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TENNESSEE  NATIVE 
PLANT  SOCIETY 
NEWSLETTER 


VOLUME  18,  NUMBER  1 


FEBRUARY  1995 


Natives  With  a Purpose 
by  Meredith  Clebsch 

You  may  not  be  aware  that  there  is  a major  fru-fra  going 
on  at  the  moment  in  the  nursery  industry  concerning  native 
plants.  You  may  have  heard  that  it  was  passed  down  from 
on  high,  Big  Bill,  that  native  plants  should  be  used 
whenever  possible,  and  practical  on  government  landscape 
projects.  You  and  I know  that  in  principle,  this  is  a very 
noble  idea  and  could  have  numerous  benefits.  However,  the 
nursery  industry  is  nervous  and  even  the  president  of  the 
national  association  seems  to  consider  "radical  environ- 
mentalists" to  be  the  culprit.  It  is  understandable  since 
there  are  many  nurseries  that  grow  non-native  plants, 
however,  there  are  many  other  non-government  jobs  that  use 
lots  of  plants.  Defining  exactly  what  a native  plant  is, 
as  we  all  know,  can  be  a sticky  question  and  that  is  also 
causing  a bit  of  a rub. 

However  the  issue  washes  out,  I think  we  will  all  be  better 
off  having  had  to  make  some  hard  decisions  concerning  the 
long  term  considerations  that  are  necessary  if  we  are  truly 
going  to  "do  the  right  thing"  and  aim  at  sustainable 
landscapes.  I hope  you  can  share  your  efforts  with  others 
so  that  they  too  might  appreciate  why  these  "new"  landscapes 
are  good  for  us  all  and  not  a dangerous  threat  to  undermine 
the  nursery  industry. 

Since  most  of  you  are  more  likely  to  be  involved  in  fairly 
small  pieces  of  landscape,  and  may  still  be  unsure  of  what 
the  "right"  way  to  manage  it  is,  I thought  reviewing  some 


general  principles  might  help  get 
you  off  the  block  and  into  the  yard. 

Without  a knowledgeable  guiding 
light  to  focus  on,  many  eager, 
enthusiastic  attempts  at  creating 
wildness  easily  lead  to  frustra- 
tion. Most  gardens,  natural  or 
otherwise,  take  2-3  years  to  begin 
to  look  like  what  they  are  supposed 
to.  This  is  the  toughest  time  to 
stick  to  your  guns  and  not  reach  for 
the  Round-up  and  the  weed-eater. 
You  may  find  yourself  needing  a pep 
talk  from  time  to  time,  and  you  will 
certainly  need  ammunition  for  con- 
vincing (converting?)  skeptics,  so 
here  are  a few  definitions  of  some 
of  the  less  understood  aspects  of 
native  gardening.  Condider  this  a 
mini-ecology  lesson  to  help  you 
focus  your  efforts  for  the  long 
term . 


Major  Definite  Benefit--  Increasing 
biodiversity.  It  takes  a certain 
degree  of  maturity  and  patience  to 
look  beyond  what  is  blooming  today 
and  consider  the  whole  picture  of 
how  everything  we  do  affects  every 
other  thing.  Most  of  us,  by  now, 
understand  that  human  behaviors  are 
largely  responsible  for  the  accel- 
erated pace  of  reductions  of  whole 
species  and  the  overall  reduction  in 
numbers  of  most  others.  Because 
plants  and  animals  evolved  to- 
gether, many  non-native  plants  are 
of  little  or  no  use  as  food  or 
shelter  to  the  native  inhabitants . 
Natural  landscapes  provide  reason- 
able facsimiles  of  native  habitats 
and  increase  the  number  of  species 
(biodiversity)  of  both  plants  and 
animals.  Therefore,  this  is 

probably  the  most  important 
side-effect  to  the  use  of 
native  plants. 


use 


TENNESSEE  NA  TIVE  PLANT  SOCIETY 
NEWSLETTER 


FEBRUARY1995 
VOLUME  18,  NUMBER  1 


This  Newsletter  is  a publication  of  the 
Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society  and  is 
published  six  times  a year,  generally  in 
February,  April,  June,  August,  October 
and  December. 

The  Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society 
(TNPS)  was  founded  in  1978.  Its 
purposes  are  to  assist  in  the  exchange  of 
information  and  encourage  fellowship 
among  Tennessee's  botanists,  both 
amateurand  professional;  to  promote 
education  of  the  public  about  Tennessee 
flora,  and  wild  plant  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  enhance- 
ment of  Tennessee's  wild  plant  communi- 
ties. 

Dues  are  $15  for  the  calendar  year  ($10 
for  students  and  senior  citizens,  $20  for 
institutions,  and  $1 50  for  life  member- 
ships). Membership  privileges  include  a 
subscription  to  the  TNPS  Newsletter. 
Dues  may  be  sent  to 

The  Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society, 
Department  of  Botany,  the  University 
of  Tennessee,  Knoxville,  TN  37996- 
1100. 

TNPS  OFFICERS 

Mary  Martin  Schaffner  of  Nashville, 
President 

Dennis  Horn  ofTullahoma, 
Vice-President 
Andrea  Shea  of  Nashville, 

Corresponding  Secretary 
Nita  Heilman  of  Clarksville, 

Recording  Secretary 
Karen  Yarbro  of  Knoxville, 

Treasurer 

DIRECTORS 

John  Churchill  of  Johnson  City 
H R.  DeSelm  of  Knoxville 
Shirley  Nicholson  of  Knoxville 
Bertha  Chrietzburg  of  Nashville 
Kay  Jones  of  Columbia 
Harold  Scott  of  Columbia 
Larry  Wilson  of  Memphis 
Sally  Mirick  of  Knoxville 


Candy  Swan,  Editor 


RULES  TO  HIKE  BY 

The  following  rules  were  recently  printed  in  the  field  trip 
schedule  of  the  Georgia  Botanical  Society.  One  would 
think  that  these  rules  wouldn't  have  to  be  stated,  but  all  of 
us,  especially  field  trip  leaders  who  lead  trips  one  day  and 
return  the  next  to  find  all  the  flowers  gone,  know  not  to  take 
anything  for  granted.  These  rules  should  be  followed  at  all 
times,  not  just  on  field  trips. 

* NO  COLLECTING 

* NO  PICKING  except  for  those  few  plants  used  by 
the  field  trip  leader  for  educational  purposes  on  the 
trip.  Certainly  no  bouquets! 

* Please  do  not  use  a TNPS  or  any  field  trip  to  (and  I 
love  this)  "scope  out"  places  to  later  return  and  re- 
move plant  material. 

* Make  every  attempt  to  remain  on  established  trails 
and  where  trails  do  not  exist,  make  every  attempt  not 

to  trample  the  vegetation. 


REMEMBER,  take  only  photographs  and  leave  only  foot- 
prints. N 


k 

% 


2 


PHOTOGRAPHING  WILDFLOWERS- 
PART  VIII 

BLACK  AND  WHITE  IN  COLOR 


by  David  Duhl 


No,  this  is  not  the  name  of  a foreign  film.  And  it’s  not 
one  of  those  "artsy"  things  that  nobody  understands, 
either.  It’s  going  to  make  sense  if  you’ll  just  read  on. 

The  fact  is,  film  will  record  very  light  colors  (whites) 
and  very  dark  ones  (blacks)  as  gray.  Not  just  any 
gray,  mind  you,  but  a lifeless,  washed-out  gray.  The 
kind  of  gray  you  were  always  afraid  your  gym  socks 
might  become. 

The  problem  is  that  all  cameras  are  calibrated  to  make 
everything  look  gray.  It’s  usually  a good  idea  because 
it  allows  us  to  make  properly  exposed  pictures. 

What’s  really  happening  is  that  a little  person  in  the 
camera  matches  the  needles  or  LED  readout  to  read  a 
correct  exposure  when  he/she  thinks  the  result  is  gray. 
It  usually  works  out  quite  well:  a bright  scene  alerts 
him/her  that  there’s  too  much  light  on  the  gray  subject, 
and  tells  you  to  let  less  light  on  the  film.  A dark 
scene?  That  little  person  interprets  it  as  not  very 
much  light  on  the  gray  subject  and  asks  you  to  add 
more  light.  Here’s  a great  test:  photograph  a white 
piece  of  paper  and  a black  one  by  metering  off  the 
paper.  What  do  you  think  the  result  will  be? 

This  all  works  fine  unless  we  really  want  the  subject  to 
be  dark  (black)  or  bright  (white).  In  this  case,  we  want 
no  advice  from  the  little  person  in  the  camera.  Here’s 
a real  example.  We  find  a beautiful  specimen  of  white 
trillium  in  the  spring,  and  we  want  to  make  a close-up 
of  it . If  we  meter  off  the  white  petals,  the  result  will 
be  "gym  sock"  petals.  We  have  to  outsmart  the 
camera  and  override  it,  letting  more  light  into  the 
camera  than  the  meter  suggests. 

Here’s  another  common  example.  You’ve  memorized 
the  contents  of  this  article  and  happen  upon  another 
white  trillium.  Not  wanting  to  fall  into  the  gym  sock 
trap,  you  meter  on  something  that  you  know  will  result 


in  a properly  exposed  photograph-like  some 
fallen  leaves,  for  example.  The 
result... overexposed  white  petals!  Here’s 
why.  The  camera  suggested  a properly 
exposed  photograph,  but  the  film  can  only 
handle  a subject  only  so  much  brighter  than 
the  correct  exposure.  The  white  petals  are 
too  much.  In  this  case-when  we  did  not 
meter  off  the  white-we  needed  to  let  less 
light  in  than  our  camera  suggested.  Most 
things  will  be  slightly  underexposed,  but  the 
whites  will  look  great. 


Now,  this  is  not  just  limited  to  whites.  Dark 
subjects  have  similar  problems.  Whatever 
you  do  for  whites,  just  do  the  opposite  for 
dark  subjects.  Yellow  similarly  misbehaves, 
as  does  pink.  The  result?  When  photo- 
graphing yellow  sunnybells,  pink  Sabatia,  or 
wild  ginger,  you’ve  got  a problem.  Only  now 
you  know  how  to  solve  it. 


FEDERAL  TRADE  COMMISSION  ISSUES  REGULA- 
TIONS: LABELS  ON  WILD-COLLECTED  PLANTS 

Previously,  guidelines  (18.0,  definitions  & 18.6)  for 
the  nursery  industry  allowed  plants  that  originated 
from  the  wild  to  be  disguised  as  "nursery  grown", 
confusing  or  misleading  the  environmentally 
concerned  consumer.  The  new  guidelines  define 
"Nursery  Propagated"  plants  as  those  reproduced 
and  grown  under  cultivation  from  plants,  seeds  or 
cuttings  lawfully  collected  from  the  wild  state. 
"Propagated"  as  reproduced  from  seeds,  cuttings, 
callus  or  other  plant  tissue,  spores  or  other 
propagules  under  a controlled  environment  that  is 
intensely  manipulated  by  human  intervention  for 
the  purpose  of  producing  selected  specimens  or 
hybrids.  Furthermore,  18.6  is  amended  to  make  it 
"deceptive"  to  sell  or  distribute  products  collected 
from  the  wild  state  without  disclosing  that  they 
were  collected  from  the  wild  state. 


3 


natives  with  a purpose  con't. 


Birds  and  butterflies  are  beautiful  and  lovable  and 
easily  enticed  within  reach  by  simple  improvements  to 
habitats.  The  less  photogenic  critters  need  equal  time 
and  habitat.  No  matter  if  you  have  one  scarlet  sage  in 
a clay  pot  on  your  5x5  porch  in  the  middle  of  town,  or 
acres  of  native  grasses,  flowers  and  woodlands  in  the 
country,  you  have  made  a contribution  to  species  other 
than  your  own. 


Landscape  Restoration:  recreating  plant  communities  and 
allowing  them  to  continue  to  change  by  natural  succession. 
Often  this  approach  is  more  appropriate  for  large  scale 
landscapes  that  have  sustained  major  damage  and  need  a 
boost  to  help  them  back  to  something  resembling  their 
original  condition.  Strip  mines,  drained  wetlands,  road 
projects,  golf  courses  and  large  construction  sites  are 
good  candidates  for  restoration.  This  would  be  considered 
a purist  approach  since  only  plants  that  would  be  expected 
before  disturbance  on  that  site  are  allowed.  Considerable 
planning  and  data  collection  are  involved  for  successful 
restorations.  An  important  note,  though,  aside  from  the 
initial  preparations,  restorations,  by  design,  carry  on 
naturally  and  are  minimally  managed.  As  a result,  this 
can  be  one  of  the  least  costly  methods  in  the  long  run. 

Natural  Landscaping:  creating  and  managing  native  plants 
in  more  or  less  a fixed  state.  This  approach  may  begin 
in  a similar  manner  to  restoration,  but  succession  may  be 
halted  at  a desired  stage,  for  example,  a meadow,  by 
management  such  as  mowing  or  selective  clearing.  Species 
included  are  not  necessarily  specific  to  the  original 
site,  though  sticking  to  at  least  regional  natives  is 
recommended.  Smaller  areas,  from  backyards  to  small 
acreages,  are  most  often  handled  this  way  to  maintain  a 
desired  effect,  in  a natural  way. 

Community:  Very  Important!  Plant  communities  can  be 
described  as  associations  of  plants  that  are  naturally 
reproducible.  Different  forest  types,  oak/hickory  or 
pine,  are  examples  of  community  types  that  occur  over  and 
over  again  in  the  natural  landscape.  You  might  expect  to 
find  similar  plants  along  edges  of  different  ponds  in  the 
same  region,  but  roadside  ditches  might  have  completely 
different  plants,  even  though  both  areas  are  wet.  (Why?) 
When  planning,  remember  to  consider  all  of  the  plants-- 
herbaceous,  shrubby  and  woody--in  the  community.  The  way 
that  these  are  combined  is  also  important  and  is  termed 
spatial  diversity.  As  you  might  guess,  increasing  the 
number  of  species  in  each  of  these  levels  creates  a layered 
habitat  that  can  support  more  species  of  animals  by 
supplying  more  year  round  food  and  shelter.  Given  a 
similar  structure  using  non-native  plants  vs.  native 
plants,  the  native  group  will  be  utilized  more  and  have 
a higher  diversity  of  native  wildlife  species. 

The  significance  for  you  and  what  you  are  attempting  to 
create  is  that,  given  similar  environmental  conditions 
(including  soil  type,  drainage,  rainfall,  light,  etc.), 
certain  plants  tend  to  show  up  together.  (How  do  they  do 
that?)  As  a result,  animals 


that  use  these  plants  tend  to  show  up  together. 
(Hard  to  believe?)  A basic  understanding  of 
your  own  growing  conditions  and  the  community 
type  that  is  most  appropriate,  is  very 
important.  For  example,  a meadow  or  prairie 
community  may  be  your  goal.  If  your  site  is 
heavily  wooded,  you  need  to  reconsider.  Is  it 
a wet  lowland  or  a dry  bank?  Most  of  the 
frustrations  with  naturalizing  projects  stem 
from  trying  to  create  a community  that  is 
radically  different  from  what  the  site  would 
naturally  support.  The  expense  of  grading, 
adding  topsoil  (it  usually  washes  off), 
fertilizer,  adding  irrigation  or  drainage 
lines,  is  rarely  the  best  choice  except  on 
severely  damaged  areas.  Take  the  time  to 
understand  all  you  can  about  your  particular 
site  before  deciding  how  best  to  manage  it. 

Corridors  and  Hedgerows:  pathways  and  connec- 
tors between  natural  areas  to  allow  and 
encourage  the  safe  movement  of  wildlife  and 
plants.  Fragmentation  is  the  term  used  to 
describe  how  our  natural  landscapes  are  often 
chopped  up  and  distant  from  one  another.  This 
is  a major  reason  that  species  are  not  able  to 
find  each  other  and  reproduce  and  therefore 
don't  have  the  minimum  amount  of  habitat  to 
survive.  Creating  large  enough  natural  areas 
is  often  not  possible,  but  protecting  and 
connecting  several  smaller  areas  can  be  enough 
to  keep  many  species  viable  in  an  area.  The 
common  practice  of  herbiciding  fencerows  and 
roadsides  contributes  to  the  problem.  Often 
just  allowing  these  areas  to  grow  is  all  that 
is  necessary  to  provide  enough  of  the  right 
habitat  to  increase  the  number  of  birds  and 
other  wildlife  dramatically.  Avoid  over- 
managing for  neatness  and  instead  encourage 
letting  leaves,  limbs  and  down  trees  stay  in 
the  landscape.  These  not  only  benefit  soil 
structure  as  they  break  down,  but  are  great 
habitat  for  grubs  etc.  which  are  a major  food 
source  for  many  larger  animals.  Edges  of 
rivers  and  creeks  are  excellent  areas  to  be 
considered  as  corridors  since  water  adds 
another  essential  element  for  species  sur- 
vival. Many  farm  woodlots  could  easily  be 
connected  by  corridors  along  fences,  lanes  and 
creeks . Abandoned  urban  areas  might  be 
minimally  managed  to  create  prime  habitat  for 
many  species.  More  homes  with  native 
landscapes  will  allow  many  species  to  move 
back  into  our  neighborhoods  and  our  lives. 
This  is  a very  simple  and  inexpensive  method 
with  great  potential  for  increasing  interest 
and  diversity  in  small  areas. 


4 


purpose  con't. 


Edges--  the  boundary  where  two  community  types  meet.  Where 
communities  meet  and  often  overlap,  the  number  of  species  is 
higher  than  in  either  one  independently.  This  is  because 
species  from  each  community  will , at  times,  use  the  edge.  The 
edge  between  a woodlot  and  a pasture  is  often  very  distinct. 
Not  much  room  for  interaction.  If  however,  there  was  a 
transition  zone  of  say,  sumac  and  other  medium  sized  plants 
for  several  yards,  you  could  expect  to  see  much  increased 
activity  in  the  area.  In  your  planning,  think  of 
possibilities  to  increase  the  edges  and  decrease  the  abrupt 
end  to  a community  type.  The  visual  effect  will  be  more 
pleasing  and  natural,  also.  Along  these  lines,  you  should 
also  consider  leaving  or  including  dead  snags . These  are  very 
important  for  birds  during  breeding,  nesting  and  as  a source 
of  grubs  etc.  Snags  also  make  it  much  easier  for  watchers 
to  see  birds! 

Just  Plant  It  1 1 

Hopefully,  these  concepts  will  help  you  narrow  your  focus  to 
something  doable.  Don' t try  to  wait  until  you  know  everything 
before  you  start,  or  you  never  will  start.  And  by  all  means, 
involve  others,  young  or  old;  gardener  or  couch  potatoes; 
dumb  or  dumber;  professional  or  amateur.  My  old  gym  teacher 
told  me  one  of  life's  all  time  truths  which  is  "One  does  not 
like  what  one  cannot  do,  " and  once  someone  sees  what  they  have 
done  grow  and  blossom,  they  will  like  it! 


NATIVE  PLANT  SALE 
WILDFLOWER  FESTIVAL 
APRIL  8-9,  1995 

Reflection  Riding  and  the  Chattanooga  Nature  Center  will 
have  its  annual  spring  Native  Plant  Sale  and  Wildflower 
Festival  April  8-9.  A myriad  of  wildflowers  should  be  bloom- 
ing within  Reflection  Riding's  300  acres,  visible  from  car  or 
one  of  the  many  hiking  trails. 

The  plants  that  will  be  on  sale  have  been  propagated  mostly 
from  the  native  plants  in  the  Riding. ..none  dug  from  the  wild. 
For  more  information  or  an  order  form,  call  615/821-9582,  or 
write  Reflection  Riding,  400  Garden  Rd,  Chattanooga,  TN 
37419. 


WILDFLOWER  WALKS  OFFERED  AT  BAYS 
MOUNTAIN  PARK 

10  a.m.  Each  Saturday  in  April  and  May  6 

3:15  p.m.  April  16,  April  29,  April  30,  May 
6 and  May  13 

12:30  p.m.  May  6 

Wildflower  walks  will  be  lead  by  a trained  natural- 
ist at  the  above  dates  and  times.  Each  will  last  1 
1/2  -2  hours.  Participants  should  meet  at  the 
upstairs  entrance  to  the  Nature  Center.  Bays 
Mountain  Park  is  located  6 miles  from  downtown 
Kingsport,  TN  and  may  be  accessed  from  Exit 
57B  on  1-81  and  then  Exit  51  from  1-181,  then 
follow  the  signs.  There  is  a $3  per  car  parking 
fee.  Walks  are  free.  For  more  information  contact 
Joe  Taft  at  615/229-9447. 


EXOTIC  PEST  PLANT  COUNCIL  SYMPOSIUM 

The  Tennessee  Exotic  Pest  Plant  Council  (TN-EPPC) 
will  host  the  second  annual  Tennessee  exotic  Pest 
Plant  Symposium  to  be  held  April  7 & 8,  1995  at  the 
Scarritt-Bennett  Center  in  Nashville,  TN. 

Sessions  will  address  the  issue  of  exotic  plant  invasion 
and  related  problems  caused  by  "biological  pollution". 
This  will  include  sessions  that  focus  on  public  policy 
issues,  scientific  perspectives,  education,  control  and 
management  of  exotics,  restoration  and  native  plant 
issues.  The  keynote  speaker  will  be  Dr.  Carol  Baskin, 
professor  of  botany  at  the  University  of  Kentucky. 

Registration  for  the  symposium  is  required  and  early 
registration  is  advised,  as  space  is  limited.  To 
register,  or  for  further  invormation  please  contact: 

Dr.  Darlene  Panvini 
Vanderbilt  University 
Box 1537B 
Nashville,  TN  37235 
615/312-7290 

Brian  Bowen 

Dept,  of  Env.  and  Cons.  /Ecological  Services 
Division 

L&C  Tower  8th  Floor 
401  Church 

Nashville,  TN  37243-0447 
615/532-0436 


5 


THE  INVASION  OF  THE  LADY  BUGS 


This  year  seems  to  be  the  "year  of  the  lady  bug".  Though 
few  would  call  the  lady  bug  a bother,  folks  are  calling  the 
news  media,  extension  offices  and  entomologists  around 
the  state  complaining  about  the  number  of  lady  bugs.  They 
just  seem  to  be  the  hot  topic  of  conversation  this  winter. 
They're  everywhere,  in  houses,  sheds  and  porches.  I even 
collected  a couple  of  hundred  from  an  old  smoke  stand  I 
bought  at  a junk  store  last  month!  I put  most  of  them  in  the 
refrigerator  to  rest  until  spring  and  a couple  on  my  Cym- 
bidium  to  see  if  they  would  munch  on  the  scales  that 
plague  the  plant. 


There  are  about  5000  species  of  lady  bugs  (lady  beetles  or 
ladybird  beetles)  in  the  world  and  about  400  in  North 
America.  Only  three  species  are  plant  feeders  and  garden 
pests.  Lady  bugs  are  easily  the  most  beneficial  insects, 
feeding  on  aphids,  scales,  mites  and  mealy  bugs,  and  play 
a major  role  in  holding  down  outbreaks  of  these  pests.  (If 
you  grow  butterfly  weed  in  your  garden,  be  sure  to  grow  a 
few  lady  bugs  too!  They  should  call  it  aphidweed  instead  of 
chiggerweed)  Both  the  adults  and  larvae  are  voracious 
predators  and  the  larvae  look  like  tiny,  fat,  black  and  red 
spiny  alligator  vacum  cleaners  going  through  a patch  of 
aphids!  After  passing  through  4 growth  stages,  the  larvae 
attach  themselves  by  the  tail  to  a leaf  or  branch,  pupating 
in  the  last  larval  skin  and  emerging  as  adults  a few  days 
later. 


Adults  are  oval  or  round,  with  a flat  underside  and  are  red, 
orange  or  yellow  with  black  markings,  or  the  other  way 
around,  with  very  short  antennae  and  a very  tiny  head. 
Adults  gather  by  the  thousands  as  cold  weather  sets  in  and 
hibernate  under  rocks  and  branches.  Several  species 
enter  houses  in  the  fall  to  hibernate  until  spring.  I had 
never  seen  this  until  we  moved  into  the  house  we're  in  now. 
From  what  I hear,  once  a lady  bug  house,  always  a lady 
bug  house,  which  seems  to  annoy  some  people.  I think  it's 
great.  In  the  fall,  we  had  swarms  of  lady  bugs  in  the  yard 
and  then  I started  noticing  them  upstairs,  only  they  weren't, 
aren't,  hibernating.  They're  crawling  everywhere,  so  I 
collect  them  by  hand  and  put  them  in  the  refrigerator.  I 
heard  the  other  day  you  should  vacum  them  up  and  put 
them  outside,  but  neither  seemed  very  kind  to  the  beetles. 


When  the  weather  warms  up,  lady 
bugs,  either  purchased  or  collected, 
should  be  gently  released  in  the  garden 
in  the  evening,  so  they  won't  fly  away. 

It  helps  to  have  a good  supply  of  aphids 
and  other  pests  for  them  to  feed  on. 
Please  don't  used  pesticides!  3000 
lady  bugs  will  protect  about  one  acre 
and  it  takes  about  1500  of  the  beetles 
to  make  an  ounce. 


NON-TNPS  WILDFLOWER  ACTIVITIES 

Ma2Eih25  River  Bluff  Trail  Spring  Wild- 
flower  walk.  Norris  Reservoir,  Norris, TN. 

10  a.m.  , parking  lot  of  trail.  Call  Judith 
Bartlow  615-632-1592. 

April  1-2  Norris  Dam  State  Park  Wild- 
flower  Weekend  10  a.m.  & 2 p.m.  hikes. 
River  Bluff  Trail  and  Rock  Creek  Trail.  Call 
Mike  Scott  at  615-426-7461. 

April  14-16  Fall  Creek  Falls  Wildflower 
Pilgrimage  615-881-5708 

April  15-16  and  April  22-23  Frozen  Head 
State  Park  Wildflower  Pilgrimage.  615- 
346-3318. 

April  21-23  Warrior's  Path  State  Park 
Spring  Festival.  Wildflower  walks,  bird  life, 
nature  photography,  etc.  615-239-8531. 

April  23  Standing  Stone  State  Park 
Wildflower  Walk  8 a.m.  615-823-6347. 

April  28-29  Cedars  of  Lebanon  State  Park 
Wildflower  Pilgrimage.  615-443-2769 

May  6-7  Roan  Mountain  State  Park. 

Wildflower  and  bird  walks  plus  Bob  McFee 
will  speak  on  Highland  Grazing:Angora 
Goats  on  the  Roan.  June  16-18  49th 
Annual  Rhododendron  Festival,  guided 
tours  to  the  Roan's  rhododendron  "gardens". 
615-772-3303. 


1995  FIELD  TRIPS 


The  following  tentative  1995  schedule  of  field  trips  will  be  submitted  to  the  TNPS  Board  of  Directors  at  its  February  meeting.  Some  trips  will  be 
described  in  more  detail  in  future  issues  of  the  Newletter.  Trips  are  led  by  persons  familiar  with  native  plants  of  the  area.  These  trips  provide  an 
opportunity  to  observe,  photograph,  and  learn  about  our  native  flora.  Since  plant  protection  and  conservation  are  primary  objectives  of  our  organiza- 
tion, digging  and  collecting  is  NOT  PERMITTED. 

Please  contact  the  leader  in  advance  for  those  trips  that  you  plan  to  attend.  This  not  only  lets  the  leader  know  the  number  of  participants,  but  also 
ensures  that  last  minute  changes  and  updated  information  are  known  prior  to  the  trip. 

Keep  the  schedule  handy  and  plan  to  attend  as  many  trips  this  year  as  possible.  See  you  on  the  trail! 


1995  TNPS  FIELD  TRIP  SCHEDULE  (PRELIMINARY) 


DATE 


EVENT/LOCATION/COORDINATOR 


MARCH  25 


APRIL  9 


April  15 


April  27-29 
April  30 


May  13 


May  20 


June  17 


Bluebell  Island,  Franklin  Co.;  extensive  population  of  Meriensia  virginica  and  other  spring  wildflowers  on  an 
island  in  the  Elk  River.  Also,  search  for  dwarf  trillium,  Trillium  pusillum,  not  seen  here  since  the  early  1980's.  Easy 
hiking,  prepare  for  muddy  soil.  Leader:  Sanford  McGee,  Sewannee  615-598-5942.  Meet  at  10:00  a.m.  CST  at  Tyson 
Foods  Parking  Lot,  1 mi  toward  Winchester  on  Hwy  50  from  Exit  #1 27  off  1-24  between  Manchester  and 
Monteagle. 

J.  Corn  Farm;  rich  spring  flora  including  Blue-eyed  Mary,  Collinsia  verna,  also  Trilliums;  hiking  easy  to  moderate; 
Leaders:  Milo  Pyne,  615-532-0440;  Andrea  Shea,  615-532-0439.  (NOTE:  SUNDAY  TRIP)  For  Corn  Farm  trip,  meet 
at  12:30  p.m.  CST  at  Valley  Market,  across  from  the  Cone  Oil  Station  on  Hwy  31, 2 mi  N of  Millersville  Exit  #104  off 
1-65,  N of  Nashville. 

Note:  before  or  after  Corn  Farm  trip,  possible  additional  visit  to  an  apparent  American  Chestnut  tree  in  the  Joelton 
vicinity,  with  some  attendees  of  the  EPPCI  meet;  call  Milo  for  details. 

Standing  Stone  State  Park,  Overton  Co;  outstanding  diversity  of  spring  flora;  lots  of  Phacelia  and  Trilliums; 
hiking  easy  to  moderate  on  park  trails.  Leader:  Candy  Swan,  615-528-4698.  Meet  at  9:00  a.m.  CST  at  the  Park 
Office  on  Hwy  136,  between  Livingston,  Celina  and  Gainesboro. 

Smokies  Wildflower  Pilgrimage 

Sunday  Hike  after  Smokies  Pilgrimage;  meet  at  Sugarlands  Visitor  Center,  9:30  a.m.  EST;  hiking 
easy  to  moderate  on  park  trails. 

Cummins  Falls,  Jackson  Co.  rich  spring  flora  (lots  of  Phacelia  bipinnatifida)  and  dramatic  waterfalls;  hiking 
moderate  to  difficult  off  trails;  Leader:  Milo  Pyne,  615-532-0440  or  383-8767  home;  meet  at  10:00  a.m.  CST  at 
Wildwood  Market  at  Bloomington  Springs  where  Hwy  291  from  Cookeville  meets  Hwy  56;  Exit  280  (Baxter/ 
Gainesboro)  off  1-40. 

Swan  Creek  Area,  Lewis  Com,Liparisloeselii,  seepfens  and  foliage  of  Pamassia  grandifotia,  short,  easy 
hike(slippery  rocks  in  stream  bed)  afternoon  visit  to  Rattlesnake  Falls  in  Western  Maury  Co;hiking  easy  to  moderate. 
Leaders:  Bill  & Kay  Jones,  615-285-2777.  Meet  at  10:00  a.m.  CST  at  Jones’  home,  ''Ridgetop”  N side  of  Hwy  99/ 
412,  4 mi  W of  Hampshire  and  4 mi  E of  Natchez  Trace  Parkway. 

Laurel  Snow  Pocket  Wilderness  to  see  Camelia  (Stewartia  ovata),  also  medicinal  plants;  hiking 

moderate  to  difficult,  ca  4 mi  roundtrip.  Leader:  Christine  Bock  (Tennessee  Aquarium  Horticulturist)  615-785-4071 . 

Meet  at  Hardees  in  Daytcn,  TN;  N of  Chattanooga  on  Hwy  27  at  1 0:30  a.m.  EST.  Call  for  details. 


September  8-10  Joint  meeting  with  the  Kentucky  Native  Plant  Society  at  Natural  Bridge  State  Park,  KY.  details  in  later  newsletters 


7 


TNPS  "GOODS"  AVAILABLE 

TNPS  T-SHIRTS  with  multicolored  design  on  GRAY, 
WHITE,  BRIGHT  YELLOW  and  MINT  GREEN  50/50 
shirts  are  $10.50  ea  + $2  postage. 

SWEATSHIRTS  same  design  on  gray  50/50  shirt  are 
$18  +$2.50  postage. 

HATS  white  twill  with  passion  flower  design  $7.50  + $2 
postage. 

NOTECARDS  original  rare  plants  or  medicinal  plants 
$3  ea  + $1  postage. 

DECALS  white  with  purple  passion  flower  design  $1 
and  self-addressed,  stamped  envelope. 

Checks  should  be  made  payable  to  TNPS  and  orders 
should  be  sent  to:  Nita  Heilman 

429  Rivermont  Dr 
Clarksville,  TN  37043. 

If  you  have  questions  about  sizes,  colors  or  postage  on 
more  than  one  item  shipped  to  the  same  address, 
please  contact  Nita  at  the  above  address,  or  call  her, 
after  5 p.m.  at  615/645-9338. 


RENEW  YOUR  MEMBERSHIP  IN  TNPS 

If  your  dues  are  current,  your  mailing  label 
w SLiead  1995  or  later.  If  your  mailing  label 
shows  a date  earlier  than  1995,  please  keep 
your  membership  current  by  sending  a check 
to: 

Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society 
Department  of  Botany 
University  of  Tennessee 
Knoxville,  TN  37996-1100 

Membership  Categories: 

Regular  $15,  Student  & Senior  $10,  Institutional 
$20,  Life  $150.  You  may  give  a special  One  - 
Year  Gift  Membership  for  $10.  Renewal  dues 
will  be  the  regular  $15  membership  fee.  Please 
indicate  who  is  giving  the  gift  membership  and 
the  name  and  address  of  the  person  receiving  the 
gift  membership.  Perfect  for  those  hard-to-shop- 

for  friends  and  family! 


Vol.  18,  No.  1 February  1995 Printed  on  recycled  paper 


TENNESSEE  NATIVE 
PLANT  SOCIETY 
NEWSLETTER 

1172  S DRY  VALLEY  RD. 
COOKEVILLE,  TN  38506 
615/528-4698 


Bulk  Rate 
U.S.  Postage 
PAID 

Permit  No.  86 


Insist  on  nursery  propagated 
native  plants.  If  you're  not  sure, 
ASK! 


u 


TENNESSEE  NATIVE 
PLANT  SOCIETY 
NEWSLETTER 


VOLUME  18,  NUMBER  2 


WHAT  MAKES  MY  WILDFLOWER  SEEDS  GROW? 


What  makes  some  seeds  sprout  while  others  lie  buried  in 
the  soil,  seemingly  dead?  If  we  consider  the  growing 
conditions  of  a wildflower  species,  we  can  better  under- 
stand the  importance  of  planting  its  seeds  in  the  proper 
place  and  time. 

After  a plant  has  flowered  and  produced  fruit,  the  seeds 
within  can  be  dispersed  in  a variety  of  ways.  The  wind 
will  carry  some  seeds  long  distances,  while  others  will 
fall  to  the  ground  close  to  the  parent  plant.  Animals  will 
carry  some  seeds  that  stick  to  their  fur  and  later  fall  off, 
or  eat  the  seeds  and  later  eliminate  them. 

Whatever  the  dispersal  mechanism,  seeds  end  up  in  a 
variety  of  locations  and  conditions  that  either  promote 
growth  or  prohibit  it.  When  a seed  lands  in  an  inhospi- 
table environment,  it  remains  dormant  until  conditions 
are  amiable  for  germination  and  growth  of  the  plant  to 
fruition.  Remember-the  ultimate  goal  of  any  species, 
plant  or  animal-  is  to  perpetuate  the  species,  so  produc- 
tion and  protection  of  the  seed  stock  is  essential. 


April , 1995 

Some  built-in  protection  devices 
inhibit  seed  germination  until 
specific  environmental  and  physi- 
ological requirements  are  met.  For 
example,  some  desert  plants  have 
a chemical  that  inhibits  seed 
germination.  Plants  that  live  in 
arid  environments  with  annual 
rainy  seasons  developed  this 
chemical  mechanism,  which  does 
not  allow  germination  until  there 
is  sufficient  water  to  support 
growth  of  the  entire  plant.  The 
inhibitor,  located  just  under  the 
seed  coat,  prevents  germination 
until  the  seed  has  received  enough 
water  to  leach  out  the  inhibitor- 
indicating  that  the  rainy  season, 
and  not  a sporadic  shower,  has 
arrived. 

Another  protective  system  is  a 
hard  seed  coat  ( Hibiscus ) that 
requires  scarification  to  break  it 
open,  allowing  water  to  enter  and 
germination  to  begin.  Over  time, 
natural  events  including  microbial 
decay,  fire,  and  digestion  by 
animals,  begin  to  break  down  or 
scarify  the  hard  seed  coat.  Alter- 
nate doses  of  freezing  and  thaw- 
ing will  break  open  seed  coats. 
Plants  benefit  from  natural  scarifi- 
cation because  it  prevents  all  seeds 
of  a species  from  germinating  at 
the  same  time.  If  all  seeds  were  to 
geminate  at  the  same  time,  a 
drought  or  freeze 


TENNESSEE  NATIVE  PLANT  SOCIETY 
NEWSLETTER 


April  1995 

VOLUME  18,  NUMBER  2 


This  Newsletter  is  a publication  of  the 
Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society  and  is 
published  six  times  a year,  generally  in 
February,  April,  June,  August,  October 
and  December. 

The  Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society 
(TNPS)  was  founded  in  1978.  Its 
purposes  are  to  assist  in  the  exchange  of 
information  and  encourage  fellowship 
among  Tennessee's  botanists,  both 
amateur  and  professional;  to  promote 
education  of  the  public  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  enhancement  of  Tennessee's  wild 
plant  communities. 

Dues  are  $1 5 for  the  calendar  year  ($1 0 
for  students  and  senior  citizens,  $20  for 
institutions,  and  $150  for  life  member- 
ships). Membership  privileges  include  a 
subscription  to  the  TNPS  Newsletter. 
Dues  may  be  sent  to: 

The  Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society, 
Department  of  Botany 
University  of  Tennessee 
Knoxville,  TN  37996-1100. 

TNPS  OFFICERS 

Mary  Martin  Schaffner  of  Nashville, 
President 

Dennis  Horn  ofTullahoma, 
Vice-President 
Andrea  Shea  of  Nashville, 

Corresponding  Secretary 
Nita  Heilman  of  Clarksville, 

Recording  Secretary 
Karen  Yarbro  of  Knoxville, 

Treasurer 

DIRECTORS 

John  Churchill  of  Johnson  City 
H.R.  DeSelm  of  Knoxville 
Shirley  Nicholson  of  Knoxville 
Bertha  Chrietzburg  of  Nashville 
Kay  Jones  of  Columbia 
Harold  Scott  of  Columbia 
Larry  Wilson  of  Memphis 
Sally  Mirick  of  Knoxville 


Candy  Swan,  Editor 


MIDDLE  TENNESSEE 


Central  Basin  and  Highland  Rim 


LANDSCAPING 

WITH 

NATIVE 

PLANTS 

PROMOTES  BIODIVERSITY 
and  endorses  a land  ethic  that 
celebrates  our  natural  heritage 

brochure  available  from  Warner  Parks  Nature  Center 
615/352-6299 


2 


PHOTOGRAPHING  WILDFLOWERS 
PART  IX 


by  David  Duhl 


THE  SHARPER  IMAGE 


Whether  you're  an  absolute  beginner  or  a serious 
amateur,  it's  a sure  thing  that  someday  you're  going  to 
make  a real  effort  to  see  if  your  wildflower  pictures  are 
in  sharp  focus.  Here's  how  serious  photographers 
take  a critical  look  at  it. 

It  may  be  hard  to  accept  at  first,  but  the  fact  is  that  a 
projected  slide  or  a printed  negative  cannot  reveal  if 
your  pictures  are  sharp  (in  focus).  It's  important  to 
examine  the  processed  film  that's  not  affected  by  the 
optics  of  a projector  or  enlarger.  To  do  this,  you'll 
need  two  things:  a light  source  and  a loupe. 

The  light  source  could  be  a light  box  specifically  made 
for  viewing  slides,  a homemade  equivilent  or  even  a 
bare  bulb,  although  an  incandescent  bulb  won't  be 
balanced  for  daylight  and  may  make  slides  look 
orange.  The  point  is,  you  need  something  to  backlight 
the  slide  or  negative  like  a projector  or  enlarger  would. 

The  key  to  checking  sharpness  is  a good  loupe  (pro- 
nounced loop).  A good  loupe  is  as  valuable  as  the  best 
lens  you  own.  It's  nothing  more  than  a magnifying 
glass,  but  its  optics  are  such  that  optical  distortions  are 
eliminated.  Of  course,  the  more  distortions  you  want 
eliminated,  the  more  you're  going  to  pay  for  the  loupe. 
You  could  spend  anywhere  from  ten  to  one  hundred 
fifty  dollars  for  a loupe.  It  depends  upon  what  your 
needs  are.  For  most  of  us,  a good  standard  loupe  in 
the  neighborhood  of  twenty-five  dollars  does  just  fine 
and  is  well  worth  the  money.  Here's  what  to  do. 

Make  sure  the  loupe  is  full-frame.  That  is,  make  sure 
you  can  see  the  entire  slide  or  negative  when  you  look 
through  it.  Also  make  sure  the  edges  are  just  as  sharp 
as  the  center.  To  check  this,  you  could  use  the  loupe 
to  examine  a written  page.  The  letters  at  the  edge  of 
the  loupe  should  be  just  as  sharp  as  the  ones  in  the 
center. 


us,  a 4X  power  is  about  right.  In  other 
words,  the  image  you  view  through  the 
loupe  will  be  increased  four  times,  plenty  of 
magnification  to  see  any  flaws  or  out-of- 
focus areas. 

So  why  pay  the  money  for  an  expensive 
loupe?  At  some  point,  you'll  want  to  look 
through  an  expensive  loupe  just  out  of 
curiosity.  When  you  do,  you'll  see  a world 
of  difference.  Because  these  loupes  correct 
for  common  optical  aberrations,  most  impor- 
tantly, astigmatic,  you'll  be  able  to  take  a 
more  critical  look  at  your  photographs.  If 
you've  ever  made  an  enlargement  of  one  of 
your  wildflower  photographs  and  the  print 
was  not  as  sharp  as  you  remembered  the 
original  to  be,  look  again  through  a good 
loupe. 

A good  loupe  is  the  best  editing  assistant 
you  could  possibly  be  associated  with.  If 
you've  spent  your  hard-earned  money  for  a 
good  camera  system,  then  it  makes  some 
sense  to  invest  in  a loupe  that  will  really 
show  you  what  your  camera  system  is 
producing.  For  wildflower  photography, 
another  benefit  emerges  when  you  look 
through  a loupe.  Some  features-like  the 
hairs  on  flower  stem  or  the  fascicles  on  some 
plants-are  plain  as  day  when  seen  through  a 
loupe.  Sometimes  it  even  helps  in  identify- 
ing the  specimen.  A good  loupe  was  abso- 
lutely critical  in  the  photograph  selection 
committee's  work  for  the  TNPS  wildflower 
book.  Sad  to  say,  some  beautiful  projected 
images  were  not  as  sharp  when  viewed 
through  a loupe  and  made  it  no  farther  in 
the  selection  process. 

Whether  you're  interested  in  publishing 
your  work,  making  prints  or  just  appreciat- 
ing the  features  of  the  wildflowers  you've 
seen,  consider  using  a loupe  to  view  your 
work. 


JOINT  MEETING  WITH 
KENTUCKY  NATIVE 
PLANT  SOCIETY 

The  TNPS  will  hold  its  Annual 
Fall  Meeting  with  the  Ken- 
tucky Native  Plant  Society 
September  8-10  at  the  Natural 
Bridge  State  Resort  Park  in 
Kentucky.  This  is  sure  to  be  a 
great  meeting.  Mark  your 
calendars  now  and  plan  to 
attend.  Details  in  later  issues 
of  the  Newsletter. 


Native  plants  such  as  Purple 
Coneflower,  Coreopsis, 
Firepink,  Penstemon,  Hibis- 
cus, Rudbeckia,  Sunflowers, 
Bee  balm,  Passion  flower,  Joe 
Pye  weed,  Liatris,  Phlox, 
Goldenrods,  Boneset,  Asters, 
Buckeyes,  and  Ironweed  all 
provide  nectar  for  adult 
butterflies  and  are  easy  to 
grow  in  the  garden.  Along 
with  nectar  and  larval  plants, 
try  to  provide  damp  areas  or 
shallow  puddles  in  your 
butterfly  area.  Remember  to 
avoid  pesticides  if  you  are 
gardening  for  butterflies  or 
other  wildlife. 


NATIVE  PLANTS  AND  THEIR  BUTTERFLIES 

Native  butterflies  depend  on  a variety  of  native  plants  to  survive.  Many 
flowers  serve  as  nectar  sources  for  adult  butterflies,  but  the  adults  only 
lay  their  eggs  on  specific  plants  that  will  feed  the  emerging  caterpillars. 
These  are  a few  plants  that  you  can  provide  In  your  yard  to  encourage 
both  adult  and  larval  butterflies. 

Pipevine  Swallowtail 

Dutchman's  Pipe 

Zebra  Swallowtail 

Pawpaw 

Tiger  Swallowtail 

Yellow  poplar,  Sweet  bay,  wild  black 
cherry,  ashes,  choke  cherry  and  Spice 
bush 

Spicebush  Swallowtail 

Spicebush  and  Sassafras 

Sulfur 

Legumes 

Spring  Azure 

Dogwood,  New  Jersey  Tea,  Viburnums 

Eastern  Tailed  Blue 

Legumes 

Gulf  Fritillary 

Passion  flower 

Other  Fritillaries 

Viola  sp. 

Buckeye 

False  foxglove  and  Wild  Petunias 

Monarch 

Milkweeds 

Morning  Cloak 

Willows,  elms  and  cottonwoods 

Comma 

Nettles,  American  Elm  and  hops 

Red  Admiral 

Nettles 

American  Painted  Lady 

Gnaphalium  and  Antennaria  spp. 

Silver-spotted  Skipper 

Legumes  especially  Locust  and  Wisteria 

4 


MOST  UNWANTED  LIST 

In  1992,  Jonh  Randall,  Invasive  Weed  Specialist  of 
The  Nature  Conservancy  (TNC),  sent  a survey  regard- 
ing pest  plant  problems  around  the  nation.  Land 
managers  from  TNC  preserves  responded  with  their 
lists  of  invasive  plants  that  threaten  land  management. 
As  good  neighbors,  State  Highway  Departments  will 
find  and  hopefully  control  these  plants  on  their  road- 
side right-of-ways. 

Some  150  species  were  listed,  noting  which  States 
have  these  plant  problems.  Here  are  the  most  com- 
mon pest  plants  reported  that  are  also  commonly 
found  on  highway  ROWs: 

Tree  of  Heaven 
Garlic  Mustard 
Japanese  Barberry 
Smooth  Brome 
Downy  Chess 
Thistles 
Knapweeds* 

Russian/Autumn  Olive* 

Japanese  Honeysuckle 
Purple  Loosestrife 
White/Yellow  Sweetclover 
Reed  Canary  Grass* 

Common/Tall  Hedge  Buckthorn* 

Multiflora  Rose* 

Johnson  Grass 

Periwinkle 

Kudzu 

Dame's  Rocket* 

Crown  Vetch* 

Burning  Bush* 

Amur  Honeysuckle* 

Bicolor  Lezpedeza* 

A complete  list  and  a list  of  noxious  weeds  in  Tennes- 
see can  be  obtained  by  calling  612/290-3233. 

* shows  species  used  in  Tennessee,  by  State 
Agencies,  to  revegetate,  "beautify"  or  attract  wild- 
life along  roadsides  and  in  wildlife  management 
areas. 


DID  YOU  KNOW? 

Sugar  maples  release  phenolics  that  inhibit 
yellow  birch. 

Walnut  trees  give  off  juglone,  inhibiting  other 
trees,  shrubs  & herbs. 

Oaks  exude  courmarins  & other  phenolics, 

inhibiting  herbs  & grasses 

Asters  & goldenrod  exude  phenolics  that 


inhibit  sugar  maples  & black  cherry. 


PLANT  CONSERVATION  DIREC- 
TORY NOW  AVAILABLE 

The  1995  Plant  Conservation  Directory 
($18.00)  is  now  available  from  the  Center 
for  Plant  Conservation.  In  this  newly-revised 
directory,  the  Center  has  compiled  the 
names,  addresses,  and  telephone  numbers 
of  botanical,  conservation,  governmental, 
and  scientific  personnel  and  organizations 
nationwide  and  by  state  that  may  be  able  to 
assist  with  plant  conservation  efforts.  In 
addition,  the  directory  identifies  rear  plant 
laws  and  rare  and  endangered  plant  lists  by 
state. 

Also  just  published  is  the  Center's  Guide- 
lines for  the  Management  of  Orthodox 
Seeds.  ($14.00)  This  78-page  booklet  is 
primarily  intended  for  use  by  the  Center's 
Participating  Institutions,  but  will  also  provide 
other  organizations  and  interested  individu- 
als with  a source  of  practical  ideas  regarding 
orthodox  seed  collection,  storage  and  man- 
agement. A comprehensive  bibliography  on 
seeds  and  seed  storage  is  also  included. 


Send  orders  to: 

Publications 

Center  for  Plant  Conservation 
P.O.  Box  299 

St.  Louis,  MO  63166-0299 
314/577-9450  Fax  314/577-9465 


5 


•rrrrrrrrrrrr: 


crossword  cont 


would  destroy  the  entire  seed  stock.  Spreading  germi-  DOWN 
nation  out  over  time  ensures  that  at  least  some  of  the 
plants  would  survive. 

Seeds  are  also  sensitive  to  other  environmental  influ- 
ences such  as  light  and  temperature.  Some  seeds  will 
not  germinate  until  they  are  exposed  to  the  proper 
amount  of  light.  Tiny  seeds,  such  ns  Lobelia  and  Aqnile- 
gia,  require  light  to  indicate  their  depth  in  the  soil,  and 
sun-loving  plants  have  light-sensitive  seeds  that  will 
not  germinate  under  a heavy  shade  canoyp.  Con- 
versely, many  seeds  must  experience  darkness  to 
trigger  germination. 


Seeds  are  extemely  varied  in  their  temperature  re- 
quirements; some  may  need  to  experience  a specific 
low  temperature  over  a length  of  time  or  they  will  not 
sprout  ( Asclepias ),  which  protects  the  seeds  by  prevent- 
ing them  from  germinating  too  early  and  getting 
nipped  by  a late  freeze.  In  other  seeds,  high  tempera- 
tures will  prevent  germination,  while  warm  tempera- 
tures may  induce  it.  This  thermodormancy  acts  as  a 
calendar  for  the  seed,  protecting  it  until  the  appropri- 
ate season  arrives,  so  the  plant  can  grow  successfully. 


These  protective  mechanisms  are  only  a few  of  the 
ways  seeds  protect  themselves  from  germinating  at 
inopportune  times  in  inhospitable  environments. 
Recognizing  the  trials  and  tribulations  that  a seed  must 
endure  before  it  will  germinate  makes  it  easy  to  under-  (" 
stand  the  importance  of  sowing  the  right  seed,  in  the 
right  place,  at  the  right  time. 


9.  I like  wet  ground,  where  roots  go 
deep,  yellow  blossoms  as  humans 
sleep 

1 0.  Handsome  soldiers  standing  tall, 
violet  royal  in  early  fall,  give  me  a 
drink  or  even  drought,  New 
England's  fairest  will  prove  out. 

11.  Man  should  come  to  know  my  face, 
or  mine  will  be  a dying  race,  Laws  in 
our  United  States  may  save  me 
from  the  saddest  fate. 

12.  Old  MacDonald  had  a farm,  pas 
tures  dotted  with  my  charm,  spring 
lambs  dance  in  dewy  meadows,  rich 
in  luminescent  yellows. 

1 3.  Shades  of  lavender  in  sunny 
spaces,  hardy  beauties  for  garden 
places. 

14.  Blame  me  not  for  cough  or  sneeze, 
golden  plumes  on  autumn's  breeze. 


Elinor  Crank 

Research  Horticulturist 

National  Wildflower  Research  Center 


Native  flowering  dogwood  by  Chad 
Shockley,  3rd  grade,  Spencer  Elemen- 
tary School 


6 


ACROSS 


1.  Blue-grey  foliage,  deeply  lobed,  will  grace  the  gardens  I am 
told,  Long  past  when  pink  hearts  unfold. 

2.  The  second  leg  of  the  Triple  Crown  jests  three-year  olds  of  some 
renown,  the  fastest  horse  will  wear  my  colors;  gold  & black  are 
Preakness  honors. 

3.  Each  early  spring , in  bogs  & woods.  You'll  find  my  spathe  & nod 
ding  hood.  Jack  will  not  have  far  to  reach,  in  seeking  Sunday's 
place  to  preach. 

4.  I serve  roadside,  fields  & ditches,  often  found  in  sunny  niches. 
Would  the  May  still  be  of  grace,  Without  my  cheerful  daisy  facet 

5.  I am  a rather  hardy  fellow,  flashy  orange  in  the  meadow,  My  tap 

root  reaches  deep  to  drink,  to  dig  me  up  is  rude,  I think. 

6.  Hummingbirds  are  pleased  to  find,  bright  orange  trumpets  on  my 

vines . 

7.  My  kind  have  grown  on  earth,  you  see,  long  before  man  came  to  be. 
My  greens  are  fronds,  don't  call  them  leaves,  under  these  are 
spores,  not  seeds. 

8.  Clever  gardeners  have  often  found  how  gracefully  I cover  the 
ground,  from  April  through  October  frost,  these  golden  stars  will 
not  be  lost. 


7 


THE  CULLOWHEE  CONFERENCE 
LANDSCAPING  WITH  NATIVE  PLANTS 

The  12th  annual  Cullowhee  Conference  will  be 
held  in  Cullowhee,  North  Carolina  from  July  20- 
22.  An  optional  day  of  field  trips  will  precede  the 
conference.  Many  topics  will  be  discussed, 
including  "The  Magic  of  Stone",  "Native  Grasses 
with  Landscape  Potential",  "Woody  Plant  Propa- 
gation Workshop"  and  many  more.  To  receive 
more  information,  contact  Sue  Dietz,  Office  of 
Summer  School  & Continuing  Education,  West- 
ern Carolina  University,  Cullowhee,  NC  28723  (1- 
800-WCU4YOU) 


Saturday,  June  1 7 

Field  trip  to  Laurel  Snow  Pocket  Wilderness  to 
see  Mountain  Camellia  & medicinal  plants. 
Moderate  to  difficult  ca.  4 mi.  round  trip. 

Meet  at  Hardees  in  Dayton,  TN  10:30  Eastern 
Daylight  time.  Call  Leader  Christine  Bock  at 
6 1 5/  785-407 1 for  details.  Joint  trip  with  new 
Tennessee  Wildflower  Society! 


RENEW  YOUR  MEMBERSHIP  IN  TNPS 

If  your  dues  are  current,  your  mailing  label  will  read 
1995  or  later.  If  your  mailing  label  shows  a date  earlier 
than  1995,  please  keep  your  membership  current  by 
sending  a check  to: 

Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society 
Department  of  Botany 
University  of  Tennessee 
Knoxville,  TN  37996-1100 


Membership  Categories: 

Regular  $15,  Student  & Senior  $10,  Institutional  $20, 
Life  $150.  You  may  give  a special  One  -Year  Gift 
Membership  for  $10.  Renewal  dues  will  be  the 
regular  $1 5.  Please  indicate  name  and  address  of 

giver  and  receiver  of  membership. 


Vol.  18,  No.  2 April  1995  Printed  on  recycled  paper 


TENNESSEE  NATIVE 
PLANT  SOCIETY 
NEWSLETTER 

1172  S DRY  VALLEY  RD. 
COOKEVILLE,  TN  38506 
615/528-4698 


Bulk  Rate 
U.S.  Postage 
PAID 

Permit  No.  86 
Cookeville,  TN 


/ 


TENNESSEE  NATIVE 
RANT  SOCIETY 
NEWSLETTER 


/ 


VOLUME  18.  NUMBER  3 

GLOBALLY  SIGNIFICANT  RARE  PLANTS  IN 
TENNESSEE 

Listed  as  Endangered  by  U.S.  Fish  & Wildlife  Service 


JUNE  1995 

Large-flowered  Skullcap  ( Scutellaria  montana)  This 
member  os  the  mint  family  lives  only  in  dry  forest  in 
northwestern  Georgia  and  southeastern  Tennessee.  The 
plant  obtained  its  name  unusual  name  from  the  shape  of 
its  seeds,  which  resemble  a skull.  The  flowers  of  this 
plant  are  a beautiful  lavender  and  white  A large  popula- 
tion of  this  plant  is  found  in  Prentice  Cooper  State  Forest. 


Tennessee  Coneflower  ( Echinacea  tennesseensis) 

This  plant,  with  its  dazzling  bright,  pinkish  blossoms  is 
one  of  the  best  known  rare  flowers.  It  is  also  one  of  the 
first  to  receive  federal  listing  as  an  endangered  species.  It 
exists  in  only  seven  places  in  the  world,  all  of  which  are  in 
Middle  Tennessee's  Davidson.  Rutherford  and  Wilson 
Counties. The  coneflower  lives  in  open  areas  where  thin 
soil  overlays  limestone.  Depending  on  the  depth  of  the 
soil  and  the  surrounding  plants,  these  areas  are  either 
called  cedar  glades  or  cedar  barrens. 

The  Tennessee  Coneflower  was  probable  once  more 
common  than  it  is  now.  At  one  time,  it  was  probably 
harvested,  with  other  Echinaceas,  as  a cure-all  medicine. 
One  problem  with  saving  this  species  as  a garden  flower 
is  that  it  hybridizes  with  other  species  of  Echinacea  and  is 
being  lost  through  genetic  contamination. 


Cumberland  Sandwort  (Arenaria  cumber! andensis) 

This  species,  which  was  discovered  about  15  years  ago, 
makes  its  home  only  in  rocky  river  gorges  in  parts  of  the 
Cumberland  Mountains  in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  Most 
of  the  known  sites  occur  within  four  Tennessee  Counties 
and  mainly  on  public  lands.  The  plant  grows  to  only  3-4 
inches  high  and  has  tiny  white  flowers. 

Small  Whorled  Pogonia  (Isotria  medeoloides)  This  rare 
orchid  is  located  in  more  sites  than  any  other  of 
Tennessee's  federally-listed  species.  Populations  of  this 
grayish-green  orchid  occur  in  all  of  the  eastern  seaboard 
states  from  Maine  to  Georgia,  except  Maryland.  Wherever 
the  plant  grows,  its  numbers  at  a specific  location  are  very 
few.  Tennessee's  only  known  site  has  about  a dozen 
plants.  Because  of  its  color,  it  is  easily  overlooked. 


Ruth's  Golden  Aster  ( Pityopsis  ruthii)  Named  for  a 
school  teacher  in  Knoxville  who  first  discovered  the 
species  at  the  turn  of  the  century,  this  plant  was  not  seen 
again  by  a botanist  until  1953.  By  the  late  1960's,  it  was 
thought  to  be  extinct.  However,  it  was  found  again  and 
exists  in  only  one  area  of  the  world,  Polk  County,  Tennes- 
see. This  small  flower,  topped  by  bright  yellow  blossoms, 
grows  on  boulders  that  lie  in  the  Ocoee  and  Hiwassee 
River  beds.  Both  of  these  rivers  are  regulated  by  up- 
stream dams. 

Green  Pitcher  Plant  (Sarracenia  orephilla)  This  plant  is 
fairly  well-known  because  of  its  ability  to  trap  and  eat 
insects.  It  can  grow  up  to  12  inches  high  and  has  large 
green  flowers.  A Fentress  County  bog,  which  was  drained 
in  the  late  1950's  or  early  60's  was  the  only  known  site  for 
this  or  any  other  pitcher  plant  species  in  Tennessee.  The 
remaining  sites  are  in  nothern  Alabama  and  one  location 
in  northwest  Georgia.  Pitcher  plants  are  threatened  by 
drainage  of  their  wetland  homes,  fire  suppression  and 
collection. 


(Reprinted  from  The  Tennessean,  1990) 


Mountain  Avens 
Geum  racS  a turn 


TENNESSEE  NATIVE  PLANT  SOCIETY 
NEWSLETTER 

JUNE  1996 

VOLUME  18,  NUMBER  3 

This  Newsletter  is  a publication  of  the  Tennessee 
Native  Plant  Society  and  is  published  six  times  a 
year,  generally  in  February,  April,  June,  August, 
October  and  December 

.The  Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society  (TNPS)  was 
founded  in  1978.  Its  purposes  are  to  assist  in  the 
exchange  of  information  and  encourage  fellowship 
among  Tennessee's  botanists,  both  amateur  and 
professional;  to  promote  education  of  the  public 
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 
enhancement  of  Tennessee's  wild  plant  communi- 
ties. 

Dues  are  $1 5 for  the  calendar  year  ($1 0 for 
students  and  senior  citizens,  $20  for  institutions,  and 
$150  for  life  memberships).  Membership  privileges 
include  a subscription  to  the  TNPS  Newsletter. 

Dues  may  be  sent  to: 

The  Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society,  Depart- 
ment of  Botany 
University  of  Tennessee 
Knoxville,  TN  37996-1100. 


TNPS  OFFICERS 

Mary  Martin  Schaffner  of  Nashville, 
President 

Dennis  Horn  ofTullahoma, 
Vice-President 
Andrea  Shea  of  Nashville, 

Corresponding  Secretary 
Nita  Heilman  of  Clarksville, 

Recording  Secretary 
Karen  Yarbro  of  Knoxville, 
Treasurer 


DIRECTORS 

John  Churchill  of  Johnson  City 
H R.  DeSelm  of  Knoxville 
Shirley  Nicholson  of  Knoxville 
Bertha  Chrietzburg  of  Nashville 
Kay  Jones  of  Columbia 
Harold  Scott  of  Columbia 
Larry  Wlson  of  Memphis 
Sally  Mirick  of  Knoxville 


Candy  Swan,  Editor 


/ 

From  the  Editor: 

Please  remember  that  all  TNPS  officiers  and  board  mem- 
bers, including  yours  truly,  are  volunteers.  Most  of  us  have 
lives,  jobs  and  responsibilities  outside  TNPS.  Without 
going  into  detail,  I'm  a very  busy  person.  The  Newsletter  is 
not  usually  the  first  priority  in  my  life.  I really  enjoy  putting 
the  Newsletter  together  and  I try  to  get  it  out  as  quickly  as 
possible,  with  content  that  you  will  find  interesting  and 
helpful. 

Recently  I have  discovered  that,  to  arrive  in  your  mailbox  on 
time,  The  Newsletter  must  be  ready  to  take  to  the  printer  6 
weeks  ahead  of  time  The  printer  can  sometimes  have  it 
ready  in  2 weeks,  but  the  post  office  evidently  has  a month 
to  deliver  bulk  mail.  Other  organizations  have  the  same 
problem  with  their  newsletters.  The  Georgia  Botanical 
Society  has  gone  back  to  sending  its  newsletter  first  class 
because  of  this.  We  don't  want  to  do  this,  so  please  be 
patient.  Field  trip  and  meeting  dates  and  times,  which  I 
think  is  top  priority,  has  been  timely  and  no  one  should 
have  missed  a field  trip  or  meeting  because  of  the  Newslet- 
ter schedule. 

I appreciate  those  members  who  have  sent  information  for 
The  Newsletter.  Unfortunately,  this  information  is  few  and 
far  between.  The  responsibilities  of  the  Newsletter  "editor'1 
is,  for  the  most  part,  Newsletter  "writer".  Coming  up  with  8 
pages  of  anything  every  other  month  is,  to  say  to  least, 
challenging  So  please,  contribute  what  you  can,  when  you 
can  to  the  Newsletter.  I also  appreciate  the  calls  and 
letters,  both  thanks  and  concerns,  keep  them  coming. 
However,  if  you  do  feel  you  must  voice  a "concern", 
remember  this  little  antecdote: 

One  day  I called  the  treasurer  ( as  the  chapter  president 
and  newsletter  editor  of  yet  another  volunteer  organization) 
of  the  U.C.  chapter  of  the  Tennessee  Ornithological  Society 
to  pass  along  a complaint,  oops,  concern,  by  another 
member,  she  quickly  replied,  "Oh  good,  they  must  have 
more  time  to  do  this  job  than  I do,  I'll  get  everything 
together  and  send  it  to  our  new  treasurer!"  She  was  joking 
of  course.  But  if  you  find  an  packet  in  your  mailbox 
addressed  to  "Newsletter  Editor,  TNPS"  you'll  know  your 
"concern"  came  on  a bad  day! 

Hope  everyone  is  having  a fun  summer  and  is  enjoying  this 
wonderful  weather.  Try  to  attend  the  Fall  Meeting  of  the 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky  Native  Plant  Societies,  Septem- 


2 


crescent-shaped  spore  clusters,  or  sori,  arranged 
obliquely  in  two  rows  in  a herringbone  pattern  along 
the  central  vein. 

A durable  and  adaptable  plant,  the  lady  fern  is 
hardy  in  Zones  3 through  8 It  tolerates  drier  soils 
better  than  most  other  ferns,  although  drought,  heat 
waves  and  persistent  wind  will  scorch  the  fronds. 
Timely  watering  will  prevent  this  damage.  Grown  in 
humusy,  consistently  moist,  acid  soil  the  lady  fern 
will  colonize,  both  by  self-sown  spores  and  by  its 
short,  creeping  rhizome.  Over  time  this  rhizome 
will  send  up  fountains  of  feathery  fronds  at  intervals 
of  six  inches  to  a foot,  imparting  an  aura  of  cool 
tranquillity  to  a shady  bank  or  border. 

Plant  lady  fern  in  spring  after  grown  has  thawed 
and  danger  of  frost  is  past.  Although  it  can  be 
transplanted  in  spring  or  fall,  division  is  best 
attempted  in  spring,  just  as  a fresh  growth  spurt  is 
beginning.  For  the  patient,  it  is  relatively  simple  to 
start  new  plants  from  spores  collected  in  July  and 
August. 


LADY  FERN 

Emerging  when  the  dogwoods  bloom,  the  first  crosiers  of 
the  lady  fern  (Athyrium  filix-femina)  unfurl  into  upswept, 
gracefully  arching  fronds  that  dip  daintily  at  their  sharply 
pointed  tips.  These  invitingly  soft  fronds  ask  to  be 
touched.  Close  inspection  reveals  that  each  is  a single, 
much-divided  leaf.  Fronds  can  vary  in  color  from  almost 
yellow  to  dark  green,  with  bright  green  being  most 
characteristic.  The  stems  can  be  red  or  green  or  both 

The  origin  of  the  plant's  Latin  name  is  not  clear.  Appar- 
ently Linnaeus  first  assigned  the  name  to  the  coarse 
bracken  fern,  perhaps  because  its  reproductive  structures, 
borne  inconspicuously  along  the  leaf  margin,  are  con- 
cealed in  a manner  deemed  "female".  He  later  transfered 
the  designation  to  the  delicate  fern  known  as  lady  fern,  or 
wood  fern's  wife. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  lady  fern  native  to  North 
America.  They  are  very  similar  and,  where  their  ranges 
overlap,  a confusing  blending  of  characteristics  occurs. 
The  leaf  of  A filix-femina  var.  angustum,  the  northern  lady 
fern,  found  from  Newfoundland  south  to  Virginia  and  west 
to  Iowa,  narrows  toward  the  base  of  its  frond,  while  that  of 
the  southern  lady  fern(A.  filix-femina  var.  asplenioides), 
found  from  Rhode  Island  south  to  Florida  and  west  to 
Texas,  is  broader  at  the  base.  In  the  eastern  United 
States,  the  lady  fern  grows  two  to  four  feet  high,  but  in  the 
cool,  moist  Pacific  Northwest,  it  is  not  unusual  to  meet  a 
five  or  six  foot  specimen  of  A.  filix-femina  var.  cyclosorum 
(also  known  as  var.  sitchense),  a variety  most  commonly 
found  in  mountainous  areas.  At  the  opposite  end  of  the 
spectrum,  there  is  the  diminutive  A filix-femina  var. 
minutissimum,  which  attains  a height  of  only  five  inches. 

The  lady  fern  is  easily  distinguished  from  other  native 
ferns.  Simply  turn  over  one  of  the  plant's  fronds  and 
examine  the  underside.  Fertile  fronds  have  distinctive 


The  lady  fern  is  lovely  by  water  or  among  rocks  and 
serves  as  a bright  accent  against  the  dark  leaves  of 
rhododendrons  and  conifers.  While  it  will  abide  full  sun,  it 
does  best  in  light  shade,  where  it  is  especially  effective  in 
combination  with  yellow-or-blue-leaved  hostas,  the  fern's 
fine-texured  fronds  setting  off  the  hostas'  bold,  grooved 
leaves.  When  planted  with  daffodils,  Virginia  bluebells, 
and  other  early  spring-bloomers,  lady  fern  emerges  in 
time  to  conceal  their  fading  foliage.  It  is  also  the  ideal 
screen  for  the  spindly  knees  of  lilies. 

A light  mulch  of  leaves  protects  the  shallow  roots  from 
drying  out,  but  keep  it  away  from  the  crown,  as  it  may 
harbor  pill  bugs  and  snails,  which  like  to  feast  on  tender 
new  growth  Otherwise,  pests  are  rarely  a problem. 

Fungal  diseases  occasionally  appear,  especially  near  the 
base  of  the  fronds,  so  avoid  watering  in  the  evening. 

After  toiling  in  the  hot  summer  sun  among  the  bright 
colors  of  the  flower  garden,  a cool-green  lady  fern  by  the 
doorstep  may  be  just  the  refreshment  you  and  your 
garden  need 

Reprinted  from  Native  Americans,  Horticulture,  March 
1993.  Author  Carol  Bishop  Hipps,  an  Alabama 
gardener. 


Editor's  note:  As  with  all  native  plants,  especially  ferns, 
spring  ephemerals  and  orchids,  check  to  make  sure  that 
the  nurseries  you  buy  from  deal  only  in  nursery  propa- 
gated plants,  not  plants  collected  from  the  wild.  If  you're 
not  sure,  ask! 


3 


AUENS 


Why  are  alien  plants  a serious  threat?  Plants  that  are  not 
part  of  the  indigenous  (native)  vegetation,  but  that  have 
been  introduced  into  a region  are  called  aliens.  For  the 
most  part,  introduced,  or  alien,  plant  species  form  an 
important  part  of  our  environment,  contributing  immensely 
to  agriculture,  horticulture,  landscaping  and  soil  stabiliza- 
tion. But  among  the  thousands  of  plant  species  intro- 
duced into  our  area,  some  have  displayed  unexpected 
aggressive  growth  tendencies.  Some  problematic  species 
degrade  native  plant  communities. 

While  most  alien  plant  species  do  not  persist  in  the  wild, 
introductions  since  European  settlement  have 
substantially  changed  the  composition  of  native  plant 
communities  throughout  North  America.  Many  exotic 
plants  are  found  along  roadsides  and  other  heavily 
disturbed  sites,  others  readily  invade  natural  and  semi- 
natural communities. 

Invasive  alien  plants  typically  exhibit  the  following 
characteristics: 

* rapid  growth  and  maturity 

* prolific  seed  production 

‘highly  successful  seed  dispersal,  germination, and 
colonization 

* rampant  spread 

* ability  to  outcompete  native  species 
‘high  cost  to  remove  or  control 

Invasive  aliens  thrive  on  disturbed  sites.  Native  plant 
communities  fragmented  by  human  disturbances  are  most 
vulnerable  to  invasion,  but  even  intact  ecosystems  can  be 
invaded  by  the  most  aggressive  alien  species.  Invasive 
alien  plants  often  leave  behind  their  natural  controls  that 
keep  them  in  check  in  their  native  habitats.  Biodiversity  is 
further  threatened  when  alien  plants  habor  invasive 
pathogens,  fungi,  or  other  organisms  that  decimate  native 
species,  such  as  the  American  Chesnut. 

Awareness  of  the  problems  caused  by  invasive  alien 
plants  is  the  first  step  in  preventing  their  continued  use. 
Public  awareness  will  help  increase  responsible  landscap- 
ing and  conservation  practices.  Awareness  by  resource 
managers  will  help  prevent  the  introduction  of  these 
species  on  public  lands  and  preserve  our  natural  heritage 

Learn  what  species  are  native  to  your  area.  Use  native 
species,  grown  from  local  stock  if  available,  for  conserva- 
tion and  landscaping  purposes  whenever  possible.  When 
using  alien  plants,  avoid  highly  invasive  species.  Support 
public  policies  that  restrict  the  introduction  of  invasive 
alien  plants  and  get  involved  in  organizations  and  agen- 
cies that  work  to  protect  biological  diversity.  Ask  your 
nursery  to  sell  native  plants  propagated  from  local  stock. 
Plan  and  implement  sound  practices  for  the  control  of 
invasive  alien  plants  in  natural  areas 


SEED  GERMINATION 
THEORY  AND  PRACTICE 


While  working  on  the  TDOT  wildflower  project  I got  the 
opportunity  to  grow,  or  try  to  grow,  several  species  of 
native  wildflower  from  seed  I found,  from  the  research 
and  trial  and  error,  that  wild  columbine  seed  needed  light 
to  germinate,  butterfly  weed  seed  would  germinate  readily 
after  just  a couple  of  weeks  of  moist  stratification,  and 
hibiscus  would  germinate  in  two  or  three  days  if  you 
clipped  the  hard  seed  coat  with  nail  clippers.  Unfortu- 
nately, the  project  was  over  by  the  time  Norman  Deno's 
publication  of  Seed  Germination  Theory  and  Practice  was 
available.  If  you're  interested  in  growing  native  wildflowers 
from  seed,  this  book  is  a must.  Deno  has  taken  the 
guess-work  and  mystery  out  of  seed  germination.  If  you 
use  his  tips,  you're  guaranteed  success.  Most  of  us  know 
that  factors  such  as  storage  conditions,  moisture,  tem- 
perature and  time  all  affect  seed  germination.  But  which 
seeds  need  what?  Deno,  like  most  seed  germination 
researchers,  found  that  different  seeds  have  different  delay 
mechanisms,  and  until  those  are  destroyed,  seeds  will  not 
germinate. 

The  book  describes  the  specific  conditions  needed  to 
germinate  2500  species  of  plants,  and  what  to  do  with  the 
seedlings  once  they  germinate  to  raise  them  into  healthy 
plants.  The  book  is  available  for  $20  from  Norman  C. 
Deno,  139  Lenore  Drive,  State  College,  PA  16801 
Order  this  book  before  you  collect  another  wildflower  seed! 
Not  available  in  bookstores. 


Reprinted  in  part  from  Invasive  Alien  Plants  of  Virgina,  Virginia  Native 
Plant  Soci- 


/ 


N/477VES  IN  THE  GARDEN 


The  wild  columbine  (Aquilegia  canadensis)  bloomed  early 
and  long  in  front  of  my  house,  but  stayed  low  and  looked 
kind  of  pitiful.  My  attempt  to  use  it  as  a ground  cover  in 
the  front  yard  where  my  poor  compacted  soil  serves  as 
dog-playground  didn't  work.  It  just  wouldn't  grow  well  in 
the  compacted  soil.  I did  collect  a lot  of  seed  from  the 
plants  before  the  leaf  miners  destroyed  them.  The  plants 
in  the  shady,  moist  bed  in  back  did  great  and  looked  great 
along  the  very  low  windows  of  our  old  house.  A friend 
took  the  columbine  I shared  with  her  last  fall  and  put  the 
plants  in  a partly  sunny  border  in  well-broken-down  mulch. 
The  plants  grew  to  almost  5 feet  tall  and  were  covered 
with  flowers  for  weeks.  They  were  actually  showy  at  30 
mph  from  the  road!  I also  gave  her  purple  coneflower  (6 
feet!),  Beardstongue  ( Penstemon  small i)  grew  to  4 feet 
and  False  Sunflower  ( Heliopsis  helianthoides)  over  10  feet. 
All  covered  with  flowers.  I don't  know  what  was  in  her 
mulch  but  I want  some.  I gave  another  friend  an  tiny 
Ironweed  ( Vernonia  altissima)  three  years  ago  and  right 
now  it  is  12  feet  and  still  growing! 

My  bloodroot  ( Sanquinaria  canadensis)  bloomed  beauti- 
fully beginning  March  22  for  a couple  of  weeks.  I was  able 
to  collect  seed  for  new  plants.  The  firepinks  (Silene 
virginica)  were  gorgeous!  This  is  such  a good  garden 
plant  and  so  easy  to  grow  from  seed.  The  plants  in  my 
garden  grew  over  2 feet  tall  and  some  had  30  blooms  at 
once,  without  any  pampering.  They  bloomed  for  over  a 
month.  As  the  firepinks  were  finishing-up,  the  Penstemon 
smalli  began  to  bloom  and  looked  great. 

My  butterfly  weed  (Asdepias  tuberosa)  bloomed  early  and 
long  and  looked  great  with  purple  coneflower  (Echinacea 
purpurea).  I've  cut  it  back  now  to  encourage  it  to  bloom 
again.  The  purple  coneflower  and  prairie  coneflower 
( Ratibida  pinnata)  look  great  together.  Both  are  good 
garden  plants.  The  prairie  coneflower  needs  to  be  staked 
or  placed  where  its  habit  of  falling  over  isn't  a problem.  I 
have  it  wedged  in  between  purple  coneflower  and  garden 
phlox  and  it  looks  nice.  It  also  looks  nice  sprawling  over  a 
fence.  My  bluestar  (Amsonia  tabernaemontana),  unhappy 
after  its  third  move,  hasn't  bloomed  though  the  plant 
looks  healthy.  The  wild  bergamont  (Monarda  fistulosa) 
loves  its  new  place  at  the  back  porch  and  has  been 
blooming  for  weeks.  The  hummingbirds  and  bumble  bees 
love  it.  It  is  in  a moist,  sunny  bed  with  some  non-native 
mints  and  native  Helianthus,  which  isn't  blooming  yet  but 
is  about  7 feet  tall  and  very  healthy.  The  cardinal  flower 
(Lobelia  cardinalis)  and  blue  lobelia  (L.  siphilitica)  by  the 
bird  bath  is  getting  ready  to  bloom,  as  is  the  false  dragon- 
head. The  trumpet  creeper  (Campsis  radicans)  is  bloom- 
ing like  crazy  along  with  the  passion  vine,  attracting 
humminbirds  and  butterflies.  The  blazing  stars  (Liatris 
spicata  and  L.  squarrosa)  are  just  beginning  to  bud  and 
will  draw  butterflies  in  for  a closer  look.  On  a less 
successful  note,  the  Hibiscus  mocheutos  is  once  again 
food  for  japanese  beetles  and  the  Copper  Iris  (Iris  fulva), 
after  four  years,  is  still  just  sitting  there. 


more  gardening 

You  don't  have  to  have  a lot  of  land  to  use  native  plants  in 
your  gardening.  Three  years  ago,  I put  in  a native 
wildflower  garden  for  a lady  who  had  a large,  beautiful  old 
house  with  a small  yard  Like  many  people  who  have 
small  yards  but  love  to  garden,  she  had  resorted  to 
container  gardening  (I  live  on  80  acres  and  still  love 
container  gardening!)  She  had  been  planting  containers 
with  the  basic  annuals  every  year  and  decided  that  she 
wanted  a butterfly  garden.  It  was  really  a lot  of  fun!  First, 
we  picked-out  some  very  large  containers  and  decided  on 
a location,  right  in  front  of  the  house,  by  the  street.  We 
placed  the  containers  as  close  to  where  we  wanted  them 
as  we  could,  because  once  they  were  planted,  they  were 
too  heavy  to  move.  The  containers  were  oriented  around 
a folk  art  bird  bath  with  rocks  in  the  bottom  so  that  both 
birds  and  butterflies  could  use  it.  We  filled  the  bottom  of 
each  container  with  pea  gravel  for  drainage  and  filled  the 
rest  of  the  pot  with  a soil-less  potting  mix.  Three  larger 
containers  occupied  the  right  side  of  the  sidewalk  with  the 
bird  bath  and  one  smaller  container  on  the  left  held  the 
major  butterfly  plant,  butterfly  weed  (Asclepias  tuberosa). 
Even  with  the  large  taproot,  this  plant  will  do  well  and 
over-winter  in  a large  container  for  at  least  one  season. 
We  transplanted  it  from  the  pot  to  the  ground  the  second 
year  without  the  usual  damage  done  to  the  taproot  when 
transplanting.  In  the  other  containers  we  used  purple 
coneflower  (Echinacea  purpurea),  lance-leaved  coreopsis 
(Coreopsis  lanceolata),  cardinal  flower  and  great  blue 
lobelia  (Lobelia  cardinalis  & L.  siphilitica),  Rose  Mallow, 
(Hibiscus  moscheutos),  Blazing  star  (Liatris  spicata), 
prairie  coneflower  (Ratibida  pinnata)  wild  ageratum 
(Eupatorium  sp.)  and  sweet  goldenrod  (Solidago  odora). 
All  the  plants,  after  three  years  are  doing  great  and  the 
butterfly  garden  is  beautiful,  complete  with  butterflies. 

This  year  some  of  the  plants  were  divided  for  more 
containers  or  planted  in  the  ground.  These  containers 
also  provide  enough  flowers  for  cut  flowers  to  be  brought 
inside.  False  sunflower  (Helianthus  helianthoides)  and 
Ironweed  (Vernonia  altissima)  were  planted  around  and 
among  the  containers.  The  owner  also  plants  butterfly- 
attracting  annuals  among  the  containers  in  the  spring  and 
summer.  (She  decided  after  the  first  year  the  rose  mallow 
wasn't  one  of  her  favorites  so,  after  it  over-wintered  in  the 
container,  we  dug  it  out  of  the  container  and  replanted  in 
my  yard.  ) These  containers  have  to  be  watered  quite 
often  and  they  are  fertilized  regularly.  On  very  dry,  hot 
days,  the  containers  are  sometimes  watered  2-3  times. 
Some  container  plants  for  shady  locations  are  wild  ' 
columbine,  cardinal  flower,  most  ferns,  false  wild  indigo, 
Carolina  bushpea,  sweet  goldenrod,  alumroot  and  wild 
geranium.  If  you  don't  have  a lot  of  space,  or  even  if  you 
do,  try  your  hand  at  container  gardening  with  native 
plants  Choose  your  location  and  containers  and  experi- 
ment! 


Pickle  tiint:  Instead  of  using  alum  to  keep  your  home- 
mactepiktecr^t^adtlEg  1-2  wild  grape  leaves  to 
each  jar  of  pickles  It  safely  keeps  those  cukes  crispy! 


5 


INCREDIBLE  EDIBLE  & MEDICINAL 
NATIVES 


COMMON  ELDERBERRY  (Sambucus  canadensis) 

The  Common  Elderberry  is  a shrub  (3'  - 13')  with  large 
leaves  (4"  - 11")  composed  of  5-1 1 coarse-toothed  elliptic 
leaflets.  The  stout  twigs  have  a large  white  pith  and  small 
wart-like  lenticels.  Bark  is  brownish.  The  May-July 
blooming  5-petaled  flowers  are  small  and  white  in  dense 
flat-topped  clusters.  The  fruits  are  small,  juicy,  seedy, 
purple-black  drupes  beginning  in  August.  Elderberry  grows 
in  open  areas,  in  moist,  rich  soil. 

Elder  seeds  and  branches  found  in  Stone  Age  diggings 
show  that  this  plant  has  been  used  by  man  since  before 
recorded  history.  Sambucus  is  derived  from  the  Greek 
word  sambuke,  a musical  wind  instrument  made  from 
elder  wood.  The  white  pith  can  be  easily  removed  from 
the  elder  sticks,  leaving  a hollow  pipe  for  making  a flute 

The  mythological  goddess  Freyja  chose  elder  as  her 
abode  because  of  its  beneficial  medicinal  qualities.  In 
medieval  Europe,  however,  the  elder  was  avoided  because 
of  its  reputation  for  being  associated  with  evil  and  witches! 
It  was  considered  dangerous  to  sleep  in  the  shade  of  an 
elder,  or  plant  one  near  the  house,  because  of  its  evil, 
narcotic  effects.  For  the  same  reason,  cradles  were  never 
made  from  elder  wood  Witches  needing  to  hide  in  a 
hurry  could  hop  into  the  nearest  elder  tree  and  transform 
herself  into  a branch.  They  also  lived  in  elder  trees,  so 
people  were  afraid  to  chop  them  down  for  fear  of  retalia- 
tion from  the  witch's  spirit.  Of  course,  the  fact  that  a 
person  would  die  within  three  days  of  chopping  down  an 
elder  tree  probably  had  something  to  do  with  it  too. 
Another  belief  held  that  if  you  first  apologized  to  the  witch, 
you  could  safely  cut  the  tree.  Probably  the  elderberry 
got  the  bad  reputation  because,  eaten  raw,  it  is 
poisonous  and  poisonous  plants  were  believed  to  be 
associated  with  witches  and  the  Devil. 

Elderberry  is  one  of  the  herbs  used  in  the  fires  set  on 
St.  John's  Eve  (June  23)  in  medieval  times,  along 
with  St.  Johnswort,  mugwort,  milfoil,  vervain,  camo- 
mile, lavender  and  malefem.  The  purpose  of  the 
fires,  lit  on  hills  and  other  high  places,  was  to  purify 
the  air  of  evil  spirits  to  ensure  the  protection  of  the 
people,  their  animals  and  their  crops.  When  properly 
smoked,  the  herbs  could  be  hung  in  houses  and 
bams  to  further  repel  the  powers  of  evil.  They  could 
also  be  worn  around  the  neck.  This  custom  of 
burning  fires  at  the  beginning  of  summer  is  thought 
to  have  originated  with  the  ancient  Gauls. 

The  medicinal  parts  of  the  elderberry  are  the  root, 
bark,  leaf  buds,  leaves  and  flowers.  It  is  used  as  a 
cathartic,  diaphoretic,  diuretic,  purgative,  and 
stimulant.  Indians  used  root-bark  tea  for  headache, 
mucous  congestion,  and  to  promote  labor  in  child- 
birth. An  infusion  of  leaves  and  flowers,  or  a decoc- 


tion that  can  be  used  as  a wash  for  skin  problems, 
wounds  and  inflamations  and  is  used  in  natural  commer- 
cial skin  preparations.  A tea  of  the  the  flowers,  taken 
warm  will  induce  sweating,  for  headaches  due  to  colds,  for 
“twitching  eyelids"/eye  inflamation  and  for  rheumatism. 
Used  cold,  the  tea  has  diuretic  properties.  An  infusion  of 
the  leaf  buds  is  a strong  purgative.  Fresh  berry  juice 
evaporated  into  a syrup  is  a mild  purgative.  The  dried 
berries  can  be  made  into  a tea  that  is  useful  in  diarrhea, 
"summer  complaint"  and  cholera. 

The  flowers  and  berries  of  the  elderberry  are  delicious, 
and  not  poisonous,  when  prepared  properly.  The  flowers 
and  ripe  berries  can  be  made  into  wine.  The  flowers  can 
be  dipped  in  batter  and  fried  into  fritters.  The  green  flower 
buds  or  green  berries  can  be  pickled.  The  ripe  berries  can 
be  made  into  pies,  jelly,  juice  and  can  be  dried.  The 
berries  can  be  removed  from  the  stem  with  your  fingers  or 
by  using  a coarse  comb  or  by  drying.  The  fresh  berries 
sometimes  have  a rank  taste  that  disappears  after 
preparation. 


COMMON  SENSE  CAUTION:  Don't  ingest  plants  that 
you  cant  positively  identify  and  always  use  caution  and 
good  sense  when  using  any  plant  medicinally  or  for  food. 
Elder  flutes  are  great  for  older  kids  but  are  not  appropriate 
for  young  children  who  still  suck  or  chew  on  toys 


ELDERBERRY  WINE 

2 quarts  ripe,  fresh  elderberries,  stripped  from  the  stem 
4 quarts  water 
4 cups  sugar 

1 piece  fresh  ginger  (2-3  inches  long) 

1 teaspoon  whole  cloves 

2 envelopes  dry  yeast  or  2 cakes  fresh  yeast 

Combine  everything  except  yeast  in  an  enamel  kettle, 
bring  to  a boil,  lower  heat,  cover  and  simmer  for  1/2  hour. 
Strain  liquid  into  a 2-gallon  crock,  let  cool.  Add  yeast  and 
stir,  let  mixture  rest  for  2 days,  covered  with  a cloth  After 
two  days,  skim  off  any  foam,  pour  into  small-necked  glass 
or  crockery  bottles,  cover  with  cheesecloth  and  leave  in  a 
cool  place  until  there  is  no  hissing  sound  coming  from  the 
wine,  about  2 weeks.  Filter  or  decant  carefully  into  final 
bottles  and  put  in  an  airtight  stopper  or  cork.  Let  the  wine 
mature  for  at  least  2 months  before  using. 

(editors  note:  I have  drank  good  elderberry  wine,  but  never  made 
good  elderberry  wine  One  day  while  talking  with  an  old  wine-maker 
and  banjo  player  from  East  Tennessee,  I complained  that  my 
elderberry  wine  was  only  fit  for  fruit  flies  and  to  be  poured  down  the 
drain.  He  said  he  always  put  a box  of  prunes  in  his  and  I asked  "why 
prunes?"  He  laughed  and  said  "why,  to  cover-up  that  nasty 
elderberry  taste!"  I've  never  been  able  to  find  an  elderberry  wine 
recipe  with  prunes  as  an  ingredient.  Let  me  know  how  your  turns 
out.) 


(o 


Wildflower  Enthusiast  Remembered 


Mr.  Lawson  Vanburen  McNeese  died  March  23 
at  the  age  of  81 . He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
four  children,  seven  grandchildren  and  two 
great-grandchildren.  Mr.  McNeese  was  a long- 
time member  the  Sumner  County  Wildflower 
Society  and  TNPS.  "Mr.  Mac"  was  a "walking 
encyclopedia"  of  wildflowers  and  trees  and  was 
still  active  at  80  years.  The  Sumner  County 
Wildflower  Society  has  made  a donation  to 
TNPS  in  memory  of  Mr.  McNeese. 


ELDERBERRY JELLY 

3 3/4  cups  elderberry  juice  extracted  from  3-4  pounds  of 
ripe  elderberries  (cover  with  water,  in  an  enamel  pan, 
bring  to  a boil  over  medium  heat,  turn  down  heat  and 
simmer  for  about  15  minutes,  cool  and  strain  for  juice) 

1/4  lemon  juice 

1 box  pectin 
5 cups  sugar 

Bring  juices  and  pectin  to  a boil  over  high  heat,  stirring 
constantly,  add  sugar,  bring  to  a boil  and  boil  for  exactly  2 
minutes.  Set  off  heat  and  skim  off  foam.  Pour  into  sterile 
jars  and  seal,  (about  5 half  pint  jars).  For  Elderberry  / 
Grape  Jelly  use  2 1/2  cups  elderberry  juice,  2 1/2  cups 
wild  grape  juice  and  7 cups  sugar. 

ELDERBERRY  CAPERS 

2 cups  unripe  elderberries  or  elder-flower  buds 
1/4  cup  salt 

1 cup  water 
1/4  sugar 

1 cup  cider  vinegar 

Wash  elderberries  or  flower  buds,  drain  well  and  place  in 
sterile  jar.  Dissolve  salt  in  water  and  pour  over  berries  or 
buds.  Cover  with  a cloth  and  let  stand  for  2 days. 

Drain  and  pour  into  2 sterile  half-pint  jars.  Boil  sugar  and 
vinegar  together  for  2-3  minutes  and  pour  into  jars,  fill  to 
the  top,  seal  at  once. 


STANDING  STONE  TRIP  REPORT 

The  field  trip  to  Standing  Stone  State  Park  on  April  15  was 
great  fun!  We  had  several  TNPS  members  and  some 
folks  who  aren't  members  but  never  miss  this  walk.  An 
old  friend  even  brought  me  a cup  of  coffee,  cream  no 
sugar,  before  the  walk,  it  was  just  like  old  times  when  I 
was  the  interpretive  specialist  at  the  park.  The  weather 
was  cool,  but  nice.  Standing  Stone  offers  one  of  the  best 
displays  of  spring  wildflowers  in  the  area,  whether  by  foot 
or  by  car.  We  took  the  portion  of  the  Lake  Trail  from  the 
Recreation  Hall  up  to  the  cabins.  A good  driving  route 
starts  at  the  ranger  residence  at  the  south  end  of  the  park 
and  goes  down  to  Overton  Lodge.  If  you  go  in  May,  you 
aanseeSynandra  hispidula  growing  at  the  pull-off  at 
Bryan's  Fork  Trail  and  again  at  the  shelter  before  you  get 
to  the  bridge  at  Overton  Lodge.  (Unfortunately,  the  large 
stand  was  mowed  down  again  this  year  before  it  went  to 
seed.) 

Just  as  the  trail  starts  we  found  the  almost  invisible  Spring 
Coral-Root  ( Corallorhiza  wisteriana).  Large  stands  of 
Phacellia,  Large-flowered  trillium,  Allegheny-spurge  lined 
the  trail.  Wild  Ginger  and  Hepatica  was  also  abundant, 
despite  the  ever-worsening  erosion  problem.  We  were  too 
late  for  the  Trout  lily,  bloodroot  and  twinleaf  but  saw  these 
in  fruit  and  discussed  the  secrets  of  collecting  the  seed  to 
propagate  these  plants.  Other  trilliums  along  the  trail 
were  T.  cuneatum,  T.  luteum  and  T.  sulcatum.  Blue 
Cohosh  (Caulophyllum  thalictroides),  Black  Cohosh 
( Cimidfuga  racemosa)  and  May  -Apple  (Podophyllum 
peltatum)  were  abundant.  Other  plants  of  note  were 
Yellow  Mandarin  (Disporum  lanuginosum),  Delphinium, 
Yellow  Corydalis,  Firepink,  Crested  Dwarf  Iris,  Shooting 
Star  (Dodecatheon  media)  and  Phlox  divahcata.  This  is 
always  a great  trip.  Hopefully  the  park  will  reinstate  the 
“wildflower  weekend"  that  used  to  be  so  popular  with 
people  from  all  around  the  area.  There  are  really  a lot  of 
folks  who  love  to  come  on  this  walk  to  enjoy  the  wildflow- 
ers and  birds  every  year.  Sadly,  it  was  only  advertised  in 
The  Newsletter  this  year  and  most  people  thought  it  had 
been  cancelled.  TNPS  doesn't  advertise  fieldtrips  in  local 
newspapers  so  spread  the  word  about  fieldtrips  in  your 
area  to  wildflower  lovers  who  aren't  TNPS  members! 


7 


JOINT  FALL  MEETING 
TENNESSEE  AND  KENTUCKY 
NATIVE  PLANT  SOCIETIES 

FRIDAY,  SEPTEMBERS,  1995 

through 

SUNDAY,  SEPTEMBER,  10, 1995 

NATURAL  BRIDGE  STATE  RESORT  PARK 
SLADE,  KENTUCKY  40376-9999 
(606)  663-2214 
1-800-325-1710 


Mark  your  calendars  and  plan  now  to  attend.  Details 
in  the  August  Newsletter. 


WE  DON'T  WANT  TO  LOSE  YOU 
RENEW  NOW 

If  your  mailing  label  reads  1995  or  later,  your  dues 
are  current.  If  not,  please  take  a few  minutes  to 
renew  your  membership  in  TNPS.  Make  check 
payable  to  TNPS  and  send  to: 

Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society 
Department  of  Botany 
University  of  Tennessee 
Knoxville,  TN  37996-1100 

If  your  dues  are  not  current,  the  August  1995  issue  of 
The  Newsletter  will  be  the  last  one  you  will  receive 
until  you  renew  your  membership.  We  don't  want  to 
lose  you,  but  we  obviously  can’t  continue  to  send 
The  Newsletter  to  folks  who  haven't  paid  their  dues 
in  a year  or  two. ..or  three!  Please  renew  today!  If 
your  mailing  label  is  not  correct  call  or  drop  a note  to 
the  Newsletter  at  the  address  below. 


JUNE  1995  VOL. 18,  NO.  3 


PRINTED  ON  RECYCLED  PAPER 


TENNESSEE  NATIVE 
PLANT  SOCIETY 
NEWSLETTER 
1 172  S.  DRY  VALLEY  ROAD 
COOKEVILLE,  TN  38506 
615/528-4698 


BULK  RATE 
U.S.  POSTAGE 
PAID 

PERMIT  NO.  86 
COOKEVILLE,  TN 


DATED  MATERIAL. 

PLEASE  DELIVER  PROMPTLYI 


VOLUME  18,  NUMBER  4 


/ 

TENNESSEE  NATIVE 
PIANT  SOCIETY 
NEWSLETTER 


AUGUST  1995 


NOMINATIONS  FOR  NEW  OFFICIERS 
SUBMITTED  TO  MEMBERSHIP  FOR  APPROVAL 


The  nominating  committee  of  TNPS  is  submitting,  for  member 
approval,  a slate  of  officiers  and  executive  board  members. 
The  nominations  are  as  follows: 

PRESIDENT,  MILO  PYNE 
VICE  PRESIDENT,  KAY  JONES 
RECORDING  SECRETARY,  NITA  HEILMAN 
CORESPONDING  SECRETARY,  ANDREA  SHEA 
TREASURER,  KAREN  YARBRO 


IN  THIS  ISSUE 

Joint  meeting  with  Kentucky  Native  Plant 
Society  --  September  8-1 0 

Spring  Field  Trip  Reports 

The  Birthwort  Family  in  Tennessee 


The  board  members  serve  staggered  terms.  Those  whose 
term  will  run  through  December  1995  are  Sally  Mirick, 

Dennis  Horn  and  Bertha  Chrietzburg.  Those  whose  term 
will  run  through  December  1996  are  Shirley  Nicholson, 

Larry  Wilson  and  Harold  Scott. 

According  to  the  TNPS  Constitution,  additional  nominations 
may  be  submitted,  by  at  least  ten  members,  within  three 
weeks  of  publication  of  the  Newsletter  in  which  nominations 
are  announced  (August  1995  issue).  In  the  absence  of  other 
nominations,  the  slate  of  nominations  will  be  considered 
approved  by  the  membership.  Additional  nominations  may  be 
sent  to  Kay  Jones,  P.O.  Box  193,  Hampshire,  TN  38461  or 
call  Kay  at  (615)  285  2777  in  the  evening. 


NATIONAL  WILDFLOWER  CENTER  HAS  NEW  DIGS 

This  spring,  the  National  Wildflower  Research  Center,  a 
nonprofit  organization  dedicated  to  conserving  North 
America's  native  flora,  moved  to  new  $9  million  quarters 
in  southwest  Austin,  Texas.  Situated  on  42  acres,  the 
center  features  two  acres  of  formally  landscaped  gardens 
that  showcase  wildflowers  indigenous  to  Texas  as  well  as 
a system  of  walking  paths  that  connect  gardens  designed 
specifically  for  butterflies,  children,  and  meditation.  The 
new  facility  also  has  a 232-seat  auditorium  and  North 
America's  largest  rooftop  rainwater  collection  system,  the 
centerpiece  of  which  is  a stone  cistern/observation  tower. 
For  more  information  on  the  center  call  (512)  292-4100. 


TENNESSEE  NA  TIVE  PLANT  SOCIETY 
NEWSLETTER 


AUGUST  1995 
VOLUME  18,  NUMBER  4 


This  Newsletter  is  a publication  of  the 
Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society  and  is 
published  six  times  a year,  generally  in 
February,  April,  June,  August,  October  and 
December. 

The  Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society  (TNPS) 
was  founded  in  1 978.  Its  purposes  are  to 
assist  in  the  exchange  of  information  and 
encourage  fellowship  among  Tennessee's 
botanists,  both  amateur  and  professional;  to 
promote  education  of  the  public  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  enhancement  of 
Tennessee's  wild  plant  communities. 

Dues  are  $1 5 for  the  calendar  year  ($1 0 for 
students  and  senior  citizens,  $20  for  institu- 
tions, and  $1 50  for  life  memberships). 
Membership  privileges  include  a subscription 
to  the  TNPS  Newsletter.  Dues  may  be  sent  to 

The  Tennessee  Native  Plant  Society, 
Department  of  Botany,  the  University  of 
Tennessee,  Knoxville,  TN  37996-1100. 

TNPS  OFFICERS 

Mary  Martin  Schaffner  of  Nashville, 

President 

Dennis  Horn  ofTullahoma, 

Vice-President 
Andrea  Shea  of  Nashville, 

Corresponding  Secretary 
Nita  Heilman  of  Clarksville, 

Recording  Secretary 
Karen  Yarbro  of  Knoxville, 

Treasurer 

DIRECTORS 

John  Churchill  of  Johnson  City 
H R.  DeSelm  of  Knoxville 
Shirley  Nicholson  of  Knoxville 
Bertha  Chrietzburg  of  Nashville 
Kay  Jones  of  Columbia 
Harold  Scott  of  Columbia 
Larry  Wilson  of  Memphis 
Sally  Mirick  of  Knoxville 


Candy  Swan,  Editor 


The  Mysterious  Grassy  Balds 
Of  The  Southern  Appalachians 


Reprinted  from  The  Newsletter  of  the  Southern  Appalachian 
Botanical  Society,  Vol.  1,  No.  2,  Summer  1993,  by  J.  Dan  Pittillo. 

When  Europeans  first  came  to  these  mountains,  no 
one  thought  the  grassy  meadows  of  the  high  moun- 
tains were  unusual.  The  pioneers  assumed  the 
meadows  had  been  cleared  by  human  activitiy. 
Indeed,  the  Indians  often  burned  the  forests  and 
presumably  the  highland  meadows.  But  as  the  early 
plant  collectors  were  followed  by  students  who  were 
interested  in  vegetation  patterns,  the  presence  of  the 
Southern  Highland  grassy  balds  became  a topic  of 
inquiry  that  lasted  at  least  half  a century. 

How  could  these  grassy  meadows  remain  open  and 
unforested  in  a region  without  a tree  line?  (The 
highest  peaks  are  less  than  7,000  feet  in  elevation- 
more  than  4,000  feet  below  the  expected  tree  line  at 
this  latitude.)  Many  theories  were  advanced,  such  as 
the  effects  of  ice  storms,  fire,  windthrow,  and  grazing 
by  animals.  None  of  the  theories,  however,  seemed 
to  fit  observations  of  all  sites. 

One  school  of  thought,  perhaps  most  aptly  credited 
to  the  late  R.H.  Whittaker,  indicated  that  fluctuating 
climates  may  have  played  a significant  role.  B.W. 
Wells,  on  the  other  hand,  throrized  that  Indians 
played  the  major  role  in  formation  of  these  vegeta- 
tion phenomena.  A more  recent  review  of  the 
controversy  was  summarized  by  Phil  Gersmehl,  a 
geography  student  at  the  University  of  Georgia.  He 
thought  that  most  evidence  related  to  the  European 
pioneers'  activities,  including  cattle  grazing,  clearing, 
and  the  setting  of  fires. 

Many  of  the  botanists  and  plant  ecologists  have 
suggested  there  indeed  may  be  several  causes  for 
the  various  grassy  balds,  some  applicable  to  certain 
sites  and  some  to  others.  The  Roan  Mountain  area, 
for  example,  seems  to  fit  the  fluctuating  climate 
concept  of  Mark  and  his  colleagues.  The  straight- 
sided clearing  of  Judaculla  Fields  of  Richland 
Balsam  suggests  the  involvement  of  humans,  giving 
the  reported  clearing  for  Indian  ceremonies  a cred- 
ible cause.  And  the  historical  development  of  grassy 
balds  at  Graveyard  Fields  (just  east  of  Richland 
Balsam)  from  a combination  of  timber  slash  and 
intense  fire  inficateds  how  burning  may  have  played 
a major  role  in  balds  formation. 

Evidence  of  past  Indian  activities  are  beginning  to 
accumulate  and  might  support  some  of  the  following 
speculations; 


2 


JOINT  FALL  MEETING 
TENNESSEE  and  KENTUCKY 
NATIVE  PLANT  SOCIETIES 

WHEN:  Friday,  September  8,  1995  through  Sunday, 
September  10,  1995. 

WHERE:  Natural  Bridge  State  Resort  Park 

Slade,  Kentucky  40376-9999 
606/663-2214 
1-800-325-1710 

REGISTRATION:  will  be  from  4:00  p.m.  to  6:00  p.m. 
Friday  in  the  main  lobby  of  the  lodge.  Friday 
evening  registration  will  continue  at  the  activities 
center  from  7:00  p.m.  to  7:30  p.m..  Saturday, 
registration  will  be  in  the  main  lobby  of  the  lodge 
8:00  a.m.  to  9:00  a.m.. 

Registration  will  be  $3.00  per  individual  or  $5.00 
per  family. 

PLANNED  ACTIVITIES 

Friday  evening  program-  7:30  p.m.  at  the  activities 
center  - slide  program  provided  by  the  Kentucky 
Native  Plant  Society 

Saturday  Field  Trips  - 9:00  a.m. 

Field  Trip  #1  - This  will  be  an  all  day  caravan-style 
field  trip  with  multiple  stops.  Plans  are  to  travel  to 
northern  Kentucky  to  see  one  of  our  endemic  and 
rarest  plants,  Short's  Goldenrod.  Other  stops  along 
the  way  will  include  another  rare  and  endemic 
goldenrod,  the  white-haired  goldenrod.  We  will  also 
explore  parts  of  the  Red  River  Gorge,  one  of  the 
most  interesting  areas  of  Kentucky,  both  floristically 
and  geologically.  The  level  of  activity  will  be  light  to 
moderate.  Comfortable  shoes,  water  and  snacks  are 
recommended.  Lunch  will  be  at  an  appropriate  stop 
along  the  way. 

Field  Trip  #2  - For  those  of  you  who  have  never 
experienced  Natural  Bridge  State  Resort  Park,  but 
always  wanted  too,  this  may  be  your  ideal  experi- 
ence. This  field  trip  will  be  an  approximate  5 mile 
hike  through  the  park,  taking  in  the  fall  flora,  the 
interesting  plant  communities  and  the  geology  of  the 
park.  We  will  take  in  such  unique  features  as  the 
rock  garden  and  the  natural  bridge  (the  park's 
namesake).  We  will  discuss  everything  that  you  will 
see  and  also  whet  your  appetite  for  future  excursions 
by  discussing  the  kinds  of  wildflowers  you  might 
expect  to  see  while  visiting  the  park  in  the  spring- 
time. Level  of  activity  moderate  to  strenuous. 


Comfortable  hiking  shoes,  water,  snacks  and  lunch  are 
recommended.  We  will  stop  at  a rock  shelter  for  lunch. 

Saturday  evening  program  - 7:30  p.m.  in  the  activities 
center  - A Botanical  Tour  Through  Tennessee  by  TNPS 
member  Milo  Pyne. 

Sunday  morning  - The  activities  will  be  left  up  to  the 
wants  and  wishes  of  those  participating  in  this  exciting 
weekend.  Those  of  you  wishing  to  take  in  an  experience 
that  you  missed  on  Saturday  will  have  the  opportunity  to 
do  so.  The  field  trip  leaders  will  be  at  your  disposal. 

The  lodge  has  most  of  its  rooms  blocked  off  for  this 
meeting,  so  make  sure  you  mention  that  you  are  with 
TNPS  or  they  may  tell  you  nothing  is  available.  The 
park  has  excellent  camping  facilities  and  motels  are 
available  in  Winchester  and  Lexington  (30  min.  to  1 
hour  away.)  The  days  will  be  warm  and  the  nights  could 
turn  cool  so  plan  accordingly.  - submitted  by  Landon 
McKinney,  President,  Kentucky  Native  Plant  Society. 


A MESSAGE  FROM  THE  LANDON  McKINNEY, 
PRESIDENT,  KENTUCKY  NATIVE  PLANT  SOCIETY: 

Last  year's  joint  meeting  at  AEDC  was  a great  success 
and  quite  a delight  for  those  of  us  who  attended  from 
KNPS-  We  wish  to  extend  a warm  welcome  to  any  of 
you  who  plant  to  attend  this  year's  joint  meeting.  You 
will  experience  a truly  educational  and  enjoyable  experi- 
ence. I have  been  in  Kentucky  over  5 years.  I was 
born,  raised  and  botanically  trained  in  Tennessee. 

Ronald  Jones,  who  created  the  KNPS,  was  bom,  raised 
and  botanically  trained  in  Tennessee.  The  Kentucky 
Native  Plant  Society  seems  to  have  its  roots  in  Tennes- 
see and  now  we  would  like  to  take  the  opportunity  to 
show  off  parts  of  this  wonderfully  diverse  state.  I look 
forward  to  seeing  many  of  you  at  our  1 995  joint  meeting. 
I promise  that  it  will  be  a truly  unique  experience. 


Just  a thought.  Readers  please  respond... 

Exotic  plants  and  animals,  harmful  as  they  can  be  to 
natural  communities,  play  a very  important  part  of 
some  ecosystems.  Some  native  animals  depend  on 
exotic  plants  for  food,  shelter  and  places  to  raise 
their  young.  Do  we  really  know  enough  about  those 
relationships,  especially  in  the  case  of  exotic  species 
that  have  been  present  for  hundreds  or  more  years, 
to  remove  these  species  whenever  we  find  them, 
especially  if  it  means  a mass  (total)  removal  of  a 
species  from  a community  in  a short  amount  of  time 
and  during  migration  or  nesting  season  of  animals 
such  as  birds  or  insects? 

3 


FIELD  TRIP  REPORTS 

BLUEBELL  ISLAND,  FRANKLIN  COUNTY 

On  Saturday,  March  25  we  were  greeted  by  Sanford 
McGee  and  an  extensive  crowd  of  wildflower  and  conser- 
vation enthusiasts  from  the  Sewanee  area  for  a romp  on 
beautiful  Bluebell  Island  on  the  Elk  River.  This  lovely  spot 
is  almost  legendary  with  nature-lovers  in  this  area  of  the 
state;  they  speak  of  it  with  a certain  reverence.  The  Island 
is  truly  carpeted  with  Virginia  bluebells,  Mertensia  virginica 
and  other  spring  wildflowers,  most  notably  both  the  yellow 
troutlily,  Erythronium  americanum,  and  its  white-flowered 
relative,  Erythronium  album.  This  is  certainly  the  best- 
known  site  where  the  two  species  are  found  together  in 
such  abundance. 

A few  of  us  followed  this  up  with  a visit  to  some  sites  on 
the  property  of  Arnold  Engineering  Development  Center  to 
check  on  the  flora  of  floodplain  habitats  there.  Numerous 
areas  of  this  type  have  developing  populations  of  the  non- 
native garlic-mustard,  Alliaria  petiolata  ( or  A.  officinalis). 
Despite  this  plant's  novelty  and  utility  (its  leaves  can  be 
eaten,  if  you  like  the  taste  of  garlic)  it  should  be  ruthlessly 
removed  from  natural  areas  when  encountered.  It  i a 
tremendous  problem  in  Illinois  and  other  states. 

Sanford  McGee  is  a long-time  TNPS  member  who  is  on 
the  board  of  the  South  Cumberland  Regional  Land  Trust; 
this  group  has  just  obtained  a one-year  option  to  PUR- 
CHASE BLUEBELL  ISLAND!  If  you  would  like  to 
assist  in  this  effort,  write  to  Sanford  and  SCRLT  at 
P.O.  Box  615,  Monteagle,  TN  37356.  Donations  of  any 
amount  are  accepted. 

JOHN  CORN  FARM,  SUMNER  COUNTY 

On  Sunday,  April  9 about  30  of  us  were  graciously 
welcomed  by  Jack  Corn  and  his  family  at  their  farm  in 
Sumner  County;  where  the  rich  spring  flora  is  abundant  on 
slopes  whose  canopy  had  unfortunately  been  opened  up 
by  ice  storm  damage  during  the  last  couple  of  years.  In 
particular,  we  saw  abundant  swards  of  Blue-eyed  Mary, 
(Collinsia  verna),  as  well  as  wast  quantities  of  all  the 
beautiful  wildflowers  found  in  the  limestone-derived  soils 
of  the  lower  slopes  of  the  Highland  Rim  escarpment. 

These  include  white  trillium,  forest  phacellia  (Phacellia 
bipinnatifida),  large-flowered  bellwort  (Uvularia  grandiflora), 
and  many  other  beauties.  An  additional  hike  up  onto  the 
margin  of  the  Highland  Rim  enabled  us  to  encounter  fire- 
pink  ( Silane  virginica)  and  other  flowers  that  prefer  the 
siliceous  soils  there.  We  were  fortunate  to  have  many 
visitors  that  day;  let's  hope  that  these  new  friends  become 
active  members  of  TNPS!! 

CUMMINS  FALLS  & WASH  MORGAN  HOLLOW; 
JACKSON  COUNTY 

There  were  showers  forecast  for  Saturday,  May  13,  so  it 
was  a well-prepared  group  that  met  that  morning  to  visit 
Cummins  Falls  in  Jackson  County.  While  our  search  for 
Synandra  hispidula,  Gyandotte  Beauty,  was  not  rewarded 
here,  we  swa  the  remains  of  a rich  spring  flora.  Due  to 

4 


the  rapidity  with  which  Spring  progressed,  the  Phacellia 
bipinnatifida,  Trilliums  and  other  species  had  finished  flower- 
ing, but  we  were  able  to  see  them  in  fruit.  In  addition,  there 
were  abundant  amounts  of  Dwarf  crested  iris,  wild  ginger, 
marginal  shield  fern,  Allegheny-spurge,  wood-nettle  (which 
bedeviled  anyone  in  shorts),  Bloodroot,  as  well  as  Twinleaf 
(Jeffersonia  diphylla)  and  Horsebalm  (Collinsonia  canadensis). 
There  were  several  species  of  Viburnum  on  the  slopes, 
including  V.  rafinesquianum.,  which  is  not  rare  but  seems  to 
have  limited  distribution  in  Tennessee.  On  the  zoological 
front,  Mike  Doochin's  kids  were  thrilled  (as  was  I)  to  see  a 
snapping  turtle  swimming  in  the  shallows  of  the  creek.  Due  to 
an  overgrown  trail  and  the  need  to  travel  on  the  Washmorgan 
Hollow,  we  did  not  make  it  all  the  way  to  the  falls. 

That  same  afternoon,  we  journeyed  to  Washmorgan  Hollow,  a 
site  that  was  purchased  by  Hector  Black,  a peace  activist  and 
nursery  grower  who  lives  nearby,  and  was  dontated  to 
theTennessee  Field  Office  of  the  Nature  Conservancy.  By  the 
afternoon,  even  though  we  had  avoided  the  strong  (but  small) 
thunderstorms  in  the  area,  it  was  lightly  raining.  Mixed 
mesophytic  forests  are  beautiful  in  the  rain,  with  all  the 
moisture  on  the  leaves,  but  you  can't  see  a dad-blamed  thing, 
it  is  so  dark.  Luckily  the  Gyandotte  Beauty  has  white  flowers, 
or  I'd  never  have  seen  it.  Also  noteworthy  here  is  a large 
population  of  Small-flowered  wild  valerian  (Valeriana 
pauciflora),  along  with  Mayapple,  Forest  phacellia,  Twinleaf, 
Large-flowered  bellwort,  Doll's-eye  baneberry,  and  Plantain- 
leaved sedge  (Carex  plantaginea).  There  are  two  distinct 
plant  communities  at  this  site,  the  floodplain  of  the  creek,  and 
the  rich  lower  slopes.  One  could  spend  an  abundant  amount 
of  time  in  either  one  of  them.  Again,  due  to  time  limitations, 
we  didn't  get  to  the  actual  waterfall.  This  site  is  worth  a 
second  look,  particularly  earlier  in  the  season. 

SWAN  CREEK  AREA,  LEWIS  COUNTY 

Beautiful  weather  and  the  abundant  hospitality  of  Kay  and  Bill 
Jones  greeted  about  25  of  us  at  "Ridgetop"  in  Lewis  County. 
Bill  had  just  cleared  the  trail  of  woody  debris,  so  we  had  an 
easy  hike  down  the  hill  to  see  the  Fen  orchis  or  Loesel's 
twayblade,  Liparis  loeselii.  This  plant  grows  in  seepage  areas 
that  originate  from  a calcareous  portion  of  the  Fort  Payne 
Formation;  these  areas  have  been  variously  called  "boggy", 
"fens",  "seeps"  or  "seep-fens".  Whatever  one  chooses  to  call 
them,  they  have  an  interesting  flora.  The  foliage  of  Large- 
flowered  grass-of-parnassus  (Parnassia  grandiflora)  is 
abundant  and  characteristic  of  these  sites.  We  puzzled  for 
awhile  over  the  identity  of  a plant  that  was  either  a robust 
Cowbane  (Oxypolis  rigidior)  or  a Meadow-parsnip  (Sium 
suave),  eventually  concluding  in  favor  of  Cowbane  because  of 
its  coarse  teeth.  Also  noteworthy  is  a narrow-leaved  Phlox 
shose  identity  eludes  us  still.  More  information  needed!  We 
also  took  a brief  visit  to  a recently-formed  beaver  pond  in  the 
vicinity.  Our  morning  activity  was  followed  by  a pleasant 
lunch  on  Kay  and  Bill's  back  porch,  and  then  a visit  to 
Rattlesnake  Falls  in  Western  Maury  County.  This  site 
contains  a well-developed  spring  flora  (which  was  a little  too 
far  along)as  well  as  a population  of  Eggert's  Sunflower 
( Helianthus  eggerttii)  on  the  dirt  road  approaching  the  falls. 
This  site  has  been  proposed  as  a state  natural  area,  and  has 
been  a traditional  visiting  and  courting  spot  for  many  years. 

In  th  last  attempt  to  promote  public  ownership,  the  landowner 
was  not  interested  in  selling.  It  would  also  make  a fine  local 
park. 


An  earlier  version  of  this  article  appeared  as  a "sidebar"  in  the  June 
1 995  issue  of  The  Tennessee  Conservationist,  and  is  used  here  with 
their  permission.  It  accompanied  an  article  on  swallowtails  titled  "The 
Poisonous  Protector:  A Secret  of  Butterfly  Survival"  by  TNPS 
member  Jerry  Lee  Hutchens. 

The  Birthwort  Family  (Aristolochiaceae)  in  Tennessee  - 
Distribution,  Conservation  and  Folklore  by  Milo  Pyne,  Botanist, 
Tennessee  Natural  Heritage  Program 

All  of  the  plants  favored  by  the  pipevine  swallowtail  are 
members  of  the  birthwort  family,  or  Aristolochiaceae.  This 
family  name,  and  that  of  the  genus  Aristolochia  from 
which  it  is  derived,  comes  from  the  Greek  words  meaning 
"best  delivery".  The  group  of  plants  is  called  birthworts 
because  of  their  supposed  value  in  aiding  the  childbirth 
process;  the  curved  flowers  were  thought  tot  resemble  the 
human  fetus  in  the  Womb. 

In  Tennessee,  we  have  three  species  of  Aristolochia',  one 
of  these  is  the  widely  distributed,  but  infrequently  seen 
Virginia  snakeroot  or  "serpent  birthwort",  A.  virginica.  This 
little  plant  has  a zig-zag  stem  and  heart-shaped  or  cordate 
leaves  which  are  reduced  in  size  as  they  go  down  the 
stem.  Never,  or  rarely,  found  in  patches,  you  have  to  look 
long  and  hard  to  spot  this  plant,  whose  tiny,  brown  flowers 
occur  barely  above  the  forest  floor,  frequently  hidden  by 
the  leaf  litter.  Its  medicinal  roots  smell  somewhat  like 
turpentine.  It  is  widely  scattered  across  the  entire  state. 
Recently,  when  I was  helping  the  staff  at  the  Warner  Parks 
with  some  vegetation  sampling,  we  encountered  this  plant; 
its  descovery  was  a great  occasion,  as  it  had  not  been 
noted  by  the  park  staff  before! 

The  other  two  are  both  species  of  pipevine  or  Dutchman's 
pipe,  Aristolochia  macrephylla  and  A.  tomentosa.  Both  of 
these  are  high-climbing  vines,  and  are  easily  overlooked 
unless  you  are  either  peering  up  in  the  trees  for  the  large 
heart-shaped  leaves,  or  watching  for  the  vines  them- 
selves. These  vines  usually  are  about  an  inch  in  diameter, 
being  narrower  as  well  as  smoother-barked  than  most 
grapevines.  They  also  tend  to  grow  several  together,  and 
twine  around  a tree  in  a bunch.  Another  way  to  spot  them 
is  to  watch  for  the  occasional  fallen  leaf  on  the  ground, 
and  then  to  look  carefully  for  the  vines.  The  best  way  to 
catch  a glimpse  of  the  remarkable  flower  is  to  be  on  a 
slope  above  the  trees  the  vines  grow  in,  so  you  encounter 
a flower  at  eye  level.  Otherwise,  you  are  liable  to  se  the 
flowers  just  out  of  reach  of  camera  range  up  above  your 
head. 

The  regular  Dutchman's-pipe,  A.  macrophylla , is  mostly 
found  from  the  Eastern  Highland  Rim  east  to  beyond  the 
borders  of  Tennessee.  Its  sister  species,  A.  tomentosa, 
the  hairy  Dutchman's-pipe,  seems  to  prefer  slightly  drier 
sites,  and  replaces  its  smooth  relative  in  the  Central  Basin 
and  Western  Highland  Rim.  It  also  turns  up  in  counties 
along  the  southern  border  of  the  state. 

In  late  February  of  this  year,  I was  on  the  banks  of  the 
Cumberland  River,  and  found  a fallen  leaf  of  one  of  the 
vines  of  the  hairy  Dutchman's-pipe.  I looked  above  my 
head  and  was  rewarded  with  an  almost-intact  fruit  (which 


In  addition  to  the  serpent  birthwort  and  the  pipevines,  the 
other  members  of  the  family  in  our  state  are  all  low- 
growing  herbaceous  plants,  collectively  called  "wild 
gingers".  While  a few  authors  place  them  all  in  the  genus 
Asarum  Linnaeus,  most  current  treatments  separate  the 
deciduous  Asarum  from  its  evergreen  relatives,  which  are 
segregated  into  the  genus  Hexastylis  Rafinesque. 

Of  the  wild  gingers  in  Tennessee,  the  deciduous  or 
Canada  ginger  ( Asarum  canadense)  is  the  most  wide- 
spread; it  is  found  across  the  state,  from  moderate 
elevations  in  the  Smokies  to  the  loess  bluffs  above  the 
Mississippi  River.  It  is  less  frequent  in  the  counties  along 
the  southern  border  of  Tennessee,  and  its  mesic  forest 
habitat  may  have  been  eliminated  in  counties  of  the 
coastal  plain  of  West  Tennessee.  In  contrast  to  the 
"heartleaf  wild  gingers,  this  plant's  leaves  die  back  in  the 
winter;  its  roots  are  aromatic,  but  not  its  leaves.  Much 
Tennessee  material  can  be  referred  to  var.  acuminatum, 
which  displays  long-acuminate  sepals  or  hypanthium 
lobes. 

Several  species  of  the  evergreen  wild  gingers,  or 
"heartleaf  (Hexastylis)  are  found  in  the  state.  The  most 
widespread  one  is  H.  arifolia  which  is  present  from  the 
Cumberland  Plateau  eastward  except  for  the  northeastern 
tip  of  the  state.  Its  foliage  is  differentiated  from  the  other 
species  by  its  lighter  green  areas  being  between  the 
principal  veins,  rather  than  along  them.  All  plants  I have 
seen  in  Tennessee  display  the  relatively  reduced  calyx 
lobes  which  characterize  the  var.  ruthii , named  for  Dr. 
Albert  Ruth,  a physician  and  botanist  of  Knoxville,  whose 
name  is  also  memorialized  in  the  epithet  of  Ruth's  golden- 
aster,  Hexastylis  ruthii.  In  contrast,  the  plants  I grew  up 
with  in  the  North  Carolina  Piedmont  belong  to  the  nomi- 
nate, longer-sepaled  variety.  My  mother  enjoyed  seeing 
this  plant  in  the  woods,  and  referred  to  the  flowers  as  "little 
pigs"  for  the  inflorescence's  resemblance  to  a litter  of 
piglets. 

Four  other  species  have  more  limited  ranges  in  our  state. 
One  of  these,  H.  contracta,  is  a Federal  Category  2 
candidate  at  the  present  time.  The  Kentucky  Nature 
Preserves  Commission  is  currently  funding  studies  in 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee  to  determine  the  true  abundance 
of  this  plant  and  whether  or  not  it  should  be  listed  by  the 
U.S.  Fish  and  Wildlife  Service  as  an  Endangered  or 
Threatened  species.  It  is  found  on  slopes  of  the  northern 
Cumberland  Plateau  counties,  and  its  flower  is  distinct  for 
the  two  constricted  bands  which  encircle  the  calyx.  I first 
saw  it  on  a TNPS  hike  with  Dr.  Margret  Rhinehart  on 
Daddy's  Creek  several  years  ago. 

Our  other  Tennessee  species  include  H.  shuttlesworthii,  H. 
virginica,  and  H.  heterophylla.  The  former  species  is  well- 
marked  by  its  large,  open  flowers  with  calyx  lobes  greater 
than  1 centimeter  long.  The  other  two  are  hard  to  sepa- 
rate, and  additionally  possible  confused  with  H.  minor, 
which  is  found  in  North  Carolina.  Several  other  species 
are  also  found  in  North  or  South  Carolina,  and  several 
new  ones  have  been  recently  described  as  new  to  science, 
the  fine  differences  in  the  species  are  best  observed  in 
fresh  material;  the  distinguishing  characters  are  lost  in 

5 


pressing  and  drying,  so  critical  collections  are  best  made  by 
preserving  the  flowers  in  rubbing  alcohol  or  a similar  preser- 
vative. 

In  the  genus  Hexastylis,  both  the  leaves  and  the  roots  are 
aromatic,  having  a ginger-like  odor  when  crushed.  They  are 
reputed  to  have  various  medicinal  and  culinary  uses;  when  I 
was  living  in  the  country  in  Chatham  County,  North  Carolina, 
we  would  add  a few  leaves  to  a pot  of  pinto  beans  for  a 
carminative  effect.  Despite  their  common  name,  they  are 
totally  unrelated  to  the  ginger  of  commerce  {Zingiber  officinale, 
Zingiberaceae),  which  is  more  related  to  corn  and  bananas 
than  to  our  wild  gingers. 


LATE  - BREAKING  DETAILS  FOR  FIELD  TRIP!! 

SATURDAY,  JULY  22 

This  information  was  received  too  late  for  an  earlier 
Newsletter  and  you're  probably  reading  this  after  the  fact, 
but  here  goes!  If  you  receive  this  Newsletter  before  July 
22  and  wish  to  attend  this  wonderful  field  trip  call  Dennis 
Horn  Immediately  at  (615)  454-7447  or  455-5742.  This 
trip  may  see  Clethra  alnifolia  at  AEDC  and  will  go  to  May 
Prairie  to  see  Platanthera  nivea  and  other  prairie  plants. 
Meet  at  the  Main  Gate,  Arnold  Engineering  Develop- 
ment Center,  1-24  Exit  117,  2.5  mi  to  gate  on  AEDC 
access  road  (Wattendorf  Hwy)  turn  right  at  stoplight 
and  park  by  Pass  & Registration  Building.  10:00  a.m. 
central  time. 


Balds  cont. 

After  the  last  glacial  maxima,  about  18,000  years 
ago,  the  high-elevation  shrub  and  grass  tundra 
generally  gave  way  to  advancing  forests.  Perhaps 
grazers,  especially  forest  bison  and  elk,  and  brows- 
ers, such  as  deer  helped  keep  some  areas  open. 
Windthrows  and  ice  storms  may  have  flattened  some 
forested  areas,  providing  slash  that  would  burn  easily 
upon  drying. 

Indians  are  known  to  have  burned  forests,  often  after 
mast  fall  to  clear  chestnuts  of  leaf  litter  and  perhaps 
to  kill  the  nut  weevils.  In  fact,  evidence  of  charcoal 
is  found  throughout  the  forests  and  most  of  the 
existing  grassy  balds  areas.  Fire  would  have  burned 
any  downed  timber  as  it  moved  up  slopes,  perhaps 
creating  new  grassy  openings  at  the  high  elevations 
as  well.  Burning  also  would  have  bee  successful  in 
killing  many  shrubs  and  trees,  leaving  spaces  for 
grass  to  be  established  and  thus  providing  good 
grazing,  especially  during  hot  summers. 

We  now  find  ample  evidence  that  Indians  often 
camped  near  springs  in  high-elevation  gaps,  many  of 
which  were  adjacent  to  the  grassy  balds.  These 
camps  likely  were  abandoned  during  the  colder 
months  as  the  Indians  moved  to  the  warmer  valley 
floors,  much  as  our  summer  second-home  residents 
do  nowadays. 


PLANTS  FOUND  AT  CATOOSA  WILDLIFE 
MANAGEMENT AREA 

For  the  last  three  years,  I have  participated  in  a bird  study 
at  Catoosa  Wildlife  Management  Area  in  Cumberland, 
Morgan  and  Fentress  Counties.  Consisting  of  approxi- 
mately 79,700  acres,  Catoosa  is  the  largest  tract  of  land 
administered  and  owned  by  the  Tennessee  Wildlife 
Resources  Agency.  It  is  located  20  miles  north  of 
Crossville  and  stretches  east  across  the  Cumberland 
Plateau  and  into  the  Cumberland  Mountains  near 
Wartburg.  The  bird  counts  are  part  of  the  Tennessee 
Biodiversity  Project  and  have  been  a lot  of  fun.  The  only 
drawbacks  are  getting  up  at  4:00  a.m.,  from  Memorial  Day 
through  July  7,  to  get  to  Catoosa  by  the  time  the  birds 
start  singing  and  the  ticks!  Besides  the  birds,  Catoosa 
has  wonderful  plants.  The  TWRA  non-game  biologist  that 
I work  with  probably  has  nightmares  of  me  yelling  "Stop, 
Stop!  Go  Back,  Go  Back!!"  everytime  I see  a bird  or  plant. 
We  are  planning  to  set  up  a TNPS  field  trip  to  Catoosa 
next  year.  Try  to  come,  it  really  will  be  a treat.  Besides 
the  ferns,  mosses,  phlox,  yellowroot,  pink  lady  slipper, 
native  grasses,  rhododendron,  mountain  laurel,  sweet 
shrub,  etc.,  this  year  we  found  two  real  treats.  Driving 
down  the  road  late  in  June,  I spotted  a blur  of  unusual  red 


as  we  sped  down  the  road.  I yelled,  and  being  familiar 
with  procedure,  my  friend  put  the  truck  in  reverse.  We 
found  four  Wood  Lilies, Li/ium  philadelphicum,  right  on  the 
side  of  the  road  in  an  open  (burned)  pine  stand.  Two  were 
blooming,  one  had  just  finished  and  the  last  was  about  to 
bloom.  We  looked  around  and  didn't  find  anymore, 
though  this  plant  can  be  easily  missed,  unless  you  happen 
to  be  there  on  the  couple  of  days  it  blooms.  The  species 
is  endangered  in  Tennessee.  We  marked  the  area  with  a 
"road  closed"  sign  (we  were  out  of  flagging  tape)  and  I 
was  able  to  take  photographs  the  next  day. 

Our  next  find  was  just  as  good,  and  lucky,  since  we 
usually  finish  the  bird  counts  on  this  trail  the  first  week  of 
June,  and  would  have  missed  the  blooms  of  the  Mountain 
Camellias  (Stewartia  ovata)  all  along  the  trail  the  first 
week  of  July,  when  we  finally  did  those  counts.  The  plants 
were  gorgeous!  When  we  first  started  down  the  trail,  we 
saw  white  petals  laying  on  the  ground,  but  couldn't  see 
any  trees  in  bloom.  Then  we  saw  them,  several  camillias 
in  groups,  all  in  bloom,  along  the  trail.  This  was  the 
typical  S.  ovata  with  yellow-orange  stamens.  I can't  wait 
to  see  if  I can  propagate  this  plant!  I'd  love  a yard  full  of 
them! 


6 


SUMMERTOWN  FIELD  TRIP  AT  THE  FARM 
SATURDAY,  AUGUST  19, 1995 


PA HUZHT 

MEET  AT  9:30  A.M.  (CENTRAL  STANDARD  TIME)  IN  THE 
PARKING  LOT  ACROSS  FROM  THE  POST  OFFICE  ON  HWY  20 
IN  SUMMERTOWN.  WE'LL  SEE  NATIVE  GRASSES,  BLUEBER- 
RIES AND  EGGERT'S  SUNFLOWER  (HELIANTHUS  EGGERTTII) 

at  The  Farm.  In  the  afternoon  we'll  visit  seeps  on  a 

FORMER  LEATHER  TANNERY  TO  LOOK  FOR  VARIOUS  LILIES 
AND  GRASS-OF-PARNASSUS.  FOR  MORE  INFORMATION  CALL 
pat  a Vicki  montaine  at  The  Farm  at  (615)  964-3574 
OR  MILO  PYNE  AT  (615)  532-0440.  BRING  CHIGGER 
REPELLENT. 


BUGGYTOP  CAVE;  FRANKLIN  COUNTY 
SATURDAY,  AUGUST  26 


MEET  AT  10:00  A.M.  central  time  at  MARKET  IN 
SEWANEE  ACROSS  FROM  SHENANIGANS  (GREAT  LOCAL 
RESTAURANT),  NEAR  SENIOR  CITIZENS  CENTER.  1-24  EXIT 
134  (SEWANEE/MONTEAGLE),  GO  SE  ON  HWY  41  A/64  TO 
SEWANEE.  3 MILE  ROUND  TRIP,  HIKING  MODERATE,  ON 
TRAILS.  WE'LL  SEE  SlLPHIUM  BRACHIATUM,  HELIANTHUS 
EGGERTTII , AND  OTHER  FALL  ASTERACEAE. 

FOR  INFORMATION  CALL  MILO  PYNE  (615)  532-0440. 


THE  FOLK  MEDICINE  FESTIVAL 
10TH  ANNIVERSARY 
AT 

THE  PALACE 

IN 

RED  BOILING  SPRINGS 


JULY  29-30,  1995 


ADMISSION  $2.00  EACH  DA  Y 
under  12  free 

LECTURES  $10.00  EACH  DA  Y 
SPONSORED  BY 

SULPHUR  CITY  ASSOCIATION,  INC. 

615/699-2180 

Plan  to  attend.  This  is  a really  fun  festival  with  Folk 
Heritage  Demonstrations,  Arts  & Crafts,  Cherokee  Herbal 
Medicine  and  other  Native  American  Liveliness,  Children's 
Activities,  Food  (Vegetarian  available),  and  Souvenirs. 

Our  own  Milo  Pyne  will  lead  Plant  Identification  Walks  at 
1:00p.m.  on  the  29th  and  11:00  a m.  on  the  30th. 

Accomodations 

Armour  Hotel  615-699-2180  Brenda  Thomas 

Donoho  Hotel  615-699-3141 

Thomas  House  615-699-3006 

Hearthstone  Inn  615-666-7114 

Cordell  Hull  Motel  615-735-1300 

Tompkinsville  Inn  502-487-9228 

For  more  information  call  Lisa  Bedner  at  615-653-4402 


7 


RENEW  YOUR  MEMBERSHIP  IN  TNPS 


JOINT  FALL  MEETING  OF  THE  TENNESSEE 
& KENTUCKY  NATIVE  PLANT  SOCIETIES 

FRIDAY,  SEPTEMBERS 

THROUGH 

SUNDAY,  SEPTEMBER  10, 1995 

NATURAL  BRIDGE  STATE  RESORT  PARK 
SLADE,  KENTUCKY  40376-9999 
(606)  663-2214 
1-800-325-1710 

HOPE  TO  SEE  YOU  THERE!!! 


MEMBERSHIP  CATEGORIES: 

REGULAR  $15 
STUDENT  & SENIOR  $10 
INSTITUTIONAL  $20 
LIFE  $150 
GIFT  $10 

TO  JOIN  TNPS  OR  RENEW  YOUR  MEMBERSHIP 
SEND  A CHECK  TO: 

TENNESSEE  NATIVE  PLANT  SOCIETY 
DEPARTMENT  OF  BOTANY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  TENNESSEE 
KNOXVILLE,  TN.  37996-1100 

THANKS! 


VOL  1R  NO  4 AUGUST  1995 


PRINTED  ON  RECYCLED  PAPER.  PLEASE  RECYCLE 


TENNESSEE  NATIVE  PLANT  SOCIETY 
NEWSLETTER 


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