 1 cm. tall, and several with the fer- tile spikes miniaturized and tightly folded within the leaf blade, again waiting it out for warmer times. By early summer they may be almost a foot tall, and later in the summer the new fully formed but miniature shoot for the following year is formed below ground and sits it out for over half the year before it makes its appearance for the summer. Now the horsetail and Adder ' s-tongue are sprouting vigorously in the lab. We all know about dogwood buds, pansies blooming almost any warm day, and witchhazel which we expect to find blooming throughout the winter. But there is more than pretty snow or dreary rain out there now. We have an article by Margie Funk on warmer and different times. She called me one day, concerned as to whether or not she was misreading the purpose of the Society - thought perhaps our image of ourselves was more "professional" (whatever that may mean) than she was up for. We talked about one of my special goals for the newsletter - to provide a place to talk about plants the way she has. Margie bit, and I hope that her story'here answers her question, and that she and others will rise to the bait. 2 Which brings me to my last point. At the end of last year the news- letter "staff" developed a crisis situation, and if people feel left out it is because only the ballot mailing has gone out for the past 1 ™ths - a very regretable situation. When we started three years ^visioned a newsletter a month. I still think that is a worthy goal. We settled for 6 per year because that seemed feasible botn financially and with volunteer efforts by inevitably busy people. Bu we have fallen behind, and we must recoup. At the moment we have n newsletter editor and this one is being compiled by our Treasurer and Publications Chairperson Richard Evans, with an assist from B ° a ^ d Me ™ ber Tom Patrick and myself, and those members who have contributed news. Which is to say that we need news, but orgai nized > and ; w J x “® n we can use. Especially, we need someone who would enjoy the satisfact of helping produce the single most important activity we have - The Ne letter. Our trips reach the nearby who have the free time, our rare plants program reaches the adventurer with a real commitment of tir * e and effort to search and plan, our plant digs reach the far dene , the seedbank reaches the experimental gardener - but the newslette reaches everyone. We will get back on track. Let us know what you would like included (copy - ready, please). A. Murray Evans President 1981 REPORT FROM THE PAST TNPS PRESIDENT ■ HU, th< _ m occanp I will be leaving TNPS - and the region. The mixture of new folks and old hands which will provide the 1981-82 leadership for the Society is already well into strengthening and continuing programs we began. I m su e it will solve some of our problems, too. This year we strongly continued some of our backbone programs such as monthly field trios (Jackie McKitrick and a host of volunteers) and plant mapping (iennis hL; Torn Gatti and Ed Schell and Paul Somers). Plans for 1981 suggest that this qood work will be continued. We thank especially Dennis Horn, Tom Patrick, Buetta Perkins and Richard Simmers for participating in nearly al the field trips and providing expert taxonomic assistance. Revitalization and expansion of the newsletter is also being given a pretty M h )!o??rafter a P few months of uncertainty due to a transition _ m ei Mtors. Since for many members the newsletter is the major contact with TNPS, Us con tinuity and quality are very important to the organization s health. We thank Ebeth McMullen forgetting things off to a good start. Much more attention needs also to be gdven to membership recruitment and general education efforts. We have never failed in generating ideas for membership recruitment, but formal efforts just haven't gotten off the ground. - 3 . - Some new conservation programs, such as sponsorship of our first plant dig (Ann Harris, Larry Smith, Paul Somers) and use of native plants for roadsides (Janet Phillips), have been started under vigorous leadership by members especially interested in these things. There needs to be nurtured via good project planning and recruitment of more interested people. The seed bank (Nancy Siler) continues to offer growers with free starting material and will have an expanded list in 1981. This year we began more active participation in Tennessee's environmental move- ment through membership in the Tennessee Environmental Council. We continued contact with the growing national interest in state native plant societies. These contact will be strengthened by the new leadership. As the year-end Treasurer's report indicates, we are at last in good financial state, and a dues increase will not be required for a while. And if we can unload our large stock of TNPS note cards, we will be in even better condition. The organization and early nurture of the TNPS and the related association with the state's "plant people" ha/e given me real pleasure and a sense of accomplish- ment during the past three years. Thank you all. My new address (Immigration Canada willing) will be c/o School of Forestry, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario. I will welcome those of you who may be "voyaging" in the Quetico-Superior area to make the 60 mile trip east to visit with me. Robert E. Farmer, Jr. President 1978-80 WILDFLOWER SEED BONANZA Our seed distribution program has suddenly become a BIG operation thanks to the generosity of TV A at Norris under the guiding hands of Bob Farmer, and Larry Wilson of the Memphis Pink Palace Museum. We have over SO varieties of seed now being stratified at the UTK Botany Department. These will be ready for distribution in March. Procedure will be the same. We are anxious to distribute them, so don't feel guilty if you ask for several. Choose from the enclosed list and mail your choices along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to me at the address below. There is no charge for the seed, but we ask that you do send ample postage. If you want four seed packets, 30 an d 1 0 ts 0 f e arly s eed ling s of other cedar gl ade specialities. Address Change: Larry M. Wilson, Board Member 2589 Everett , Memphis , Tennessee 58112. - 2 - . HAY FIELD TRIP SAVAGE GULF - LAYNE COVE ANNUAL MEETING AT BEERSHEBA SPRINGS Date: May 9-10 Time: 8:00-9:30 AMCDT - Hotel check-in and hike planning (see below for hotel reservations). Meeting Place: Beersheba Springs Methodist Assembly, a church camp and conference facility, at Beersheba Springs, Tn. about 23 miles south of McMinnville, just off Rt . 56. Organizers, § Leaders: Dennis Horn, 222 Crestwood Dr. Tullahoma, Tn. 37388; (615)455-5742; Tom Patrick, Botany Dept. U.T., Knox. Tn. 37916; (615)974-2256; Linda Parrish, TVA Heritage Program Norris, Tn. 37828; (615) 632-6450 office, 497-0593 home . You must provide your own lunches. However, supper and breakfast along with lodging will be available at a moderate charge at the hotel. Camping is also available. Hotel and meal reservations should be made in advance through the trip leaders, if possible. Rooms will cost $8 . 00/person/night and meals about $5.75/day. For reservations or information, please write, or phone Linda Parrish (see address above). Hikes will be conducted into Savage Gulf, the Stone Door, and Layne Cove area. There will be short, easy hikes and longer, more vigorous ones. The area is wild and rugged and very rich in flora. There will be plenty of time to do your own exploring Sunday. The Annual meeting will be an open, informal exchange prior to an even- ing program on wild medicinal plants. Since the Layne Cove hike is near Monteagle, Dennis Horn has arranged two alternative meeting sites for his trip, as follows: Be at the Beersheba Springs Hotel by 9:30 am, CDT or meet near the trail head at 10 am at the office of the South Cumberland Rec. Area, Grundy County, 3 miles from Monteagle on the left of TN. 56 going toward Tracy City. Layne Cove is a rich limestone gorge north of Monteagle, Tn. At the head of the cove is the beautifully formed Deerlick falls, plunging 45 ft. into a deep pool below. The falls is surrounded by 150 ft. sandstone cliffs and huge hemlock trees. The hike will proceed downstream from the falls, rock-hopping along the creek for nearly a mile before the stream disappears into a sink. At this point a logging road will lead us to Rainbow Spring, a spring- waterfall - sinkhole complex.- After a refreshing cool drink of spring water and 2-1/2 miles further down the road, the first house in the cove will appear signaling the completion of the 4 mile hike . - 3 - JUNE OBED WILD AND SCENIC RIVER FIELD TRIP ;3 Date: Saturday, June 1981 Time: 9:00 AM Central Daylight Savings Time Place: Parking Lot at U.S. Post Office next to the Courthouse in Wartburg, Morgan Co., Tenn. . along Hwy. 62. Leaders: Tom Patrick and Paul Schmalzer Phone for additional information at (615)577-5652 anytime after 6pm, or correspond: c/o Dept, of Botany, University Of Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. 37916 We suggest dropping us a postcard letting us know to expect you. We will meet in Wartburg, then visit with a ranger at the Obed Wild and Scenic River Visitor Center for an hour or so. Then, we will travel to the Obed Junction site along the Obed River to view a gravel bar plant community with some uncommon plants. Two plants of special interest that should be in full bloom during our trip are the Cumberland rosemary, ( Conradina vert i c i 1 1 at a ) and jointweed ( Polygonella americana ) . After this, stop and lunch (!by the way, BRING a sack lunch ! ) . We have two (2) alternative hikes planned. The first will be a 2-1/4 mile rock hopping excursion up Daddys Creek to a scenic spot known as the Devil's Breakfast Table. This hike will be rigorous and attempted only if the water level per- mits. The second hike, offered as a second choice, will be along a rich lower slope near the Adams Bridge in Fentress County. This will be a more leisurely hike for as long as the group decides. Please join us for a day of excitement with something for everyone! AUGUST FIELD TRIP -GREAT VALLEY BARRENS and GLADES - Date: August 1, 1981 Time: 8:00 am , EDT Organizer § Leader: Dr. Hal DeSelm, U.T. Botany Dept. and Ecology Program, Knox. Tn. 379 16 (6 1 5 ) 974 - 22 56 or 5 2 2 - 6 34 0 (home ) Meeting Place: Knoxville, UT Agriculture College parking lot, between Animal Science Bldg, and Neyland Dr. beside the Alcoa Hwy. bridge. Alcoa Hwy. (Rt. 129) exits 1-40 just west of downtown Knoxville - west of Malfunction Junction. Small glade-barren sites in Knox. County, and Anderson and Roane County's, time permitting. Unique dry limestone flatrock adapted plant communities. Hiking: Possibly a total of one mile over rocky but flat terrain. Bring: a lunch, field manuals. - 4 - PINEY RIVER GORGE REPORT This is a Bowater Trail, recently opened. Ed Clebsch led the trip with the following members and guests making the 10 mile trip. Shirley Nicholson, E.L. Nicholson, Frank Fusiak, Paul Schmalzer, Bretta Perkins, Bill Hammitt, John Rennie, Tom Patrick, Mary Page, Pamela Perkins, Selma Myers. Piney River Trail is a fairly rigorous trail and better taken from the top down rather than from picnic and parking area up. The scenic views are a reward and the plant life varied and plentiful. We saw many mosses and ferns, varied tree popula- tions and small flowering plants. Large beds of Polygala (Gay-Wings) Running Pine (some debate whether one species or two), Stewartia , Christmas Ferns galore, Cliff brakes, grape ferns, resurrection ferns. We were rather pushed as we had not realized the length of the trail. Future plans for this trail should be earlier starts with more time for botanizing as it is a very rich field. The river is so noisy that you also need more experts as you cannot hear more than a few feet. This is rather hard on the leader and disappointing to those wishing to learn. We were fortunate in having more experts than amateurs on this trip. Selma Myers , Corresponding Secretary EVENTS OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS 2nd ANNUAL SPRING WILDFLOWER PILGRIMAGE FALL CREEK FALLS STATE RESORT PARK Date: May 8-10, 1981 Location: Fall Creek Falls State Park Contact: Herb Roberts, Ran ge r- N at ura 1 i s t , Fall Creek Falls State Par k , P i kev i 1 1 e , Tenn. 37367; 615/881-3708. For room reservations call 615/881-3241 and mention the wildflower pilgrimage. Join us on the Cumberland Plateau for an enjoyable week-end dis- covering the wild plants and animals that inhabit the ridges and gorges of this unique tableland. A variety of walks, hikes, workshops, and evening programs are planned, so make your plans now to attend. This program is sponsored jointly by the Tennessee Native Plant Society and Fall Creek Falls State Park. - 5 - SPECIAL RARE PLANT HAPPING EXPEDITION Date: Saturday, May 30, 1981 Time: 9 am, CDT Place: Rugby, Morgan County, Tn. in parking lot of the small country restaurant on south side of Hwy . 52. Leaders: Dennis Horn and Tom Patrick (see contact addresses and phones from above writeup). As a starter, we will arrange a guided tour of the old English village homes and buildings in Rugby. Please make a special effort to let us know you're coming on this or feel free to phone either of us, because we would'nt want to miss any of you for the historical tour. After lunch (bring your own or buy it at the only restaurant in town!), we will go to the old Rugby Cemetery and hike down to the Clear Fork where we hope to re- discover the original collection site for the Cumberland rosemary . The time we spend on this is totally dependent on the water lever, but the total hiking distance for the afternoon's romping around should be under 6 miles - most of this will be along fairly level, open, bouldery gravel bars. We should see many interesting plants, the rosebay should be in bloom, and we will be able to complete our Society's first rare plant mapping project. We expect to give a full report on the peculiarly restricted distribution of the Cumberland rosemary in a future issue. UPDATE We had fine response to the seedlist in the TNPS SEEDLIST Tennessee Native Plant Society Newsletter. ““ We mailed out 123 packets of seed. Had 15 requests, which means that each person asked for an average of eight (8) different seeds. We ran out of some of the favorites, but for the most part, people got what they wanted. Most everyone sent plenty of postage. Several forgot the self- addressed envelope! I have five more requests on my desk and will fill them as soon as possible. My thanks go to A1 Foster and Bernice Buntley for helping fill the orders. I couldn't have done it without them. Nancy Siler, Chairperson - 6 - • NEWS FROM THE MEMBERSHIP SOUTHERN TWAYBLADE FOUND AT MAY PRAIRIE Two years ago on April 1, Paul Somers, Larry Smith, and Rex Boner, all with the Tennessee Heritage Program and TNPS members, planned a visit to Coffee County to look for a rare plant. I was honored to be invited along for the search. The object of the search was the southern twayblade, Listeria aus tralis j a tiny inconspicuous member of the orchid family. This orchid is only 3-4 inches tall, having one pair of small leaves near the middle of a slender purplish stem. The deep purple lip of each flower is only 1/2 inch long and deeply cut into two narrow, wi s hbone- shaped , lobes. This plant had previously been observed only once in Tennessee, 20 years earlier by Dr. Hal DeSelm of the UT Botany Department. His notes indicated the plant was located in the wooded area across the highway from the May Prairie in Coffee County. Our search that April morning was successful as was a return visit a week later and altogether about 40 plants were found including 6 with flowering racemes. The site, a wet location of the. barrens, is threatened, however, as the entire population is within the boundary of a newly acquired industrial park. During the month of April the past two years, I've searched similar wet wooded areas of the barrens in Coffee County hoping to find the tiny orchid in a more secure location. Finally on April 12, 1981, Sherry and I discovered a new site for the southern twayblade. Botanically it is just an extension of the industrial park site. However, the new location is within the May Prairie Natural Area, a tract already set aside for pro- tection. Altogether, Sherry and I found approximately 50 or 60 of the tiny plants, 6 of which flowered this year. This is excellent considering the very dry year we have experienced. The new population equals or exceeds in number of plants those previously observed at the industrial park location, therefore reassuring the continued ®exis tance of the southern twayblade in Tennessee. Sherry and Dennis Horn Tullahoma, Tenn. 37388 - 7 - —CALENDAR OF EVENTS — I TENNESSEE TRAILS ASSOCIATION! DIFFICULTY DATE EVENT RATING May 17 River Bluff Trial-River Bluff II Small Wild Area Norris Dam Reservation (TVA) (Anderson Co.) June 6 ‘Stinging Fork Tr i a 1 - S t inging III or Fork Pocket Wilderness (Bowaters) IV and Piney Falls-Devils Hole Gorge St. Natural Area (Rhea Co.) June 20-21 Cohutta Wilderness Area-Big III or Frog Mt . Wilderness Study Area- IV Cherokee National Forest (Polk Co.) July 11 Bald River Trai 1-Cherokee II National Forest (Monroe Co.) August 15-16 ‘Canoe Trip on Center Hill Lake (Corps of Engineers) (DeKalb, Putnam, and White Co . ) TNPS - FIELD TRIPS 1981 DATE TRIP LOCATION May 9-10 Layne Cove - Savage Gulf Annual Meeting at Beersheba Springs June 13 Obed National Wild and Scenic River August 1 Great Valley Barrens and Glades August 22 Falling Water State Natural Area (near Chattanooga) September 19-20 Roan Mountain October 10-11 Reelfoot Lake November 14 Honeycreek Pocket Wilderness December 5 Native Plants § Botany Depts. -8- LEADER Grace Foster (Norris ) 494-0951 David Rhyne (Athens ) 745-428 336-2211 (work) Glen Hanley (Murfreesboro) 890-4113 898-2104 (work) Bucky Crowe 1 1 (Nashvi lie) 269-6579 259-5860 (work) Denis Love 1 1 (Nashville) 269-4740 741-2019 (work) LEADER Dennis Horn Tom Patrick Paul Schmalzer Hal DeSelm Paul Somers Murray Evans Ron Vance Larry Wilson Paul Schmalzer Tom Patrick Murray Evans 1931 DUES Active - $5 - Associate - $2.50 - Institutional - $10 Life - $100.00 - Regular membership with voting rights and Newsletter. Covers one person or an entire family, but carries only one vote per membership. Additional voting rights for couples or families would come through additional Active memberships. Includes the Newsletter and participation in all activities, except voting rights. Includes Newsletter, participation in all activities and one vote. For libraries, governmental agencies, parks, recreation areas, consulting firms, other business firms , etc . Same as the Active memberships, but a one- time payment; the funds to be invested; the annual income to be used for current expenses and 'growth. Name MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL/APPLICATION FORM (Check your address label on reverse side and if inoorreot indioate necessary changes below). Phone Address (Indicate below TNPS programs you would like to work on) Publicity; writing, photography Membership 'Conservation: plant mapping, roadside revegetation Assist with field trips Other, please specify; ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES Active $5.00 Associate $2.50 Mai 1 to : Institutional $10.00 Life $100.00 Tennessee Native Plants Society c/o Department of Botany The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn, 57916 - 9 - Hart's-Tongue Fern Hart's-Tongue Fern Phyllilis scolopendrium (L.) Newm. Restricted to cool, moist limestone rocks and sinkholes. Endangered. In Tennessee, known from only one limestone pit on the Cumberland Plateau. Tennessee Native Plant Notes Designed and distributed by the Tennessee Native Plant Society to support conservation of Tennessee's wild flora. TNPS c/o Department of Botany, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37916 TENNESSEE NATIVE J§|L PLANTS SOCIETY , V ' Yj c /o Department of Botan> The University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN 37916 Non-Profit Orj. U.S. Postage PAID Umv of Tenn Knoxville SPECIAL LETTER update! ! c/o Department of Botany University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee 37916 (615)974-2256 21 May 1981 Dear Member of the Tennessee Native Plants Society, A few words are needed about recent delays in getting the word out to you regarding field trips. Certainly an apology is in order to Board Member Larry Wilson of Memphis. He planned a program for April 1, but we published it for April 15, and many who wanted to attend from other parts of the state were left misinformed and didn't come to the Mississippi River bottoms. Then, there's the annual meeting — the details of which reached most of you after the fact. Then, there are the next few field trips that we would really like you all to know the correct information on. The village of Rugby tour and the Cumberland rosemary mapping expedition will start Saturday, May 30, at 9:00 AM Central Time, at the restaurant parking lot in Rugby on the south side of Hwy 52, Morgan Co. LEADERS : Dennis Horn and 222 Crestwood Dr. Tullahoma 37388 (615)455-5742 Tom Patri ck Dept, of Botany, Univ. of Tenn. Knoxville 37916 (615)974-2256 The Obed Wild and Scenic River trip will start Saturday, June 13, at 10:00 AM Eastern Time, at the parking lot by the post office and new federal building in downtown Wartburg, Morgan Co., on the north side of Hwy 62 in the center of town. We will hear the latest from a park ranger on funding for the Obed Wild and Scenic River, then, as noted in the Newsletter, trips will be taken to various spots on the river. LEADERS : Paul Schmalzer and Tom Patrick 153 Taliwa Court (see above) Knoxville 37920 (615)577-5652 PLEASE WRITE OR PHONE LEADERS SO THAT WE WILL KNCW TO EXPECT YOU . Copi es of missed Newsletters will be mailed on request. Finally, we have more help on the Newsletter, so hopefully it will get to you on time! Hope to see you on one of our outings, Murray Evans, President Tom Patrick, Board Member TENNESSEE NATIVE JfcgL PLANTS SOCIETY c 'o Department of Botany The Universitv of Tennessee Knoxville, TN 3? q 1f> Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Umv of Tenn. Knoxville TENNESSEE NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Vo 1 . 4 , No. 3 August 5, 1981 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT As usual, deadlines cause me to try to catch up on other deadlines. Not being much good any longer at all-night stands, this letter is being written above the clouds between Knoxville and Anchorage - as I meet the fixed dead- line of airline schedules. I hope the impending postal strike doesn't stop the speedy return mail. Up here, over a blanket of puffy white, like an unfinished and uncovered old-fashioned cotton quilt, one feels isolated from the countryside. For the past 5 weeks I have been teaching a field course in the natural history of ferns and very involved in exploring the landscape, and with the east Tennessee heat, sometimes too involved. We went from the top of Clingman's Dome, where the northern Fir Clubmoss ( Lycopodi um s e 1 ago ) finds a southern foothold at cold-high elevations, to the bottoms of 75-foot deep sink holes in northern Alabama where the rare and also northern American Hart 1 s-tongue fern finds a cool southern habitat in caverns. It has been exciting that the 2 new Alabama localities for this fern have just recently been found by good spelunker- naturalists, not by botanists. The population in the old locality in Tennessee, known for 100 years, still barely hangs on to survival. The sink holes were quite an exper- ience for fern students who had never swung from the end of a climbing rope, but needed to in order to get to the plants. Also a bit unnerving to the instructor who tries to act blase / while hoping nothing goes wrong. We didn't see all the ferns of the Southern Appalachians in our course, but we hunted for gametophytes , explored sexual and asexual reproduction, found new hybrid wood ferns, and learned as much as we could cram in about the fern populations we ex- plored. continued page 2. TAKE A HIKE.... TNPS FIELD TRIPS!! AUGUST 22 and SEPTEMBER 19-20, DETAILS INSIDE - ' 1 * — f president's letter eontinue-a- Now I am off to spend 3 weeks in Alaska, escaping Tennessee heat and hunting the same sorts of adventures among the Alaskan ferns and other local wonders, as well as visiting my brother whose home state for almost 20 years I have never seen. He is concerned and becoming discouraged about Alaska as a wonder- ful wild natural refuge in the face of frontier development excitement. We in Tennessee also need to keep the home fires burning in care about and enthusiasm for our own remaining natural history and nurture what remains after a much longer history of frontier development. Our involvement in TNPS is a way our concerns and interests can creep into the concious- ness of everyone in our region.- from Chicago, Murray Evans SEPTEMBER FIELD TRIP ROAN MOUNT AIN EXP LORATION Date: Saturday, September 19, thru Sunday, Sept. 20, 1981 Time: 9:00 am EDST Leader: Mr. Ron D. Vance, Rt. 1, Box 207 Roan Mountain, Tn. 37687 ph: (615) 772-4315 ( after 6PM ) Meeting Place: Parking lot by picnic shelter just inside main entrance road (on left as you turn into the camp ing area), Roan Mt. State Park. For you taxonomy types this is right near the Crested Wood Fern ( Dryopteris cristata ) bog! This should prove to be an exciting trip. Cabins and camping are available. To reserve or ask about cabins contact the leader by September 12. It looks like private cabins will be available at the reasonable price of about $2.00 per person/per night. Complete cooking facilities are included, but you must bring linens/sleeping bags. Contact (call or write) Ron Vance and come on up earl) Friday night! Contact the State P ar k ; (6 1 5 ) 7 7 2 - 3 30 3 , for camping information. Hikes will be conducted under direction of Murray Evans and Ron Vance at both low and high elevations on Saturday and Sunday. Hope to see you on the Roan NEW NEWSLETTER EDITOR TNPS has a Newsletter editor! Lorene Sigal has volunteered to coordinate this important job but she will need help from every- one. The Newsletter is the "critical link" in communication among the TNPS membership. If you have something to say to your fellow members, write it down and send it to Lorene. Lorene L . Sigal Environmental Sciences Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory P . 0. Box X Oak Ridge, Tn. 37830 615/574-7266 2 TNPS-FI ELD TRIPS 1981 Here is a list of the trips planned for 1981. Detailed trip descriptions will be printed as the trip date gets close. Preregistration with the trip leader is recommended. This will allow you to be notified if there is a change in plans. Contact the leader by mail or phone to register or if you have any questions. MIL- August 22 September 19-20 October 10-11 November 14 December 5 TRIP LOCATION, _ Falling Water State Natural Area (near Chattanooga) Roan Mountain Reelfoot Lake Honeycreek Pocket Wilderness Native Plants 8 Botany Depts LEADER. Paul Somers Murray Evans Ron Vance Larry Wilson Paul Schmalzer Tom Patrick Murray Evans ' — AUGUST FIELD TRIP FALLING WATER FALLS STATE NATURAL AREA Date: Saturday, August 22, 1981 Time: 10:00 am EDST Leader: Dr. Paul Somers; Tennessee Heritage Program; 2611 West End Avenue; Nashville, Tn. 37203 ph: (6 1 S ) 741- 3852 Meeting Place: Chattanooga Nature Center We will travel to the Falling Water Falls State Natural Area from the Chattanooga Nature Center. There are several well- marked trails of varying length in the vicinity. Coming From Nashville: on Interstate 24 get off at US Hwy 41, North, go toward Chattanooga at base of Lookout Mt . cross Lookout Creek, turn right on Garden Rd. and enter Reflection Riding; site of the Chattanooga Nature Center. Coming From Kn oxville : get off Interstate 24 in Chattanooga at Brown 1 s Ferry Rd . exit, turn left, go over Lookout Creek, turn right on Garden Road at base of Lookout Mt. and enter Reflection Riding, site of the Nature Center, (ph. of c en t er : 6 1 5 / 82 1 - 1 1 60 ) . 3 "WILDFLOWERS Yes! From several plant nurseries in the east, that get them from larger wholesale nurseries, FOR SALE" that pay local people to go into the woods and dig them up. A recent article in Horticulture (May 1981) by Lauren Brown describes the efforts of Ken Brown and the North Carolina Botanical Garden (NCBG) to find alternatives to the indiscrimate collecting that would not put the nursery owners out of business. Seed, cuttings and tissue culture are suggested propagation techniques. In addition, the NCBGs Plant Rescue Program takes plants, with permission, from development areas before the bulldozers arrive. The rescued plants become part of the Gardens native plant propagation program. Related readings about rare plants are: "The Beautiful Pink-petaled Lady" by Paul Somers, The Tennessee Conservationist , May/June 1981; and "Why Are So Few Endangered Plants Protected" by Bruce Macbryde, American Horticulturist , October/ November 1980. TNPS Although we have had a good response to our note- NOTECARDS card sales some cards are still available. TNPS notecards make a great "stocking stuffer" so stock up now and avoid the Christmas rush. Contact our new notecard chairperson for further information: Mrs. Tom (Nancy) Siler 4201 Alta Vista Way Knoxville, Tn . 37919 615/588-5505 RAR^SPEC^S Governor Lamar Alexander signed Executive Order #11 creating the Tennessee Rare Plants LISTINGS List. A committee of scientists has been enlisted under the aegis of the Tennessee Academy of Science to assist with creation and management of the list, and a second draft is currently in circulation. Public hearings and official publication are scheduled for late 1981. The Tennessee Heritage Program has updated its rare animal list and contracted with Dr. Raymond Bouchard to expand its crustacean list. Volume I (Vertebrates) of Tennessee ' s Rare Wildlife has been published and Volume II (Invertebrates) is in publication. Heritage contributed the Tennessee portion of the latest Federal plant and animal lists, and has served as Tennessee's reviewing agency for the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Heritage has qualified for a limited cooperative agreement with the Federal Office of Endangered Species (OES) in order to further facilitate basic research and to publish a Rare Plants of Tennessee document ■ For a copy of this document contact : Dr. Paul Somers Tennessee National Heritage National Areas Program 2611 West End Avenue Nashville, Tenn. 37203 4 CONSERVATION RESOURCE CENTER FOR TENNESSEE The Tennessee Conservation League is actively raising funds for a Tennessee Conservation Resource Center in which Tennesseans will find a conservation library, visual aids for conservation teachers, and materials from state and federal agencies charged with stewardship of our states natural bounty. The drawing for the building fund sweepstakes raffle will be held on September 24th. Also on that date, sportsman's rallies will be held in Nashville, Knoxville, Tri-cities, and Chattanooga to introduce the public to the League. For more information contact: Mitchell S. Parks, through the TLC office in Nashville, (615) 329-4230 or by calling (615) 251-5911 or 876-9499 (home). OBED RIVER FIELD TRIP REPORT About 25 members and friends from Knoxville, Tullahoma, Harriman, Clarksville, Cookeville, Norris, Oak Ridge and Rugby - to name most of the hometowns - attended the Obed River June field trip. A discussion with the National Park Service Ranger, Walter Meyer, was held in the morning at the Wartburg office for the Obed Wild and Scenic River. It was learned that many acres had yet to be purchased for the scenic river and plans were revealed for the minimal development of access points. Impounded funds for the purchasing of additional acreage were released by Congress just a few days after our meeting, so now the Obed Wild and Scenic River may become a permanent unit within the National Park Service. After lunch at Obed Junction along the Obed near the mouth of Daddy's Creek, we observed gravel bar vegetation. A few of the conspicuous threatened and endangered plants were seen, such as a dec i duous - 1 eave d doghobble ( Leucothoe racemosa ) , Barbara's buttons ( Marshallia gr andi f 1 ora ) , Cumberland rosemary ( Conradina vertici 1 lata ) , and jointweed ( Po lygone 11a americana ) . We ended the afternoon's botanizing with a short stroll along the Obed near Adams Bridge, where a small colony of goldenseal ( Hydrast is canadensis ) and the peculiar Whitlow grass or forked chickweed ( Paronychia canadensis ) were noted. Members wishing to hear directly about the Obed Wild and Scenic River may request a brochure at the following address: Obed Wild and Scenic River P . 0 . Box 429 Wartburg, Tennessee 37887 ph: 615/346-6295 A planned rock-hopping hike to the Devil's Breakfast Table was cancelled due to ravaging waters much to the disappointment of some of us . OPERATION WILDFLOWER* By Janet Phillips Put a wildflower field guide in your glove compartment and keep your eyes open. A new look has come to our Tennessee highways. No longer are the medians and highway right-of-way being mowed three or four times a year. Instead, wildflowers are blooming along the highways. Now the combination of an energy shortage and an inf 1 at ion - caus ed budget squeeze has brought about reduced mowing schedules this year, saving several million dollars. Only those areas that need to be kept low for safety reasons were mowed, and just once or twice. Areas that will no longer be mowed will be undergoing a natural succession from grass and wildflowers, through a stage of bushes and seedling pines or cedars, to eventually become natural forest again. Even the interchanges that must be kept mowed have blossomed with flowers because of reduced mowing frequency. Remember the buttercups, the daisies, and the acres of Queen Anne's lace we have seen this past year? Unmowed areas are showing thickets of sumac with their spectacular fall color, newlyforming cedar glades, or cattails and willows, depending on the local conditions. Reduced mowing schedules give other benefits besides economy. In Chattanooga this summer I saw a green heron fly up from the willows in a cloverleaf interchange. A year ago when the cloverleaf was kept mowed, it was starlings. Another benefit is that runoff into flood-prone creeks is slowed down by the increased vegetation. There are undoubtedly many areas taht could be enhanced by plantings of flowers or flowering bushes and trees. Why not plant wildflowers along the highways and skip the grass altogether? Oklahoma Federa- tion of Garden Clubs had such an idea for their own state and in 1973 donated the seed that turned miles of Oklahoma highways into a flower garden of native plants. From that beginning grew Operation Wildflower, a cooperative effort of the Federal Highway Administra- tion, National Council of State Garden Clubs, and state highway departments. J.C. Penney stores have added their support by selling a line of bed linens called "America's Wildflowers." Each packet comes with an insert that explains Operation Wildflower. Tennessee is not a state like Oklahoma or Texas where prairie flowers can make a spectacular display in a fallow field. Leave a field alone in Tennessee, and it goes back to dense forest, lush and green from the ground up. Other state's experiences with roadside plantings are not necessarily helpful to our situation. Garden clubs wishing to sponsor projects under Operation Wildflower should therefore channel their efforts through one office, the State Highway Landscape Architect's Office. This is not only the proper continued page ? operation wildflower continued. way to proceed but will insure an accumulation of knowledge that can guide clubs achieving success with their projects and prevent waste of money. There are so many possibilities for wildflower p 1 ant ings - w i 1 d iris, daylilies, blackeyed susans, go 1 d enrod - and experienced wildflower gardeners could quickly come up with a long list. We need also to give thought to enhancing our newly- forming woodland strips. Here again many possibilities come to mind, both for understory plantings such as dogwoods, redbuds, native azaleas, native hollies, as well as our many handsome tall shade trees . By coincidence, as Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs was getting ready to participate in Operation Wildflower, the Tennessee Native Plant Society also launched its own Tennessee Natural Roadside project. While many of its members are professional botanists with expertise to offer, the society also stands ready to cooperate with the garden clubs in Operation Wildflower and would welcome into membership anyone with an interest in native plants. The cooperative efforts of so many people interested in natural beauty for our highways can only produce positive results. If wildflowers have blossomed just from reducing the mowing, thought- fully planned naturalistic plantings of native plants will make a drive through this beautiful state an unforgettable experience. *Reprint from the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs Bulletin. UPDATE I have been slowly developing a list of native plants suitable for roadside planting and com- TENNESSEE NATURAL piling information on effective plantings as I ROADSIDES PROJECT learn about them. The Cumberland County Beautiful organization has planted a median strip in Crossville with daylilies, which should be in full bloom when this newsletter comes out. Our state regional landscape supervisors have been officially instructed to encourage stands of native plantings on state-maintainej roads. Seedings of wildflowers are being planned for both Knoxville and the Memphi s- Shelby County areas. Anyone knowing of effective road- side plantings please drop me a line and tell me where they are. There is a great need to compile information on compatible seed mixtures and effective establishment procedures. - Janet Phillips; Coordinator; Tennessee Natural Roadsides Project; 2495 Shenandoah Dr. Chattanooga, TN . 37421, ph: (615) 892-1808. RUGBY FIELD TRIP REPORT Our May trip to Rugby was a delightful tour of the past in the morning and an almost fruitless search for the elusive Cumberland rosemary in the afternoon. Through the friendly assistance of two Rugby residents, new member Barbara Paylor and guide Rita Miller, about a dozen members were introduced to the fascinating old English village of Rugby. This tour is strongly recommended. The care taken in reconstructing and revamping original nineteenth century buildings is an outstanding example of historic preservation in Tennessee. Anyone wishing to follow our footsteps on the tour is urged to contact the Rugby Restoration Association, P . 0 . Box 8 Rugby, Tennessee 37733 ph: 615/628-2441 In the afternoon, we set out to rediscover a small colony of Cumberland rosemary C Conradina vert i ci 1 1 at a ) along Whiteoak Creek near Meeting Bend. So much cutting of timber (in anticipation of the Big South Fork National Recreation Area?) had taken place that the trail was obscured and it was not until late in the afternoon when the rosemary was finally found. This narrowly restricted plant is now known from the bouldery gravel bar habitats of three major river systems in the Cumberland Plateau of extreme southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee. Plants are known from the drainages of the Caney Fork, Big South Fork, including the Rugby area, and the Obed River. Cumberland rosemary was first found near one of the old swimming holes along the Clear Fork upstream from Meeting Bend by a Rugby resident, Mrs. Percival, who took an early Tennessee collector, Mr. Albert Ruth, to the site in 1893. It was not until the early 1930's, however, that the rosemary was recognized as a new species and relocated by Jack Sharp and H.M. Jennison, both professors of botany at the University of Tennessee. New York botanists H.K. Svenson and J.K. Small were also hot on the trail of the new Conradina. As it turned out, Dr. Jennison published the first valid name for the Cumberland rosemary as a new species based on a Rugby collection in 1933. Thus, it may be said that botanists too have a reason to be historically interested in the preservation of the scenic Rugby environs. Other interesting plants seen on this trip were purp 1 e - f 1 ower e d Catawba rhododendron ( Rhododendron catawbiense ) , sandstone firepink (Silene rotundi f o 1 i a ) , and several healthy patches of box huckle- berry ( Gaylussacia brachycera ) . 8 r SEED EXCHANGE REPORT Seed donations from TVA-Norris and Memphis Pink Palace enlarged our 2ND YEAR second year seed list to eighty-five different varities as listed in the Feb. 9, 1981 Newsletter. Members were encouraged to ask for several seeds by sending self- addressed stamped envelopes. Twenty-five orders were filled for a total of 198 packets of seed, or an average of almost eight different seeds per request. Members sent plenty of stamps this time even though postal rate increased, however, some forgot the self-addressed envelope . Some requests came from non-members, because seeds were available their orders were filled and TNPS membership information was en- closed. All orders were filled in March and June. With the help of Bernice Buntley and A1 Foster no monetary expenses were incured this year. TNPS seed are stored in glass jars and are in cold storage at the UT Botany Department. More than sixty different variety of seeds are still available for distribution however, supplies of the most popular seed have been depleted. These are: Aquilegia canadensis Asclepias tuberosa Clintonia umbellata Dodecatheon media Iris fulva Lobelia cardinalis A1 Foster is the New Seed Exchange Program Coordinator . All request for seed should be forwarded to A1 at: Mr. A1 Foster Box 416 Norris, Tn. 37828 ph: 615/494-0951 There is no charge for these seed, but remember to send a self- addressed envelope and ample postage. Four packets of seed should cost approximately 36