Volume 4y Number 1 e Tutk^s C9i The newsletter of the Delaware native plant Society Spring 200 1 In This Issue A Call For Articles Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 A Call for Articles New Members Letter From the President Letter From the Editor Plant-animal Highlight Resources and Reviews Native Plant Community Highlight Feature Article Feature Anicle continued Plant Community Highlight cont. Letter From President continued Native Plant Highlight Native Plant Highlight cont. Thoughts from the edge of the garden Page 7 Upcoming Events Page 8 " Membership Application o o o o o How Can / Get Involved? If you would like to write an article for The Turk’s Cap, we would love to print it. With like minded individuals as an audience. The Turk’s Cap is a great venue for plant or habitat oriented writings. We’ll take just about anything from gardening tips to book reviews to poetry. Of course, it has to be about native plants, or issues related to native plants; Just a minor constraint. Your imagination is the real key. Contact Eric Zuelke for more information at (ezuelke(2)j uno.com), or Keith Clancy at 302.674.5187. A Warm, vernal Welcome To Our Newest Members January through March Olin Allen & Becky Boutz DE Bay Shore Project, The Nature Conservancy Delaware Wild Lands, Inc., Lifetime Membership Kathy and Dix Lamborn Mt. Cuba Center M, H. Mervine John Molitor Rick Mulrooney Phyllis Rawling Maria & John Taylor Darlyne Wil kin son Angela Wood A1 & Joan Zverina The Delaware Native Plant Society is open to everyone ranging from the novice gardener to the expert botanist. One of the primary goals of the society is to involve as many individuals as possi- ble. The DNPS is working on several signifi- cant projects at this time. We are active in a refor- estation project at Prime Hook State Wildhfe Area. A second mitiative underway is die establishment of a native plant nursery. We have three beds in this nursery and it looks great so far. We encourage eve- ryone to participate in these, as well as other DNPS endeavors. Lor more information on how to get in- volved, call 302.674.5187, or E-mail at dnplant@aol.com. Or visit the DNPS website at Letter From The President My calendar says spring but when I walk outside it still screams winter! And, oh the rain we have had; a prelude to a bounty of spring wildflow- ers? I have been keeping a close eye out for early spring bloomers, the so-called spring ephemerals. While this term is usually used to describe the ear- ly spring flowering herbs that typify the eastern hardwood forest community, it probably is not an appropriate term to describe the early blooming plants I have been seeing. In late Lebruai'y I ventured out into our swamp forests to search for the malodorous skunk Continued on page 5 The DNPS Vision T he puipose of the Delaware Native Plant Society (DNPS) is to participate in and encourage the preservation, conservation, restoration, and propagation of Delaware’s native plants and plant communities. The Society provides information to government officials, business people, educators, and the general public on the protection, management, and restoration of native plant ecosystems. The DNPS encourages the use of native plants in the landscape by homeowners, businesses, and local and state govemments through an on-going distribution of information and knowledge by various means tliat includes periodic publications, symposia, conlcrences, workshops, fieldtrips, and a statewide membership organized by the DNPS. The Tuh-k's Cap, Volume 4, Number 1 Page 2 Letter From The Editor Time to fire up them lawnmowers Can you believe it time to stait mowing the grass again! My trusty little non-motorized reel mower died on me last summer, so I just bought a shiny new electric mower the other day. Not completely environmentally benign, but a good alternative to those loud, smelly, greenhouse gas producing gas- powered mowers. This issue of The Turk's Cap transports us back to our prefeired level of article diversity. It’s tough as an editor to fill 8 pages of space and I’d like to thank all those who have sent in aiticles, both long and short, to help with the creation of this newsletter. Keep ‘em coming. Another fascmating plant/bug relationship is discussed in the plant/animal highlight, and if you don't know what a Pau- lownia tree is, then tire Feature Ar ticle is for you. If you make it out to some ponds or freshwater streams in the next few weeks, you'll begin to see all kinds of species of submerged aquatic vegetation peeking their heads out; tlie Native Plant Highlight discusses them. And after a brief hiatus, the Native Plant Community Highlight has returned with a discussion of one of my favorite forest types, tuliptree rich woods. Though lawn mowing is a drudgery unparalleled, the smell of fresh cut grass makes the chore a little more tolerable. But better yet, let’s all start planting more native trees, shrubs, and ground covers to reduce our lawn coverage. This could have profound affects on our economy and environment. By reducing our mowing, we not only reduce gas usage, thereby decreasing our dependency on foreign oil and the destruction of the earth horn oil-related activities, but we also reduce emis- sions of CO 2 gases and thus do our part in protecting the ozone layer and reducing the rate of global warming. Our little planet can only tolerate so much! Happy spring. 0000 Zuelke, Editor 000000 Plantanimal Highught The beans are a hoppin' If you have a special fondness for plants in the Eu- phorbiaceae family, then I'm sure you know of a phenomenon that fascinates children to no end. This phenomenon is the Mexican Jumping Bean. Mexican Jumping Beans are only found in the Riyo Mayo region of Mexico. The Mexican peo- ple call the plant "Yerba de la Flecha", which means "plant of the aiTow", originating from ancient times when they used the milky sap to poison arrow tips. One shrub in particular, Sehas- tiana pavoniana, has co-evolved with an insignificant looking blue moth, Lapeyresia saltitcms to form an interesting relation- ship. This shrub only flowers for a few days following seasonal rains. When it flowers and later sets seed, the moth visits only this plant and lays eggs on the seedpods. As the eggs hatch, the 3/16 of an inch long caterpillars bunow into the seedpods. As the seedpods mature, they develop a characteristic 3-sided shape and the larvae remains inside eating the meat of the seed. Eventually only a woody shell remains on the seedpods. When fully mature the seedpods fall off the shrub and break into three separate seeds, one of which has the moth larvae still inside it. The larvae then lines the inside of the bean with silk and attach- es it's back legs to the silken wall. To make the bean jump, the larvae curls up and then springs uncurled again, jerking the bean forward. There is speculation about why the laiwae should ex- pend so much energy making the bean jump. One possible ex- planation is that by doing so, it will move itself into a safer place to continue the life cycle. Wliere the beans fall is liable to be hot and sunny, and they could easily be fried in the sun, trod- den on, or eaten by an animal. The beans do jump most when they are warmer or in light. Nevertheless, fresh beans often jump vigorously even when they are not especially warm, so it could also be an evolutionary mechanism of the moth for spreading tlie gene pool. Another explanation is that it is a de- fense mechanism to scare away predators. Vigorous movement will elicit a self-preservation reaction and the larvae will "play dead" for several minutes. In a natural situation, the bean may continue to jump for many months until it finds a place where it remains cool and dark. People who have "pet" beans will get activity for 4 months or so from August until about November. When the caterpillar senses that it has remained in a cool, quiet, safe place for some time, it prepares a tiny, perfect- ly circular "trapdoor" hole in the bean, spins a silk cocoon around itself, and becomes a pupa. Metamorphosis occurs and it remains in the pod until it senses that the seasonal rainfall has returned in June, After a few days, the adult moth pushes the trapdoor aside and emerges. It has now only a few days of life remaining to mate, find a Sebastiami pavoniana shrub, and lay it's eggs to complete the lifecycle. This is an amazing example of insect evolution, and in particularly, the adaptation one of species to its natural environ- ment and suiTounding resources. ******** Eric Zue Ike, Editor 000000 Resources AND Reviews Book on growing native plants ‘TOO Easy to Grow Native Plants” by Eorraine Johnson, 1999, Eirefly Books, 160 pages ISBN #1-552-09327-1 This book is appropriate for the beginning native plant gardener. The common and botanical name, height and bloom- ing period of each plant is given along with its soil, sun, shade, and moisture requirements. Other data includes each plant’s native habitat and range, description, propagation, good com- panion plants, and related species. Such familiar plants as bee balm, black-eyed susan, Christmas feni, Jacob’s ladder, puiple coneflower and Virginia bluebells are listed. This synopsis is from the Maryland Native Plant Society’s web page. I checked a copy of the book out of the Bear Library. The book is well illustrated with color photographs of each plant and actual gar- den plantings. It is well written and easy to read. Seventy-one of the 150 plants covered are from the northeast region. ******** Rick Mickowski, DNPS member Pages The Tuh-k's Cap, Volume 4, Numbeh* 1 Na tive Plant Community Highught Liriodendron tulipfera~(Quercus rubra/Polystichum achrostichoides F orest Tuliptree-(Northern red oak)/Christmas fern Forest Introduction Scattered throughout the state, rich woods are particular high- lights come springtime. This community occurs on moist, nu- trient-rich, loamy soils, and is rich in species. While there are certain species that are typical of this community throughout Delaware, such as Liriodendron tidipifera{X\\\\pXx&e:) and Poly- stichum acrostichoides (Cfu istmas fern), individual occurrenc- es can be quite variable. For this reason, this community type has been divided into two distinct variants; one for the Pied- mont, and one for the Coastal Plain. Community structure/composition (Piedmont) This variant is typically restricted to the mid to upper reaches of steep slopes. In addition to L, tidipifem (tuliptree), Quercus rubra (northern red oak) is a characteristic tree, but these spe- cies may be joined in the canopy by Quercus alba (white oak), Quercus coccinea (scarlet oak), Carya ovata (shagbark hicko- ry), Cary a cordifonnis (bittern ut hickory) and occasionally Fraxinus americana (white ash) and Tilia americana (basswood). Comus floiida (flowering dogwood) and Benda lento (black birch) are common in the understory. The shrub layer is typically characterized by Hamamelis virginiana (witch -hazel) and Viburnum pninifolium (black-haw), and Viburnum acerifolium (maple-leaved viburnum) may be abundant. The herbaceous layer can be quite diverse, with frequent species including Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple), Sanguinaria cana- densis (bloodroot), P. acrostichoides (Cliristmas fern), Collin- sonia canadensis (Canada horse-balm), Galium lanceolatum (Torrey’s wild licorice), Bottychiiim virginiamim (rattlesnake fern), A ralia nudicaulis (wild sarsaparilla), Prenanthes altissima (rattlesnake root), Panax trifolius (dwarf ginseng) and Cimicifu- ga racemosa (black cohosh). Odier species that may be present include Deparia acwstichoides (silvery spleenwort), Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng), Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal), Phegopteris hexagonoptera (broad beech fern), Adiantum pedatum (maidenhair fern), and Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh), among many others. Community structure/composition (Coastal Plain) These so-called “rich wood pockets” are typically found on slopes above streams beyond the range of regular flooding. However, they may also be found as small occuiTences unasso- ciated with a stream, on ai eas of rich, loamy soil. Like the Piedmont vaiiant, the Coastal Plain variant is dominated by Liriodendron tulipifera in the canopy. Quercus rubra is a good indicator of the type, and may be joined by Carya glabra (pignut liickory), Carya cordifonnis (bitternut hickory) and Liq- uidamhar styraciflua (sweetgum). Cornils florida (flowering dogwood) is characteristic in the subcanopy. The shrub layer ranges from moderately dense to sparse, and frequently in- cludes Viburnum pninifolium (black-haw), as well as Lindera benzoin (spicebush) and Viburnum acerifolium (maple-leaved Continued on page 4 o o o o o o Native Plant Community Highught Natural Quote Flowers always give me joy: the sky-blue hepati- ca. . . ,the almost hidden pink and white aibutus. . ., crim- son woodbine. . . , a carpet of yellow cowslips. . ., all of them give me pleasure, and knowing the long evolution of their formation makes their beauty even more signifi- cant.” Sigurd F. Olsen, Reflections from the North Country Feature Article Paulownia (Editor’s note: Reprinted with permission, from the Spring 2001 fVol. 9, No. 1 ] issue of Chinquapin, The Newsletter of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society). "What is that tree with the purple flowers?" isn't a question botanists or naturalists could normally answer right off the bat. But when it's asked in mid-spring here in the southern mountains most of us know the tree being referred to is princess tree or Paulownia, "What's that tree with leaves as large as elephant ears?" is another question one fields later in the growing season. Once again, the answer is the same. Princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa) is eye-catching, even for motorists traveling at 60 mph along an interstate high- way. Growing up to 50 feet in height, its showy flowers are displayed in branched, pyramid-shaped clusters up to 14 inches in length that contain up to 50 flowers. Each flower is about two inches in length, being comprised of a bell-shaped, purple corolla with fused petals. Since the flowers precede the leaves, they are even more noticeable. From a distance these clusters resemble wisteria. When the tree does leaf out, it once again becomes eye -catching due to the size of its leaves, especially when dis- played on sprouts. I once measured a leaf on a sprout growing out of a refuse pile that was 35 inches wide and 24 inches long. And then comes winter, princess tree for a third time becomes eye-catching. This is due to its prominent tan flower buds and large, oval seed capsules from the previous season. Despite all of these eye-catching attributes, the prin- cess tree can still be categorized to my way of thinking as a weedy, aggressive, short-lived tree that often occurs in general- ly unpleasant locations like garbage dumps, barren roadsides, and urban wastelands. If you spot a sprout growing up from the crack in a sidewalk with abnormally lai'ge leaves, think "princess tree." The common and scientific names honor Anna Pau- lownia (1795-1865) of Russia, princess of the Netherlands. Other common names are empress tree, royal paulownia, tung tree (tung oil derived from the tree is used as a substitute for linseed oil in paint and varnish), and foxglove tree (because of the flower shape). Here in western North Carolina where I re- side, it is often called cottonwood, but it doesn't resemble true cottonwoods at all. Perhaps that common name is based on the downy cotton-like seeds. The genus Paulownia is sometimes now placed in the family Bignoniaceae, but other authorities continue placing it in The Tu h-k's Cap, Volume 4, Numbeh - 1 Page 4 the Scrophulariaceae. In North America it has become fully naturalized from southern New York to north Florida and west- ward to north Texas and Missouri. The tree is, however, a na- tive of China that also grows in Japan and Korea. At one time Chinese taxonomists designated as many as 23 species, but at the present time only nine or six species are accepted, depend- ing upon the source consulted. There are at least two versions of how paulownia was introduced into North America. One relates that the tree was introduced as an ornamental; the other maintains that it was introduced when porcelain tea containers were packed in the soft-bodied paulownia seeds for shipment to Chesapeake Bay. Perhaps both versions are factual. Paulownia is reputed to have a market value of $8 per board foot in Japan, where the wood is utilized to make musical instruments, furniture, sandals, chests used as wedding gifts, and other items. Derivatives from the tree are used to prepare medicinal balms. It is noteworthy that a major reforestation effort in China, which has made widespread use of paulownia, is reputed to have increased food production in the Yellow Riv- er and Yangste floodplains by 30 percent. The tree is so popular in some corners that an entire web site (www.paulownia.org) on the Internet is devoted to it under the heading "is it a weed? ... Is it a crop? ... IT'S SUPER TREE!" Go see for yourself. You can spend hours reading about paulownia consultants, growers, investors, nurseries, researchers, eco-action, propagation, taxonomy, woodworking, and a host of other topics. If that's not enough, punch "Paulownia tomentosa" into your favorite search engine and see what happens. I tried google.com and came up with 993 hits. Because of the demand for paulownia, a widespread activity has evolved that would be amusing if it weren't crimi- nal. Law enforcement officers refer to it as "paulownia rustlin'." One of the numerous reports I stumbled upon on the Internet cited an instance of rustlin' in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where eight to 10 trees at Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary were chainsawed down and stolen during the night of March 6, 1998. It was alleged that the men sold the logs to a logging company in Virginia for $3,400. In January of 1993, a paulownia rustlin' took place here in western North Carolina that makes the Maryland rustlin' look like child's play. At that time 55 princess trees in the Nantahala Gorge were stolen from U.S. Eorest Service lands. It takes a lot of gall to chainsaw 55 huge trees containing nearly 4,000 board feet valued at $32,000 and haul them off of federal land in a flatbed truck. Now that's really rustlin'! Although paulownia is promoted by some state agen- cies as an ornamental, it is considered to be persona non grata by most state and federal plant management specialists. In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, for instance, paulownia is classified as an "invasive exotic pest" and has been priori- tized for control or eradication where possible. Whenever pos- sible, the tree is cut off at ground level and sprayed with a con- centrated solution of glyphosate. On steep roadcuts where cut- ting them low is not possible, triclopyr (a basal bark spray) is utilized. Nevertheless, park managers have little hope that they will ever fully eradicate paulownia because the tree can dis- perse its seeds a couple of miles by wind and quickly invade fire scars or other barren areas. So, there you go. Whether you consider paulownia to be a "super tree" or an "invasive exotic pest," when someone asks, "What is that tree with the purple flowers?" or "What is that tree with leaves as large as elephant ears?", you'll know the answer. George Ellison Continued from page 3 viburnum). The herb layer is diverse and typically includes a number of species restricted to this community type on the Coastal Plain. Indicator species for this variant are Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern), Podophyllum peltatum (may apple), and Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot). In addi- tion, there are a number of other herbaceous species that are frequently present, including Collinsonia canadensis (Canada horse-balm), Asplenium platy neuron (ebony spleenwort), Car- damine concatenata (cutleaf toothwort), Circaea lutetiana (enchanter’s nightshade), Botrychium virginianum (rattlesnake fern), Phryma leptostachya (lopseed), Galium circaezans (wild licorice), Senecio aureus (golden ragwort), Cimicifuga race- mosa (black cohosh), and Solidago caesia (bluestem golden- rod), as well as many others. There are also a number of herba- ceous vines characteristic of Coastal Plain rich woods, includ- ing A bracteata (hog-peanut), Menispermum cana- dense (Canada moonseed), Matelea carolinensis (Carolina anglepod), and Passiflora lutea (yellow passion-flower). Distribution Occurrences of this community type tend to be rather small for a forest habitat, usually only a few acres. However, this does not diminish their significance in terms of conservation or bo- tanical diversity. Several occurrences of the Piedmont variant are known from the Red Clay Creek valley, and are likely to occur in the Brandywine valley as well. The Coastal Plain vari- ant is known from numerous scattered localities throughout the state, with notable occurrences at Woodland Beach Wildlife Area, Kent County and Prime Hook Wildlife Area, Sussex County. Species rich forests are known to occur throughout the Atlantic Coastal Plain, although their relations to this type are unclear. Similar community types occur in other eastern states but their composition can vary quite a bit. Conservation Status Currently ranked as an S? (questionable ranking) by The Nature Conservancy, but may be ranked an S3 in the future. There is cur- rently no formal state or federal protection for this community type. oooo Peter Bowman, DE Natural Heritage Program Ecologist The Tuh-k's Cap, Volume 4, Number 1 Letter From The President Continued from page 1 cabbage, Sy mplo carpus foetidus, to photograph it in flower. This is one of our eai liest blooming plants and while it usually flowers in February or March, I have seen it flowering as early as January. The day I went out there was a blanket of snow on the ground and the skunk cabbage was in full bloom; its inflo- rescences poking through the snow was quite a sight. The pur- ple colored .spathe, flecked with spots and streaks of green and yellow forms a hood-like structure covering the yellowish spa- dix that is covered with many small male and female flowers. If you have never seen this remarkable plant in bloom I recom- mend you schedule a trip to any of our streamside swamp for- ests to see this spectacle. But, unfortunately, you will have to wait until next winter to do so. By the way, it’s a great way to break-up the long, cold winter. One last point about the skunk cabbage and where to find it: you can often see this ubiquitous plant right from the side of the road, and the comforts of your car. Just stop by wherever a wet forest comes close to the road, as at a stream crossing. The last several weeks I have been going back to a site along the Murderkill River to see if the swamp pink, Helonias bullata, a federally threatened species, was blooming so that I could photograph it. 1 really do not want to miss this plant when its dense spikes of beautiful pink blooms are at full anthesis. In years past 1 have always been a few days or several weeks late and its blossoms had faded. But this year the winter and spring have been cooler and the plants are not yet showing any evi- dence of flowering. 1 don’t intend to miss it this year. Despite the cool and wet spring tluis far, there are plenty of plants to see that are in full bloom as early as March; unfortunately most of these ai'e aliens. Drive out into the coun- try or just go outside your door and you may be surprised to see a variety of species in bloom. Such things as the mints, henbit, Lamium amplexicaule and red dead nettle, Lamiiim putpureum, and the ivy-leaved speedwell, Veronica hederaefolia, are now flowering. The red dead nettle forms dense carpets in some places and is often found gi'owing alongside L. amplexicaule', look for it in farm fields. Its characteristic dark colors and clumping habit make it easy to identify while driving 50 mph along the road. The speedwell is right outside my door and has been flowering since early March; the cold damp days don’t stop this little plant from its duties. Other aliens in bloom now include the hairy bitter-cress, Cardamine hitsuta, whitlow grass, Draba verna, periwinkle, Vinca minor, and winter cress, Bar- barea verna. Some native plants that are now flowering include the wild or field pansy, Viola bicolor, and red maple, Ace/* rubrum. But if you really want to see our natives in full flower make sure you don’t miss the next 2-6 weeks when there will be a deluge of native ephemerals announcing themselves to the world: such species as spring beauty, Claytonia virginica, bloodroot, Sanguinaria caimdensis, wild ginger, Asanun cona- dense, cutleaf toothwort, Cardamine concatenata, trout-lily, Erythronium americanum, golden seal, Hydrastis canadensis, round-lobed hepatica, Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa, rue anemo- ne, Thalictmm thaUctfvides, to name just a few. I highly recom- mend a visit to Brandywine Creek State Park where many of these plants can be seen along the hiking trails. There are quite a number of native plant activities that will be happening in the next few months and 1 hope that many Page 5 of you will be able to participate in these exciting, educational and important events. On April 2 1 , the DNPS will be having its annual meeting. This event takes place at the St. Jones Reserve outside Dover and will be an event-filled day. We will be plant- ing native plant seeds in the morning and undertaking some work (e.g., installing new fencing around the seed bed) in the native plant nursery. Aftei*wards we will take a hike through the St. Jones Reserve and leam about the flora of a salt marsh. Fol- lowing a pot-luck lunch there will be a short business meeting and tlie day will conclude with an informative talk on the or- chids of Delaware. Don’t miss tins event! Later in June (from the 24-28) there will be all day field ti'ips to Delawai'e coastal plain habitats to see and learn about Delaware’s native plants. This field trip is being orga- nized by the Botanical Society of America, Toney Botancial Society and Philadelphia Botanical Club. Several DNPS mem- bers will be leading field hips and givmg talks. While I would encourage members to attend these meetings the cost may be prohibitively expensive at $90 or $230 with meals and lodging. On-going help is also needed at the native plant nurse- ry. I will continue to use this forum as an opportunity to solicit your help. During this field season we will need people to help out at the nursery as well as at Prime Hook State Wildlife Area where we have begun a reforestation effort. Last fall we direct seeded a one- acre field with nearly 2000 acorns, hickory and other seeds and this year we will be checking on the success of that effort. Seedlings that develop will need tending to (e.g., weeding around them and installing tree tubes or shields). So, 1 hope that everyone will be able to get out and enjoy and observe the spring flowering phenomenon and the rebirth that is taking place in our forests. And check out some of the events that are happening (see the Upcoming Events sec- tion of this newsletter for additional activities). I hope to see you sometime soon at either a DNPS function, or other event. Sincerely, Keith Clancy o o o o o o Native Plant Highught Submerged aquatic vegetation Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is a widely used tenuinology to describe a particular categoiy of vascular plant; one that is based upon growth habit and form, and habitat char- acteristics. SAV refers to those plants that live and grow entire- ly underwater, or just at the waters surface. Several species, when in bloom, have their flowers emergent (i.e., just above the water’s surface), but for the majority of their life cycles, these and other SAV are found completely submergent. SAV, be- cause they live in an aquatic environment, have developed spe- cial adaptations. For example, the leaves and stems of SAV do not have specialized plant tissue that serve as structural support (e.g,, sclerenchyma) because the suiTounding water medium provides that support. There are also specialized cells within the leaves and stems of SAV called aerenchyma, which are thin-walled cells with large intercellular aii* spaces. These cells provide additional buoyancy and support to the plant. In addi- The Tuh-k's Cap, Volume 4, Numbeh - 1 tion, the leaves and stems of SAV are generally thin and do not have a waxy covering on their surfaces called a cuticle, which is typical of most terrestrial plants. The lack of a cuticle in- creases the exchange of gases and nutrients between the plant and water. When an SAV is removed from the water for an extended period of time, it loses moisture rapidly and will soon desiccate and die. There are 41 species and varieties of SAV known to occur in Delaware; 34 are native and seven are alien. Alien species include four that are considered to be invasive in nature. The SAV flora of Delaware is represented by 10 families and 34 genera. The families containing the largest number of spe- cies include: Potamogetonaceae (Pondweed Family), 12 taxa; Lentibulariaceae (Bladderwort Family), 9 taxa; Haloragaceae (Water-milfoil Family), 6 taxa; and Hydrocharitaceae (Frog's- bit Family), 5 taxa. The genera containing the largest number of species include: Potcmogeton (pondweed) 12 taxa, Utricularia (bladderwort) 9 taxa, and Myriophyllum (water-milfoil) 6 taxa. In general, SAV in Delaware is a very rare category of plants. There are 23 species (56% of the total SAV flora) considered to be rare and uncommon, four are thought to be historical (not reported for 15 or more years), and four are considered to be extirpated (gone from the state). The majority of SAV in Dela- ware have a perennial habit (38), with only three being annual. Most of the SAV flora of Delaware is found in fresh water sys- tems (35), with six species found in brackish to salt water sys- tems. Eleven species of SAV in Delaware have a more northern distribution (i.e., are at or near their southern limits of geo- graphic distribution). Five species have a more southern distri- bution, and therefore are at or near their northern limits. Submerged Aquatic Vegetation of Delaware Page 6 Potamogeton spirillus Ruppia maritime Utricularia biflora Utricularia fibrosa Utricularia geminiscapa Utricularia gibba Utricularia inflata Utricularia macrorhiza Utricularia minor Utricularia purpurea Utricularia radiata Vallisneria americana Zannichellia palustris Zostera marina U = Uncommon R = Rare A = Alien lA = Invasive alien H = Historical E = Extirpated °°°° William McAvoy, DNPS member Editors Note: Some of the plants in this list would be great additions to a water garden. Please see the Pick The Turk’s Cap column in Volume 3, Number 1 for more information on water gardens. o o o o o o Thoughts from the edge of the garden spiral pondweed (E) ditch-grass two-flower bladderwort (R) fibrous bladderwort (R) hidden-fruited bladderwort (U) humped bladderwort (U) large swollen bladderwort (R) large bladderwort lesser bladderwort (E) purple bladderwort (R) small swollen bladderwort (U) tape-grass horned pondweed (R) eel-grass (E) SCIENTIFIC NAME Ceratophyllum demersum Ceratophyllum echinatum Egeria densa Elodea canadensis Elodea nuttallii Heteranthera dubia Hydrilla verticillata Myriophyllum aquaticum Myriophyllum heterophyllum Myriophyllum humile Myriophyllum sibiricum Myriophyllum spicatum Myriophyllum verticillatum Najas gracillima Najas guadalupensis ssp. gua Najas minor Potamogeton crispus Potamogeton diversifolius Potamogeton epihydrus Potamogeton folio sus Potamogeton natans Potamogeton nodosus Potamogeton pectinatus Potamogeton perfoliatus Potamogeton pulcher Potamogeton pusillus Potamogeton robbinsii COMMON NAME common hornwort prickly hornwort (U) Brazilian waterweed (lA) broad waterweed Nuttall's waterweed grassleaf mud-plantain (R) hydrilla (lA) parrot feather (lA) broadleaf water-milfoil (R) low water-milfoil (U) common water-milfoil (A) Eurasian water-milfoil (lA) whorled water-milfoil (H) thread-like naiad (R) ensis southern naiad (H) water-nymph (A) curly pondweed (A) water-thread pondweed Nuttall's pondweed leafy pondweed (U) floating pondweed (H) longleaf pondweed Sago pondweed clasping-leaf pondweed (H) spotted pondweed slender pondweed (R) flatleaf pondweed (E) We would like to thank Delaware Wild Eands, Inc. for our first lifetime membership. Their support of our Society is really going to help with needed supplies at our native plant nursery at the St. Jones DNERR site. We would also like to give special recognition to Rick McCorkle, DNPS Vice-president. Rick just recently completed his Master of Science thesis that entailed a biological study of the Blackbird watershed area. Congratulations Rick! Now you can spend more time digging up weeds at the nursery! The Elora of Delaware update. This checklist by William McAvoy (DE Natural Heritage Program (DNHP) botanist) and Karen Bennett (DNHP Coordinator) will be going to the print- ers soon and will be available soon after that. The cost will be $14.00 + Shipping and Handling charges. Call 302.653.2880, or see Vol. 3 No. 1 issue of The Turk’s Cap for more infor- mation The Tuh-k's Cap, Volume 4, Number - 1 Page/ Saturday, 21 April 2001 - Third annual meeting oe the DE Native Plant Society. To be held at THE St. Jones Reserve, Kitts Hummock Rd., Dover, DE. Activities include planting seeds, some MAINTENANCE WORK IN THE NURSERY, A HIKE THROUGH THE RESERVE AND TALK ON THE ELORA OE A SALT- MARSH, A SLIDE PRESENTATION ON THE ORCHIDS OE DELAWARE AND A SHORT BUSINESS MEETING. EVERYONE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND. FOR MORE INEORMATION CONTACT THE DNPS AT DNPLANT@AOL.COM OR 302.674.5187. 1 \ \ Saturday, 28 April 2001 - An Earth Day Eco-walk, to be held at Brecknock Park, Camden- Wyoming, DE. From 9 AM to 1 PM. This event is sponsored by the Delaware Solid Waste Authori- ty, Kent County Parks and Recreation, the Delaware Environthon and the Hill Design Group. The event is designed to promote increased awareness about our environment and the natural RESOURCES that WE DEPEND ON. THERE WILL BE A NATURE HIKE AND AN EXHIBITION AREA OE NATURAL RE- SOURCE entities. For more ineormation contact Kent County Parks & Recreation at 302.698.6445. Sunday, 29 April 2001 - A native plant hike. From 1 pm to 3 pm. A wildelower walk on Mary- land’s Eastern Shore, in the upper Choptank River watershed. This is a MD Native Plant Society SPONSORED event (DNPS MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND) THAT WILL BE HELD ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. Naturalist, and MNPS and DNPS member, Margaret Carter wild lead this tour oe her property that consists oe a variety oe habitats erom dry, sandy upland woods oe pines and hardwoods to a bottomland hardwood community. For more ineormation call 410.634.2847 or 302.674.5187; the latter number IE YOU LIVE IN DELAWARE AND WANT TO TRAVEL DIRECTLY TO THE SITE OE THE EIELD TRIP; Maryland Native Plant Society members will be meeting at Adkins Arboretum, in Caroline Coun- ty ON Maryland's eastern shore and carpooling. Saturday, 5 May and Sunday, 6 May 2001 - Native plant sale presented by the Delaware Nature Society. From 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturday and 10 AM to 3 PM on Sunday, Ashland Nature Center at Brackenville and Barley Mill Roads near Hockessin, Delaware. For more ineormation call 302.239.2334, OR ON the web at www.delawarenaturesociety.org, or WEBPAGE(o)DNSASHLAND.ORG. Saturday, 12 May 2001 - Adkins Arboretum Annual Spring Native Plant Sale, celebration oe the ELORA OE the MID- ATLANTIC REGION. FROM 9 AM - 1 PM. THE ARBORETUM IS LOCATED AT 12610 FVELAND Rd., next to Tuckahoe State Park, near Ridgely, Maryland, 410.634.2847. Thursday-Saturday, 7-9 June 2001 - 1 1™ Annual Millers ville Native Plants in the Landscape CONEERENCE, AT MiLLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY IN LANCASTER COUNTY, PA. THIS IS AN INEORMATION-PACKED EVENT that should NOT BE MISSED. PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS, GO WILD - habitat restoration EOR the back yard, “A SENSE OE WONDER” - A PLAY DEPICTING THE LIEE OE RACHEL Carson, the rhythm oe native plant communities, plants oe promise - cultivars versus straight SPECIES. . .A TRUTHEUL COMPARISON, COPING WITH DEER IN THE GARDEN, EIELD TRIPS, WORKSHOPS AND NATIVE PLANT AND BOOK SALES. FOR INEORMATION AND REGISTRATION EORMS CONTACT MiLLERVILLE UNIVERSITY’S Department oe Fxtended Programs at 717.872.3030. Thursday, 21 June 2001 - “Backyard Butterely Gardens” by Andi Pupke, Chesapeake Wildliee Her- itage, CO-SPONSORED BY ADKINS ARBORETUM. BEGINNING AT 7 PM. LEARN THE METHODS AND TECHNIQUES EOR attracting butterelies to your backyard using native plants. This eree workshop will be HELD at the “Old Railway Station,” 46 Pennsylvania Ave., Faston, MD. Call 410-822-5100 eor MORE ineormation. The Tuh-k's Qp, Volume 4, Numbeh - 1 Page 8 I Mernbep-sbip Application I K., «. , Member Information I Delaware native Plant Society , I Name: Business Name or Organization: Address: City and Zip Code: Telephone (home/work): E-mail address: Individual $15.00 Full-time Student $10.00 Family or Household $18.00 Contributing $50.00 Business $100.00 Lifetime $500.00 Donations are also welcome $_ Membership benefits include: * The DNPS quarterly newsletter. The Turk’s Cap * Native plant gardening and landscaping infonnation * Speakers and field trips Total Amount Enclosed: $ Make check payable to: DE Native Plant Society P.O. Box 369, Dover, DE 19903 Delaware Native Plant Society P.O. Box 369 Dover, Delaware 19903