A publication of the VIRGINIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
Conserving wild flowers and wild places
Task force threatens Natural Heritage Program
When the Virginia General As¬
sembly was in session earlier this year,
legislation was proposed that could
have effectively disabled the state's
most capable species protection arm,
the Natural Heritage Program. A task
force ordered by Governor George
Allen had recommended that Heri
tage, along with certain other
key government functions in¬
volved with natural resources,
be consolidated within the
Department of Game and
Inland Fisheries (DGIF).
Such a transfer into a barely
compatible department, to
be made without funding,
seemed a move calculated to
cripple species protection in Vir¬
ginia. Conservation groups led by
VNPS and The Nature Conservancy
objected and prevailed.
While the action was headed off,
the flawed idea did not vanish. Over
the past months, the Joint Legislative
Audit Review Commission (JLARC),
has complied with a request by the
General Assembly to review once
more the feasibility of consolidation.
JLARC's draft recommendations
were issued on October 16,1996. The
recommendation that Heritage be re¬
moved from the Department of
Conservation and Resources
(DCR) and placed with
DGIF has re-emerged
as a key part of the re¬
port. Also, the Endan¬
gered Plant and In¬
sect Species Program,
now falling under the
Virginia Department of
Agriculture and Con¬
sumer Services (VDACS)
would be transferred. The
entire restructured division
(See Heritage , page 8)
VNPS supports national strategy for invasive plant management
The Virginia Native Plant Society
became a cooperator with the Federal
Native Plant Conservation Initiative
in 1995. This federal group is an orga¬
nization of federal agencies actively
supported by groups like VNPS,
known as cooperators, who have a
strong interest in native plants and
protecting their habitats.
Native plants are being threat-
| ened by the rapid spread of many
invasive plants in our croplands, for¬
ests, parks, prairies, wetlands and
waterways. Invasives crowd out na¬
tive plants, disrupt ecosystem pro¬
cesses, alter wildlife habitats and cost
industry millions annually.
The Native Plant Conservation
Initiative has developed a draft Na¬
tional Strategy for Invasive Plant
Management.This draft has been devel¬
oped to serve as a focal point for every¬
one concerned about invasive plants.
The Strategy's goals, objectives,
and opportunities provide a frame¬
work of ideas and principles that,
when implemented individually or
cooperatively, will result in the resto¬
ration, preservation and enhancement
of our nation's lands.
The Strategy has three goals: pre¬
vention, control and restoration. Each
goal has one or more objectives with
exemplary action items. Three ap¬
proaches called partnerships, educa¬
tion and research are identified for
each objective.
The Virginia Native Plant Society,
as a Native Plant Cooperator, supports
this Strategy. We believe that it pro¬
vides the best approach to the prob¬
lems associated with invasive plants
by unifying national resources to sup¬
port local actions.
•. : Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society .
From the President
Happy New Year! As we begin a new calendar year let us all rededicate ourselves to our goals of preserving wildflowers
and wild habitats. Our natural world is constantly being threatened by developers, unthinking resource extractors and, of
course, ourselves. How easy it is to see someone else's abuse of the environment, but sometimes our very own lifestyle places
stress on the environment, which in turn supports further thoughtless development or resource extraction. We need to con¬
stantly think about the things we do and the wildflowers we all love.
I recently read a short piece by Kevin Connelly. It was taken from Gardener's Guide to California Wildflowers ,1991.
Grozving wildflowers is reivarding if you learn to distinguish these small voices
and listen. They zvhisper the history of where your house stands and ivhere your
garden lies f a chronicle of rainy seasons and droughts, fires, and floods stretching
hack centuries. Tune your senses to these voices, and they zvill tell you zvhat zvild-
flowers to grozv, hozv and zvhen to plant them and, best of all, zvhy.
This year, 1997, will mark the first year we have celebrated a native tree as our Wildflower of the Year. Fringe-tree (Chionanthus
virginicus) should receive a lot of attention and will be readily available from most nurseries. The Winter Workshop will focus on trees.
Read about it in this Bulletin and make plans to attend. There are lots of exciting things in the works for this year. Please get involved with
your chapter and state-sponsored events. We hope to develop a Web Site on the Internet this year. We are in need of an experienced designer
who would be willing to donate some time and effort to this project. Anyone willing to help with this should contact one of the following:
Dr. Stanwyn Shetler Frank Coffey
142 E. Meadowland Lane P.O. Box 137
Sterling, VA 20164-1144 Concord, VA 24538-0137
e-mail: shetlers@nrnnh.si.edu e-mail: fcoffey851@aol.com
And finally, it was with great sadness that I learned of the sudden death of Loren Staunton, Nicky's husband. Not only did
Loren and Nicky raise a family together, they were a team or as Nicky often put it "buddies." Loren was a regular participant in
all of the Society activities that involved Nicky and was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone needing it. Loren and
Nicky participated in two Bruce Peninsula trips and had planned to participate once again in ’97.
/ guess Loren's participation really increased when he became a "First Husband" of the Society during Nicky's six-year
tenure as president. He continued to make regular trips to the VNPS post office box right up to his untimely death.
I will miss Loren's cheerfulness, sharp subtle wit and helping hands especially at Executive Committee and Board of Direc¬
tor meetings. Loren: thanks for all of your generosity and kindness. VNPS has truly lost a "Buddy."
Your President, Frank Coffey
Attention
members Wanted
The Virginia Native Plant Society is trying
to find new ways to increase its membership
as well as its presence throughout the state. We
want to let more people know about us and the
wonderful things we can accomplish. The larger
our membership, the better we can educate the
public and carry out our conservation efforts.
If you have any ideas about increasing our
statewide, public exposure, such as through
magazine advertisement, or any other ways to
publicize our endeavors, please let us know. We
are open to ideas and suggestions to help keep
our organization growing and expanding. Call
Alonso Abugattas, VNPS Public Relations
Chair, at 703-358-6535 during the day or 703-
528-8808 evenings, e-mail AlonsoLucy@aol.com; fax
703-845-2654 to let your ideas be heard.
Page 2 : — . - - - ■ —
Attention
Writers Wanted
In order to bring Bulletin readers the full fla¬
vor of what our statewide society has to offer, the
editor is inviting members to consider submitting
an article for inclusion in the next, and all future,
newsletter issues.
Articles of particular interest would be places to
visit-parks, preserves, forests—and enjoy Virginia's
native plants. An overview of what might be found
there as well as directions and times to visit should
be included. There are hundreds of these places
throughout the Old Dominion. Share your favorite
native plant spot with other chapters.
Other articles could include, but are not limited
to, a book or video review, chapter news, or a focus
on a specific plant or plant issue. If you have ideas
or an article, please contact: Nancy Sorrells, Editor
VNPS Bulletin, Rt. 2, Box 726, Greenville, VA 24440; or
call 540-377-6390; or e-mail: nsorrell@leo.vsla.edu.
January 1997
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
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V This year's VNPS winter workshop will be held Saturday, March 22 at the •
University of Richmond which is the same location as last year's workshop.
Acommittee led by Education Chair Effie Fox with help from Botany Chair
Stan Shetler, Conservation Chair Nicky Staunton, and Horticulture Chair Nancy
Arrington are organizing the program and lining up speakers. Possible topics
include an overview of Virginia's native trees, tree care and management, tree
identification and preservation of trees with a look at trees in Natural
Heritage's preserves. Nancy Hugo will present a session on Virginia's
champion and historic trees. If you have an interesting tree story, photos
of historic or champion trees, or know the location of such trees in the
state, please let Nancy Hugo know at 804-798-6364.
A brochure describing the workshop will be mailed to members in_ —
February. Meanwhile, mark March 22 on your 1997 calendar and plan to
be in Richmond. __^
’ /'
Arlington House
surroundings threatened
ji
Grant project proceeding on schedule
The Defense Authorization Bill
for Fiscal '97 allows the transfer of
the last 24 acres of the once 1100-acre
Arlington plantation back to the
United States Army for additional
grave sites at the National Cemetery
in Arlington, Virginia.
This threatens Arlington House: The
Robert E. Lee Memorial with the destruc¬
tion of the last forested area sorrounding
the historic home. Those 24 acres were
to be "set aside in perpetuity" to preserve
an appropriate setting for the mansion,
home of George Washington's adopted
son, George Washington Parke Custis, as
well as that of his son-in-law, Gen. Robert
E. Lee.
All of this just to provide acreage for
grave sites that will totally consume it
in just five years. If you wish, you can
express your feelings to Governor
George Allen, 900 East Main Street, 14th
Floor, Richmond, Virginia 23219.
Work continues on the project,
partially funded by the National
Fish and Wildlife Foundation, to cre¬
ate a master list of native plants for
use in horticulture, landscaping or
conservation activities. At a meeting
held December 3 in Richmond at the
Department of Conservation and
Recreation (DCR), Division of Natu¬
ral Heritage, representatives from
the following organizations met to
review the list of plants compiled:
Dept, of Agriculture and Conserva¬
tion Services; Department of For¬
estry; DCR-Division of Soil & Wa¬
ter Conservation; Department of
Transportation; DCR-Division of
Natural Heritage; Department of
Horticulture, Virginia Tech; Virginia
Nurserymen's Association; The Na¬
ture Conservancy; Lewis Ginter Bo¬
tanical Garden; Virginia Native
Plant Society; and Virginia Chapter
of the American Society of Land¬
scape Architects.
The list being reviewed was
comprised of some 350 plants,
deemed much too many to be real¬
istic. Subcommittees were estab¬
lished to review and prune the list
for the four categories: herbs, trees
and shrubs, ferns and vines, grasses
and sedges. This work is to be com¬
pleted by mid-February.
Meanwhile, Natural Heritage
and VNPS representatives will study
how the information can best be or¬
ganized for effective presentation in
brochures.
January 1997
Page 3
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
For the library
"Rosie's Posies " sure to be a success with young gardeners
Rosie's Posies by Marcy Dunn
Ramsey; Tidewater Publishers;
Centreville, Maryland; ISBN
0-87033-472-7; $14.95
Rosie is a little girl who has just
moved to a new place. She has no
friends and is lonely. Her mother
suggests that they plant a garden.
Rosie's mother orders the
seeds, and when they come they be¬
gin to make their garden.
When the seeds come up Rosie
pretends that they're her babies and
the garden is her kingdom. She
learns their names and how to care
for them.Rosie never feels lonely
there, but will evil things threaten
her kingdom?
I think kindergartners to third
graders would enjoy this book be¬
cause of the colorful pictures, the
"How to Garden tips", and the
flower seed packets enclosed on the
back of the book.
I liked the way the artist made
the flowers come to life by putting
faces on them. I also enjoyed the
pictures and names of the things
she found in her garden on the
front and back cover and colorful
pictures throughout the book.
Some of these were aster, jewel-
weed, chickadee, praying mantis,
Solomon's seal, bee, slug, lacewing,
sweet pea, and worm.
With the garden season coming
up, buy it for your favorite bud¬
ding gardener before it blossoms
out of sight!
Elizabeth Gatewood
Beverley Manor Middle School
Staunton, VA
Editor's note: When information about
this colorful 9-inch by 9-inch children's
book arrived in the mail , I thought that
the most appropriate place to seek a re¬
view was from someone closer in age to
the book's targeted audience. Elizabeth
Gatewood, whose father is VNPS pub¬
lications chair Mark Gatewood, often at¬
tends Shenandoah Chapter events and
is quite knowledgeable about the out¬
door world.
Center for Plant Conservation receives environmental excellence award
ST. LOUIS - The Center for
Plant Conservation (CPC) received
the first Denver Botanic Gardens
Medal at a ceremony hosted by the
Denver Botanic Gardens on
Wednesday, October 2. This award
honors eminent contributions and
leadership in the area of plant stew¬
ardship and the environment. "It is
an honor to accept this wonderful
award on behalf of CPC and to be
seen as ’leaders' in conserving rare
plants in our country," said Dr.
Brien Meilleur, CPC President and
Executive Director.
The Center for Plant Conserva¬
tion is the only national organiza¬
tion in the United States dedicated
exclusively to the conservation of
U.S. native plants. It is unique
among the world's conservation
programs. Founded in 1984, CPC
operates a national program of off¬
site (ex situ) plant conservation, re¬
search, and education through a
national network of 28 leading bo¬
tanical gardens and arboreta. This
consortium collects, grows and
maintains the National Collection
of Endangered Plants, a living col¬
lection of 500 of the nation's rarest
plants. The seeds and cultivated
plants which comprise this collec¬
tion are a source of genetic mate¬
rial for eventual reintroduction
into the wild and are used in re¬
search, education and possible
commercial development.
The efforts of the 28 gardens
are undertaken as complements to
the preservation of the U.S. flora
through habitat protection, man¬
agement and restoration. The CPC
national office, headquartered at
the Missouri Botanical Garden in
St. Louis, provides coordination
and support services while the gar¬
dens maintain the living plants or
seeds and engage in conservation-
related activities. The network's
collective goal is to remove the
rare plants of the U.S. from dan¬
ger and to restore them to secure
habitats.
One of CPC's unique strengths
is working collectively with other
non-governmental organizations,
concerned citizens, and govern¬
ment agencies. The Center's collec¬
tion of nearly 500 species--a quar¬
ter of the plants identified as rare,
threatened or endangered in the
U.S.—is a measure of its success.
More telling is CPC's overwhelm¬
ing acceptance by the world's con¬
servation experts, institutions, and
media as the pre-eminent advocate
for plant conservation.
The CPC can be contacted at:
Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O.
Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri 63166-
0299; phone: 314-577-9450 or
homepage: http://www.mobot.org/
CPC.
Three new institutions
join CPC network
The Center for Plant Conserva¬
tion announced the selection of the
Chicago Botanic Garden in
Glencoe, Illinois; the Morton Ar¬
boretum in Lisle, Illinois; and
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden in
Santa Barbara, California as new
members into the CPC network.
These three nationally promi¬
nent institutions were selected to
become Participating Institutions
during CPC's October board meet¬
ing. This brings the consortium to
28 gardens and arboreta.
Page 4
January 1997
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
1997 VIRGINIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
1. Subject categories:
A. VNPS Wildflower of 1998 (co\umbine;Aquilegia canadensis) - specimen;
habitat-wild or garden
B. Favorite native plant photograph - open to all vascular and non-vascular
species; non-flowering (mushrooms); ferns; sea or land plants; wildflowers,
shrubs, vines, trees, etc.
2. Contestants:
All contestants must be members of Virginia Na¬
tive Plant Society but there will be two categories
of contestants: professional and non-professional.
3. Entry fee:
$1 per photograph. Entry of contest grants use of
any winning photograph by VNPS in official
publications, and the right to make a slide for
such production.
4. Format:
8 x 10 inches mounted
5. Information provided:
Contestants should provide any technical data con¬
cerning the photo submitted including camera set¬
tings, lighting, etc.
6. Deadline:
Entry deadline is July 31, 1997. Entries must be
submitted to:
VNPS Photography Contest
P.O. Box 844
Annandale, VA 22003.
7. Winners:
Winners will be announced at the Annual Meet¬
ing. Ribbons and a grand prize of an engraved
Jefferson Cup will be awarded.
January 1997
Page 5
^==^===^ Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society —
Chapter News .
Plant garden, memorial tree, bio-inventory among Potowmack projects
The Potowmack Chapter has been busy the last few
months. It recently received a letter from the Bryant
Adult Alternative High School in McLean, Virginia,
thanking it for the plant donation and help received from
Potowmack’s Propagation Chair Gerry Pratt. The school
is starting a native plant garden for ornamental and edu¬
cation purposes. The aid received has given them a good
start on the project and they have promised to keep the
chapter informed of their progress.
The chapter was also well represented at a special
event called the Volunteer Festival at the Springfield Dis¬
trict Government Center on October 26. Kathleen Kust,
Potowmack's conservation chair, was there to help the
volunteers learn more about native plants while they
help improve the appearance of their community. The
Connection Newspaper reported a good turnout of high
school students, scouts and adults who helped conduct
resource management while learning about the flora
around them.
Other recent work includes the donation of a 6-foot
Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) to
Riverbend Park, a Fairfax County Park Authority site,
in memory of beloved charter member Dorna Kreitz who
served the Potowmack Chapter, the whole state and the
cause of native plants with grace and dedication.
Maymont garden show
The Pocahontas Chapter will be
participating in the Maymont
Flower and Garden Show. This
year's show will be held from Thurs¬
day, February 20 to Sunday, Febru¬
ary 23. The chapter will operate an
education booth and use the new
VNPS display during the event. Vis¬
iting members from other chapters
are invited to stop by and say hello.
The Pocahontas booth will be lo¬
cated on the mezzanine in the Rich¬
mond Centre in Richmond.
Winter plants
The Lewis Ginter Botanical Gar¬
den in Richmond is sponsoring a
slide presentation on winter interest
plants on Thursday, January 30 from
12:10 to 1 p.m.. For more informa¬
tion, call Pocahontas Chapter repre¬
sentative Betsy Ryland at 804-262-
9887.
Old World plant sale
The Virginia Historical Society's
8th annual Old World Plant Sale will
Page 6 _i
Several members of both the Potowmack and Prince
William chapters of the VNPS started conducting bio¬
inventories of the plants and animals found at the
Lorton Reformatory. The VNPS is just one of several
organizations helping to inventory the fauna and flora
on the prison's extensive land holdings. Others include
the Fairfax Audubon Society, The Washington Area But¬
terfly Club and some of the local universities.
The Lorton staff is as eager as anyone to know what
types of plants and animals are found on the tract and
have been very helpful in arranging the surveys. It is
hoped that the surveys will help in any decisions about
what to do with the acreage, no matter who has pos¬
session of it.
The area is divided into various sectors which will
be periodically searched to get an idea of what is found
there. The VNPS chapters plan on doing these surveys
several more times throughout the next year. Those who
went on the initial survey discovered many plants and
animals. There are sizable woodlands, many fields, sev¬
eral ponds and a few nice wetland areas. The place is
quite beautiful and promises to hold many interesting
plant and animal discoveries. If you would like to help,
contact Kathleen Kust, Potowmack Chapter Conserva¬
tion Chair, 703-836-5868.
vation chair.
Pocahontas garden
The Pocahontas Chapter con¬
tinues to work on a native plant
garden at the Parham Road Cam¬
pus of J. Sargeant Reynolds Com¬
munity College in Richmond. The
garden site has been cleared of un¬
wanted plants and desired plants
have been tagged. Member David
Lane designed and drew a map of
the proposed garden.
Propagation workshop
The John Clayton Chapter pre¬
sented a free workshop on propa¬
gation of native plants to members
and guests. The three-hour session
was held at the Virginia Living
Museum in November.
Classes on seed sowing, propa¬
gation by cuttings, and below the
ground parts (roots, rhizomes,
corms) were led by Janis Miller,
horticulture curator at the mu¬
seum; George McLellan, landscape
architect, and other members of
the chapter.
take place at Virginia House in Rich¬
mond on Saturday, April 12 from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday April 13
from 1 to 5 p.m.
Plant lovers are invited to come
celebrate the return of spring and
stock up on the rarest and finest Old
World plants from the Virginia
House gardens as well as from the
area's finest growers. New daylily
varieties from the Richmond Area
Daylily Society as well as shrubs,
vines, groundcovers and perennials
from around the world will be avail¬
able. Garden gifts from dirt to art¬
work will also be available. For more
information, call 804-342-9665.
New PWWS officers
The Prince William Wildflower
Society has two new chapter officers.
Kim Hosen is the new education
chair. She replaces Claudia Thomp-
son-Deahl. Because of Nicky
Staunton's election to the state con¬
servation chair, Gina Yurkonis has
taken over as the chapter's conser-
January 1997
- .— --- Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society - - -. ■ -
Expanded riparian buffer is goal of Bay Program
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Highlight¬
ing the important connection be¬
tween streamside forest buffers and
good water quality in the Bay region,
the Chesapeake Executive Council
set a new streamside forest buffer
goal of 2,010 miles by the year 2010
at its annual meeting in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania in October.
The new goal calls on the Bay
Program partners to "...increase the
use of all riparian (streamside) buff¬
ers and restore riparian forests on
2,010 miles of stream and shoreline.
targeting efforts where they will be
of greatest value to water quality
and living resources." A recent study
showed that approximately half of
the 110,000 miles of shoreline along
the Bay and rivers are currently buff¬
ered.
"Buffers are a common sense,
cost-effective way to keep pollution
out of the rivers that flow into the
Bay," said U.S. Environmental Pro¬
tection Agency Administrator Carol
M. Browner, the chair of the Execu¬
tive Council. The Executive Council
is the policy-making body of the
Chesapeake Bay Program. The coun¬
cil includes Ms. Browner, Virginia
Governor George Allen, Maryland
Governor Parris Glendening, Penn¬
sylvania Governor Thomas J. Ridge,
District of Columbia Mayor Marion
Barry and Chesapeake Bay Commis¬
sion Chair Senator Noah Wenger.
In addition to signing the buffer
goal, the Executive Council also
adopted the Local Government Par¬
ticipation Action Plan; kicked off the
new Chesapeake Bay Partner Com¬
munities program and the new Busi¬
nesses for the Bay program; accepted
the Regional Action Plans for Toxics
Control for three toxic hotspots in
the Bay region (Baltimore harbor, the
Elizabeth River in Virginia and
Anacostia River in Washington,
D.C.); adopted the Priorities for Ac¬
tion for Land, Growth and Steward¬
ship in the Chesapeake Bay Region;
adopted the 1996 Information Access
Strategy and adopted the 1996
Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coast
Black Sea Bass Management Plan.
For more information, write:
Chesapeake Bay Program, 410
Severn Ave., Suite 109, Annaplic, MD
21403 or go to homepage: http://
www.epa.gov/r3chespk/
Beware of problems with invasive honeysuckle
Many types of bush or shrub hon¬
eysuckles (Lonicera spp.) have long
been recommended for planting in
people's yards. They are hardy, spread
fast, are attractive and provide fruit for
wildlife to eat. Unfortunately, most are
not native and many of the reasons
previously given for planting them
also make them invasive.
It doesn't help that some ani¬
mals, like white-tailed deer, seem to
prefer native honeysuckles as forage
and that deer populations are ex¬
ploding over most of the East. This
reduces the natives even more.
Meanwhile, those fruits that provide
the food for wildlife are helping seed
new plants in animal droppings all
throughout the area.
So how do you know if what
you have is native or not? Most non¬
native bush honeysuckles have a
hollow pith in their twigs. As a gen¬
eral rule, if you cut a young twig
and it is hollow, it's alien. You will
probably find that most of your hon¬
eysuckle shrubs are exotics. The
large numbers you will probably
find if you look closely in your
nearby woods should also convince
you that they are invasive and are
best not planted. Controlling them
once they are in your neighborhood
is something else altogether.
I-1
See the address label for your membership's expiration date.
VNPS Membership/Renewal Form
Name(s)
Address
City
State Zip
_
_Individual $15
_Family $25
_Student $10
_Patron $50 _Sustaining $100
Associate (group) $40; delegate
_Life $400
To give a gift membership or join additional chapters: Enclose dues, name, address, and
chapter. (Non-voting memberships in any other than your primary chapter are $5).
I wish to make an additional contribution to_VNPS_Chapter
in the amount of_$10_$25_$50_$100_$_
_Check here if you do not wish your name _Check here if you do not wish
to be exchanged with similar organizations. to be listed in a chapter directory.
Make check payable to VNPS and mail to:
VNPS Membership Chair, P.O. Box 844, Annandale, VA 22003
* Membership dues are tax deductible in the amount they exceed $5 Contributions are tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations '
i_i
The Bulletin
is published five times a year
(Jan., March, May, August, Nov.) by
Virginia Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 844, Annandale, VA
22003
(703) 368-9803
Frank Coffey, President
Nancy Sorrells, Editor
Barbara Stewart, Artist
Original material contained in the Bulle¬
tin may be reprinted, provided credit is
given to the author, if named. Readers
are invited to send letters, news items,
or original articles for the editor's con¬
sideration. Items should be typed or sent
on 3.5"disk in Wordperfect or Microsoft
Word to the Editor, Rt. 2, Box 726, Green¬
ville, VA 24440.
The deadline for the next issue is Feb. 1
Page 7
January 1997
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
• Heritage-
(Continued from page 1)
would be renamed, becoming the Divi¬
sion of Wildlife. Plants would be con¬
sidered "wildlife" under the somewhat
bizarre designation, "non-cultivated
plants."
The new recommendations for
consolidation offer one measurable
upgrade from that offered previously.
The report recommends that, in the
event of transfer of the various depart¬
ments, "positions and funding" should
be transferred and then maintained as
needed." In other words, some prom¬
ise of funding and staffing would be
there for Heritage for the time being,
although its future might still leave
much to the discretion of DGIF. Un¬
der current structure, DGIF receives no
general funds. Fees paid by hunters
and fishermen provide most of the
department's revenue.
The functions of DCR's Heritage
program and those of DGIF's various
divisions might not combine as el¬
egantly as this report would seem to
imply. Nationwide, 68 percent of state
natural heritage programs are housed
outside game and wildlife units, so
the "natural" placement in DGIF is not
the case in the majority of instances
across the country. Virginia's Heritage
Program plays a vital role in manag¬
ing the large number of sensitive re¬
sources on federal land, state parks
and natural areas. Its capacity to per¬
form this vital function would prob¬
ably be diminished by reorganization.
Consolidation of some of
Virginia's natural resources depart¬
ments is not intrinsically a bad idea.
For instance, the Endangered Plant
and Insect Program now housed awk¬
wardly within the Virginia Depart¬
ment of Agriculture and Consumer
Services (with a staff of one!), could
become a more viable arm of plant
protection if it were moved into DCR
and allowed to operate with Heritage.
Our Natural Heritage Program is
absolutely central and essential to
wild plant protection in Virginia, par¬
ticularly to those communities and
species that are more vulnerable. It is
time for native plant conservation to
gain some priority in environmental
consideration. High time. Any action
by the upcoming General Assembly
to implement JLARC's recommenda¬
tions should be a matter of great con¬
cern to VNPS members.
Jocelyn Sladen
Conservation co-chair
Last opportunity for journey to "The Bruce"
Virginia Native Plant Society
members won't want to miss what
may be the last chance to see "The
Bruce” with veteran trip leader Ted
Scott. Scott has been to this Canadian
"plant paradise" on a number of oc¬
casions and knows the plants of the
countryside as well as anybody.
As the Bulletin heads to press,
there are openings for three more per¬
sons for the trip in June of '97. The group
arrival date in Canada is June 14 and
departure for home is June 21. The to¬
tal charge for the trip is $450 which cov¬
ers lodging, all meals for the week and
a boat trip to Flower Pot Island where
some of the rarer plants grow.
Anyone interested should contact
Scott at 540-568-8679. The first three per¬
sons from whom we receive deposits
of $50 each will have a place reserved
for them for the trip. Any addditional
ones will be placed on a waiting list to
fill any vacancies that might occur
later. Please make checks to Virginia
Native Plant Society and mail to: Ted ^
Scott, 100 Sunnyside Drive Unit 32,
Harrisonburg, VA 22801.
There are no plans at this time for
future VNPS trips to the Bruce, so any¬
one interested should take advantage
of this last scheduled opportunity.
Virginia Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 844
Annandale, VA 22003
LIBRARY
J4fv 2 3 J997
GARDEN
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
PERMIT NO. 347
Springfield, VA
/ /
THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
LIBRARY-SERIALS & EXCHANGE
BRONX, NY 10458
Please note the expiration
date on your mailing label
and renew accordingly.
v Printed on recycled paper
92
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A publication of the VIRGINIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
Conserving wild flowers and wild places
VNPS helping with native plant trail at state arboretum
Development of a new native
plant trail at the State Arboretum
of Virginia offers opportunities for
stronger ties between the Virginia
Native Plant Society and its chap¬
ters, and the Arboretum and the
Foundation (until recently
Friends) of the State Arboretum
(FOSA). Working together on this
project can serve these organiza¬
tions' shared goal of heightening
public appreciation of Virginia's
native flora, and can also broaden
the outreach of each.
When completed, the trail will
invite a leisurely stroll through a
woodland, a sunny field, and a
wetland, each with naturalistic
plantings of appropriate Virginia
natives. It will enable visitors to
experience in a concentrated,
readily accessible area some of the
plants of similar habitats across
the state. It will also be a resource
for classes and informal education
about native plants.
The woodland section, to be
planted next fall and the following
spring, is the first slated for devel¬
opment. Here, on a slope a short
walk from the Quarters, the
arboretum's main building, persis¬
tent work has freed handsome
limestone outcrops of a dense
tangle of the exotic vine Akebia
quinata , and removal of other non¬
natives has given new prominence
to existing natives, such as a mag¬
nificent hackberry, the state co¬
champion. The stone chimney of
a 19th-century building and rem¬
nants of a stone wall stand as re¬
minders of an earlier era.
Several trees and large shrubs
(See Native plant trail on page 4)
Parasitic plants well represented in Virginia
With its leafy stem and large yel¬
low flowers, this new plant didn't look
like a parasite. Keying it down in
Gray's Manual, I found it was Gerar-
dia grandifolia (now known as
Aureolaria grandifolia). The manual,
with typical Yankee understatement,
Cuscuta gronovii, dodder
Illustration by Nicky Staunton
noted that my new found specimen
was "often more or less root parasitic."
Further research revealed that it was
a parasite on the roots of oak trees.
How could this be, I wondered, since
the plant looked autotrophic? How
can one plant invade another?
This was my first encounter with
a parasitic angiosperm. It spawned a
lifelong interest in these bewitching
creatures. In the more than three de¬
cades that have elapsed, I have stud¬
ied parasites on five continents. As a
result, my fascination with these plant
cannibals has only increased.
The southeastern United States
has a relatively rich flora of parasitic
angiosperms. In fact, one group, the
parasitic Scrophulariacae, reaches its
greatest diversity here. Virginia has no
paucity of parasites, either. More spe¬
cies of Santalaceae occur in Virginia and
surrounding states than any other place
on the continent. And we are privileged
to have the world's largest populations
of Buckleya distichophylla (Santalaceae).
What are parasitic plants and how
(See Parasites, page 3)
Inside this issue
• VNFS Endowment Fund...page 2
•Virginia Wildflower Celebration
Calendar of Events...pages 5-6
•Wildflower Gardening with
the Fringe-tree...page 9
Mark your calendars!
The Virginia Native
Plant Society's Annual
Meeting will be in
Williamsburg this year,
hosted by the John
Clayton Chapter. The
meeting will be held at
Colonial Williamsburg's
Woodlands hotel facilities.
Be sure to mark September
19-21 on your calendars.
. -- I Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
From the President
Now that spring is only days away , we will have the opportunity to
plant the seeds for that "native plant" garden so vivid in our winter dreams.
As work proceeds in our gardens, let us all be generous in our plans for
contributing plants to chapter plant sales.
It is through plant sales that most chapters are able to raise the funds
necessary to carry out the work ofVNPS. Many chapters help establish
native plant gardens and trails by donating plants left over from sales.
One example is the newly established Native Plant Trail at Blandy.
Please read about this exciting use of native plants in Mary Pockman's
article in this Bulletin.
In closing, I would like to thank all members who responded so gener¬
ously to our Year End Appeal. If you had planned to give, but did not get
around to it, you may still respond.
Your President, Frank Coffey
P.S. Fix that Zip! Please note that the 1997 refrigerator magnet bearing the
1997 Wildflower of the Year has the VNPS address printed with the wrong
zip code. That zip should be 22003.
VNPS establishes Endowment Fund
The VNPS Board of Directors has
combined several existing funds to
establish the Virginia Native Plant
Society Founder's Endowment Fund.
The largest of the existing funds was
the Founder's Fund, established to
honor Mary Painter.
Mary was the founder and first
president of the Virginia Wildflower
Preservation Society, the predecessor
of the Virginia Native Plant Society.
The Society plans to allow the En¬
dowment Fund to grow to the point
that its earned interest could be used
for a worthy project. Possible future
projects include the publication of a
Flora of Virginia, establishing a VNPS
office, a Botanical Education Program,
scholarships and grants, and estab¬
lishing display gardens that feature
Virginia natives.
The Endowment Fund currently
stands at approximately $4,000 and
gifts are always acceptable. A tax-de¬
ductible gift is a nice way to memori¬
alize a friend or relative and honor a
special achievement or event.
Acjuilegia
canadensis,
Columbine
Illustration by
Nicky Staunton
Queen size quilt to
be raffled at meeting
Last year's quilted wall hanging
was such a success that the VNPS
Board of Directors voted to plan an¬
other raffle for 1997 and to increase the
size of the raffled quilt to "queen size."
This quilt, again quilted by Mrs. Lorene
Edmunds, will be similar to last year's
and will feature the 1998 VNPS Wild¬
flower of the Year, columbine.
If you were one of the many at¬
tending the Annual Meeting in Sep¬
tember, you had the opportunity to see
her marvelous work first hand. We
are fortunate indeed to have her take
on the "queen size" quilt project this
year.
A special thank you to Lib Kyger,
Betty Rosson, Carroll Lisle, Polly Tay¬
lor, Teddy Maloney and other
Shenandoah Chapter members for
working with Mrs. Edmunds on the
design and layout.
Tickets for the drawing are $1 do¬
nation for a single ticket or $5 for a book
of six. Chapter presidents will receive
tickets to make available at chapter
meetings and events.
JW
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Page 2
March 1997
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
• Parasites
(Continued from page 1)
is their behavior different from other
plant interactions? The organ of para¬
sitism is the haustorium that forms the
link between host and parasite. We
may define a parasitic plant as a plant
with a haustorium. By forming a haus¬
torium on the root of the host, the para¬
site seedling obtains a mature, func¬
tioning root system.
Finding haustoria takes some
work but is worth the effort for any¬
one interested in these underground
agents. A good parasite to examine is
Agalinis purpurea, a purple flowered
annual often abundant in parts of Vir¬
ginia. It flowers in the fall in moist
sunny areas. Simply grab the plant near
its base and slowly pull it up. A close
examination of the shallow root system
will reveal tiny (up to 0.5 mm), white,
knob-like ends of roots. With some luck,
you will see the attachment to the host
root. Often, the haustorium will termi¬
nate a short root of the parasite.
Types of Parasitism
We may classify parasites as
holoparasites, hemiparasites, obligate
parasites, and facultative parasites.
The most abundant parasitic plants in
Virginia are facultative parasites, like
Agalinis. These are chlorophyll contain¬
ing plants that do not require a host
for germination. Facultative parasites
can be grown to maturity under high
fertilization regimes without hosts.
They favor open, sunny areas where
competition is great. This may be due
to their exceptionally strong transpi¬
ration necessary for movement of ma¬
terials from host to parasite. Obligate
parasites, on the other hand, require a
host to flower but not always for ger¬
mination. Overall, parasites with tiny
("dust") seeds, i.e., less than 0.45 mm
long, require a host stimulant to germi¬
nate while larger seeds do not.
Holoparasites lack chlorophyll and re¬
quire a host and a germination stimu¬
lant. Hemiparasites contain chlorophyll
when mature.
Characteristics of Parasites
In Virginia, the habit of these para¬
sites may be shrubs, vines, and annual
or perennial herbs. In the stem para¬
site Cuscuta, the vegetative portion
consists solely of a stem and scale
leaves. Buckleya, Nestronia and
Pyrularia (all members of the
Santalaceae or sandalwood family)
and the common mistletoe,
Phoradendron leucarpum, are shrubs.
All others are herbaceous root para¬
sites; that is, they produce haustoria
solely from their roots and may be an¬
nuals, perennials or biennials.
The seedling phase is the most
vulnerable part of the life cycle be¬
cause at this stage the vital attach¬
ments to the host are made. In dust
seeds with minuscule food reserves,
this phase is especially critical as the
seedling will die in a few days with¬
out a host. Parasites with larger seed
reserves can survive longer. To ensure
seedling success, parasites have a re¬
markable array of adaptive mecha¬
nisms to ensure a host connection.
Much of this involves a finely-
tuned system of chemical signals.
These signals tell the parasite when
the host is near, how near it is, and
even help send the signal that tells the
parasite to develop a haustorium and
invade its host.
Extraordinary breadth of host se¬
lection and specialization exists
among parasites. Some species of
Castilleja and Cuscuta can parasitize
hundreds of different hosts in diverse
families. At the other extreme is
beechdrops, Epifagus virginiana in the
Orobanchaceae. It occurs only on
American beech.
The terms "host range," "host
specificity," "host preference," and
"host selection" have different mean¬
ings. Host range is the total number
of different plants that they can para¬
sitize. For example, Seymeria
cassioides, a species of the
Scrophulariaceae rare in Virginia, in¬
variably attacks pines in nature, but
can parasitize many species of an-
giosperms and gymnosperms. Host
preference, i.e., choice of the most de¬
sirable host for optimal growth, is
much narrower. Similarly, Cuscuta
species, dodders, typically have ex¬
tremely broad host ranges and can
even attach to many different hosts
at once. Nevertheless, in nature, they
are found regularly on few hosts.
Epifagus
virginiana,
Beechdrops
Illustration by
Nicky Staunton
Only 15 of the approximately 318
families of dicots contain parasites (less
than 5 percent). Only about half these
15 families are holoparasites. Of the ap¬
proximately 165,000 species of dicots,
about 1,800 are parasitic or just more than
1 percent. Figures at the generic level are
similar with approximately 135 of all
13,500 (1 percent) being heterotrophic
but this figure includes mycotrophs
Upcoming issues will discuss the
dodders and mistletoes, the intriguing san¬
dalwood family and the Scrophulariaceae
(figworts and broomrapes).
Lytton J. Musselman is a professor
of biological sciences at Old Dominion
University.
Leesburg garden show
On April 26 and 27, four city blocks
of Historic Downtown Leesburg will
be transformed into a botanical garden
at the Seventh annual Leesburg Flower
& Garden Show.
Vendors will display a variety of
gardening equipment, supplies,
plants and flowers in addition to
landscaped gardens. Gardening
workshops, entertainment for all
ages, and food are also scheduled
throughout the weekend.
The show is sponsored by
Leesburg's Department of Parks and
Recreation. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6
p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday. An admission donation of $2
for adults and $1 for children is re¬
quested. Historic Leesburg, founded
in 1758, is located 35 miles northwest
of Washington, D.C. For more infor¬
mation, call 703-777-1262.
March 1997
Page 3
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
A purple fringe-tree? Ask John Clayton
About 10 years ago, I thought I had to have a fringe-tree,
tagged Arbor floribus albis odoratis by 18th century scientist
John Clayton, in my yard. Albis, of course, means white. It
was Carolus Linnaeus who named it Chiona?ithus which trans¬
lates loosely to "wind-tossed blossoms." Therefore, the tree
has white, wind-tossed blossoms. Mark Catesby and Petivar
compared the flowers to the amethyst Italian starwort. Plunkett
called its white blossoms "cowl-like."
Clayton found the blossoms to be "thyme scented" and
then used the word purpurascentibus to describe the fruit. As
a scientist in the age of Enlightenment, Clayton had quite a
following in Virginia, especially among younger, science-
minded men who chose him, in 1773, as the first president of
their Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge. Un¬
doubtedly young men visited his garden in Gloucester
County and saw his beautiful fringe-tree in the spring cov¬
ered with white fringe. Later in the year they may also have
seen it hung with purple fruit.
On the first page of his second Flora Virginica, Clayton
described the fringe-tree in 10 lines. In those lines, he used
two words meaning purple to describe the fruit. Along the
way, however, the word purple became erroneously linked
with the name of the tree instead of a description of the fruit.
(See purple fringe-tree, page 10)
v
FLORA
IRGINIC
Pag. i
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Cl ajfts I.
monandria.
m o N o g r N I A.
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* ALICORNIA articulis apice comprefjtt emarginatit bifiiis. Linn. fpec. 4.
Salicornia caulium ramorumque articulii apice bicornibus. FI. virg. j 29.
Salicornia erelta ramofa, caule ad imura nudo, plerumque rubente. Clayt.
n. 571. £? 66y.
D I
Clajfis II.
A N D R
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MDNnnrNi a.
HIONAUTHUS ptdunculit trifidit trifloris. Lino. fpec. 8*
Cruonanthus. Linn. hort. cliff. 17.
Amelanchier virginiana laurocerafi folio. Petiv.Jicc. 241. Catetb. car. i.t. 68.
Arbor zeylanica , cocini foliis fubtui lanugine villofij; floribus albis cucu-
li modo laciniatis. Pluckn. aim. 44. t. 241. f. 4.
Thymelaeae aflinii arbor floribus albis odoratis, ad unguem in quatuor Ion-
ga angufla Tegmenta divifis, racematim dispofitis, pendulis, afpedlu plu-
mis fimilibus: foliis amplis oblongis fubtus quafi incanis; baccis roagnis
purpurafcentibus OIcjc Hifpanictc fruflui fimilibus, ofHculum durum
ftriatum continentibus. Fringe-tree. Clayt. n. 4<5.
A C/A-
Native plant trail
The first page of
John Clayton's
18th century Flora
Virginica featur¬
ing fringe-tree.
(Continued from page 1)
planted last fall will in time extend off to a strong start. Special credit
the woodland canopy up the slope goes to Piedmont Chapter member
and create a new edge habitat on Nancy Larrick Crosby, whose in-
the lower, wetter
side. After walk¬
ways and steps
are finished this
summer, wild-
flowers and ferns,
along with addi¬
tional woody
plants, will be
installed in se¬
lected areas. Fur¬
ther plantings
will follow as
more of the site
becomes shaded.
Many indi¬
viduals who are
members of both
VNPS and FOSA
have already
helped the arbo¬
retum get the na¬
tive plant trail
Can you donate plants?
Providing plants for the
arboretum's new trail is one way
VNPS members can help. If
you're interested, check the list
of species chosen for the wood¬
land section, which includes a
few not widely propagated by
commercial nurseries. Offers of
other species will be considered
if they suit the design and the
growing conditions of the areas to
be planted. Plants must be na¬
tive to Virginia and obtained
through nursery or garden propa¬
gation or authorized rescues.
For the plant list or addi¬
tional information, please get in
touch with Mary Pockman, at
7301 Hooking Road, McLean VA
22101; 703-356-7425; or
pockman@delphi.com.
Page 4
terest and gener¬
osity have steadily
encouraged
progress. How
VNPS might build
on this beginning
is on the agenda
for the Society's
March Board
meeting, and
chapter boards
can follow up in¬
dividually as well.
Mary Pockman
The State Arbore¬
tum of Virginia,
part of the Univer¬
sity of Virginia's
Blandy Experimen¬
tal Farm, is located
east of Winchester,
in the northern
Shenandoah Valley.
Columbine has
fascinating past
Most people are probably famil¬
iar with the VNPS Wildflower of the
Year for 1998—columbine (Acjuilegia
canadensis). After all, columbines are
very popular garden plants. But how
much do you really know about these
enchanting flowers? It might be inter¬
esting to find out about some of the
little-known folklore surrounding these
members of the buttercup family.
For example, from where does the
name come? Columbine is derived
from the Latin word for "dove" be¬
cause to some the spurs look like dove
heads in a circle. To others, they ap¬
pear to be human heads in a circle so
another is "meeting house." This
flower has several other common
names: rock bells, rock lily, duckies,
bells, honeysuckle. Jack-in-trousers,
Granny's nightcap and culverwort. It
is easy to understand why some of the
names were used, while others are a
little more difficult to comprehend.
Culverwort, for instance, is from the
Saxon words culfre meaning "pigeon"
and wyrt meaning "plant" or "herb."
Of course, the scientific name has
a meaning as well. Aquilegia is from
(See Columbine, page 8)
March 1997
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
Virginia Wildflower Celebration 1997
The nine chapters of the Virginia Native Plant Society celebrate the rich diversity of the native flora of the
Commonwealth each year in April and May For the next two months. Society members will share their enthusiasm
for wild plants and wild places on field trips and wildflower walks, and during garden tours, plant sales, and a
variety of other programs throughout the state.
You are cordially invited to any of the activities listed below; they are all open to the public. As some events
require reservations, fees or additional instructions, use the telephone numbers provided to obtain further informa¬
tion. Plants propagated by members will be available at chapter plant sales.
The 1997 Virginia Wildflower of the Year, fringe-tree, qualifies as one of North America's most beautiful small
flowering trees. Its showy blooms reliably flower near Mother's Day in the northern part of Virginia. Chionanthus
virginicus leaves an indelible impression on all who are fortunate to encounter this plant in its native environment.
It most commonly grows along streams, small rivers, and in drier sites at higher elevations throughout the state.
March 24, Monday, 7 p.m.
"Spring in Bloom" meeting of the
Blue Ridge Wildflower Society at
Center in the Square in Roanoke.
Presentation on spring flora. Karen
Shepard (Blue Ridge) 540-772-2733.
March 27, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
"Past and Present Herb Use" program
by member of Board of the Herb Soci¬
ety of America. Potowmack monthly
meeting. Green Spring Gardens Park.
703-642-5173.
March 29, Saturday, 10 a.m.
Arcadia field trip in search of spring
ephemerals. Meet by Jennings Creek
bridge on Route 614. Bring lunch. Karen
Shepard (Blue Ridge) 540-772-2733.
April 12, Saturday, Blue Ridge
Wildflower Society trip. Karen
Shepard (Blue Ridge) 540-772-2733.
April 12, Saturday, 8:30 a.m. Lake
Moomaw trip. Leave from Bridgewater
or meet at lake at 10:30. Bring lunch.
Dwight Shull (Shenandoah) 540-828-3024.
Calendar of Events
April 20, Sunday, 10 a.m.-12:30
p.m. Great Falls Walk. Led by Marion
Lobstein 703-536-7150.
April 20, Sunday, 2 p.m. Bull Run
/Fairfax Regional Park Bluebell
Walk. (Potowmack & Prince William as¬
sisting). Nicky Staunton 703-368-9803.
April 20, Sunday, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Balls Bluff Walk. Marion Lobstein
703-536-7150.
April 24, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
"Fairfax ReLeaf" program.
Potowmack monthly meeting. Green
Spring Gardens Park. 703-642-5173.
April 24-27, Thursday-Sunday.
28th Wildflower Pilgrimage, co-spon¬
sored Science Museum of Western Vir¬
ginia & Blue Ridge Wildflower Soci¬
ety. Keynote speaker Paul James. Karen
Shepard (Blue Ridge) 540-772-2733.
April 26-27, Saturday,10 a.m.-5
p.m.&Sunday,noon-5 p.m. Prince Wil¬
liam Wildflower Society Garden Tour.
Helen Walter (PWWS) 703-330-9614.
April 27, Sunday, 2:30 p.m. Shale
Barrens field trip. Meet at Ramsey's
Draft, Rt. 250 west of Staunton. Jay
Shaner (Shenandoah) 540-886-5763.
May 3, Saturday, noon. Tide
Springs and wild roadside trip in
Rockingham County. Milton Perlman
(Shenandoah) 540-896-8396.
May 3 & 4, Saturday and Sun¬
day, and May 10 & 11, Saturday and
Sunday. Saturdays 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Sundays noon-4 p.m. John Clayton
Annual Native Plant Sale, co-spon¬
sored with the Virginia Living Mu¬
seum. Sale at the museum, 524 J.
Clyde Morris Blvd., Newport News.
See many of the species being sold
growing in the museum’s garden.
May 4, Sunday, 7 p.m.
Randolph-Macon Woman's College
Botanic Garden Walk. Walk fol¬
lowed by a slide program in Martin
Science Building, room 225. Karen
Shepard (Blue Ridge) 540-772-2733.
VNPS members have opportunity to visit Mt. Cuba's native flora exhibits
Mt. Cuba Center for the Study of
Piedmont Flora, near Wilmington,
Delaware, is recognized as one of the
finest exhibits of native flora in this
country. Mt. Cuba is the private home
of Mrs. Lamont duPont Copeland,
and it is through her generosity that
we are able to visit the garden.
Although Mt. Cuba is open to the
public only one day per year, reserva¬
tions for groups such as native plant
societies are accepted for the period
April to September. I have had the
privilege of visiting three times, and
based on my experiences and those of
28 VNPS members who visited in 1995,
March 1997
it is assumed that many other members
would delight in seeing this garden.
A tour for 25 to 30 VNPS members
has been arranged for Friday, May 2
at 1 p.m. when the garden is at its
spring peak. The free tour will last
approximately 2 hours. There are
some transportation logistics to be
worked out, as it will require approxi¬
mately 2.5 to 3 hours (from Manassas)
to get there. Before much can be done
to make arrangements, we must know
who is interested, who is willing to
drive, and how many riders can be ac¬
commodated. Those seriously in¬
tending to make the trip should regis¬
ter names, address, phone number and
number of persons each is able to ac¬
commodate by April 4 to: Ted Scott, 100
Sunnyside Drive Unit 32, Harrisonburg,
VA 22801, 540-568-8679. It would be
simpler if those going arranged their
own transportation, but everyone go¬
ing must register. Please do not register
if you are unsure, thereby denying
someone else the opportunity. Addi¬
tional instructions will be sent at a later
date. Anyone who went on the '95 trip
may submit his name and will be as¬
signed to spaces not filled by first tim¬
ers on a first-come, first-served basis.
Ted Scott
Page 5
-.. Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
Calendar of Events
May 6, Tuesday, Trillium Walk
at Linden. Anne Crocker
(Potowmack) 703-437-0355.
May 10, Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon.
Prince William Wildflower Society
Plant Sale. Bethel Lutheran Church
in Manassas. Helen Walter (Prince
William) 703-330-9614.
May 10, Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
13th Annual Blue Ridge Wildflower
Society Plant Sale. Community ar¬
boretum on Virginia Western Com¬
munity College campus. Members
may begin purchasing at 9 a.m.
May 10 & 11, Saturday and
Sunday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., rain or
shine. Garden Fair, State Arbore¬
tum of Virginia. Vendors of woody
and herbaceous plants (many natives)
and garden-related items; nonprofit
exhibitors; children's activities. Lo¬
cated 10 miles east of Winchester on
U.S. 50. Call 540- 837-1458.
May 17, Saturday, 9:30 a.m. Lady-
Slipper Special. Meet at visitor center
on Rt. 211 at top of Massanutten Moun¬
tain. Bring lunch. Jacob Kagey
(Shenandoah) 540-828-3297.
Webster Springs weekend
celebrates 35 years
For 35 years, wildflower enthusi¬
asts have been trekking to West Vir¬
ginia for the Webster Springs Garden
Club's Spring Wildflower Weekend.
This year's event, headquartered
at a 4-H camp between Cowen and
Webster Springs, will be Friday, May
2 through Sunday, May 4. The cost,
which includes five meals and two
nights' lodging, is $58. Lodging is in
the dormitory-style 4-H camp.
Participants will be treated to four
different tours this year including the
Elk Mountain and Leatherwood trips.
A variety of trips for people with dif¬
ferent interests and stamina levels are
planned.
The tentative registration dead¬
line is April 21. Those needing more
information can call Stella Riffle at
304-847-2735. For more information or
to register, write: Webster County
Nature Tour, P.O. Box 43, Webster
Springs, WV 26288.
Page 6
May 18, Sunday, 10 a.m.-12:30
p.m. Great Falls Walk. Marion
Lobstein 703-536-7150.
May 24, Saturday, 8 a.m. for
breakfast or 10 a.m. for walk. Lady-
Slipper Walk. Breakfast at Peaks of
Otter Restaurant; walk at Peaks of
Otter visitors center. Karen Shepard
(Blue Ridge) 540-772-2733.
May 17, Saturday. Potowmack
Spring Plant Sale at Green Spring
Gardens Park, 703-642-5173.
May 22, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
"Gardening to attract wildlife" pro¬
gram by author Sherry Mitchell ( Cre¬
ating Sanctuary). Potowmack meet¬
ing, Green Spring Gardens Park 703-
642-5173.
June 7, Saturday, 10 a.m. Rhodo¬
dendron Day on the Blue Ridge Park¬
way. Meet at Peaks of Otter visitors
center. Bring lunch. Karen Shephard
(Blue Ridge) 540-772-2733.
July 12, Saturday, 11 a.m. Big
Meadows and Swamp Trail with Emily
Baxter. Meet 9 a.m. Bridgewater or 11
a.m. at Big Meadows Visitor Center. Lib
Kyger (Shenandoah) 540-828-6252.
Smoky Mountains Pilgrimage
The 47th Spring Wildflower Pil¬
grimage will be held in the Great
Smoky Mountains April 24-26. The
three-day program of conducted na¬
ture walks, motorcades and photo¬
graphic tours is held in Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. For more
information or for a brochure, con¬
tact: Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage,
Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, 107 Park Headquarters Road,
Gatlinburg, TN 37738 or call 423-
436-1290.
Suggested wildflower visit
If pink lady-slippers are your
desire, Jacob Kagey of the
Shenandoah Chapter suggests the
following trip anytime between May
10 and May 15:
Travel to the Massanutten
Mountain visitor's center in the
Shenandoah National Park. The
visitor's center is off of Route 211.
On the east side of the visitor's cen¬
ter, a trail leads down the mountain
past 150 to 200 pink lady-slippers!
Wintergreen symposium
promises to be best yet
The annual Spring Wildflower
Symposium hosted by the Winter-
green Nature Foundation has be¬
come a must-do spring event in
Virginia. This year's 14th annual
symposium includes some of the
region's best instructors and an
incredible variety of wildflower top¬
ics. Put May 9-11 (Friday evening to
Sunday) on your calendar.
This year's event features many
new programs and field trips. In
addition to guided outings in the
spectacular trillium fields and lady-
slipper coves of Wintergreen's for¬
est, there will be several hiking
trips into wilderness area rock faces
as well as car caravan trips to lime¬
stone cliffs and shale barrens.
Participants who consider
themselves beginners will be of¬
fered a hands-on workshop de¬
signed to share the secrets of wild¬
flower family identification. Fern
identification will be offered in an¬
other session, and a special class on
propagating ferns from spores will
be offered.
Workshops include wildflower
sketching and photography. Other
program titles are: alpine flora of
the Appalachian highlands, the
Shamokin Springs Nature Pre¬
serve, landscape restoration in a
woodland garden, use of native
plants by the Cherokee, the eastern
bluebird, and wildflowers and
their insect pollinators.
In addition to workshops and
field trips, slide lectures on a vari¬
ety of topics will be offered. One
focus of this year's event is to in¬
troduce participants to as many
different wildflower habitats as
possible from tidal wetlands to
rock faces.
For a brochure on the sympo¬
sium and for more information, call
804-325-8172 or e-mail at
wtgnf@aol.com
March 1997
- - Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
Chapter News.
BRCC Arboretum receives donation of Tidewater plants
Arranging for tours of Blue
Ridge Community College's arbore¬
tum during the September annual
meeting had positive results for the
arboretum, which is supported by
the Shenandoah Chapter. Paul
Dennison, who works at the arbore¬
tum at the University of Delaware,
was among those who toured the
Weyers Cave arboretum.
After gaining consent from John
Frett, the director of the Arboretum
at the University of Delaware,
Dennison returned to Blue Ridge
with 22 shrubs and vines typical of
Virginia's Tidewater in the back of
his pickup truck. Dennison provided
door-to-door delivery from Delaware
and then went on his way to hike a
portion of the Appalachian Trail.
The contribution enhances the
portion of the arboretum dedicated to
the Tidewater. The BRCC arboretum
is designed to show plants indigenous
to different biogeographic zones of
Virginia and the Tidewater portion
has been the most under represented.
Among the new species brought
from Delaware are: Hercules club
(Aralia spinosa), cross-vine (cultivar)
(Bignonia capreolata), beauty-berry
(Callicarpa americana ), coastal
pepperbush ( Clethra alnifolia), titi
(Cyrilla racemiflora), climbing hy¬
drangea ( Decomeria barbara ), low
gallberry holly ( Ilex glabra), coastal
sweetbells ( Leucothoe axillaria),
swamp sweetbells ( Leucothoe
racemosa ), trumpet honeysuckle
(Lonicera sempervirens 'John
Clayton'), dwarf coastal azalea
(Rhododendron atlanticum), swamp
azalea ( Rhododendron viscosum 'Dela¬
ware Blue'), yellowroot ( Xanthorhiza
simplicissima).
The BRCC arboretum is also ac¬
cepting donations to the BRCC Ar¬
boretum Endowment Fund. Between
now and May, contributions are eli¬
gible for matching funds through a
grant to the college. This fund now
contains $18,000 of money pledged
by college personnel. Donations will
ensure that this unique arboretum re¬
ceives steady financial assistance
needed to survive and grow into its
second decade.
Teamwork makes northern Virginia plant rescue a success
When development is imminent
and the last of the plant save areas have
been decided, the next step is to sched¬
ule a plant rescue. This last-ditch effort
can provide a native plant seed bank
that would otherwise be buried under
buildings and asphalt. Such a plant res¬
cue happened in 1996, and its success
was the result of cooperation between
several groups and the developer.
The rescue took place at a 12-acre
Target store site containing one of the
healthiest streams in Reston. The
project began with Reston Association
obtaining permission and getting li¬
ability releases from the Target na¬
tional headquarters in Minneapolis.
This may seem like a small step, but
often involves educating the property
owner about site plants that they prob¬
ably were not aware existed.
Internship available at Green
An intern is needed for Green
Spring Garden Park's 2-acre Virginia
Native Plant Trail located in Fairfax
County. The intern would work un¬
der the supervision of the park
education coordinator and the
Potowmack Chapter's education chair
and develop a self-guided tour, bro¬
chures, labels and school programs to
complement the native plant trail.
As the scope of this project grew,
so did the partnerships. Judy Okay, co¬
ordinator of the Difficult Run project for
the Virginia Department of Forestry
(VFD), and Barbara White, urban for¬
ester for VFD had already planned on
implementing a $5,000 grant from
Coastal Zone Management by creating
a raingarden along a section of the
Snakedon Branch. A raingarden, also
known as bio-retention, is used to re¬
duce the flow and velocity of
stormwater before it reaches streams,
thereby reducing streambank erosion.
The plan was to channel the stream
and leave an available source of ri¬
parian plants.
Meanwhile, Gary Gepford, the fac¬
ulty advisor for Students Against Glo¬
bal Abuse (SAGA), an environmental
club in Herndon High School, was look-
Spring Garden Park
Preferred qualifications are: ba¬
sic knowledge of native plants,
course work in botany, horticulture
and/or education, and experience
conducting tours. The intern would
work 20 to 40 hours a week begin¬
ning after March 1. The stipend is
$2,000. For more information and to
apply, contact Nancy Luria 703-642-
5173 (day) or 703-351-9723 (evening)
ing for a student project involving an
under-utilized school greenhouse.
SAGA was awarded $1,500 from the
Chesapeake Bay Foundation for green¬
house repair. Another environmental
organization. Tree Action, teamed with
a group of students from Herndon
Middle School Science Club for the
club’s Wild School Project. Others help¬
ing were Runnymeade Park members
from the Maryland Native Plant Soci¬
ety and the National Park Service. The
pieces came together when the Reston
Association dug truckloads of plants
from the Target development area and
placed them in the school's greenhouse.
(See Rescue, page 9)
Gloucester site
visited, inventoried
An interesting piece of ground in
Gloucester has been opened to visi¬
tors by John Clayton members Bobbi
and Eddie Ray. It is mostly wet
woods, in part a former nursery, and
some of it will be developed. John
Clayton members have started an
inventory and rescue work, particu¬
larly of hybrid rhododendrons. Field
trips, identifications and inventories
to the site are all planned for the
year. If you are interested in helping,
call Mary Hyde Berg at 804-693-3568.
March 1997
Page 7
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
New book details Invasive Exotics
The Society recently received in the
mail a new book published by the
Brooklyn Botanic Garden entitled
Invasive Plants; Weeds of the Global Gar¬
den. Because it is probably the first book
devoted solely to the subject, it was with
considerable interest that I read it.
More a handbook than a book, be¬
ing of modest size and perhaps a quar¬
ter-inch thick, it manages to devote a
full page to each of 80 different plants
that have arrived through horticultural
channels and are now creating substan¬
tial problems in continental United
States and Canada (Hawaii alone
would require a book inches thick). The
two editors, Janet Marinelli and John
Randall, present brief sections covering
the topics "Redefining the Weed" and
"How Non-native Species Invade &
Degrade Natural Areas." Two sections
by other well-informed authors recom¬
mend tools useful in physically remov¬
ing plants and the use of herbicides.
Following these introductory sec¬
tions is the "Encyclopedia of Invasive
Plants"-- informative material on each of
the specific plants covered including
what each plant looks like, where it
came from, where it has spread, what
problems it causes and how it can be
controlled.
The material is well written, up-
to-date, and informative. A color pho¬
tograph of each plant is displayed,
most of excellent quality. It was excit¬
ing to see Virginia Native Plant Soci¬
ety listed as one of the 10 sources na¬
tionally for additional information.
The only sense of disappointment
experienced in reading the book was
the fact that it only covered about 24
of the plants we are concerned about
in Virginia, two dozen out of more than
one hundred. One can only hope that
the acceptance of this first effort will
be such that Brooklyn Botanic Garden
will be encouraged to produce a sequel
to cover the rest of the 300 plants cre¬
ating such devastation to our natural
areas throughout the country. Anyone
interested in the subject will find this
$7.95 book a good investment.
Ted Scott
"Wild Beauty" highlights America's rare flora
The Virginia Museum of Natural
History in Martinsville will premier
"Wild Beauty: America's Rare Flora"
beginning in April at its Virginia Tech
branch in Blacksburg.
The exhibit has been developed in
conjunction with a number of nation¬
ally renowned photographers and will
feature over-sized vividly detailed
color photographs of dozens of the
nation's rare or threatened wildflowers.
"Wild Beauty," which will tour for
a 5-year period, will open with the work
of Maryl Levine, whose photography
has appeared in such publications as Na¬
tional Wildlife, Nature Conservancy and
National Geographic. In 1998, her photo¬
graphs from this exhibit will be shown
at the American Museum of Natural
History in Washington, D.C.
Maryl’s photographs will be fea¬
tured in the exhibit at the museum's
Virginia Tech and University of Vir¬
ginia branches as w r ell as at the Vir¬
ginia Museum of Natural History
headquarters in Martinsville. Then,
the works of prominent wildflower
photographers, writers and scientists
such as Ken Stein, Marion Lobstein
and Hal Horowitz will be showcased
as the exhibit continues to travel to the
museum’s affiliates in Winchester and
Fredericksburg, other locations in
Tidewater, and Northern Virginia, and
to many of Virginia's state parks.
When not traveling, the exhibit will be
housed at VMNH in Martinsville.
"Wild Beauty" has been designed
with easy-to-read panels of informa¬
tion about the plants, their habitats,
their unique characteristics and the
major threats to their survival. The
exhibit also will provide information
about conservation issues to increase
visitors' understanding of what makes
these plants so special.
Many of the species to be included
live on the brink of extinction and ex¬
ist today in only a few places and in
very small numbers. The initial 51 pho¬
tographs will focus on plants from
around the nation, including 10 Virginia
(See Wild Beauty, page 10)
•Columbine-
(Continued from page 4)
Latin for "eagle" because the flower's
spurs somewhat resemble an eagle’s
talons. Canadensis is obviously from its
range. The reference to the eagle as
well as its presence in many coats-of-
arms even won it favor to the small
but vocal committee that wanted the
columbine as the national flower. They
failed in their attempts, so one species,
A. caerulea, has to settle for being
Colorado's state flower.
It is probably just as well it is not
our national flower since it has other
symbolic meanings as well. Colum¬
bine is a symbol of cuckoldry and a
deserted lover in the Victorian lan¬
guage of flowers. It was considered an
insult to give it to a woman and bad
luck to give it to a man. Others
thought it bad luck to give to a woman
and an insult to the man. Either way,
it was not a proper gift.
Columbines have been used me¬
dicinally in Europe for centuries to
cure everything from headaches to
smallpox. Many Native American
tribes, like the Meskwaki, also used the
smoked seed capsules as a love potion
and the root to combat diarrhea. It can,
however, be poisonous. The plant has
astringent and diuretic properties, and
its prussic acid has a narcotic effect on
some people.
The flowers of our native species are
red and tubular-designed to attract and
be pollinated by the long tongues of
hummingbirds who prefer the color red.
Red often appears black to bees who are
usually too short of tongue to pollinate
columbine. Some insects have learned
to cheat, though, and eat a hole at the
end of the spur to get at the nectar.
There are many more things to be
learned about these lovely and fasci¬
nating flowers with a long and some¬
times colorful history. For instance,
leaf miner insects, Phytomyza
aquilegiae, can only live on columbines.
Enjoy them for their beauty, but re¬
member that there is a lot more to
them than first meets the eye. Think
about the way they were named, what
they were used for in the past, and
what animals depend on them. It is all
these things together that make our
native flowers all the more beautiful.
Alonso Abugattas, Publicity Chair
.. March 1997
Page 8
.— ■ — - : Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society == ^ ==
For Wildflower Gardeners: Fringe-tree and good garden companions
Chionanthns virginicus, Fringe-tree, is
so lovely that eminent plantsman
Michael Dirr suggests it should be our
national shrub because "...even dogwood
does not carry itself with such refinement,
dignity and class when in flower..."
(Manual of Woody Landscape Plants).
Chionanthus, a combination of the
Greek word chion meaning snow and
anthos for flower, refers to clusters of
snow white, strap-like flowers that un¬
furl just as the tree begins to leaf out in
early to mid-May. Dirr believes a corre¬
lation exists between petal and leaf
widths--the wider the petal the wider the
leaf and conversely. It appears that some
of the flower clusters are fragrant which
explains how you may detect no fra¬
grance when sniffing individual blos¬
soms up close though you will catch a
whiff of sweetness at a distance.
Just as it grows in habitats ranging
from moist to dry and sunny to partially
shady in the wild, fringe-tree thrives in
a variety of garden sites. It can stand
alone as a lawn or patio tree or be com¬
bined with other native shrubs and pe¬
rennials in a sunny mixed border or
woodland edge. Early May is a time of
such lush flowering in Virginia that
many combinations are possible.
Fringe-tree blooms best in full sun.
Just be sure the soil stays slightly moist.
Think about pairing its airy delicate blos¬
soms with plants that have a more solid
and substantial feel such as the native
blue flag irises (I. versicolor and I.
virginica). Golden alexanders ( Zizia
aurea) is a good leafy filler.
At 4 feet tall, the yellow flowering
Carolina bush pea ( Thermopsis villosa) is
a good companion as is its shorter rela¬
tive, blue false indigo ( Baptisia australis).
Blue star (Amsonia tabemaemcm tana) with
pale steely blue flowers atop 3 to 4 inch
leafy clumps blooms at the same time.
Though you probably don't want it
twining through your fringe-tree (give
it a fence or trellis for support), native
coral honeysuckle ( Lonicera sempervirens)
is a great color combination.
In a partially shaded setting, fringe-
tree's flowers may be less spectacular.
(Continued from page 7)
Tree and shrub seedlings rescued in¬
cluded pinxter azalea, serviceberry,
sweet birch, deerberry, highbush and
lowbush blueberry, spicebush, chinqua¬
pin, paw paw, maple-leaved possum-
haw, blackhaw and arrow-wood vibur¬
num. Ferns removed were wood, grape,
cinnamon, Christmas, sensitive and
New York. Orchids recovered were
cranefly, twayblade and rattlesnake
plantain. Other plants included narrow¬
leaved mountain mint, hepatica, alum¬
root, gerardia, thin-leaved coneflower,
gray goldenrod, mint, rush and aster
but it will still be the focal point of a
late spring woodland garden. Natives
that bloom at the same time and share
its requirement for slightly acid, humus-
rich soil include white flowered
Solomon's plume (Smilacina racemosa)
that grows about a foot high. Slightly
shorter eared coreopsis (C. auriculata)
will add a splash or bright golden or¬
ange. Other possibilities include wood¬
land phlox (P. divaricata), wild bleeding
heart (Dicentra eximia), and wild gera¬
nium (G. maculatum). Native ground-
covers such as green and gold
(Chrysogonum virginianum), foamflower
(Tiarella cordifolia) and dwarf crested iris
(I. cristata) can be added to woodland
plantings. Even when it isn't blooming,
(See Companions, page 10)
species and water plantain. In addition,
box turtles, salamanders, garter and
black snakes were relocated.
The rescuers kept in mind that it is
always more important to save the habi¬
tat as a whole rather than rescue indi¬
viduals. This rescue's success was due
to the involvement of so many dedi¬
cated people. Developers should be en¬
couraged to allow groups to remove
native plants when they are threatened
so that they can be saved and used to
augment existing natural areas.
Claudia Thompson-Deahl
PWWS member
The Bulletin
is published five times a year
(Jan., March, May, August, Nov.) by
Virginia Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 844, Annandale, VA
22003
(703) 368-9803
Frank Coffey, President
Nancy Sorrells, Editor
Barbara Stewart, Artist
Original material contained in the Bulle¬
tin may be reprinted, provided credit is
given to the author, if named. Readers
are invited to send letters, news items,
or original articles for the editor’s con¬
sideration. They should be typed
(double-spaced, please) or sent as a
Macintosh text file to the Editor at Rt. 2,
Box 726, Greenville, VA 24440.
The deadline for the next issue is April 1
I-1
See the address label for your membership's expiration date.
VNPS Membership/Renewal Form
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Address
City
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To give a gift membership or join additional chapters: Enclose dues, name, address, and
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i_i
March 1997 - ■ — ■ - -
•Rescue
Page 9
•Wild Beauty
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society =====
- •Companions
(Continued from page 8)
species. These species reflect biological
and geological diversity and have been
selected because of their beauty, inter¬
est and importance. Subsequent ver¬
sions of "Wild Beauty" will feature the
work of other photographers and ex¬
amine additional species and themes.
The exhibit will include a map of
the United States to help teach about
the plants in each state and to show
• Purple fringe-tree —
(Continued from page 4)
In his highly-referenced biographical
notes about Clayton, published in
Philadelphia in 1805, the eminent Dr.
B. S. Barton wrote of "Clayton’s
purple fringe tree," and quoted Virgin¬
ians who had known Clayton.
One of those quoted was Bishop
James Madison, the head of the Prot¬
estant Episcopal Church in Virginia.
Madison, who lived in Williamsburg,
wrote of "Clayton's purple fringe tree,"
which was still thriving 30 years after
Clayton's death, according to a
friend who crossed the York River to
visit the garden.
There was no footnote explain¬
ing the use of the word "purple."
Apparently Barton did not realize
that Bishop Madison was known
which species are candidates for offi¬
cial designation "threatened" or "en¬
dangered."
Initial exhibit dates are: April-June
VMNH at Virginia Tech; July-August,
VMNH Martinsville; September-Octo-
ber, VMNH University of Virginia. For
information, visit the Virginia Museum
of Natural History home page at: http: /
/ www.bev.net/education/museum/
vmnhmvl/vmnh.html or call the mu¬
seum at 540-666-8600.
among friends for facetiousness,
which his use of the word purple
may have been.
A Latin dictionary offers further
insight as it gives a second meaning
to purpura as "bright, gleaming, beau¬
tiful, royal." Among friends, Clayton
might very well have called his favor¬
ite garden tree "royal."
But Barton, botanizing in the Vir¬
ginia Blue Ridge mountains, appar¬
ently decided that Clayton had mis¬
taken the gray, mossy beards of the
ash tree as a separate species. All of
which raises many questions and still
leads to confusion today.
I went to a nursery and asked for
a "purple fringe-tree." The nursery¬
man patiently explained that the trees
always had white flowers. Apparently
I had not been the only one asking for
(Continued from page 9)
fringe-tree's slightly glossy dark green
foliage and rounded habit make it an
attractive small tree or multi-trunked
shrub for home landscapes. It has no
serious pest or disease problems and
should be considered for city street
planting since it is tolerant of air pollu¬
tion. It has been cultivated in England
since 1736 and received a Royal Horti¬
cultural Society Award of Merit in 1931.
Nancy Arrington, Horticulture Chair
purple. I wound up buying a male
tree, the only choice, and its lovely
white fringe swings in the breeze ev¬
ery spring. It is now about 18 feet tall.
No purple fruit, which I have never
seen, but which are said to resemble the
Spanish olive. (See Nancy Arrington's
article in the November 1996 Bulletin).
I also have a Chinese fringe tree
with whiter, larger blossoms, but,
like Clayton, I most admire the white
drapes of tiny blossoms of Arbor
floribus albis odoratis— the Virginia
Native Plant Society's 1997 Wild-
flower of the Year.
Harriet Frye, of the John Clayton
Chapter, is also the author of a Clayton
biography titled "The Great Forest, John
Clayton and Flora." She believes Virgin¬
ians should be reminded that the Com¬
monwealth had a colonial scientist as well
as great statesmen and generals.
Virginia Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 844
Annandale, VA 22003
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
PERMIT NO. 347
Springfield, VA
LIBRARY
Please note the expiration
date on your mailing label
and renew accordingly.
AUG 2 5 1998
NEW YORK
BOTANICAL GARDEN
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w Printed on recycled paper
qz hS-$
A publication of the VIRGINIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
Conserving wild flowers and wild places
Good native plant info to be found on the "Net"
The Internet has become very
popular in the last year or two, and is
supposed to be an unlimited source of
useful information. There is, however,
a lot of hype in this statement. First,
the quality of information available can
vary from excellent to nearly useless,
and second, even when good informa¬
tion is available it can be hard to find.
This does not mean that the Internet is
not exceedingly useful. There is a lot
of very good information and it is
becoming much easier to obtain.
In the old days (2-3 years ago for
the Internet) information was much
harder to find. It often was there, but
the Internet was (and still is) notoriously
unorganized, so finding specific infor¬
mation could be a problem. The anal¬
ogy of an enormous library without a
cataloging system comes to mind. For¬
tunately things have improved. Now
there are numerous commercial services
which provide free searches of the Net.
Just supply a word or phrase and they
return a list of appropriate sites. A list
of these search engines can be found at
http://home.netscape.com/home/
intemet-search.html/. The one I use a
lot is Lycos at http://www.lycos.com/
lycos-pro.html; others may be just as
good or better.
I started searching the Internet for
native plant information last fall when I
decided that I would like to get pictures
(See Internet, page 2)
Prescribed burns: Effective plant management tool
The plant inventory of the antici¬
pated U.S. Fish & Wildlife Refuge in
Woodbridge has grown to approxi¬
mately 600 species of plants during
the past two years. But, without an¬
nual mowing, the fields of Eastern
gamma grass and sweet gum trees
have become overgrown due to prob¬
lems of insufficient personnel and
funds at this northern Virginia site.
During the U.S. Army use of the
580 acres, annual mowing occurred
and an astonishing variety of habi¬
tats and plants thrived. Using fire
in small areas of the meadows on a
rotational basis and at the correct
time of year has been considered of¬
ten by Frederick Milton, U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Manager, but not yet tried in
this extremely urban peninsula in the
Belmont Bay and the Potomac.
The plant inventory team has felt
unsure about using burns, wonder¬
ing what the effect would be on the
buttonbush and maleberry shrubs,
spiranthes, meadow beauties and
downy lobelia, as well as swamp
milkweed, milkworts and various
hawkweeds. No assurance came
from knowing that controlled bums
have been used by farmers in pre¬
paring fields for crops and for con¬
trol of roadside vegetation. Reports
of Native American use of fire didn't
seem to apply well to this site with
dry upland meadows, low wet
meadows, marshes, tidal areas,
floodplain forests, shorelines. The
successful use of fire by Caren
Caljouw and the Virginia Depart¬
ment of Natural Heritage to re-estab¬
lish Peter's Mountain mallow is well
documented and the recent article by
Lytton Musselman about the neces¬
sity of fire for successful manage¬
ment of long-needle pines was also
background information, but not re¬
ally applicable to the refuge.
In March the Virginia Depart¬
ment of Game and Inland Fisheries
announced a Prescribed Burn Work¬
shop in Culpeper at the Heartland
Institute. Their goal, in addition to
educating interested persons, was
also to conduct a burn on one of the
fields where the land manager plans
to sow seed for songbirds and quail.
The Woodbridge inventory team de¬
cided to attend the workshop to be¬
come better informed. In addition to
(See Bums, page 9)
Inside this issue
•Annual meeting
Info & registration, pages 5-6
•Fringe-tree
VNPS brochure, insert
•VNPS photo contest
rules, page 4
^========^===== Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
From the President
Hats off to the coordinators of the VNPS Winter Workshop! Effie Fox, Education Chair; Nancy Arrington, l
Horticulture Chair; Stan Shetler, Botany Chair; and Nicky Staunton, Conservation Chair, all worked very hard to
produce this year's workshop "The State of Virginia's Trees." Thanks to the University of Richmond Biology De¬
partment, John Hayden, VNPS Pocahontas Chapter and all of the presenters of programs, including VNPS Director
at Large, Cris Fleming and Pocahontas Chapter Vice President, Nancy Hugo. The workshop was well attended and
there were many favorable comments.
I hope that as we focus on trees this year we will choose to plant long-lived, usually slow growing trees that will
be beautiful and in their prime 50 to 100 years from now. This is very important for future generations. The white
oak, Quercus alba, is one example that fills this bill nicely.
I am happy to report that the Virginia Native Plant Society Founder's Fund is steadily growing. Each contribu¬
tion brings closer the day when this fund will provide enough income for VNPS long-range projects.
Please remember to purchase Wildflower of the Year Quilt raffle tickets. Mrs. Edmunds is making good progress.
1 hope to have photos of the quilt front available soon. Let's all work together to make this a really successful project!
Your President, Frank Coffey
•Internet-
(Continued from page 1)
and information about some of the more
interesting native plants in the woods
back of my house. I began by searching
for the word" Wildflowers" and got 1100
sites-far too many Checking the first
few, I found lots of people selling wild¬
flower seed, wildflower T-shirts and
even wildflower wallpaper—not exactly
what I wanted.
Changing the search to "native
plants" produced 308 entries many of
which were closer to what I wanted.
Some of these sites had nothing to do
with Virginia native plants but were in¬
teresting anyway. For example check
out The Society for Growing Austra¬
lian Native Plants at http://
www.ozemail.com.au/~sgap/. Trying
"plant images" I got 453 sites and nar¬
rowing to "native plant images" I got 96
selections. Each of these searches pro¬
duced some useful sites. Trying "Vir¬
ginia native plant images" gave me
seven hits with six concerning the Ply¬
mouth Colony in Massachusetts. Ap¬
parently the statement in the document
"...a voyage to plant the first colony..."
along with references to Native People
and the Virginia Colony caused the in¬
clusion of these references. Search en¬
gines are not perfect yet! From these
searches I found several sites with good
images and native plant information
and have downloaded about 70 pic¬
tures. Some of the sites that I have found
useful are given below. Most of these
sites have links to other native plant-re¬
lated sites, so often you can find lots of
interesting facts just by picking a site
Page 2
and following the links.
The Department of Botany at the
University of Wisconsin at Madison has
created a Virtual Foliage Home Page at
http ://www/wisc.edu/botany/
virtual.html which, besides plant im¬
ages from various botany courses, has
the images of the vascular flora of Wis¬
consin on-line. This site is a little diffi¬
cult to navigate because appropriate
images are found only by moving
through several menus. For example, to
get a picture of a columbine, next year's
plant of the year, you have to go through
four sets of choices - flowering plants,
dicots/monocots, ranunculaecae, aqui-
legia. The pictures are, however, good
and often there is more than one picture
for each plant. Another source of images
is at http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/
FLORA/gallery.htm. This site, pro¬
duced by Texas A & M University, has
lots of images of Texas native plants.
For methods of cultivation, propa¬
gation, and edible and medicinal uses
of plants try The Plant Tracker at http://
www.axis-net.com/pfaf/index.htm.
Here there is an extensive database of
plants prepared by Plants For A Future,
a non-profit organization, located in
Cornwall, UK. Searches can be made by
scientific name, common name, family
or by use of the plant, and optionally
various criteria such as moisture level
needed, type of soil, pH and sunlight
requirements can be specified. The re¬
sults of your search give a description
of the plant and various uses it has. For
example fringe-tree fruit can be "used
as a pickle like olives" and the root is
supposedly a "most valuable remedy for
disorders of the liver and gall bladder."
The entry on pokeberry references a
recipe for preparing pokeberry pie. (I
have my doubts about the desirability
of pokeberry pie.)
To find plant distribution, visit the
site created by the Biota of North
America Program at http://
www.mip.berkeley.edu/bonap/. This j
program of the North Carolina Botani¬
cal Garden has the distribution of all the
known vascular plants in North
America north of Mexico. You can type
in either common or scientific names
and get a distribution map. For the U.S.,
the distribution is shown at the state
level by a map and a list of states. Try
pine to find the only state in the conti¬
nental U.S. that has no pines. In the fu¬
ture this site will have distributions
available by the county level which
should make it very useful.
The PLANTS National Database
located at http://plants.usda.gov/
plants/ allows you to query a database
of plants by scientific name, common
name, family or genus and returns sci¬
entific name common name, synonyms
and range by state. The threatened and
endangered species of a selected state
can be listed as well as wetland plants
for a selected region. This site is in the
process of adding photographs for each
plant so that a picture and information
will be returned. a
The National Wildflower Research
Center in Austin Texas at http://
www.wildflower.org maintains a data-
(See Surfing, page 10)
May 1997
======== Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society =^^=^^=
Virginia's parasitic plants: A look at mistletoes and dodders
, There are two large families of
mistletoes, the Loranthaceae with
typically large showy flowers and the
Viscaceae with small flowers. No spe¬
cies of Loranthaceae are recorded from
North America. Most are tropical.
One of the most common para¬
sitic plants in Virginia is the native
Eastern mistletoe, Phoradendron
leucarpum (=P. serotinum). This
mistletoe can produce its own food
through photosynthesis. However, it
is dependent upon its host for water
and materials carried in the water
stream. Severe drought may cause
the host tree to withdraw water from
the parasite!
Mistletoe is frequent in the
southeastern part of our state. For
example, it is conspicuous in the
Great Dismal Swamp during winter
months. In the city of Norfolk,
mistletoe is a common sight on sev¬
eral species of trees. I have seen it
on black gum, red maple, elm and
no doubt others. Silver maple is par-
\ ticularly susceptible. When I moved
to my house in 1973, the silver maple
in the adjoining yard had three
mistletoe plants on it. In 1996, the
tree was cut down, due in large part
to the intolerable load of mistletoes
that numbered in the scores if not
hundreds of plants. On the campus of
Old Dominion University they attack
the thornless honey locust (Gleditsia
triacanthos var. inermis) but the parasite
does not seem to live for many years on
this host. The campus joke is that at
ODU, basketball players get athletes'
foot and botanists get mistletoe.
Mistletoe fruits are easy to ger¬
minate and make an easy and inter¬
esting class experiment. After har¬
vest, the fruits may be kept in a re¬
frigerator for several weeks. Place
the "berries" on a filter paper or pa¬
per towel and water with two per¬
cent peroxide solution. This will
keep fungal growth down. The
radicles emerge from the seeds and
I flatten against the paper.
f In nature, if a suitable host is
present, the tip of the seedling turns
into a penetration tool. After enter¬
ing the host, it hooks up with the
cambium. Each year as the cambium
produces new growth, it stimulates
the mistletoe which synchronizes its
growth with the cambium. On occa¬
sion, the parasite sends sinkers
deeper into the host.
J 1
Phoradendron leucarpum
Eastern mistletoe
Illustration by Nicky Staunton
Of course, when we think of
mistletoes we think of Christmas
and the legends surrounding the
purported amorous influences of
mistletoe. These legends’ roots are
as ancient as the Druids. They wor¬
shiped the European mistletoe,
Viscum album, which superficially
resembles our mistletoe. Green
when its hosts were dormant, the
mistletoe boded life and hope dur¬
ing the bleakness of a northern Eu¬
ropean winter. Consequently it was
used in ceremonies marking the
winter solstice.
Eastern mistletoe plants are
unisexual so each parasite pro¬
duces flowers of one sex. How¬
ever, don't expect to collect a bou¬
quet of the flowers to enhance the
effects of the berries! The flowers
are only a few millimeters long,
among our smallest flowers.
What pollinates these tiny flow¬
ers? More data is needed to deter¬
mine pollen vectors. Apiarists have
told me that mistletoe flowers are an
important source of nectar in mid¬
winter when little else is available.
Cuscuta, dodder
Cuscuta, dodder, species re¬
semble "parasitic spaghetti" because
of their long, tangled stems. Dodders
are, in fact, nothing but stems with
haustoria and scales! They are so
highly specialized that they lack any
roots. Unlike almost any other genus
of plants, all dodder species are to¬
tally devoid of hairs. All dodders are
holoparasites although amounts of
chlorophyll may be present in the
developing fruits.
We have the following species in
our state: Cuscuta pentagona ( -C.
campestris) our most widespread
dodder, discussed below; C.
compacta, a robust dodder chiefly of
the eastern part of Virginia with
dense, rope like coils about its
woody hosts; C. gronovii, often abun¬
dant along streams on diverse hosts;
C. indecora, native only in salt
marshes along the coast and prob¬
ably introduced farther west; and C.
rostrata, an Appalachian species with
garlands of white flowers that re¬
mind one of stringed popcorn. Some
authors recognize other species
which may be best subvented under
C. pentagona.
When thinking of the Norfolk
port, perhaps the first commodity
that comes to mind is coal. Or,
maybe numbers of the navy's som¬
bre grey ships. A little-known fact
is that common field dodder, Cuscuta
pentagona (also known as C.
campestris) is Norfolk's most famous
botanical export! This parasite was
first described from Norfolk, Vir¬
ginia in 1842. It is not clear if it was
native here or introduced to this port
city because weed introductions
around ports are well documented.
The original description refers to the
host plant as being a Euphorbia or
Tragia. Both genera contain weedy
species that could themselves have
been introduced.
Whether native or introduced
we have spread this parasite to many
parts of the world. I have personally
encountered my compatriot in such
(See Parasites, page 7 0)
May 1997
Page 3
— Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society =
Virginia Native Plant Society
Photo Contest
Rules
1. Open to VNPS members only (Members of VNPS Photo Committee ineligible to compete)
2. Two categories of contestants: Professional (main livelihood) or amateur
3. Each photographer may submit one photo per category of photograph. Photographs
must be of Virginia native plants. There are four categories which are listed below.
1998 Virginia Wildflower of the Year (Aquilegia canadensis , columbine)
A. Plant Specimen: Photograph of one columbine specimen
B. Habit: Columbine in a natural or cultivated habitat
(These will be judged against each other as a group)
Favorite Native Plant Photograph (any native flowering trees, shrubs, wildflowers)
C. Plant Specimen: Photograph of one plant specimen
D. Habit: Photograph of native plants in a natural or cultivated habitat
4. Entries must be 8 x 10 inch prints (no slides) with stiff backing, no matting, no frames
5. A fee of $1 per entry is to accompany each photograph to defray costs of contest
6. Contestant name, address, phone number, and submitted category for the photo¬
graph as detailed in item 3 above should be placed on back of the photograph
7. Color or black and white prints may be submitted, but will be judged together
8. Deadline for entries: July 31,1997 postmark
9. Mail entries to: VNPS Photo Contest
PO. Box 844
Annandale, VA 22003
AWARDS: Each of the four categories will receive a first, second and third place award. An honorable mention
may be awarded. There will be one grand prize winner who will receive VNPS designation as Best Virginia Wild¬
flower Photographer of 1997 and receive a Jefferson Cup.
VNPS reserves the right to use winning photographs in an exhibition and possible use in production of the 1998 Vir¬
ginia Wildflower of the Year brochure. Winners will be expected to furnish the slide or negative for the winning prints.
NAME _
ADDRESS
PHONE _
CATEGORIES ENTERED (circle) A B C D Fee enclosed_
Return coupon & photos to: VNPS Photo Contest, 8815 Fort Drive, Manassas, VA 20110
Page 4
May 1997
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
Virginia Native Plant Society
Annual Meeting
September 19-21, 1997
Dear VNPS'er,
Members are invited to a wonderful weekend in Virginia's historic Colonial
Williamsburg. Much careful planning has gone into making this a worthwhile and
memorable occasion. We invite you to join us. You will be glad you did!
Gordon Chappeil, President, John Clayton Chapter
Location
Williamsburg Woodlands, Colonial Williamsburg
Schedule of Events
Friday, September 19
2-8 p.m. Registration, Williamsburg Woodlands, Center Room
2:30-4:30 p.m. Garden Tours of Colonial Williamsburg, meet at Center Room
Dinner on your own
8-9:30 p.m. Coffee and tea
Welcome and program introduction
Program: "Adventures on the Dragon" Teta Kane, slide/lecture
9:30 p.m. Announcements
Saturday, September 20
Breakfast on your own
8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. All-day field trips depart, includes box lunch, meet at Center Room
9 a.m.-l p.m. Half-day field trips depart, includes box lunch, meet at Center Room
2- 3 p.m. Afternoon speaker: Harriet Frye, author of John Clayton and Flora, Center Room
3- 5 p.m. Garden tours of Colonial Williamsburg, meet at Center Room
3-4:30 p.m. Silent Auction
6:30-7:30 p.m. Social hour with cash bar, Cascades Conference Center-Terrace
7:30-8:45 p.m Dinner, Cascades Room
8:45-10 p.m. Event Program
Remarks: Frank Coffey, VNPS President
Evening speaker: Norman Beatty, Executive Director, Williamsburg Land Conservancy
Sunday, September 21
Breakfast on your own
8:30-11:30 a.m. Half-day field trips depart
8:30-11:30 a.m. VNPS Board Meeting, Center Room
SATURDAY FIELD TRIPS
(Box lunch provided on full and half-day field trips)
FULL DAY - 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. approximately
1. Bethel Beach & Point Comfort, Mathews County
2. Dragon Run Swamp, limited number, includes canoeing. Middle Peninsula
3. Virginia Living Museum & Sandy Bottom, Newport News
4. Zuni Pine Barrens, Southside Virginia
May 1997
Page 5
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
SATURDAY FIELD TRIPS
HALF DAY - 9 a.m.-l p.m. approximately
5. Bassett Hall Woods 8c Trace, Williamsburg
6. Chesapeake Nature Trail, West Point
7. Greenspring Swamp, Williamsburg
8. Jamestown Island, Jamestown
9. William 8c Mary Campus, Williamsburg
10. Garden Design Tours, Williamsburg
SUNDAY FIELD TRIPS
(no lunch provided)
11. George McLellan's Garden, Gloucester
12. Haynes Pond, Gloucester
Accommodations
A block of rooms has been reserved for VNPS members at Williamsburg Woodlands.
For more information, call 1-800-HISTORY.
Detach here, or better yet, make a photocopy so you won't destroy this newsletter
VNPS REGISTRATION FORM
Name_ Telephone_
Address_ Chapter_
_ Number of persons.
Saturday Field Trios
Circle below the number of your field trip preference (See attached list). Also indicate
a second choice in case your first choice is at capacity when your registration is re¬
ceived.
123456789 10
Sunday Field Trips : Circle here 11 12
If you are registering for more than one person, fill in the trip preferences for the sec¬
ond person on a separate sheet of paper along with the name of the second person.
Registration Fees
$50 registration fee includes box lunch Saturday and dinner Saturday night
Number of persons registered _ (number x $50) Amount_
Mail this form (with payment made payable to VNPS John Clayton Chapter) to:
Gordon Chappell
113 Pine Point Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
Telephone: 757-220-0914
~y J)
Page 6
May 1997
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
For your bookshelf
This book is big , it's beautiful , and it's all about natives!
The Native Plant Primer: Trees, Shrubs , and Wild/low¬
ers for Natural Gardens (1995) Carole Ottesen. 354 pp.
Harmony Books, New York, New York.
The Native Plant Primer is the kind of big, glossy, book
guaranteed to excite any gardener with its wealth of
possibilities. For the native plant enthusiast, however,
it also provides a much-needed reference. The author
begins with a personal account of the epiphany which sent
a dedicated proponent of the English garden style on a
native plant quest across America. Unlike the author, how¬
ever, we will not need to travel to Sri Lanka to leam to
appreciate native plants — we have only to open this book.
The first half of the book is divided into regional sec¬
tions. Each section contains a regional description, a list
of recommended plants and photos of gardens. Thank¬
fully, there is a Mid-Atlantic section. Far too many books
lump the Mid-Atlantic into either the Northeast or South¬
east. In reality, this is a transition zone (both in terms of
climate and plant communities) that cannot be equated
with either New England or the Deep South. It's refresh¬
ing to find a reference that acknowledges this reality.
The bulk of the book is devoted to plant descriptions
arranged alphabetically by Latin name within the fol¬
lowing sections: perennials, annuals, grasses, ferns,
water plants, vines, shrubs and trees. Each entry lists
. Calendar
June 3-July 30 - Wild Beauty: America’s Rare Flora
at Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville.
Photo exhibition of America's rare plants. 540-666-8600.
June 7, Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m Spring Herb & Gar¬
den Festival, "Herbs and their Uses" Sponsored by the
Herb & Botanical Alliance. Egg Harbor, N.J. Contact
Anita Beckwith 609-965-0337.
Natural History Museum produces wildflower magazine
VNPS members should check out the exciting happen¬
ings at the Virginia Museum of Natural History, located in
Martinsville with branches in Blacksburg and Charlottesville.
A family membership with the museum comes with plenty
of benefits, including a quarterly magazine, Virginia Explorer.
The latest issue of this glossy, professionally-done journal is a
must for native plant enthusiasts because the entire issue is
dedicated to wildflowers. In this issue Maryl, a professional
nature photographer, tells the full story of her efforts to pho¬
tograph threatened or endangered species of flowers (see in¬
formation above in calendar of events).
This issue can be ordered for $3.50 at VMNH, Attn. Pub¬
lications Dept., 1001 Douglas Ave., Martinsville, VA 24112.
Family membership is $35-call 540-666-8600. Membership
- includes Virginia Explorer, a quarterly newsletter, reciprocal
free admission to 200 science museums, a discount on books
and gift shop items, notification of special events and discounts
on field trips. You can also check out the museum on the
Internet at: http://www.vmnh.org.
May 1997 --. - - . —■ =
common names, family, origin, hardiness, height,
adapted region(s), landscape use, culture, propagation
method, and species / cultivars. There is a written de¬
scription and, in most cases, a photo of the plant.
Sprinkled throughout are very useful charts which com¬
pare different members of a genus such as Aster or
Helianthus. The book finishes with appendices listing
nurseries, gardens and plants for special purposes.
The sheer size and completeness of this book may
prove daunting to the gardener with a casual interest
in native plants or the wildflower lover who is new
to gardening. This is definitely not the usual brief
introduction to the concept of gardening with natives.
Such books have really proliferated in recent years,
and many have no more substance than a list of a
dozen plants and a sample garden-plot design. In¬
stead, this is a book to help you decide which species
of aster or alum root or whatever might work best in
your landscape. The price ($50) will also be daunting
to the casual user, but it would be a worthwhile addi¬
tion to any horticultural library.
Carole Ann Barth is owner and principal of Heal Earth
Gardens in Silver Spring, Maryland. Heal Earth Gardens
provides environmental I garden consulting, writing and
training services to individuals, groups and agencies.
of Events ..
June 29, Sunday, 2-4 p.m. Insects & Plants Nature
Walk. VMNH naturalists walk through DuPont Preserve,
Martinsville. Register by June 20. 540-666-8651.
July 8, Tuesday, 6:30-7:15 Almost Immortal: The
lives of clonal plants and animals. Dr. Judith Winston,
Virginia Museum of Natural History Director of Re¬
search, talks about these little-known plants and animals.
King's Grant Retirement Center, Martinsville. Register
by July 7. 540-666-8651.
July 12, Saturday, 11 .m. at Big Meadows Visitor Cen¬
ter, Skyline Drive (Bridgewater 9 a.m). Big Meadows and
Swamp Trail. Emily Baxter (Shenandoah) 540-828-6252.
August 2-September 29 - Wild Beauty: America's Rare
Flora at VMNH in Charlottesville. 540-666-8600.
September 25, Thursday, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Hands-on dem¬
onstration of native, naturalized and invasive grasses.
(Potowmack) Green Spring Gardens. 703-642-5173.
Vist this site on the Parkway for summer blooms
Jacob Kagey of the Shenandoah Chapter suggests this
trip during the summer for wildflower viewing. Travel on
the Blue Ridge Parkway just past milepost 17. In an open
area on the east side of the drive is a large field. From about
June 28 to July 4, check the area for Canada lilies. About a
week after the Fourth of July, the field will be full of but¬
terfly-weed. On the west side of the drive, you can spot
Turks cap lilies, whorled rosinweed and many others.
Page 7
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
False nettle has a surprise attraction despite a "weedy" reputation
grow stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), a
plant painful to the touch, in order to at¬
tract red admiral butterflies. Luckily, this
is not so. False nettle (Boehmeria
cylindrica) is in a different genus, but is,
indeed, a member of the nettle family
and therefore every bit as attractive to
nettle-eating caterpillars. The reason it
is called "false" nettle is only because it
lacks the stinging hairs characteristic of
the Urtica genus.
Unfortunately for butterfly garden¬
ers, nettles do not have showy flowers.
For this reason, false nettle is not usu¬
ally stocked by nurseries nor even dis¬
cussed in wildflower gardening books.
Yet, it is an attractive plant. It has sturdy
stems that reach three feet in height
when located in a good spot. The
coarsely toothed, opposite leaves are its
most noticeable feature. They are 1 to 3
inches long, ovate and a pretty, light
green. The flowers are easy to miss because
they are tiny, greenish, and occur in little
clusters along spikes in leaf axils.
False nettle makes a nice border
plant-mine grow along the west side of
my greenhouse. Wildflower guides say
that it is a plant of moist, shady places,
but that has not been my experience. My
plants receive hot, afternoon sun for at least
half a day. I do not water these plants which
are situated on well-drained sloping
ground, but they thrive, living up to their
reputation as "weedy" plants.
Even though I landscape for wild¬
life, I did not plant the false nettle patch
which now grows in my yard. A few
plants came up on their own one year
and, as is my custom, I let them grow
because I did not immediately recognize
Horticulture position open at Virginia Living Museum
The Virginia Living Museum is a regional zoological park, botanical gar¬
den, aquarium, planetarium, and educational facility in southeastern Vir¬
ginia. This full-time, salaried position offers a unique opportunity to work
with native plants and animals in naturalistic habitats.
Responsibilities: Installation and maintenance of plants in indoor and
outdoor exhibits; general lawn, landscape, greenhouse and nursery mainte¬
nance; supervision of volunteers and interaction with visitors. Some week¬
end work required.
Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in horticulture or related field and 1-2
years experience in a botanical/zoological park, nursery/landscaping op¬
eration, or similar facility. Requires experience in the use and maintenance
of power equipment. Some knowledge of Virginia native flora preferred.
To apply: Send resume by June 30, 1997 to Janis Miller - Horticulture
Curator. Mailing address: Virginia Living Museum, 524 J. Clyde Morris
Blvd., Newport News, VA 23601 FAX:(757)599-4897
E-mail: vlmhort@juno.com or janmike@visi.net
Page 8 .'. . - -...
them. The floral structure is the key to
making an identification, but because
the flowers are insignificant, I missed
them that first year. However, I noticed
that I seemed to have red admirals and
eastern commas around more often than
ever before and it seemed as if there was
almost always a red admiral resting on
those unidentified plants! This did not
really sink in until the second year at
which time I suspected that my patches
must contain larval food plants. I
checked that area every day until the
Red admiral
butterfly &
caterpillar
plants flowered in July. I got out the
wildflower guides to find that my mys¬
tery plants belonged to the nettle family.
That explained the increased presence of
the red admirals and eastern commas.
During the first winter that I had
false nettle in my yard, I discovered
American goldfinches love nettle seeds.
Many plants, including the relatively tall
false nettle, remain standing above
snow cover with fruits or seeds exposed.
I have not found Boehmeria
cylindrica to be invasive. Rather than
large groups popping up in new spots,
usually only one plant will appear here
or there. The area covered by false nettle
will increase somewhat each year, but
control is easily accomplished by cut¬
ting or pulling unwanted plants.
The genus name comes from
George Rudolf Boehmer, an 18th cen¬
tury botany professor in Germany. The
species name refers to the cylindrical leaf
shape. So, the moral of this story is, let
some of the "weeds" that appear unex¬
pectedly in your yard grow...you just
might be thrilled that you did.
Marlene A. Condon is a nature writerfphotogra-
pher/gardener who has been fascinated by plants
and animals all her life. This article first ran in the
newsletter of the Butteifly Society of Virginia.
- May 1997
=============== Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society . =
Seeing red brightens spring wildflower gardens
The colors of a Virginia spring
are predominately pale: pinks, lav¬
enders, blues, yellows and whites.
The few bright red-flowered natives
available to wildflower gardeners
are wonderful accents to use among
these paler colors or against a back¬
ground of ferns. Because the plants
discussed here are woodland na¬
tives, perhaps they are red-flowered
to lure hummingbirds into the shad¬
ows to pollinate their tubular flow¬
ers. Native companions that bloom
at the same time and share cultural
requirements include green and
•Burns -
gold ( Chrysogonum virginianum),
foamflower ( Tiarella cordifolia ), sun-
drops ( Oenothera spp.) end the white
forms of Phlox divaricata and
Tor WiCcCfCower (gardeners
T>y Tfancy ‘Arrington
vdfPS (hforticufture Cfiair
stolonifera. Unless noted, the plants
below are native to Virginia.
Columbine ( Aquilegia canadensis)
is the first red-flowered native to
show up in gardens. Red and yellow
pendant flowers hang on slender
stems above light green compound
foliage. Flowering begins in mid-
April and continues through May.
Rich soil and sun produce large ro¬
bust plants while plants grown in
lean soil in part shade are delicate
and airy. Good drainage is a must.
Plants are short-lived but reseed
freely. Columbine is our VNPS Wild¬
flower of the Year for 1998.
Fire pink's ( Silene virginica) crim¬
son red, five-petaled tubular flowers
are about an inch across and bloom
(See Red flowers, page 10)
(Continued from page 1)
the required leather boots, gloves
and cotton clothes, the team took
open minds. Virginia DGIF mem¬
bers instructed on definition of a
prescribed burn (David Sausville,
Forest Stewardship Biologist); ben¬
efits of prescribed burning for wild¬
life (Dan Lovelace, District Wildlife
Biologist); laws and liability (Larry
Cochran, Emergency Field Coordi¬
nator); personal safety and physical
fitness (Everette Kline, Area For¬
ester of Virginia Department of For¬
estry); weather and fire behavior
(Fred Turck, Emergency Response
Planner, Virginia Department of
Forestry); firing methods (Steve
Capel, Habitat Coordinator Biolo¬
gist); preparing a burn plan and
post-burn (Dan Lovelace); and re¬
view equipment in the field, inspect
area to be burned (Dan Lovelace,
Burn Boss). The prescribed burn was
scheduled for 4 p.m. with suppres¬
sion and mop-up to follow.
The burn took place on sched¬
ule and in a very short time the acre¬
age was clear of winter's dead
grasses. The dogbane stems did not
burn entirely; spring field cress was
not even singed; and the earth was
still cool and moist following the
bum. The day's efforts were well
worthwhile.
The new refuge just might ben¬
efit from a small burn next January
or February when critters are still
hibernating, no ground bird nests
would be harmed and before the an¬
nual plants sprout. We request in¬
formation from any readers who
might have knowledge and experi¬
ence regarding the effect of fire upon
native plants. Please send to VNPS
Attn: Nicky Staunton, P. O. Box 844,
Annandale VA 22003.
The Bulletin
is published five times a year
(Jan., March, May, August, Nov.) by
Virginia Native Plant Society
PO. Box 844, Annandale, VA
22003
(703) 368-9803
Frank Coffey, President
Nancy Sorrells, Editor
Barbara Stewart, Artist
Original material contained in the Bulle¬
tin may be reprinted, provided credit is
given to the author, if named. Readers
are invited to send letters, news items,
or original articles for the editor's con¬
sideration. Items should be typed or sent
on 3.5"disk in Wordperfect or Microsoft
Word to the Editor, Rt. 2, Box 726, Green¬
ville, VA 24440.
The deadline for the next issue is July 1
I-1
See the address label for your membership's expiration date.
! VNPS Membership/Renewal Form
Name(s)
Address
City
State Zip
.
_Individual $15
_Family $25
_Student$10
Patron $50 _Sustaining $100
Associate (group) $40; delegate
_Life $400
To give a gift membership or join additional chapters: Enclose dues, name, address, and
chapter. (Non-voting memberships in any other than your primary chapter are $5).
I wish to make an additional contribution to_VNPS_Chapter
in the amount of_$10_$25_$50_$100 $ _
_Check here if you do not wish your name _Check here if you do not wish
I to be exchanged with similar organizations. to be listed in a chapter directory.
Make check payable to VNPS and mail to:
VNPS Membership Chair, P.O. Box 844, Annandale, VA 22003
Membership dues are tax deductible in the amount they exceed $5 Contributions are tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulaboi
May 1997
L
Page 9
•Red flowers
(Continued from page 9)
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
in May on stems about a foot tall. It
brightens a fairly shady spot with
sparse blooming, but flowers better
with a little morning sun. Give it
neutral to slightly acid, well-drained
soil. Rich soil causes weak steams.
Plants are short-lived, but reseed
fairly reliably.
Coral honeysuckle ( Lonicera
sempervirens) lacks the vigor and (re¬
grettably) the fragrance of the
invasive Japanese honeysuckle
though it will quickly cover a trellis
or fence with handsome blue-green
foliage. It begins flowering in early
May and continues sporadically
through much of the summer. Nar¬
row tubular rose-red flowers, about
an inch long, flare open slightly at
the tip. Plants grow well in sun in
ordinary soil. At a VNPS annual
meeting several years ago, John
Clayton Chapter members donated
a dark gold-flowered selection dis¬
covered in that area and named (ap-
pr opriately) 'John Clayton.'
Red buckeye ( Aesculus pavia), a
prefers a rich, slightly moist soil and
flowers in shade but grows more
densely and flowers better in sun. It
is not native to Virginia.
Indian pink ( Spigelia marilandica)
is an especially eye-catching south¬
eastern native. Mature plants are 12
to 24 inches tall and wide. Stems are
tipped with clusters of 1.5-inch long
tubular flowers that are bright crim¬
son outside and green-tinged yellow
inside. Each blossom is open at the
tip and split or "pinked" into five
sharp lobes. Indian pink prefers a
rich, slightly moist soil and dappled
shade. Strong sun may fade the blos¬
soms. This plant belongs to the
mostly tropical logania family which
contains well-known garden plants
like Buddleia as well as some of the
world's most toxic plants including
strychnine and rotenone.
•Parasites -
•Surfing -
(Continued from page 2)
base of native American plants and the
names and addresses of native plant or¬
ganizations in the U.S. It has links to na¬
tive plant organizations and gardens
with web pages and a national list of
gardens with displays of native plants.
The Virginia Department of Con¬
servation and Recreation Natural Heri¬
tage site at http://www.state.va.us/~dcr/
vaher.html has the Invasive Alien Plant
List and fact sheets co-developed by
VNPS and DCR plus rare plant and ani¬
mal lists and maps along with informa¬
tion on natural areas and preserves in
Virginia.
If you have Internet access try some
of these sites and do some searches on
your own. Information on the internet
changes rapidly and more information
becomes available each day.
Richard Moss, Pocahontas Chapter
(Continued from page 3)
different areas as New Caledonia,
Sudan and India. Closer to home, C.
pentagona is a serious pathogen of
contamination of commercial seed
shipments. I regularly examine
seeds of dodders intercepted by the
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service of the U.S. Department of
!!l n TJ
nut t
m
Hd-h
liage, grows 10-20 feet tall. Reddish
rose upright flower panicles, 4-8
inches long, begin blooming in late
April and continue through May. It
tomatoes in California. It is most fre-
shrub or tree quently found on legumes, especially Agriculture. Invariably, the dodder
A'biitlleyilfl)- 'P'lM^^ilAii^SiyspIdezar^ out to be the same one first
Like most weeds, humans have
affected the distribution of C.
pentagona and other dodders. Recent
introductions have occurred through
r
described from Norfolk!
This article is the second in a series by
Lytton J. Musselman, a professor of biologi¬
cal sciences at Old Dominion University.
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A publication of the VIRGINIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
Conserving wild flowers and wild places
Greenstone Foundation
awards grant to VNPS
VNPS has just announced that
it has been the fortunate recipient
of a grant for $3,000 from the
Greenstone Foundation. The grant
was made to help complete the
publication of fact sheets on a se¬
lected list of invasive alien plants.
The Virginia Department of Con¬
servation and Recreation, Division
of Natural Heritage, and Virginia
Native Plant Society joined in a part¬
nership program five years ago to
educate the public on the enormous
harm done to the habitats of our na¬
tive plants by invasive alien plants.
One phase of that effort has
been the development of a list of
invasive alien plants in Virginia
and the publication of informative
fact sheets on the most damaging
of those plants. Eighteen fact
sheets covering 22 plants have
been published to date, the two
most recent ones covering tall fes¬
cue, Festuca elatior and Chinese
lespedeza, Lespedeza cuneata.
The funds from this grant, coupled
with a grant received by the Department
of Conservation and Recreation, will
enable us to publish nine more fact
sheets covering 13 more plants. Fund¬
ing is being sought to publish three
more sheets on three plants in 1997.
The key person most responsible
for the publication of these sheets has
been Caren Caljouw, Stewardship
(See Grant , page 7)
Annual Meeting Spotlight
Virginia Living Museum offers
something for everyone
In southeastern Virginia there is
a small museum that offers visitors
a unique experience and is both fun
and educational. The Virginia Liv¬
ing Museum, located in Newport
News, is a combination of zoological
park, botanical garden, aquarium.
VIRGINIA
^LIVING
MUSEUM
NEWPORT NEWS, VA
planetarium and environmental edu¬
cation center, and everything you see
here is found in Virginia.
The grounds and exhibits at the
museum are planted exclusively
with native species. As you ap¬
proach the entrance, you pass
through a large wildflower garden
containing native perennials and
grasses, including wild columbine,
fire pink, goldenrods, beard-tongue,
seashore mallow, wild indigo, ata-
masco lily, bluestar, asters, purple
coneflower, black-eyed Susan and
river oats. Surrounding and accent¬
ing the perennials are collections of
native evergreens, flowering shrubs
and small trees. Here you'll find a
variety of native hollies, sweetbay
magnolia, fringe-tree, sweet
pepperbush, dusty zenobia,
beautyberry, Virginia sweetspire,
shrubby St. John's-wort, hawthorns,
wax myrtle, dogwood and redbud.
There's something in bloom or in fruit
year-round.
Inside the museum, you'll find
aquariums, a large walk-through
songbird aviary, and many small ani¬
mal exhibits. The James River exhib¬
its take you down the river from the
mountains to the sea, showing you
the plants and animals which inhabit
the river banks and waters, while the
World of Darkness takes you to the
nocturnal realm of bats, flying squir¬
rels, owls and others.
(See Living Museum, page 4)
Annual Meeting
Reminder
VNPS Annual Meeting
Sept. 19-21
Williamsburg
Call (757) 220-0914
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
From the President
The VNPS Board of Directors met in June at the Peaks of Otter Lodge
near Bedford. I want to thank all of the board members who were able to
attend for an enjoyable and successful meeting. A special thank-you to Karen
Shepard and the Blue Ridge Wildflower Society for making the arrangements
and hosting the meeting. It is always wonderful to visit the Parkway.
Phoebe White, membership chair, reported that for the first time, our
membership has topped 1500! It is good to see our membership grow. Phoebe
has a sizable supply of membership forms available, so contact her if you
need them. This form may also be downloaded from our Web Site:
www.hort.vt.edu/VNPS.
If you have not visited our VNPS Web Site, please do so. It is really
developing nicely and will be a great asset to the Society. Thanks to Dr.
Stan Shetler, Dr. Bob Lyon and Richard Moss for sharing their expertise
and providing space for our site.
Our Wildflower of the Year queen size quilt is all finished! Mrs. Edmunds
has done a fantastic job and she sent it to our June board meeting. It is
simply beautiful! Remember tickets are a $5 donation for a book of 6 or $1
for a single ticket. Photos have been sent to chapters but they only show
what the top of the quilt looked like before the quilting was done. Contact
John Fry (540-364-3046) if you need additional tickets. Let's really push
the ticket sales so this will be a highly successful project. The John Clayton
Chapter has the quilt now and will be displaying it right up to the drawing
on Saturday night at the annual meeting.
Gordon Chappell, John Clayton Chapter President, reports that plans
are moving nicely for the Annual Meeting. I will look forward to seeing
everyone in Williamsburg the weekend of September 19 & 20.
Your President, Frank Coffey
*
VNPS staff artist
resigns after 16 years
Barbara Stewart has resigned as
artist for the Virginia Native Plant
Society after serving over 16 years.
During this time she has provided
drawings for the Wildflower of the
Year program and other requested
art work. In her letter of resignation,
she stated that she would be avail¬
able for special projects. Barbara’s ^
work has always been of the highest
quality and it is certain that VNPS
will want to call on her in the future.
To The Board of Directors of the Virginia Native Plant Society: I have audited the accompanying fund balance of the Virginia Native Plant
Society as of October 31,1996, and the related statement of income for the year then ended. These financial statements are the responsibility of
the organization's management. My responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on my audit.
I conducted my audit in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. In my opinion, the financial statements referred to at right
present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Virginia Native Plant Society as of October 31, 1996, and the results of its
operations for the year then ended in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.
June 7,1997, Robert K. Hersh, C.P.A., 3213 N. John Marshall Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22207
VNPS Fiscal Year 1996
Summary Income Statement
EXPENSES
MARKETABLE INVESTMENTS
Common Stocks
$476
Year-to-Date
For the period ending Oct. 31, 1996
JOB RELATED EXPENSES
Other job related expenses
$1,581
TOTAL MARKETABLE INVEST.
TOTAL ASSETS
HZ6
$24,880
Income
EARNED INCOME
Other earned income
$13,645
TOTAL JOB RELATED EXPENSES
OTHER EXPENSES
Education expenses
TOTAL OTHER EXPENSES
$1.581
$23,959
$23.959
LIABILITIES
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts payable
$264
TOTAL EARNED INCOME
$13.645
BUSINESS EXPENSES
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITES
12M
BUSINESS INCOME
Sales
$3,739
Office Exp./Business
TOTAL BUSINESS EXPENSES
$13,255
$13.255
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES
Other long-term Labilities
$3,740
Fees
$10,338
TOTAL EXPENSES
$38,795
TOTAL LONG-TERM LIABILITIES
$3.740
Other income/business
$3,191
NET INCOME
$-915
UNCLASSIFIED LIABILITIES
TOTAL BUSINESS INCOME
$17.268
SUMMARY BALANCE SHEET
Unclassified liabilities
$4,413
UNCLASSIFIED INCOME
Unclassified income
$6,966
ASSETS
CURRENT ASSETS
TOTAL UNCLASSIFIED LIABILITIES $4,413
TOTAL LIABILITIES $8,417
TOTAL UNCLASSIFIED INCOME
$.6,966
Checking accounts
$12,404
EQUITY
TOTAL INCOME
$37,880
Savings accounts
$12,000
TOTAL NET WORTH
.116,463
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS
$24.404
TOTAL LIABILITIES&NET WORTH $24.8$0
Page 2 .. = August 1997
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
Wildflower Clippings: A look across the country
T he National Wildlife Fed¬
eration recently reported
in one of its magazines
about a cooperative study that was
done by ecologists from the Universi¬
ties of Toronto and Minnesota on the
effects of pollution on native grasses.
The 12-year-study simulated nitrogen
emission levels from cars and power
plants in the Northeast. Their results:
native grasses, which frequently oc¬
cur in nitrogen poor areas, had im¬
paired growth. Non-native grasses,
especially from Europe, were im¬
ported for agricultural development
and thrive on large doses of nitrogen.
Thus, roadsides have thriving non¬
native grasses stimulated by emis¬
sions that out-compete natives and
species diversity declines.
A n article in the May 25th
issue of the Arlington
Journal Newspaper had
an excellent article on native plants
by Helene Hollander Lepkowski.
"Growing Native" mentions the
many benefits of growing native
plants while not ignoring the real
importance of habitat conservation.
Ms. Lepkowski really did her re¬
search and not only quoted
Potowmack Chapter members (she
attended the chapter sale at Green
Spring) but also representatives of
many like-minded organizations
such as the Maryland Native Plant
Society and Fairfax Releaf. She
stressed the importance of not plant¬
ing invasive species while focusing
on all the unique virtues of our
Northern Virginia natives.
J ust about every issue of
American Butterflies , a pub¬
lication of the North Ameri¬
can Butterfly Association,
contains articles on the associations
between native plants and the but¬
terflies that depend on them as cat¬
erpillar hosts or nectar sources. Re¬
cent examples: "The Brilliance of
Asters (Part 1, The East)" that fo¬
cuses on native asters and their use
by butterflies to obtain nectar or pro¬
vide caterpillar food (for pearl cres¬
cent butterflies in Northern Vir¬
ginia); "The Gaea Gardener: False
Nettles" which talks about this plant
and its use by red admiral and east¬
ern comma butterfly larvae (also see
the May 1997 issue of the VNPS Bul¬
letin)-, and "Native Eupatoriums for
the Butterfly Garden." The articles
are interesting and often have local
application to Virginians.
T he New Columbia
Audubon Society of
Washington, D.C. and
the Washington Area Butterfly Club
have initiated attempts to establish
stands of white turtlehead ( Chelone
glabra) at Kenilworth Aquatic Gar¬
dens. They are hoping that if they
succeed in getting large stands of
turtlehead established, they can
then attempt to introduce Baltimore
checkerspot butterflies. Baltimore
checkerspots are very uncommon in
the Northern Virginia area and
white turtlehead is one of the pri¬
mary host plants for caterpillars of
this species. Because there does not
appear to be any nearby colonies of
the butterfly, it is unlikely they
would find the plant for themselves.
Once the checkerspots are estab¬
lished, however, they could spread
to other nearby areas having suit¬
able habitats. Anyone who would
like to donate plants can contact
Alonso Abugattas at (703) 358-6535
during the day or (703) 528-8808 in
the evenings.
T he Maryland Native Plant
Society recently reported
in its newsletter about a
study indicating that half of the
major wetland weeds were intro¬
duced for horticultural use. The re¬
sults are taken from a Brooklyn
Botanic Garden book, Invasive
Plants: Weeds of the Global Garden,
which covers 82 invasive plant spe¬
cies in depth. The study makes use
of the two most comprehensive
natural area lists, one by the Nature
Conservancy and the other by the
National Pest Plant Councils. Many
of the plants listed are still being
sold commercially. This just goes to
prove that gardeners need to be
careful about what plants they
choose to use in their gardens. Re¬
searchers are reported to be looking
into reliable methods of predicting
which species can become problems so
new infestations can be prevented.
N ational Wildlife Federa¬
tion had an article in its
January issue of National
Wildlife Magazine about the disap¬
pearance of the native plants in the
United States. Using data provided
by the Nature Conservancy, the
magazine reports that nearly 10 per¬
cent of the native plants in the United
States may have disappeared from at
least one of their former home states.
Hawaii and the Northeast suffered the
most losses, particularly in wetland
species. Delaware recorded the high¬
est percentage of lost species (over 12
percent) but the real surprise is who
else made the top five—our neighbor
Maryland with six percent lost.
M any organizations are
becoming more and
more aware of the
problems caused by invasive plants.
Take, for example, an article in the
June issue of Turkey Call, a publica¬
tion of the National Wild Turkey Fed¬
eration. In this hunting magazine,
one author, Dr. James Kennamer,
clearly states his position: "In my
mind there is no question—we must
avoid bringing non-native species
into new ecosystems without careful
consideration..." He goes on to give
many examples of invasive plants
and animals with their consequences.
He tempers his statements with
thoughts on how non-natives should
not be removed from consideration
outright, but used with much cau¬
tion. Not all non-natives are bad and
some natives can be helped to expand
their ranges (such as he believes tur¬
keys should be). But the article sug¬
gests extreme caution. "The real chal¬
lenge is to make the right choices." This
organization is taking steps in the right
direction as are many other individu¬
als and organizations.
This article was compiled by VNPS
Public Relations Chair Alonso Abugattas.
August 1997
Page 3
... .-.. Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society =
Living Museum offers variety from nature
(Continued from page 1)
The Touch Tank and Discovery
Center offer up-close, hands-on en¬
counters with wild creatures and ar¬
tifacts, and throughout the day there
is a variety of live animal programs
presented by museum interpreters.
There's also a planetarium which of¬
fers everything from sky interpreta¬
tion programs to laser light shows,
and an observatory for solar viewing
during the day and night sky view¬
ing during evening hours. In addi¬
tion, the changing exhibit gallery
brings new feature exhibits to the
museum every few months.
Outdoors, a quarter-mile nature
trail winds through upland and low¬
land habitats alongside a small lake,
passing large naturally-vegetated
enclosures housing raccoons, bea¬
vers, bobcats, red foxes, river otters,
wild turkey, white tail deer, skunks,
opossums and bald eagles. In and
among the exhibits you'll find a vari¬
ety of woodland plants. Ephemeral
spring wildflowers like bloodroot,
spring beauty, Virginia bluebells and
trout lily are followed by ferns and
flowering shrubs, like mountain lau¬
rel, native azaleas, sweetshrub, vibur¬
nums and sweet pepperbush. From
the boardwalk along the edge of the
lake you can view wetland plants like
rose mallow, scouring rush, pickerel
weed, blue flag iris, and an assortment
of wild turtles, ducks and wading
birds. Plus you can step inside the
wetland aviary and see wetland
plants and animals up close from an
observation deck.
Also incorporated into the
grounds are several display gardens.
The Butterfly Garden contains native
perennials, shrubs and trees which
provide nectar for adult butterflies,
and food for various caterpillars. The
plants include milkweeds, asters,
Joe-Pye weed, blazing star, cardinal
flower, sassafras, buttonbush, and
many others. This exhibit also pro¬
vides information on common Virginia
butterflies, the plants which attract
them, and the basic ingredients needed
to create your own butterfly garden.
The Backyard Habitat display
garden shows how you can make
your own yard a habitat for wildlife.
In a typical backyard setting, you'll
see examples of ways to provide
food, water, shelter, and nesting sites
for a variety of animals. This in¬
cludes water sources like a backyard
pond and various types of birdbaths,
and assorted feeders and nesting
boxes, such as bluebird houses and
even bat boxes. Plantings include
fruiting shrubs which supply food and
shelter, like hollies, blueberries and
viburnums, and nectar plants for
hummingbirds,such as bee balm, coral
honeysuckle and trumpet creeper.
The horticulture staff, with the as¬
sistance of many dedicated volunteers,
maintains the grounds and exhibits
and provides plant material for use in
educational programs. Most of the pe¬
rennials and some trees and shrubs
seen at the museum were grown in our
own greenhouse and nursery. In ad¬
dition, each year we grow thousands
of native perennials for our spring and
fall wildflower sales, which are major
museum fund-raisers.
The museum's education staff
offers a wide variety of classes and
guided field trips for children,
adults, groups and families. Day-
trips might take you canoeing in a
cypress swamp or caving in the
mountains, while longer safaris go
whale-watching in New England, or
further afield to Alaska or Belize
with trained naturalists as your
guides. In addition, the horticulture
staff provides programs on such top¬
ics as native plant identification and
propagation, butterfly gardening, and
backyard habitat development.
During this year's VNPS annual
meeting, hosted by the John Clayton
Chapter and held in nearby
Williamsburg, the Virginia Living
Museum will be one of Saturday’s field
trip destinations. I hope to see many
VNPS members then, but if you
choose to take one of the other won¬
derful field trips (and there are LOTS
to choose from), I hope you'll use the
attached coupon to visit us another
time. For more information, you can
phone the museum at (757) 595-1900,
or reach me at vlmhort@juno.com if
you have access to e-mail.
Janis Miller, VLM Horticulture Curator
Buy one regular admission to the Virginia Living Museum
& get one of equal or lesser value FREE with this coupon!
4 /
VIRGINIA
'LIVING
MUSEUM
Good for up to two free admissions (four people).
Not good for special exhibits, classes or laser shows.
NEWPORT NEWS, VA
Directions: Route 1-64, exit 258A. Museum is two miles ahead on the left.
Call 757-595-1900 for hours.
Valid through July 31, 1998
Fall workdays set for native plant trail at State Arboretum
Fall workdays will give VNPS
members a chance to help plant ferns,
wildflowers, shrubs, and trees in the
State Arboretum's new Virginia Na¬
tive Plant Trail (See March 1997 Bulle¬
tin). These workdays will be from 10
a.m. to about 3 p.m. on Wednesday,
Oct.l, Saturday, Oct. 4, and Saturday,
Nov. 8 , rain or shine. In case of very
severe weather, check (540) 837-1758,
ext. 22, before 10 a.m. All are welcome,
for the whole day or any part of it.
Beverages and snacks will be pro¬
vided; bring your own lunch. Tools
will be available, but bring yours if
you like, as well as gloves and any¬
thing else to work comfortably. For
more information or to let planners
know you are coming, call (540) 837-
1758, ext. 26. The arboretum is on U.S.
Rt. 50 about 9 miles east of Winchester.
Page 4
August 1997
■ .—.... Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society -. ■
Virginia's parasitic plants provide mystery and intrigue
parasitic behavior of sandalwood
(Santalum album) was reported in the
early part of this century! Like other
members of the Santalaceae, sandal¬
wood is green. Seeds germinate
readily and will establish seedlings in
pots without hosts. Yet, in nature
members of this family are invariably
parasitic on a diversity of hosts.
The Santalaceae is especially well
represented in Virginia. We have one
of the richest assemblages of this fam¬
ily in North America. This does not
mean that there are scores or even
dozens of species, however. Four spe¬
cies are native in our state.
The most widespread and the only
herbaceous member is Comandra
umbellata. In fact, this species is one
of the most widespread herbaceous
plants in North America, occurring in
most of the lower 48 states. Its closest
relative is found in the Balkans. Few
plant families have a distribution like
the Santalaceae.
The greenish white flowers appear
in the spring and develop into a
drupe-like fruit. My enthusiasm for
common names knows bounds and
this family is especially aggravating.
The "common" name of C. umbellata
is the sesquipedalian bastard toad flax.
Few modern nature lovers have any
idea what toad flax is, much less the
biological significance of a bastard.
Why not simply call this inhabitant of
open sunny areas "Comandra”? It is
certainly simpler. In addition, the
name is descriptive of the tuft of hairs
associated with the anthers.
Unlike Comandra, the other three
species are shrubs. All are unisexual.
Most widespread is the Appalachian
Pyrularia pubera, oilnut or buffalo nut.
The first common name refers to the
oil found in the large seed. Like all
members of the family, the host range
of oilnut is broad. Recently, we have
documented it as a serious problem in
a Christmas tree plantation in south¬
ern West Virginia. Oilnut bears small
greenish flowers in the early spring.
Fruits are unique and have been de¬
scribed as drupes. However, they are
actually schizocarps. As the fruit ma¬
tures, the outer fleshy portion splits
and drops the large, round seed.
Oilnut shares with buckleya an Appa¬
lachian-Far Eastern distribution.
Nestronia umbellula is known from
about five counties in the state.
Nestronia occurs in the Carolinas,
Georgia, Tennessee and has recently
been found in eastern Kentucky. The
genus is monospecific.
It is a nondescript shrub that I often
confuse with blueberries or huckleber¬
ries. My students call it "blah bush," a
descriptive appellation. The court's
ruling against all male colonies doesn't
apply to Nestronia —only staminate
plants are known in our state! One of
its common names, and perhaps the
oldest, is conjurer's nut. No known
extant populations of female plants nor
any pistillate specimens exist in all of
Virginia. Can we conjure up any ideas
to address this mystery?
Several theories have been posited.
One intriguing idea is that the intro¬
duced Japanese honeysuckle, which
has a fragrance very similar to that of
conjurer's nut has lured away potential
pollinators. The fragrances are remark¬
ably similar. Who is conjuring who?
I believe the decline of this shrub
may be attributed to the lack of fire.
The largest populations are in areas
that are disturbed, like the population
along the Bannister River in
Pittsylvania County; or along the mar¬
gins of granite outcrops farther south.
Evidence from earlier literature and
herbarium labels shows that large
populations developed in recently
burned areas. This still does not ad¬
dress the peculiar problem of a single
sex state, however.
Without doubt the most interesting,
best known, and unfortunately often
heavily collected of our Santalaceae is
Buckleya distichcrphylla. Asa Gray re¬
portedly called this the "rarest shrub
in North America." Unlikely, but its
distribution is limited. And, if bota¬
nists continue to insist that every her¬
barium have a sheet of Virginia
buckleya. Gray may be right. It is
strictly a southern Appalachian en¬
demic with its closest relative in east¬
ern China! Again, I deplore the appar¬
ently recently invented common
(See Parasites, page 8)
August 1997
Page 5
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
Search for sweetbay turns up unique swale
In 1990 and 1991, I was inten¬
sively involved with searching the cen¬
tral Virginia piedmont for populations
of sweetbay magnolia ( Magnolia
virginiana). In May 1990,1 found an in¬
teresting seepage swamp at the
headwaters of Horsepen Creek at a
point about a mile-and-a-half north¬
west of Oilville in Goochland County.
Turning into the Sleepy Hollow sub¬
division off Long Drive, I discovered
a small, but noticeable swale domi¬
nated by black gum and red maples
and surrounded by brand new houses.
According to my maps, this sphag-
nous seep was situated at the very
upper end of Horsepen Creek. Poking
into a shrub thicket consisting of
fetterbush ( Leucothoe racemosa), de¬
ciduous holly ( Ilex decidua ) and arrow-
wood ( Viburnum dentatum), the first
interesting oddity was a large, 23-inch
sweetbay magnolia. Next to it was a
handsome chokeberry ( Aronia
arbutifolia), and turning, I saw poison
sumac (Rhus vemix).
Hummocks supported cinna¬
mon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea ), net¬
ted chain fern ( Woodwardia aceolata ),
and dense cover of marsh fern
(Thelypteris palustris ). Standing water
between hummocks had Turk's cap
lily ( Lilium superbum), some of which
were eight feet tall! Other interesting
plants were little green orchids
(Habenaria clavellata), including about
50 in a space of five square feet! I also
saw the largest single population.
about 300, of fancy fern (Dryopteris
intermedia) I have ever encountered.
I checked on this area again re¬
cently, and miraculously it is still in¬
tact. Despite the presence of interest¬
ing wetlands, the site is not protected
because of regulatory allowance for
areas in headwater landscape posi¬
tions. Herbarium specimens were ob¬
tained for documentation and are at
Virginia Commonwealth University.
Thanks go to Pocahontas Chapter mem¬
ber Robert Wright for sharing his visit to
the headwaters of Horsepen Creek with us.
Magnolia
virginiana,
sweetbay
magnolia
Illustrations
by Nicky
Staunton
VNPS group again experiences memorable Bruce expedition
Calypso orchids, moonworts, heav¬
enly food and a dawn birding expedi¬
tion were part of the excitement experi¬
enced by 20 VNPSers who trekked to
Canada's Bruce Peninsula in June.
We met at Wildwood Lodge in
Mar, Ontario for a week of wildflow-
ers. Ted Scott directed trips. Mother
Nature cooperated and Canada's pres¬
ervation of its unique habitats enabled
us to enjoy about 95 percent of the flora
we anticipated. The lake iris, ramshead
orchids and butterwort of Dorcas Bay
were prolific and fresh. The wall of ferns
and nodding trillium of Crane River;
Robert's oak fern at Dyers Bay Cross¬
roads; sundews, arrowgrass and false
Page 6
asphodel at Oliphant Fen; yellow
ladyslippers, Indian paintbrush,
starry false Solomon's seal and
gaywings mixed profusely along the
roads all added to a wonderful journey.
On the shore of Lake Huron, Wild¬
wood Lodge hosts Vic and Shirley Tho¬
mas served baked white fish for a break¬
fast and a memorable Dorcas Bay
fieldtrip picnic; breakfasts included
heavenly sticky buns. Red River cereal
and crunch special pancakes.
Bob and Jody Lyons invited us to
celebrate their 50th wedding anniver¬
sary and our days concluded around
their hospitable campfires. Rob Lyons,
their son, started the evening fires and
we drifted to the glow, just as moths
would. Jean Worthley aided our birding
expeditions (30 species in 1 1 /2 hours
prior to breakfast) and helped give
names to mystery plants.
Flowerpot Island yielded the fes¬
tive glory of a nine-member family of
Calypso orchids. Moonwort was wait¬
ing demurely on the appointed sand
dune for our tryst...Frances Newcomb
located several more nearby. Sharp
eyes of Karen Shepard, Elaine Smith,
Butch and Betty Kelly, Joe Howard,
Vilja Lewis, Milton and Jean Leroy, Ed
and Dot Fererro, Bud Gregory, Jean
Solomon added to the trip's success. The
(See Bruce, page 7)
August 1997
--- ■ ■ — Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
The Naturalist's Library
Book on West Virginia forests is useful guide to mountain state
Upland Forests of West Virginia Ed-
ited by Stephen L. Stephenson.
McClain Printing Co., Parsons, WV
1993. $28.50.
The rugged terrain and relative high
elevation of West Virginia's mountains
have long drawn naturalists and
recreationists from the Mid-Atlantic
region. Upland Forests of West Virginia
is an outgrowth of a 1989 symposium
by the West Virginia Academy of Sci¬
ence and brings together the work of
over 20 authorities on the biota and
ecology of the West Virginia forest as
it occurs above 3,000 feet.
It might be hard for the casual visi¬
tor, driving through the dense forest
lining the Mountain State's roads, to
realize that what he is seeing bears
little resemblance to the original for¬
est cover of the state. Logging and
fires, destroying both trees and deep
humus soil, had virtually eliminated
the original forest cover by 1920. The
remnants we enjoy today are second-
or third-growth northern hardwoods.
Several chapters mention the extensive
red spruce forests which once covered
much of the high mountain country.
One author claims that the original red
spruce forest of the Canaan Valley
probably represented one of the finest
examples of its type in the eastern
United States if not the entire world.
Following an introduction to the
upland forest and its history, the book
launches into chapters covering indi¬
vidual elements of the biota. Bryo-
phytes, lichens and fungi each have
their chapters, with a well-taken plea
by the respective authors not to ignore
these less spectacular members of the
plant communities in favor of more
showy plant groups. Our readers will
appreciate the chapter on rare plants
by Brian R. McDonald of the West Vir¬
ginia Natural Heritage Program. In¬
sects and spiders, reptiles and amphib¬
ians, birds, wildlife and prehistoric hu¬
man occupants each have their turn.
I'd consider it a poor natural history
book that didn't provide one good
"gee whiz" fact and Upland Forests
provided this: there is a plant bug (Or¬
der Hemiptera) which looks like an
ant and lives with ants on the beaked
sedge surrounding the boardwalk at
Cranberry Glades. The benefits of this
relationship to either insect are not
known. The plant bug may gain pro¬
tection from predators by mimicking
ants which are known to be unpalatable.
Anyone who travels to the moun¬
tains of West Virginia to camp, hike
and botanize will find Upland Forests
of West Virginia to be useful for refer¬
ence and background. It is a worthy
companion to Flora of West Virginia and
Earl Core's Vegetation of West Virginia
as guides to the natural history of this
fascinating region.
Mark Gatewood, Publication Chair
•Grant -
(Continued from page 1)
Director, Department of Conservation
and Recreation, Division of Natural
Heritage. Sadly for us, Caren and her
family are returning to Massachusetts
by the end of August. We will miss
working with her and will miss her on
the VNPS Board of Directors where
her input has always been valuable.
Ted Scott, 1st Vice-President
•Bruce -
(Continued from page 6)
final day, our showy ladyslipper was in
her regal, rosy glory. Neighboring plants
had buds which opened the next week.
None of us would have enjoyed the trip
as much had Ted not pushed himself,
despite his broken ankle, to be with us.
It was a pleasure to be the substitute
leader under his guidance. There could
be a 1998 Bruce Peninsula trip. If so, co¬
leaders and dates will be announced in
the next Bulletin.
Nicky Staunton, Conservation Chair
The Bulletin
is published five times a year
(Jan., March, May, August, Nov.) by
Virginia Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 844, Annandale, VA
22003
(703) 368-9803
Frank Coffey, President
Nancy Sorrells, Editor
Original material contained in the Bulle¬
tin may be reprinted, provided credit is
given to the author, if named. Readers
are invited to send letters, news items,
or original articles for the editor's con¬
sideration. Items should be typed or sent
on 3.5"disk in Wordperfect or Microsoft
Word to the Editor, Rt. 2, Box 726, Green¬
ville, VA 24440.
The deadline for the next issue is Oct. 1
See the address label for your membership's expiration date.
VNPS Membership/Renewal Form
Name(s)_
Address
City
State
. Z 'P.
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_Patron $50 _Sustaining $100
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To give a gift membership or join additional chapters: Enclose dues, name, address, and
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_Check here if you do not wish your name
to be exchanged with similar organizations.
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_Check here if you do not wish
to be listed in a chapter directory.
Make check payable to VNPS and mail to:
VNPS Membership Chair, P.O. Box 844, Annandale, VA 22003
Membership dues are tax deductible in the amount they exceed $5 Contributions are tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations.
August 1997
Page 7
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
•Parasites -
(Continued from page 5)
name of "pirate bush." Why not just
call it buckleya ?
Spectacular stands of buckleya can
be found in Roanoke County at the
Poor Mountain preserve. Other popu¬
lations that I have studied for 25 years
are declining at a rapid rate, largely
through the kind of fragmentation of the
landscape that occurs through urban¬
ization. There are records of buckleya
from fewer than 10 counties in Virginia.
I was alarmed to learn that some well
meaning naturalist planted some fruits
along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Buckleya is easy to grow from the
peculiar green fruits produced in the
fall. Despite a long tradition of asso¬
ciation, hemlock is not a requirement
for the growth of buckleya. In fact, at
the Poor Mountain site some of the larg¬
est shrubs are nowhere near hemlock.
Figworts and Broomrapes
This is the largest group of parasitic
plants in the southeastern United
States and well represented in Vir¬
ginia. Traditionally, the parasitic fig-
worts have been placed in a subfam¬
ily of the Scrophulariaceae. The other
subfamily of the Scrophulariaceae,
with such familiar plants as foxglove,
snapdragon, and mullein, contains au¬
totrophic species. All species without
chlorophyll were placed in the
Orobanchaceae, the broomrape family.
Recent molecular systematics has
shown what botanists have postulated
for many years. Relationship between
the parasitic subfamily of the
Scrophulariacae and the Orobanchaceae
is close.
Green, autotrophic genera include
Agalinis (with eight species, including
one that occurs in saltmarshes),
Aureolaria (our largest and showiest
members of this group); Buchnera
(abundant farther south but rarely
seen in Virginia); Castilleja coccinea (In¬
dian paintbrush, restricted to a few
sites in Virginia); Melampyrum lineare,
a small annual plant most abundant
in the Appalachians in Virginia;
Pedicularis; P. canadensis is widespread
in the state; Schwalbea americana, now
a federally endangered species almost
certainly extirpated from Virginia; and
Tomanthera auriculata, extremely rare
and known from only one site in the
state. Holoparasitic members, those
formerly included in the
Orobanchaceae are Conopholis
americana , widespread and often abun¬
dant; Epifagus virginiana, a peculiar
annual common throughout the state;
Orobanche ludovicianana, likely extir¬
pated from Virginia; and Orobanche
uniflora, probably more common than
realized due to its early flowering and
its habitat under leaf litter. Orobanche mi¬
nor has been introduced from Europe.
I have grown most of the autotrophic
species. They are easy to cultivate in pots
with a diversity of hosts. Unfortunately,
few are used in the wildflower trade
except Castilleja. The commercially
available species of Indian paintbrush
is not native to Virginia.
The genus Aureolaria is my favorite
among the autotrophic members of
this group. Four species are found in
the Old Dominion. They are often
known by the common name of false
foxglove because the shape of the co¬
rolla resembles that of the cultivated
foxglove. The corollas last only one
day and then fall from the plant.
Aureolaria pedicularia is the only an¬
nual/biennial. It produces large,
bright yellow flowers in late summer
and fall. This species is always associ¬
ated with red oaks, which it parasit¬
izes. It may attack other species but
A. pedicularia will always be found at¬
tached to a red or black oak. On the
other hand, the other species are pe¬
rennials and parasitize white oaks.
Tallest of all our herbaceous para¬
sites, A. flava is most common in the
mountains and flowers in mid to late
summer. Aureolaria laevigata is an Ap¬
palachian endemic. This species is
most conspicuous at the margin of dry
forests on south facing slopes. Only
one member of the genus flowers in
the spring, A. virginica. It often forms
attractive stands along roads and at
the margins of woods.
1
This article is the third in a series by
Lytton J. Musselman, a professor of biologi¬
cal sciences at Old Dominion University.
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A publication of the VIRGINIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
Conserving wild flowers and wild places
Williamsburg meeting
a wonderful success
For Wildflower Gardeners
Witch hazel adds to fall gardens
John Clayton would have been
proud! His namesake VNPS Chap¬
ter hosted a wonderful Williamsburg
weekend of wildflowers. One hun¬
dred and fourteen members of VNPS
gathered in Colonial Williamsburg,
Virginia, to elect a president, Marie
Minor of the Pocahontas Chapter,
who will see us into the new
millenniun. Many thanks to mem¬
bers who mailed in their ballots: it
was a record return of 313! Our
weekend began with an elegant Fri¬
day evening meal at Christiana
Campbell's followed by an evening
program of Teta Kain's stunning
photographs of Dragon Run, a Sat¬
urday field trip.
Members who had missed visit¬
ing the Zuni Pine Barrens eight years
ago finally saw the long-needle pine
in its habitat with fellow flora. Dr.
Lytton Musselman’s Bulletin articles
about the pine barrens prepared us
for the visit. The first plant to greet
(See Beautiful setting, page 9)
Our native witch hazel
(Hamamelis virginiana ) is a wonderful
plant for ending the gardening year.
In addition to its lovely fall foliage and
flowers, and adaptability to a wide
range of growing conditions, it has a
rich history of various uses.
Hamamelis virginiana , witch hazel
Illustration by Nicky Staunton
Witch hazel grows as an under¬
story tree in dry or moist woods from
Canada to Florida and Texas, and is
found in most Virginia counties. An¬
other East Coast species, H. vemalis,
blooms in late winter and early spring
as do the Asian species and cultivars.
Linnaeus established the family,
Hamamelidaceae, in 1742 based on
specimens and descriptions he re¬
ceived from John Banister, a British
missionary living in Virginia. The ge¬
nus name Hamamelis, meaning "to¬
gether with fruit," describes the pres¬
ence of last year's seed pods along
with the current year's flowers.
Grown as a multi-stemmed shrub
or single-trunked tree, witch hazel will
slowly reach a height and spread of 15
to 20 feet. Dark, green alternate leaves,
3 to 5 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide
with irregularly scalloped edges, are
arranged in a slightly zig-zag pattern.
As they turn yellow and begin to fall in
late October, clusters of tiny round buds
along the stems begin to unfurl their
small yellow, spidery flowers. Each
bloom consists of four strap-like
(See Witch hazel, page 8)
Native plant fact sheets become reality
The fruits of our effort to com¬
pile a list of native plants of Virginia
suitable for conservation, restoration
and landscaping went to the printer
on September 29. Plant descriptions
include native regions for each
(coastal, piedmont or mountain);
suitability for wildlife enhancement,
horticulture and landscaping, con¬
servation and restoration, or domes¬
tic animal forage; and most suitable
light (of three) and moisture (also
of three) levels.
An article about this project ap¬
peared in the Bulletin exactly one
year ago, in the November 1996 is¬
sue. This has been a cooperative
(See Native plants, page 9)
| Inside this issue ■■
•VNPS homepage...page 3
•Plant propagation...page 4
•Parasitic plants...page 8
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society ■ =
From the President New VNPS Board
Hello Members! I have humbly accepted the honor of assuming the position of
the Virginia Native Plant Society President. I hope that I will be able to fill the
position as capably as Frank Coffey. 1 will be in a learning mode for a while; how¬
ever, there is a notion which I would like for the society members to consider. While
we are pursuing our interests through legislation, we should, at the same time, be
increasing our efforts to promote our society's goals to the public. Legislators will
only support amendments favored by their constituents. By making the public aware
of our organization using any opportunity for promotion, we are building grassroots
sympathy for our interests and our organization. This makes it easier for legisla¬
tors to support the amendments we favor, and the two-pronged approach will pro¬
vide a solid base of support in our causes of conservation, preservation, and the use
of native plants in our environments.
As the new president, I am eager to hear your voices. If you have any ideas or
thoughts that you wish to share with me, please contact me at 804-443-5950 or
mfminor@inna.net. I will be happy to hear from you.
Your president, Marie F. Minor
From the former President
I want to thank all VNPS members, officers and board members who helped
make my tenure as VNPS President an enjoyable adventure. I will always remem¬
ber our experiences together.
I hope everyone will give our new president, Marie Minor, and the new VNPS
Board of Directors all the support they need to continue the important work of our
Virginia Native Plant Society.
Your former president, Frank Coffey
President Marie Minor 804-443-5950
1st VP Ted Scott 540-568-8679
2nd VP John Fry 540-364-3046
Treasurer John White 540-364-3066
Secretary, C. Elaine Smith 703-432-6833
Secretary, R. Aileen Smith 403-481-5527
Botany Stanwyn Shetler 202-786-2996
Conservation Nicky Staunton 703-368-9803
Education Effie Fox 540-347-4090
Fund Raising Open
Horticulture Nancy Arrington 703-368-8431
Membership Phoebe White 540-364-3066
Publication Open
Publicity/PR Nancy Hugo 804
Registry Boleyn Dale 804
D-A-L Pat Baldwin 804
Pam Weiringo 540
Allen Belden 804
Cris Fleming 301 -
Jim Bruce 804
D-A-L
D-A-L
D-A-L
D-A-L
D-A-L
Faith Campbell 703-
Blue Ridge Karen Shepard 540-
-798-6364
•725-5451
•838-2064
-772-3665
-786-7951
657-9289
•749-4415
569-8745
772-2733
Jefferson Pat Willis 540-967-1776
J.Clayton Gordon Chappell 804-220-0914
Piedmont John Fry 540-364-3046
Pocahontas Richard Moss 804-748-2940
Potomack Norma Vermillion 703-451-0572
Prince William Helen Walter 703-330-9614
Shenandoah Bonnie Hohn 540-885-2393
S. Hampton Rd. Holly Cruser 757-481-2285
Aulakh's cardinal flower selected top wildflower photograph
Lobelia cardinalis reigns supreme
as the "Best" winning photograph of
the 1997 VNPS competition. Bob
Lyons of VPI Department of Horti¬
culture chose the intense scarlet car¬
dinal flower photo by Elizabeth
Aulakh of the Potomack Chapter re¬
sulting in her being named as the
best wildflower photographer for
this year. The engraved pewter
Jefferson Cup was announced as her
award during the program at the
Annual Meeting in Williamsburg.
Below is the list of winners:
In the category of the 1998 Vir¬
ginia Wildflower of the Year
(Acjuilegia canadensis)
A. Plant Specimen: Photo of one
columbine specimen
1st Carolyn Bates, BRWS
2nd Teta Kain, John Clayton
3rd Dorothy Bliss, BRWS
B. Habitat: Columbine in a natural
or cultivated habitat.
1st Carolyn Bates, BRWS
2nd Jan Gates
3rd None
Favorite Native Plant Photograph
C. Plant Specimen
1st Elizabeth Aulakh - Best overall
2nd Carolyn Bates
3rd Nancy Sorrells
D. Habitat
1st Martha Shelkey
2nd Carolyn Bates
3rd Dorothy Bliss
Watch for the announcement of
the 1998 VNPS Photography
Con test...and, be using your tripod
to photograph the 1998 Columbine
and....the VNPS choice Virginia
Wildflower of the Year 1999:
twinleaf. (Check the Atlas of Virginia
Flora to locate counties in Virginia
which have natural stands of
twinleaf and be ready for this sel¬
dom-seen spring wildflower.) Rules
will specify how to enter slides in
the next contest. We appreciate the
11 contestants submitting 25 8 x 10
mounted prints which were dis¬
played at the Annual VNPS Meet¬
ing in Williamsburg.
Page 2
November 1997
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
Check out the VNPS home page at: http://www.hort.vt.edu/VNPS/
The Virginia Native
Plant Society
Conserving Wild Flowers and Wild Places
Education Research Advocacy Protection Rescue Propagation
L"..c.v....":.c^:. ~ ”:.....c..c .:...:. 1 v. . 1 . . i
Some Virginia Native Plants in Summer
Bluets (Hedyotis caerulea)
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia Jewel Weed (Impatiens Bee Balm
canadensis) capensis) (Monarda didyma)
The Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS) was founded in 1982 as The Virginia Wildflower Preservation
Society. It is a statewide organization with approximately 1500 members supported primarily by dues and
contributions. Membership is open to anyone, amateur or professional. Its purpose is to further
appreciation and conservation of Virginia's native plants and habitats. Incorporated in Virginia as a
not-for-profit, publicly supported organization, it is tax-exempt under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.
The Society's work and activities are carried out by volunteers.
The Society's programs emphasize public education, protection of endangered species, habitat
preservation, and encouragement of appropriate landscape use of native plants. These programs include:
□ An Alien Invasive Plant Project .
□ Selection of a Native Plant of the Year .
□ A Registry Natural Areas in Virginia with rare or interesting Native Plants.
□ Preparation of a List of nurseries which supply Native Plants.
□ Sponsorship of Seminars. Workshops. Field Trips, and through many local chapters, Plant Sales .
□ An Annual Meeting in September. (The Program for last year's Meeting may be seen here.)
The VNPS is governed by a Board of Directors , and has nine local chapters located throughout the
Commonwealth. Members are encouraged to participate in the work and activities of the Society at the
local level, through the chapters, as well as at the state level. The society publishes a Bulletin five times a
year in January, March, May, August, and November.
To request more information about the VNPS.
Virginia Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 844
Annandale, VA 22003
If you haven't surfed the Internet looking for the Virginia Native Plant Society homepage, now's your chance. Go to the address
listed above for information about nurseries, native plants of the year, alien invasive information, and much, much more.
November 1997
Page 3
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
Winter Workshop round-up
Propagating broadleaf evergreens from cuttings
In March of 1996 the VNPS Win¬
ter Workshop featured various methods
of propagating plants. Now the thought
has occurred to some that this might be
a subject of interest to our members who
could not attend that workshop. This is
the first in a series of articles on several
of the more common ways of propagat¬
ing plants. Because this is still the sea¬
son when one can propagate some of our
woody plants from cuttings , this first
article will address the steps necessary
to be successful in that endeavor.
This article will focus primarily
on the propagation of broadleaf ev¬
ergreen plants such as azaleas,
rhododendrons, hollies, kalmia and
leucothoe. The first important step is
to take the cuttings from the best
type of growth and at the best time
of the year. Deciduous woody plants
will be covered in a later article. Cut¬
tings from young plants root more
readily than cuttings from more ma¬
ture plants. Cuttings should be taken
when the new stem wood has
reached a proper level of hardness as
indicated in the box below.
One of the first questions to ad¬
dress is what kind of propagator you
wish to make or purchase. I have
used wooden grape shipping boxes
and wine boxes to root hundreds of
plants. They will rot out after one or
two seasons but the price is right.
They should be about five inches
deep, have holes in the bottom for
drainage and a method of providing
a fairly airtight, transparent to very
translucent plastic cover without the
cuttings touching the cover. I use two
four-foot cool white florescent tubes
with a reflector over a homemade
propagator with an area 42 inches
by 30 inches or over two smaller
purchased propagators.
The lights should be only eight
to ten inches above the plants, but I
have been successful at 15 inches.
Prior to taking the cuttings one
should prepare the rooting medium
at least a day or two before using it.
Make up a mix of half Canadian peat
moss and half horticultural grade
perlite. BE CAREFUL NOT TO
BREATHE THE DUST OF EITHER
CONSTITUENT-A FACE MASK IS
ADVISED. Rubber or latex gloves are
also highly advisable because peat
moss can carry a fungus which, if it
gets into a cut or open sore, can cause
very serious blood poisoning—rare
but not worth taking a chance. (The
gloves will also help protect from the
Captan and hormone referred to later,
both of which can be carcinogenic.)
Mix the medium thoroughly,
moistening it as you do it. At first
you can apply a fair amount of wa¬
ter, but as it gets wetter, be more cau¬
tious, because as it gets wetter it
won't take much water to make it
too wet. The proper level of moist¬
ness is important. You are aiming for
a condition in which the medium
forms a ball that will stay together
after squeezing it. The ball should
hold together with handling. If more
than one or two drops of water drips
out when squeezed as hard as you
can, it is too wet. It's better to stay
on the dry side. Store the moistened
medium in a closed plastic bag or
covered container at a temperature
of about 70 degrees F until ready for
use. This will help the moisture level
in the medium to become more uni¬
form throughout. (For boxwood use
damp builders sand.)
Instructions will usually say to
take the cuttings when the plants are
"turgid." This means a time when the
water pressure in the vascular sys¬
tem of the plant is highest, usually
early in the cool of the morning be¬
fore the sun hits the plant. A cool,
cloudy day is ideal. Before every cut,
sterilize by dipping in alcohol either
a sharp knife or a pair of pruning
shears which have the correct type of
anvil so that they cut in a manner simi¬
lar to scissors. (A flat anvil will cause
damage to both the plant and the cut¬
ting.) Immediately place the cutting(s)
in a plastic bag accompanied by an
identifying label and tie the bag shut.
Keep in a cool place and in the
shade until through collecting. The
cuttings may then be stored for up
to 10-14 days in a sealed plastic bag
(do not add water) in a refrigerator at
40 degrees F or immediately prepared
for sticking in the rooting medium.
From this point, one will in time
discover that every individual does
something perhaps a little differ¬
ently, sometimes drastically so, from
some of the details I specify below.
They do what they have found in
their experience works best for their
conditions. You will in time no doubt
change some of the details I outline.
On the other hand, you should re¬
member that I have had great suc¬
cess over an 18-year-period with the
methods I describe.
When ready to stick the cuttings
in the rooting medium, wash the cut¬
tings in a solution of Captan (three
tablespoons to a gallon) or similar fun¬
gicide. Shake off excess. REMEMBER
THE RUBBER OR PLASTIC
GLOVES. Dip all cutting tools in al¬
cohol to sterilize them and permit to
dry. Cleanliness is most important
(See Propagation, page 5)
- ■ == November 1997
When to take plant cuttings
Evergreen azaleas
Late July -December, earlier the better
Rhododendrons
Late August to February
Hollies
September to December
Leucothoe
September to December
Boxwood
Late September (Virginia)
Kalmia
Early June to October (difficult)
Page 4
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
Plant Time Required To Root
Evergreen azaleas
Four to eight weeks
Boxwood
Eight to ten weeks
Hollies
Four to six weeks
Rhododendrons
Eight to twelve week
Kalmia
Five to six months
•Propagation
(Continued from page 4)
from this point. Continue to work
with the gloves on until all cuttings
have been stuck..
1. Pinch out any blossom bud
present. (It is better to avoid the use
of cuttings with apparent blossom
buds if possible). Do not remove veg¬
etative end buds.
2. Trim the base of the cuttings
to a total length of two inches for ev¬
ergreen azaleas, three to four inches
for the others.
3. Remove all but the top three
or four leaves and on large leaf plants
such as rhododendrons reduce the
length of the remaining leaves by half.
At this point evergreen azalea
cuttings are ready to be stuck in the
rooting medium with perhaps two
inches between each cutting. Rooting
hormone is not necessary.
4. For cuttings other than ever¬
green azalea, use a very sharp knife
to make two parallel cuts on oppo¬
site sides of the stem for about 1-1
1/2 inches at the bottom of the cut¬
ting. Cut deeply enough, but no
deeper, to just take a very thin sliver
off the hard wood of the cutting be¬
neath the bark.
5. Dip in a rooting hormone pow¬
der containing 0.8 percent of indole-
3-butyric acid such as Hormex or
Hormodin (get the proper percent¬
age) so as to cover all the cut sur¬
faces. Knock off the excess. A mask
should be worn anytime there is a
chance of hormone dust being in the
air. The hormone to be used should
be removed from its container into a
conveniently shaped vessel and the
container resealed immediately and re¬
turned to the refrigerator for storage.
When you are through treating the
cuttings, all excess hormone should be
discarded-NOT RETURNED TO ITS
ORIGINAL CONTAINER. Remem¬
ber, you are still working with gloves
on. The rooting hormone is fairly ex¬
pensive. The smallest can available at
most garden supply houses costs
around $15 and is enough to root a few
thousand cuttings.
It, therefore, is a good idea to
work with a friend so that you can
share the powder and the expense.
Besides, it is more fun that way. If
the powder is stored in a refrigerator
in a tightly closed can, it will retain its
strength for at least two years.
6. With a dibble about the size
of the stems of the cuttings, make a
hole in the rooting medium to the
depth the cutting will be stuck. Stick
the cutting into the rooting medium
as deep as you can without the leaves
touching the medium. Water in the
cutting with a squirt of water to bring
the medium in good contact with the
stem. Use as little water as possible so
the medium doesn't get too wet.
7. When all cuttings have been
stuck, mist the foliage until damp
with as little runoff as possible.
8. Cover propagator with an air¬
tight cover and place under lights
about 8-10 inches above cuttings for
16 hours per day. I use cool white
florescent lights and get good results.
Maintain a temperature as close to 70
degrees F as you can in the propagator.
9. Mist the cuttings at least twice
daily for the first week with as little
runoff as possible. After that you can
determine that you have high hu¬
midity if droplets of moisture con¬
tinue to form on the propagator
cover. Mist as needed to maintain
that high humidity. If in a large en¬
closure, probably daily; if in a pot
in a plastic bag, possibly once a
week. Open enclosure for a few min¬
utes once a week at least for an ex¬
change of air. The objective is to keep
the leaves moist in a high humidity
atmosphere at a temperature of 70-75
degrees F. Bottom heat is very help¬
ful or even necessary for the plants
more difficult to root, especially in a
space cooler than 70 degrees. In that
situation I bury a thermostatically
controlled heating cable in a bed of
moist sand under my rooting vessels
or I use an old electric blanket under
a sheet of 6 mil plastic to protect the
blanket.
Near the end of the appropriate
time period, test the cuttings by very
gently tugging on them to see if
there is resistance. A well-rooted
plant will not give at all. If ready, pot
up in an appropriately sized pot, 5
inches is about right, with the fol¬
lowing mix: 2 parts milled (fine)
pine bark; 2 parts Canadian peat; 1
part builders sand; 1 part perlite.
Moisten this mix with water
treated with a wetting agent such as
AQUA-GRO, following instructions
on the container and repeat about
every 10 weeks. If you have diffi¬
culty finding milled pine bark (your
friendly nurseryman is the most
likely source), you might use Pro-
Mix, available from garden supply
dealers. In that case do not add a
wetting agent; it is already included.
The plants should be fertilized
about bi-weekly with an acid fertil¬
izer such as Miracid at half the
strength recommended for house
plants. After several weeks this can
then be strengthened to the full
strength for house plants. Keep a
close eye on the condition of the
plants after each change in their en¬
vironment. If they appear to be un¬
happy, adjust by changing back a
little toward their previous environ¬
ment. This might mean less fertil¬
izer, more or less moisture, more or
less warmth. Do not let plants be¬
come dry when fertilizer is being
used, but also remember that a too
(See Cuttings, page 10)
Page 5
November 1997
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
"Morden Gleam is a purple loosestrife hybrid produced by crossing Morden
Pink with Lythrum alatum, a rare native in Virginia but more abundant else¬
where. While the nursery trade has for years said that Morden Gleam (and
the other horticultural cultivars of purple loosestrife) is sterile, we now know
as a result of extensive research at the University of Minnesota that it is both
male and female fertile. A copy of the research paper by Asher and Ander¬
son is being sent by priority mail. Two native species of Lythrum , L. alatum
var. lanceolatum and L. lineare, whose ranges in Virginia are restricted to
your area of the state, will in time likely be threatened by planting Mordem
Gleam in the area.
If this plan becomes a reality, it will be the worst possible eventuality
for the freshwater marshes in your part of Virginia and our waterfowl that
depend on those marshes for food and cover."
By early Monday morning our state office had alerted the Division of
Natural Heritage, The Nature Conservancy, the Virginia Department of Game
and Inland Fisheries, and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Con¬
sumer Services, all of which have specific interests that would be detrimen¬
tally affected by the planned project. Each of those organizations immedi¬
ately sent a message of alarm to the city government.
On Tuesday evening, September 30, the state office received the follow¬
ing e-mail message:
"--We have apparently been successful in showing our concern, as it has
been decided to avoid the use of any type of Lythrum. I have notified our
landscape department that I will provide them with the research article for
city study and to be used as a guide for future planning."
We heaved a big sign or relief and a giant "THANK YOU” to a quick¬
acting member. How important is a member? Each of us can be that member
just by keeping our eyes and ears open.
Potowmack Chapter holds successful sale, annual meeting
meeting was held on Sunday, October
5 at Woodlawn Plantation in Alexan¬
dria. Among the events were: talks by
Woodlawn director Susan Olsen and
Marion Lobstein, a discussion of en¬
vironmental concerns by Congress¬
man Jim Moran and Senator Joe
Gartlan, recognition of VNPS charter
members, elections, business meeting,
a seed exchange and a tour of Frank
Lloyd Wright's Pope Leighey House.
The Potowmack Chapter has had
a very busy year. The fall plant sale,
for example, was very successful, sell¬
ing 25 percent more plants than last
year's sale. More than 1,300 plants
were bought by the general public.
Almost all of the shade and woody
plants were purchased.
The Potowmack Chapter has now
grown to 445 members. Its annual
VNPS members to the rescue!
Quick work foils purple loosestrife plantings
As we follow our daily routines of working, playing, socializing, and
whatever we do in our spare moments, few of us think seriously about how
important members are to VNPS. A drama that played out during the last
few days of September served as a sudden, stark reminder of what impor¬
tant roles individual members play in the success of VNPS as an organization.
During the last weekend of September, a VNPS state officer received an
e-mail message from a member in one of our largest cities: "Stop the presses!
Help! The city is planning to order quantities of 'Morden Gleam’ [purple
loosestrife] for a beautification project. Please send me information about
the sterility of 'Morden Gleam."' Our state office responded:
Sanguinaria
canadensis
Illustration
by
Nicky
Staunton
John Clayton Chapter
saves York plants
Smoke billows up from a pile of
burning trees, the flames shooting
two stories into the air. What was
once a rich forest is now exposed red
earth, laid bare by roving bulldoz¬
ers. Sound familiar? Images of the
Brazilian rainforest and the central
plateau of Madagascar come to
mind, but, no, this is Virginia, not
two miles, as the crow flies, from the
historic district of Colonial
Williamsburg in York County.
This is the increasing scenario in
the Williamsburg area as more and
more people move into the commu¬
nity. Williamsburg continues to at¬
tract people, mostly from points
north, who are looking for a quiet,
attractive and cultural place to re¬
tire. They come here from the Wash¬
ington area and the Northeast cor¬
ridor looking for relief from the
crime, traffic and general congestion
of the cities they left behind; not re¬
alizing that their increasing pres¬
ence is transforming this commu¬
nity into the very thing they thought
they were leaving. As if that were
not enough, people are starting to
move in from points west as well.
Williamsburg has become an attrac¬
tive bedroom community for metro¬
politan Richmond. This leaves
members of the John Clayton Chap¬
ter of VNPS literally on the front line
as more and more woodland falls to
development.
Through a haze of smoke and
(See Plant rescue, page 10)
Page 6
November 1997
■ ■ _ Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society ■■
Twenty diverse habitats need protection at refuge
The Occoquan Bay National Wild¬
life Refuge (a.k.a. Harry Diamond Labs,
Woodbridge Research Facility, Mason
Neck National Refuge-Woodbridge
Unit) is your newest national wildlife
refuge. It is a place of 580 besieged acres
in Northern Virginia including dry up¬
land meadows and sea level wetlands,
20 plant communities where bald eagles
visit daily, and communities of insects,
mollusks, fish, reptiles and mammals
yet to be inventoried.
In 1994 Congress designated the
U.S. Army Woodbridge Research Facil-
ity-Harry Diamond Laboratory as a
closed military base and transferred it
to the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service. Forty years of benign land man¬
agement, mostly yearly mowing, under
the army produced high biodiversity.
The intensely diverse plant commu¬
nities at the refuge offer shelter, food and
breeding grounds for a variety of wild¬
life. The plant communities are among
the refuge's most valuable natural fea¬
ture. Wetlands are legally protected;
however, the dry upland meadows are
not. Consequently, the military land has
been thus-far unsuccessfully coveted as
useful Northern Virginia real estate.
Unfortunately, USFWS planners
from Hadley, Massachusetts, envision
severe land alteration in their compre¬
hensive management plan. Ironically,
the CMP team includes a real estate ac¬
quisition specialist, a geographic asso¬
ciate (fisheries), an engineer, a landscape
architect and a general biologist, but no
botanist or land management/ecology
specialist. Such an advocate is needed
to protect the viability of the plant com¬
munities and their habitats. Healthy,
ordinary flora is becoming too rare in
this area. Protecting plant communities
before they become rare is as important
as protecting the plants after they have
become endangered.
The USFWS plan is to remove the
sturdy and usable structures on the site
at the cost of $2 million and allow the
12-acre compound area to return to
grasslands. In addition, the plan calls for
the construction of a $5 million visitor
center which will become an interpre¬
tative showcase, hosting 30,000 to
100,000 visitors annually. Under this
plan, the new visitor center site is near
the wet forest above a fox community
and will offer fishing activity under the
bald eagle tree perches. This area, as well
as 75 acres of the upland meadows, will
then experience "heavy use" and trails
will intersect meadows where the north¬
ern harrier and other raptors currently
hunt mice, voles and rabbits which live
in the eastern gama grass and along tree
rows harboring owls.
The CMP ignores the fact that the
existing natural resources demand
preservation and sensitive land man¬
agement in order to survive. There is
no acknowledgment in the plan that
such habitats are the basis for visitors
- both wildlife and human - to the site.
The USFWS planning team appears to
see its newest refuge as a prime piece
of land near the nation's capital to be
developed.
With a VNPS mission to "Conserve
Wild Howers and Wild Places," we need
to insist that USFWS slow its plans for
altering the refuge and add a qualified
specialist in ecologically-oriented land
management to the planning team.
Someone is needed to project the effects
of proposed changes upon the natural
resources of this miniature replica of
coastal, piedmont and deciduous for¬
ested hills of Virginia. USFWS should
be urged to use existing buildings until
impact assessments are complete. Opin¬
ions may be expressed to USFWS, Jeff
Underwood, 300 Westgate Center Drive,
Hadley, MA 01035, 413-253-8408, or to
representatives instrumental in having
the land transferred to USFWS: Senators
Chuck Robb and John Warner and Con¬
gressmen Tom Davis and Jim Moran.
Nicky Staunton , Conservation Chair
VNPS expedition will return to Canada's Bruce Peninsula
i
Entering Canada by crossing the
Niagara escarpment and moving to¬
ward the Bruce Peninsula between
the Georgian Bay and Lake Huron,
the first-time visitor begins to notice
different architecture and natural
features. My mind's eye recalls the
scenes clearly and anticipates the
VNPS 1998 trip to "the Bruce."
Members of VNPS - and persons
who would join VNPS to go-are in¬
vited the week of June 13-20 to Wild¬
wood Lodge on the beach of Red Bay
for an intense week of botanizing.
Wonderful birding opportunities
abound, also. Add a boat trip to
Flowerpot Island to look for the
fairy slipper orchid; a sand dune
visit to see Moonwort - a tiny 1 1 /2-
2-inch fern - the delicious meals of
Wildwood Lodge hosts, the
Thomases, and you have the hint
Botrychium
lunaria,
Moonwort
Illustration by
Nicky
Staunton
of an exciting week's adventure.
Cris Fleming, VNPS Director-at-
Large, field botanist for Maryland
Natural Heritage Program and bo¬
tanical instructor for the United
States Department of Agriculture
and field trip leader for Audubon
Naturalist Society, assures trip mem¬
bers of exciting botanical excursions.
If you are interested in being on the
list of 18 for the '98 trip, send your
$50 deposit (part of the total fee) to:
VNPS Bruce Trip, P.O. Box 844,
Annandale, VA 22003. If you have
questions, call: Nicky Staunton at
703-368-9803 or e-mail: Staunton
@erols.com. The final fee is to be an¬
nounced, but should not exceed $500
for the week's lodging and meals at
Wildwood Lodge and cost of the
boat trip. We will carpool while on
the Bruce. Transportation to the
Bruce and home will be "on your
own." It is about 800 miles from
Northern Virginia, so one night mo¬
tel cost will also be extra.
Nicky Staunton, Bruce trip co-leader
November 1997
Page 7
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
Beechdrops, squaw-root provide interesting parasitic studies
This article is the fourth and final
article in a series by Lytton /.
Musselman, a professor of biological sci¬
ences at Old Dominion University.
In examining the great diver¬
sity of parasitic plants in Virginia,
we come, finally, to the
holoparasitic species. Of these,
one of the most intriguing because
of host selection and floral biology
is the widespread beechdrops
(Epifagus virginiana). This is an ap¬
propriate common name as this
stiffly erect fall-flowering species
is always associated with beech.
However, not all beech trees have
beechdrops associated with them.
Few native species have such an
interesting floral syndrome as
beechdrops. They produce two
kinds of flowers. The relative
abundance of these flowers varies
among individuals. Generally, ev¬
ery plant has at least a few
chasmogamous (open, typical)
flowers and several cleistogamous
(lacking typical parts) flowers.
Chasmogamous flowers have a
narrow, tube shaped corolla. On
the other hand, the cleistogamous
flowers are greatly reduced.
I have not studied the floral
visitors nor do I know if the cleis¬
togamous flowers are self fertile.
Of course, the cleistogamous flow¬
ers can pollinate themselves so most
of them produce seed.
The capsules rupture late in the
fall, exposing the hundreds if not
thousands of tiny seeds to rain
drops. It opens in such a way as to
form a splash cup that uses fall rains
to disperse the seeds.
Like other aspects of the plant,
the seed germination remains a
mystery. We simply do not under¬
stand how they germinate! Obvi¬
ously, some germinate every year
because it is possible to find the yel¬
lowish tuber-like seedlings under
the leaf litter early in the summer. I
have traced seedling development
back to nubbins only a few millime¬
ters wide. Earlier stages remain to
be discovered.
More conspicuous than beech
drops is Conopholis americana,
squaw-root. This perennial forms a
cone-like fruit, giving the genus its
name. Flowers are produced early
in the spring. While the individual
flowers are small, they are borne on
a fleshy axis in large numbers.
Squaw-root often forms noticeable
clumps at oak tree bases. Oaks are
the favored host; I have not found
them on any other host.
They produce new shoots each
year from an underground tuber¬
like structure. These underground
parts of the plant can often grow
to several inches in circumference.
Squaw-root produces its seeds
in a fleshy capsule in the summer.
At this stage the parasite is an im¬
portant food for black bears in the
Smoky Mountains.
Suggested parasitic plant readings
If you have enjoyed this series
on parasitic plants and would like
to learn more, the classic reference
on parasitic flowering plants is
Biology of Parasitic Flowering Plants
by Job Kuijt, published in 1968 by
the University of California Press.
Publication of this volume
launched modern studies of para¬
sitic plants. For color pictures of
most of the species occurring in
the Southeastern United States see
"Root Parasites of Southern For¬
ests" by Lytton J. Musselman and
William F. Mann, 1976. A recent
review of all parasitic plants in the
American South is, "Parasitic
Weeds in the Southern United
States" by Lytton Musselman. It
was published in 1996 in Castanea
61(3): 271-292. Copies of the 1976
and 1996 articles are available
from Lytton Musselman.
•Witch hazel -
(Continued from page 1)
twisted petals an inch long that curl
up to avoid the ravages of cold, rainy
weather. This allows them to stay at¬
tractive for three to four weeks. The
flowers have an elusive sweet fra¬
grance that fills the air but is hard to
detect by close-up sniffing.
Witch hazel is easy to grow in al¬
most any garden situation from full
shade to full sun and in soil ranging
from moist to dry. Plants grown in
rich, moist soil in full sun to part shade
will attain a dense, vase-like shape
and will flower better than those
growing in a dry, shady spot.
This native is excellent for fall¬
blooming gardens with features such
as asters, especially the very-late
climbing aster (A carolinianus), gold-
Page 8 ~
enrods, gentians, native grasses, and
the Christmas fern. Fall companion
shrubs include beautyberry ( Callicarpa
americana), winterberry (Ilex
verticillata ) and strawberry bush ( Eu -
onymus americanus).
Although it has no serious pest or
disease problems, witch hazel is host
to some interesting insects. The spring
witch hazel gall, a small pineapple¬
shaped growth attached to twigs, con¬
tains eggs of an aphid that attacks the
flower buds. Another aphid chews on
leaf undersides causing a cone-
shaped gall resembling a witch's hat
to form on leaf surfaces. Two moth
species feed inside the rolled leaves.
The authors of Native Shrubs and
Woody Vines of the Southeast say that
witch hazels are pollinated by noctur¬
nal winter moths that fly at air tem¬
peratures as low as freezing and feast
on the flowers. The seed pod devel¬
ops over the following year, and, at
maturity, splits with a noticeable pop
to eject the small black seeds up to 40
feet from the parent plant.
American Indians made bows
from witch hazel's pliable wood and
used preparations of the stems, leaves,
bark and roots to treat ailments.
Forked branches of this tree have long
been used for "witching" or divining
rods to dowse for water, salt and ores.
Although Hamamelis virginiana is
difficult to propagate, several native
plant nurseries offer it. For a list of
nursery sources, check the VNPS web |
site (see page 3) or write: VNPS, PO.
Box 844, Annandale, VA 22003.
Nancy Arrington, Horticulture Chair
November 1997
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
New York Botanical Garden Library
3 51
85
0345 5597
Beautiful setting, field trips highlight weekend
•Native plants
(Continued from page 1)
project executed by a partnership
between the Virginia Native Plant
Society and the Virginia Department
of Conservation and Recreation's
Division of Natural Heritage. It was
made possible by a grant from the
National Fish and Wildlife Founda¬
tion and with matching funds from
the Virginia Nurserymen's Associa¬
tion, the Lewis Ginter Botanical
Garden and the Virginia Chapter of
the American Society of Landscape
Architects in addition to funding
from VNPS and the Division of
Natural Heritage.
Copies of the master list of some
300 Virginia natives and three re¬
gional brochures listing plants
growing in the Coastal, Piedmont,
or Mountain zones will be made
available to members through their
local chapters. We hope you will find
the material informative and useful.
Ted Scott, 1st Vice-President
(Continued from page 1)
us at the head of the trail was sheep
laurel...with a modest, but open,
blossom and several buds. Later we
saw some of the other endemic
plants, pixie moss was one; and vis¬
ited the Blackwater River where
galax leaves were profuse on the
hillside. George McClellan, our
leader, identified the unusual
plants, explained "controlled burn"
and we even saw a fence lizard and
a summer tanager. (I must confess
to taking something with me from
the Zuni...chigger bites on one
"unsulfured" ankle. The scars are
still evident!) The canoe field trip
on the Dragon was more than an¬
ticipated - two canoes tipped over-
but there was little water. Those
visiting the Williamsburg colonial
gardens were inspired.
We agree with our host, Gordon
Chappell, President of the John
Clayton Chapter, that the weekend
was like having friends get together.
We had a fabulous weekend in the
beautiful setting of the Woodlands of
Colonial Williamsburg and thank
Gordon and Sherry Chappell for the
arrangements and the members of
John Clayton Chapter for their de¬
tailed plans and efforts to make our
stay positively unforgettable. We
even dropped in on some friends
who lived nearby: the shadow witch
orchid colony, Ponthieva racemosa.
We first met them during a fieldtrip
with Pat Baldwin at our last Clayton-
hosted annual meeting. The shadow
witches have stood their ground and
were in fresh bloom!
The weekend was a blend of rec¬
ognizing fellow VNPS members and
visiting with them and enjoying the
native plants of the Williamsburg
area. We are grateful!
Nicky Staunton, Conservation Chair
Lecture, trip focus on rare plants at Percival's Island in the James River
Dr. Gwynn Ramsey, curator of the
herbarium and retired professor of
biology at Lynchburg College, will
present a slide lecture on "Rare Plants
at Your Backdoor: The Plant Diversity
of Percival's Island" at 7:30 p.m. on
Thursday, November 20 in the theater
of Dillard Fine Arts Center at
Lynchburg College. The event, co¬
sponsored by Lynchburg College and
the City of Lynchburg Department of
Parks and Recreation, is free and open
to the public. On Saturday, Novem¬
ber 22, Ramsey will lead a trip to
Percival's Island to identify rare plants
discovered through his research.
As professor of biology at
Lynchburg College for 32 years,
Ramsey is well-known for his research
on the flora of the river gorge water¬
sheds in the central Blue Ridge Moun¬
tains. For two years from 1995 to 1997
(See Percival's Island , page 10)
The Bulletin
is published five times a year
(Jan., March, May, August, Nov.) by
Virginia Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 844, Annandale, VA
22003
(703) 368-9803
Marie F. Minor, President
Nancy Sorrells, Editor
Original material contained in the Bulle¬
tin may be reprinted, provided credit is
given to the author, if named. Readers
are invited to send letters, news items,
or original articles for the editor's consid¬
eration. Items should be typed or sent on
3.5"disk in Wordperfect or Microsoft Word
to the Editor, Rt. 2, Box 726, Greenville,
VA 24440. e-mail: nsorrell@leo.vsla.edu
The deadline for the next issue is Dec. 1
See the address label for your membership's expiration date.
VNPS Membership/Renewal Form
Name(s)_
Address_
City_
State
Z 'P_
Jndrvidual $15 _Family $25
_Patron $50 _Sustaining $100
Associate (group) $40; delegate_
_Student $10
Life $400
To give a gift membership or join additional chapters: Enclose dues, name, address, and
chapter. (Non-voting memberships in any other than your primary chapter are $5).
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in the amount of_$10_$25_$50
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to be exchanged with similar organizations.
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to be listed in a chapter directory.
Make check payable to VNPS and mail to:
VNPS Membership Chair, P.O. Box 844, Annandale, VA 22003
Membership dues are tax deductible in the amount they exceed $5 Contributions are tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations
November 1997 - - __ .. .. —
Page 9
Bulletin of the Virginia Native Plant Society
•Plant rescue -
•Cuttings
(Continued from page 5)
wet condition kills more plants than
almost any other condition. Remember,
adjust plants to new environments cau¬
tiously. When watering, use water as
warm as the plants and medium. Rain
water is better than chlorinated water.
Plants can be moved outdoors
in early May but must be hardened
off gradually. My best location has
been the north (shady side) of the
house. Move to permanent location
or growing bed in partial to full
shade (high shade is best).
Though you will likely be sur¬
prised, be prepared for disappointment
at first, BUT don't give up. You will
learn by doing each time you try, and
in fact, probably more from the failures
than the successes. Good luck, and call
me if you really get discouraged.
References
Plant Propagation, Philip McMillan
Browse, Simon and Schuster,
Rockefeller Center, 1230 Avenue of the
Americas, New York, NY 10020
The Reference Manual of Woody Plant
Propagation, Michael A. Dirr and Charles
W. Heuser, Jr., Varsity Press Inc., P.O.
Box 6301, Athens, GA 30604
Growing & Propagating Showy Native Woody
Plants, Richard E. Bir, The University of
North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1992.
Propagator source: Walt Nicke Co., P.O. Box
433, Topsfield, MA 01983.
Ted Scott , 1st Vice-President
(Continued from page 6)
surrounded by bulldozers, Ingrid
Jahn and Michael Sawyer quickly
and systematically dug Sanguinaria
canadensis from an island of vegeta¬
tion destined to be cleared. The de¬
veloper had elected to leave this par¬
ticular stand of trees as a bit of green
space in his new subdivision, but
plans to clear all the undergrowth
and then, presumably, plant grass.
Time is of the essence and other
woodland plants are passed over in
order to remove the colony of bloo-
droot which has miraculously sur¬
vived. Next to the Sanguinaria are at
least four different species of fern,
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pul-
pit), reaching two feet high; Mitchella
repens (partridge-berry); Prenanthes
altissima (gall of the earth) and
Smilacina racemosa (false Solomon's
seal), but these have to wait because
the bulldozers are at hand.
This is not the first sortie into the
site. For the past month-and-a-half,
alerted by chapter conservation
chair Mary Hyde Berg, various
members of the John Clayton Chap¬
ter have made visits to remove other
plants in harm's way. Large stands
of Orchis spectabilis (showy orchis)
have already been removed from
what will become phase two of this
new housing development. Numer- {
ous ferns have also been removed,
among the six identified are:
Botrychium virginianum (rattlesnake-
fern) and Ophioglossum vulgatum
(adder’s-tongue fern). Still, many
woodland plants remain despite
those that were destroyed. Plans are
being made for future rescues. Most
of the plants removed from the site
are distributed by members to end
up in wildflower gardens through¬
out the community. Some will be
planted in the wildflower reserve at
the College of Wiliam and Mary, and
others will be relocated to the Virginia
Living Museum in Newport News.
Michael Sawyer, John Clayton Chapter
•Percival's Island-
(Continued from page 9)
he and a group of Lynchburg College
students also collected specimens of
plant life on Percival's Island. As a re¬
sult of his research on the island,
Ramsey discovered numerous plants |
infrequently found in this area in¬
cluding clammy-weed, a state-listed
rare plant.
For more information, call Bob
Eubank, Lynchburg Department of
Parks and Recreation, 804-847-1640.
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