Tennessee Native Plant Society newsletter

NEWSLETTER OF THE

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TENNESSEE NATIVE
PLANT SOCIETY

Volume 36, Number 4

December 2012

TNPS Aids Botany Projects,
Honors Robert Krai

TNPS Has New
Website, Plus
Facebook Page

T NPS named Robert Krai, emeritus professor of biology at Vanderbilt
University, to its Botanists Hall of Fame, during the society’s annual
meeting in September at Carson Springs near Newport. (See short bi-
ography of Dr. Krai on page 5.)

The annual meeting, attended by 48 members, provided an opportunity to
hear about several on-going projects, including the pending publication of the
Tennessee technical manual, a follow-up to the society’s wildflower book, and
the winter “twig book” by Eugene Wofford, which is receiving a $5,000 grant
from TNPS.

Members also heard two excellent lectures, one by David Haskell, award
winning author of The Forest Unseen , and Jamie Donaldson, a leader in the
restoration of the Grassy Balds on and around Roan Mountain.

Bart Jones, TNPS president, announced that next year’s annual meeting,
also scheduled for September, will be held jointly with the Kentucky Native
Plant Society at Lake Barkley State Park, northwest of Clarksville.

Bart said that once again members can expect combinations of programs in
the evenings and field trips in the afternoons. Additional and alternative activi-
ties will also be organized.

He said that joining with KNPS will provide a special opportunity to net-

Continued on page 5

TNPS members gather for annual-meeting field trip in the Smokies.

S ome people may think TNPS
consists of older folks who use
only a pen, but the society is
now taking the big dive into interac-
tive and social media.

Check out the new website, which
has several levels of information and
offers an opportunity to join TNPS
and pay dues on-line.

The website is at www.tnps.org.
Current features include:

• A home page slide show pre-
senting some of our Tennessee native
plants.

• Membership application and re-
newal via credit card or PayPal, or
the option of printing then mailing
the membership form with a check.

• A Newsletter archive in case
you missed an issue (oh my!) or just
want to look back at what we've
done (and looked like) in the past.

• Field Trip information, both
past and present.

• Resources for gathering more
information about native plants

Continued on page 8

2

TNPS Newsletter

From the President

December 2012 Vol. 36, No. 4

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
Mary Priestley
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/

A s we complete another year, I think it is safe to say it was quite successful.

I hope everyone had a chance to attend a field trip or participate in the an-
nual meeting. But reflection necessitates projection, and now is the time to
make plans for the coming year.

By the time this issue of the newsletter is in your hands, the field trip planning
committee will have met and started to flesh out the excursions for 2013. But it is
not too late to add a trip, so if you know of a place that we would be interested in
visiting or if you would like to lead a hike, let me know by shooting an email to
bjones7777@hotmail.com.

Next year will also be focused on what promises to be a spectacular joint an-
nual meeting with the Kentucky Native Plant Society at Lake Barkley State Park
in western Kentucky. It is still in the early planning stages, but I feel sure it will
be an event that will set a new benchmark for our annual meetings for years to
come.

Take a look at the re-launch of our website. Member Karen Ripple has been
busy constructing a fabulous cyber portal for us, so many thanks go to her. Al-
though more work remainds to be done on the site, check www.tnps.org periodi-
cally.

In the next few weeks you will be sent a card reminding you of our annual
fund drive. The last three years we have benefitted greatly from your generosity
and have been able to fund several exciting projects such as the website redesign
and the winter twig book, and increase the honorarium to our speakers. Our so-
ciety has an unusually high percentage of life members, so this extra source of in-
come is critical for maintaining flexibility to address issues and opportunities as
they arise through the year.

I also want to wish everyone a happy holiday season, and I look forward to
serving you as president for the next two years.

See you on the trail.

TNPS treasurer Darel Hess said , “Think
spring when he sent these excellent pho-
tographs of Dicentra cousins , Dicentra
canadensis (left), and Dicentra cucullaria.

3

Another Exotic Pest
Spreads Destruction

O fficials of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently con-
firmed the first backcountry infestation of the emerald ash borer, an
alien insect that is devastating ash tree populations in the eastern U.S
and Canada.

The emerald ash borer is a half-inch-long metallic- green beetle that lays
eggs on the bark of all species of the ash. After hatching, the larvae burrow
under the bark and create feeding tunnels that cut off nutrient and water flow
to the tree. The tree can die in three to five years, according to park biologist
Glenn Taylor.

Accidentally introduced to North America from Asia, the ash borer was
first discovered in southeast Michigan in 2002, and has spread to 16 states
and two Canadian provinces killing tens of millions of ash trees.

Many biologists say potential damage from this insect rivals that of Chest-
nut Blight and Dutch Elm Disease. The insect threatens the entire North
American Fraxinus genus, unlike past invasive tree pests, which have only
threatened a single species within a genus. The green ash and the black ash
trees are preferred by the insect. White ash is also killed rapidly, but usually
only after green and black ash trees are eliminated.

The emerald ash borer probably arrived in the U.S. on solid wood packing
material carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in its native Asia.

Officials have been monitoring the spread of the borer since 2009. Front
country infestations in the Smokies were confirmed in June 2012 at Sugar-
lands Visitor Center and at the Greenbrier entrance to the park. An off-duty
park employee discovered the backcountry in-
festation on an administrative trail in the
Greenbrier area on November 8. The
employee noticed a pile of bark
chips at the base of several ash
trees. Signs of woodpecker activity on
ash trees is an excellent indicator

of an infestation.

Paul Merten, a forest insect
specialist from the USDA Forest
Service in Asheville, North Car-
olina, confirmed the presence of
the borer at the site by looking
under ash tree bark for feeding
tunnels left by the immature beetle. "The in-
festation is well established, probably two years
old or older, " Merten said.

Complete eradication of the ash borer is not cur-
rently feasible, but park managers are developing a
plan to maintain public safety and protect ash trees
where possible.

Although expensive, there are insecticides that are ef-
fective for individual trees, but owners and managers
should research products carefully. New remedies are being developed.

TCV to Honor
Special Friends

T ennessee Conservation Vot-
ers (TCV) will hold its an-
nual fundraiser, “Nature
Votes” at Waller law offices in
downtown Nashville on February
22. The party will provide a chance
for elected officials and citizens to
meet and enjoy local food, plus bev-
erages, live music, and live and silent
auctions. TCV will honor our “Leg-
islative Friends” and discuss plans
for the 2013 session.

If you are interested in being a
sponsor please contact me, Michelle
Haynes, at haynesm@realtracs.com
or the TCV office (615-269-9090).
Tickets can be purchased at the door.
Also, check for updates at
www.tnconservationvoters.org.

Our coalition of state conserva-
tion groups, including TNPS, is ded-
icated to educating voters and politi-
cians, advocating for laws that
protect the environment, and hold-
ing legislators accountable. Despite a
hostile, anti-regulatory legislative
climate, our top accomplishments in-
clude: getting dedicated funding into
the budget on a recurring basis for
preservation of wetlands, wilderness
areas, and parks; working to develop
responsible regulations on “frack-
'ing”; and conducting an extensive
grassroots and advertising campaign
to end mountaintop removal mining
that pushed the bill out of committee
s and garnered public and legislative
support. We also continued our ef-
forts on bills related to solar energy,
water quality, and land preservation.

All of our resources are dedicated
to educational and lobbying efforts,
and we rely heavily on individual
donors.

Thank you for letting me repre-
sent TNPS on the TCV Policy
Council.

Michelle Haynes

4

Early Spring Orchids by Bart Jones

T he earliest blooming of all our orchids is a rarely
seen species, Listera australis , the southern tway-
blade. The diminutive plants
have two small oval leaves that are
opposite each other about halfway up
the stem which is where the common
name twayblade is derived. The tiny
flowers are dark purplish maroon and
have an unusual forked lip like a
snake’s tongue and the plant as a
whole is easily overlooked. Currently
it is only known from two counties
in Tennessee, but one of those is
Fayette, site of our March 30 field
trip to see the population at Mineral
Slough in Ghost River State Natural
Area. Search low moist woods, often
near creeks and small rivers, in late
March for these charming plants.

One of the showiest and most
widespread species of early blooming
orchids is Galearis spectabilis or
showy orchis. It is commonly found
in Middle and East Tennessee but

also found in Chester and Decatur counties in West Ten-
nessee. The plants consist of two glossy green leaves from
which a flower spike of three to 10 flowers emerges. Each
flower is composed of a purplish pink hood formed by

the sepals and petals
and a contrasting
white spade-shaped
lip which has a nectar
spur projecting from
it. This species can be
found in moist, rich
woods blooming in
early to late April de-
pending on elevation.
Corallorhiza wiste-

riana , or spring coralroot, is commonly found throughout
the state in rich woodlands, but is very difficult to locate
due to its unusual growth cycle. Being a
saprophyte (living off rotting organic
matter) the roots remain underground,
often for several years, until they have
acquired enough energy to support
flowering. In early spring, those individ-
uals will send up a purplish brown

Showy orchis (Galearis spectabilis)

Crane fly orchid (Tipularia discolor)

flower spike
with 10 to 20
small flowers,
the sepals and
petals the same
purplish color as the stem, with a white lip with small pur-
ple spots. The common name results from the roots having
an uncanny likeness to bleached coral.

Spring is also a great time to search for two orchids that
have overwintering leaves, Aplectrum hyemale or putty-
root and Tipularia discolor or cranefly orchid, the most
common orchid in the eastern U.S. Puttyroot’s leaves are
large grayish green both top and bottom with white fi-
brous veins, while cranefly orchid’s leaves are glossy green
on top and rich purple beneath. Both species’ leaves wither
by the end of April, so flag locations now. In May,
puttyroot will send up flower spikes and cranefly
orchid will flower in August. After the flowers
fade, new leaves will emerge that will overwinter
once again.

Spring coralroot (Corallorhiza
wisteriana)

Bart Jones

5

t its 2011 annual meeting, TNPS announced the
creation of the Tennessee Botanists Hall of Fame
to recognize both professional and amateur
botanists who have made significant contributions to
botany and to their particular disciplines.

The four botanists named then were Andre Michaux,
Augustine Gattinger, A.J. “Jack” Sharp, and Elsie Quar-
terman. Dr. Quarterman was the only member of the
group still living.

At the annual meeting in September, Robert Krai,
Vanderbilt University emeritus professor, was named to
the hall of fame. His short biography here shows again
the notable contributions being made by Tennesseans to
the scientific field we love.

Annual Meeting Success

— Continued

work and learn about neighboring wildflower enthusiasts.

At Carson Springs in September, members were led on a
hike from the Cosby Center in the Smokies up the Big
Creek Trail to Mouse Creek Falls, about two miles above
the trailhead. (See field trip description on next page.)

Nominations for New Terms

Another item of business brought before the membership
was a slate of nominees, both officers and directors. The
nominees, all to continue in their positions, are Bart Jones,
president; Todd Crabtree, vice-president; Margie Hunter,
secretary; and Darel Hess, treasurer; and Dennis Horn,
Lorie Emens, and Larry Pounds, directors. Additional
nominations will be accepted until January 7. If no addi-
tional nominations are received, the nominees above will
be installed.

David Haskell , left , Jamie Donaldson , and Dennis Horn
discuss their biological perspectives, during the TNPS an-
nual meeting in September.

Vanderbilt s Robert Krai
Fifth Member of TNPS
Hall of Fame

R obert Krai grew up on a dairy farm in Iowa and be-
came inspired by his father's large library of Luther
Burbank's writings. After studying forestry and
serving in World War II and Korea, he continued his edu-
cation at Florida State University, where he earned his doc-
torate. He then began teaching and would eventually settle
in 1965 at Vanderbilt University to teach for the next 30
years.

He has contributed to the botanical literature to the tune
of over one hundred papers and two books. A two-volume
tome with detailed information on rare plants of the
Southeast amounts to over 1,000 pages. He even con-
tributed illustrations for those volumes.

While producing those documents he was diligently
fleshing out the intricate details of botany in the southeast-
ern United States. He was also fulfilling his duty teaching
at Vanderbilt University and curating a growing collection
of plant specimens.

Along the way he became the recognized authority on
the genus Xyris and has discovered several new species in
that group. He even discovered a new species of Xyris in
Tennessee, Xyris tennesseensis.

His contributions to ongoing projects is significant. His
work on difficult groups, like sedges, for the Flora of
North America project is proof of his extensive knowledge.
Other botanists think so highly of Dr. Krai that they have
named new species in his honor. The latest of these was
just described by Dr. Dwayne Estes. Penstemon kralii is
found in areas of limestone outcrop soils on the southern
Cumberland Plateau.

His influence also extends to the northern end of the
plateau where the species that he and Dr. Eugene Wofford
of UT described resides. The Cumberland sandwort, Min-
uartia cumberlandensis, is found in sandstone rock houses
near the Tennessee/Kentucky border.

In the decade or so since he retired from teaching at
Vanderbilt Dr. Krai has continued to curate the treasure
trove of specimens he accumulated during his long career.

These specimens, which were collected by Dr. Krai and
numerous other botanists, are now housed in a facility in
Texas. That's a long commute from south Georgia, where
he now resides, and just one example of the dedication that
has made this man one of the giants of botany in Tennessee
and beyond.

Todd Crabtree

6

TNPS FIELD TRIPS

Big Creek, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
September 15, 2012

O ur field trip for the annual meeting took us
along Big Creek just across the state line in
North Carolina. The trail is wide and stays
close to the creek. The sound of water making its way over
and between the cobbles and boulders was always near,
varying with the cascades and riffles along the way.

One of the first
plants to catch our at-
tention was pale jewel
weed ( Impdtiens
cdpensis). There were
just a few flowers, but
quite a few fruits
were poised to spring
open and fling seeds
away from the parent
plant. It takes some
experience to discern
which fruits are at the
peak of pressure and
will explode at the
slightest touch. If you
choose wisely the re-
ward is a tiny burst of
seeds and elaters that
is almost impossible
for the human eye to
follow.

Another interesting
plant we observed
was American spikenard (. Aralia racemosa). It had numer-
ous dark crimson fruits which looked like a frozen explo-
sion of spherical rubies.

Further on, between the creek and the trail we discov-
ered a patch of fumitory (Adlumid fungosa). This species is

Pink turtlehead (Chelone lyonii)

listed as rare in Tennessee and grows in the mountains. It is
usually associated with rocky openings near creeks or on
steep slopes. The plants we saw were climbing over rocks
and into a thicket of rhododendron.

At several spots on the banks of the creek were small
colonies of cutleaf coneflower ( Rudbeckia laciniata). The
bright yellow flowers on some of the plants were above
our heads. A small rivulet that crossed the trail harbored a
few pink turtleheads (Chelone lyonii). We stopped at our
destination for a restful lunch across the creek from an ele-
gant waterfall.

About half of the group took a slight detour on the way
back to our lodgings to see a rare parasitic shrub. Pirate
bush (Buckleyd distich ophy lid) is parasitic on evergreen
trees, and in Tennessee it prefers hemlock (Tsugd cdndden-
sis).

Todd Crdhtree

Rock Island Fall Hike
Sept. 22, 2012

T he beginning of autumn coincided with our return
to Rock Island State Park to continue the survey of
plants in the park. We met again at the market in
beautiful downtown Rock Island. Those on the hike in-
cluded Janie Finch, Bill Taber, Donna Ward and friend
Linda Quinn, Louise Gregory, Darel and Gail Hess, B.C.
Hudson, and Dennis and Sherry Horn.

We again headed to the Twin Falls parking area to begin
our hike on the Downstream Trail. This trail has the great-
est variety of plants, and the views along the Caney Fork
River are ever changing. The water flow was the highest I
had seen at Rock Island, likely caused by the 4- to 5-inch
rainfall in the area the Monday before. Kayakers were hav-
ing a great time.

All of the participants were knowledgeable of and inter-
ested in the plants we observed along the trail. All together
we added 89 species to our earlier list of plants for this
trail, and as a result lunch was significantly delayed. We
finished the trail at 2:30 pm, about and hour-and-a-half
later than intended.

Plants found on this trail included white crownbeard
( Verhesind virginicd), yellow leaf cup ( Smdlldnthus uveddl-
ius ), white-flowered leaf cup (Polymnid cdnddensis ), pink
thoroughwort ( Fleischmdnnid incdrndtd ), downy lobelia
(Lohelid puberuld), wild sensitive plant ( Chdmdecristd nic-
titdns ), cupseed (Cdlycocdrpum lyonii ), tall rattlesnake root
(Prendnthes dltissimd ), short-pappus goldenrod (Soliddgo
sphdceldtd ), and of course many others. Darel was able to
determine this goldenrod by observing the short pappus
surrounding each disk floret with a hand lens.

Lunch at the Rock Island Market is always great. I en-
joyed a barbecue plate and coconut cream pie. After lunch

Spikendrd (Aralia racemosa)

7

TNPS FIELD TRIPS

we had only an hour to explore upstream of the falls along
the trail that follows the base of the high bluff. By now the
group was down to five, and we were joined by Janie’s hus-
band Ric. We found rigid goldenrod (Solidago rigida ), late
purple aster (Aster patens), lesser calamint (Calamintha
nepeta ), and axilflower (Mecardonia acuminata). The water
was too high in the river to explore the rocky streamside
vegetation, so we decided to conclude our hike for the day.

A species list for Rock Island State Park has now been
compiled from the plants observed during the two TNPS
field trips this year. Also included were species recorded
during other hikes in 201 1 and from an initial list obtained
from the park naturalist. The final list has been forwarded
to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conser-
vation to be included in their plant data base.

Dennis Horn

Walls of Jericho
October 20, 2012

T he area surrounding Walls of Jericho State
Natural Area contains some very rare
plants, and on our trip we saw a few of
these. During our steep descent towards
Hurricane Creek we encountered two
rare plants that are closely associated
with forests and woodlands on limestone v

soils. U

Ear-leaved goldenrod ( Solidago auriculata) ( see
sketch) is at the northern limit of its range in Tennessee but
it is not difficult to find in this area. The leaf is so distinc-
tive that it is easy to identify even if the plant isn't flower-
ing. Cumberland rosinweed ( Silpbium hrachiatum) is re-
stricted to the southern plateau and is found sporadically
on south- and west-facing slopes. It too has a distinctive
leaf shape that makes recognition possible without flowers.
Most plants are seen without flowers. Only at the edges of
gladey openings in the forest and artificial breaks in the
canopy, like trails and roads, does it flower profusely. It
can reach heights of eight to ten feet. For such a large
plant, it has very small yellow inflorescences.

Limerock arrow wood (Viburnum hracteatum ) sticks
closer to streams than the two previously mentioned
species. It has a heart-shaped leaves, and in the fall they
turn a deep burgundy or sometimes a dull yellow color. As
the trail was pushed between the stream and the steep
slope above, we began to see the arrow wood. In the spring
these streamside plants are weighted down by the large
white tresses of flowers.

We saw witch hazel flowering on the creek banks. The

yellow flowers have long thin strap-like petals, and they
attract a moth that is active in the winter. When most
plants are closing up shop for the winter, witch hazel has
made a bargain to open for the moth in exchange for the
service of pollination.

In the fall photosynthetic processes are shut down and
chlorophyll is reduced in the leaves of deciduous plants.
This recession of green reveals other pigments in the leaves
and produces a varied arrangement of colors in the forest.
Some leaves are falling from the trees as others are just be-
gining to change colors.

The curtain of leaves that obscures the high lime-
stone walls in the deepest part of Turkey Creek
cove in the summer had fallen so
that we could see this dramatic
feature. Two log bridges and a
rock hop across Turkey Creek
brought us into the wide lime-
stone amphitheater where the
creek emerges from one of the walls.
Like many other creeks on the

southern part of the Cumber-
land plateau, this creek
dives in and out of the
ground. This emergence
is one of the most dra-
matic.

The enormous bowl of limestone
with water shooting out of one side
produces varied reactions in the people
who visit it. Children usually climb,
yell and look up and around with amazement. Adults take
in the view and eventually sit down with a look of awe,
reverence, and appreciation. In part, this could be due to
the long steep hike in to the walls.

We retraced our steps back out of the cove, climbing the
slope that will awaken in the spring with numerous
ephemeral wildflowers.

Todd Crabtree

Here’s a new web resource that you might
enjoy: a blog that’s written by Sewanee Herbarium
staffers, including TNPS members Yolande Gottfried
and Mary Priestley. Featuring Plant of the Day articles,
news of upcoming and recent events, and other stories,
the blog should be of interest to those who enjoy
keeping up with botanical goings-on on the plateau.

This time of year, when we can’t get out as often as
we might like, a little armchair botanizing might be
just the ticket. The blog is located at http://sewanee-
herbarium.wordpress.com/. Or google Sewanee
Herbarium blog, and it will pop up.

Tennessee Native Plant Society December 2012

TNPS Website and Facebook Pages

— continued

through links to other websites.

• A shop for purchasing the TNPS Official Field
Guide or other TNPS merchandise such as t-shirts,
mugs, and calendars.

• A link to TNPS on Facebook; however, you must
be a Facebook member for access.

In the future we will add our 2013 field trips and
newsletters as they are published. New field trip photos
of both people and plants (please identify them) will be
included as space allows. Just send them to
webmaster@tnps.org or use the webmaster email link at
the bottom of each web page. If you encounter errors or
glitches on the website, again please email the webmas-
ter.

Maryland Native Plant Society, a former high
school science teacher and teacher of teachers, author,
and owner of Ripples-on- Water Websites.

Webmaster Karen Ripple is a new member of TNPS
and a new resident of Tennessee, a past member of the

Dentaria multifida

Photo by Darel Hess

Check Your Dues Date?

Check your mailing label — the year through which you have paid dues is printed at the top. If the date’s 2012 or 2011,
please send a check promptly to Darel Hess, our treasurer. TNPS, P.O. Box 159274, Nashville, TN 37215.

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