THE PRESS Polypody Volume VII, No. 4 Newsletter of the Friends of the Herbarium Autumn 2003 Summer 2003 Herbarium Activities

aitlin Elam returned for a second readers may recall “Hwy. 56 roadside grassy intern Caitlin Elam, and longtime Friend of summer as a Herbarium intern, clearing, 20 yds. W of hairpin curve near the Herbarium Mary Davis, conducted a C supervised by Yolande Gottfried. Caitlin ‘the Saddle’, 3.6 mi. S of RR tracks” or survey of the flora and fauna of a property graduated in May, 2003, and received the “pipeline right of way, 1.3 mi. S of Grundy below the plateau bluff in the Tracy City Young Botanist Award from the Botanical Co. HS, 20 yd. below edge of Fiery Gizzard area. The survey resulted in a report to The Society of America and the Jessie Ball Gorge”. The Herbarium hopes to link this Land Trust for Tennessee as a contribution duPont Award for her work in the summer of information with other GIS coverages from to help them in their effort to put a conserva- 2003 in helping to compile a checklist of the the Landscape Analysis Lab. tion easement on this 180 A. cove property vascular flora of the Domain. at the wish of the owners. She also received a Yeatman Internship, Highlights of the survey included seeing which, in conjunction with funding from the ginseng, Panax quinquefolium L., in fruit and Tennessee Wildflower Society, allowed her three-birds orchid or nodding pogonia, to continue to her work on the flora of Triphora trianthophora (Swartz) Rydberg, in sandstone outcrops as well as additional bloom. The three-birds orchid only occurs in Herbarium projects as a summer intern. particularly acid soils, and its blooming Caitlin appeared in an article on student behavior is erratic, depending on stored research projects in the summer 2003 issue energy and fluctuations in the weather. Also, of Sewanee. each bloom only lasts one day, so the group The sandstone outcrop study began was fortunate to see so many in full during Caitlin’s senior year under the bloom. direction of Dr. Jon Evans. She continued A major ongoing effort of the Herbarium is this study through the summer, first attempt- to expand the preliminary checklist of the ing to locate the sandstone outcrops in the vascular flora of the Domain prepared last study area using satellite imagery and, when Christmas fern summer. Caitlin and Yolande made several this did not work, acquiring the geologic field trips to some of the outer reaches of maps of the Sewanee, Alto, and Monteagle Other projects included collecting the Domain in search of new species and quadrangles. of witch hazel, sweet gum, and beech for found a few: Eryngium yuccifolium Michx. She hoped to locate likely sites by DNA research being done by Sewanee (Button Eryngo or Rattlesnake Master) by identifying the underlying geologic substrate alumna Ashley Morris and “test-driving” the the dam of Chestnut Lake, Bartonia virginica because the outcrops are usually exposed keys for the plant families Fabaceae (pea), (L.) BSP (Yellow Screwstem, in the gentian Warren Point Sandstone or Sewanee Ranunculaceae (buttercup), and Rosaceae family) by Old Bushy Lake, and Glyceria Conglomerate. Most of her work was done (rose) for a book under preparation by the striata (Lam.) A.S. Hitchc. (Fowl Manna in the field using the GPS unit to record Tennessee Native Plant Society. Caitlin had Grass) down the Solomon’s Temple Trail. outcrop locations and noting the presence or the opportunity to accompany David Others, less exciting, come from weedy absence of Diamorpha smallii Britt. ex Small Lincicome of the Tennessee Natural areas along Tennessee Avenue and by the (Elf Orpine) and Talinum teretifolium Pursh. Heritage Program when he came to check Cross: two more species of Desmodium (Quill Fameflower), both stone outcrop the populations of Silphium brachiatum (Tick-Trefoil) and rhomboidea Raf. endemics and listed as rare in Tennessee. Gattinger (Cumberland Rosinweed) in the (Common Three-Seed-Mercury). The search Caitlin also began the work of locating on area. will continue through the fall, when a the map the major collection sites of Dr. The entire Herbarium staff, with biology number of grasses and sedges are likely to George Ramseur from field trips with professor David Haskell, Sewanee student be found to add to the list. students during his teaching career. Some Brett Scheffers, alumna and Herbarium —Yolande Gottfried

The Sewanee Herbarium: Education — Research — Conservation sori Ferns of Sewanee

“God made ferns to show what He could do with leaves.” — Thoreau

fern leaflet Ferns are most common in moist As Jesse Shaver explains in Ferns of habitats: woodland ravines, crevices of Tennessee, “The things in life that are ere we are, in the midst of the fall rock bluffs, and margins of ponds and important have names. They must be floral and display, perhaps an streams. But there are many exceptions. talked about and written about, and names unusual time to think about ferns. Bracken, the most common fern world- are needed.” Spores occur in organs H wide, much prefers sunny, dry habitats. called sporangia, which are usually But after our exceptionally rainy summer, ferns are thriving everywhere—both the And resurrection fern, which curls up and grouped into clusters called sori (sorus, herbaceous species that will die back to looks dead when it dries out then greens singular). In most ferns sori are located on the ground in a few weeks, and the up after a good rain, is usually found on the underside of the fronds. They may be evergreen ones that will soon provide tree trunks and branches. A healthy covered by the edge of the frond or by a some of the few green spots in the forest. population grows on a white oak between membranous indusium, or they may not Recently, Dr. Harry Yeatman, Sewanee All Saints’ Chapel and University Avenue be covered at all. To identify ferns, one professor emeritus of biology, showed us on campus. must become familiar with this somewhat pencil drawings of ferns that he had done The only part of a fern plant that esoteric botanical terminology. as a graduate student at Chapel Hill, NC, extends above the ground is the frond If one were to select a group of plants to in the 1930s. We have scanned these (leaf). The underground stem, called a “know,” ferns would be a good choice exquisite renderings, and they provide the rhizome, may be oriented vertically in the because there are relatively few species. inspiration for this article. A few are used case of vase-like plants such as Christmas About 10,000 fern species have been here as illustrations. and cinnamon ferns. In others, single discovered worldwide, as compared to a fronds seem to emerge randomly from the quarter of a million species of flowering horizontal-growing rhizomes. New York plants. In the there are just THE PLANT PRESS and common polypody ferns are ex- over 400 species of ferns, and to date only amples. 27 species, representing 10 families, have The Sewanee Herbarium To most observers, the intricacy and been found in Sewanee. One can easily Biology Department variety of fern fronds set them apart from encounter a number of them along most of The University of the South other plants. Unfurling as a fiddlehead or Sewanee’s woodland trails. 735 University Avenue Sewanee, TN 37383 “crosier” in the spring, a frond’s fragile This fall, the Herbarium is offering a fern appearance belies its biochemical walk in Abbo’s Alley. (See Autumn Calen- WEB SITE strength. While some fiddleheads are dar of Events.) If you would like to learn http://www.sewanee.edu/ edible, most are at least somewhat toxic to more about fern identification, morphology, biology/herbarium humans and many other animals. Several and lore, please try to join us. potent medicines, including effective anti- —Mary Priestley EDITOR tapeworm concoctions, have been made Mary Priestley from them. Herbarium Curator Botanically, the characteristic that 931.598.1997 distinguishes ferns from most other plants [email protected] is their mode of reproduction. For centu- ries people believed that fern flowers CONTRIBUTORS existed but were for some reason undis- Yolande Gottfried covered. Some suggested that fern seeds [email protected] were invisible, and that they could even Jon Evans confer invisibility on those who snared [email protected] them. William Shakespeare refers to this in Henry IV: “We have the receipt of fern- COMPOSITOR seed, we walk invisible.” Actually, ferns Tammy Scissom produce neither flowers nor seeds. Rather, their reproductive propagule is the spore, Drawings by Dr. Harry Yeatman a single-celled dust-like particle, too tiny to be seen with the naked eye. Sensitive fern Autumn Calendar of Events

Sewanee’s Wildflowers . . . the Search Grundy County Great Outdoor directions to the trailhead, contact the state Continues Weekend Hikes park at 931.924.2980. A talk by Mary Priestley, co-sponsored by Sat., Oct. 18, 10 a.m. George Ramseur, the Sewanee Garden Club Yolande Gottfried Watercolor Workshop Mon, Sept. 22, 1:30 p.m. at the home of The Herbarium is sponsoring two hikes at Sat., Oct. 18, 10 a.m. Margaret Smith Milly Dodd in Sewanee. South Cumberland State Park in conjunc- Woods Laboratories room 121 tion with the Great Outdoor Weekend. Both Back by popular demand. Participants in Fern Walk hikes leave from the Collins West trailhead this hands-on workshop will focus on Sat., Sept. 27, 10 a.m. Mary Priestley using watercolors to depict a patch of the Meet at the South Carolina Avenue fall forest floor. Space is limited, so entrance to the Abbott Cotten Martin contact Yolande Gottfried at 931.598.3346 Ravine Garden (Abbo’s Alley) for an easy to sign up and learn about the particulars. walk to learn more about Sewanee’s native ferns. Gardening with Native Plants Mon., Nov. 24, 1:30 p.m., Blackman See Sewanee’s Big Trees Auditorium Sat., Oct. 4, 1 p.m., Sandy Baird and Margie Hunter, author of Gardening With the George Ramseur Native Plants of Tennessee, co-sponsored Join the leaders of Sewanee’s Big Tree with the Sewanee Garden Club Project for a visit to some of the champi- Ms. Hunter will give a talk and slide ons already documented in the Sewanee presentation entitled “Between a Rock area. Meet at the Sewanee Market to Ebony spleenwort and a Hard Place: Tough Plants for Tough carpool for this easy trip. at 10 a.m. For George’s strenuous 5-mile Sites” for the Garden Club and all roundtrip hike to Horsepound Falls, take interested community members. Homecoming Open House lunch and allow five hours. Yolande’s Blackman Auditorium is in Woods Labs on Fri., Oct. 10, 4-5 p.m. moderate hike, which will head up the trail the Sewanee campus, across from the Meet the Herbarium staff and enjoy toward the head of Collins Gulf, is planned Library. refreshments while learning about our to take two hours. Take plenty of water on latest projects. We are located on the Phone Yolande Gottfried at both hikes. For more information about the ground floor of Woods Labs science 931.598.3346 for more information Great Outdoor Weekend, see building, near the greenhouse. about any of these events. www.greatoutdoorweekend.com. For ✄ Membership Application/Renewal The Friends of the Sewanee Herbarium support the work of the Herbarium: education, research, and conservation. A $10.00 annual contribution would be very much appreciated. The date of your most recent contribution is printed on your address label.

Name and Address (if different from that on the mailing label on the back): ______Amount Enclosed: ❏ $10.00 ❏ Other: $ ______Please make check payable to The University of the South. Gifts are fully tax deductible. Send to: Sewanee Herbarium c/o Mary Priestley 735 University Avenue Sewanee, TN 37383 Others who might like to receive The Plant Press: ______Fall Creek Falls Collection

he Sewanee Herbarium has recently this hot spot of plant biodiversity was the other four locations). Chris’s work received a collection of plant speci rapidly becoming an island in a sea of highlights how much we still have yet to Tmens from Fall Creeks Falls State development. discover about the biological treasures of Park (Van Buren and Bledsoe Counties) We have incorporated Chris’s Fall the Cumberland Plateau. representing about 750 species. Chris Creek Falls flora into a synonymized —Jon Evans Fleming with the University of Tennessee plant database that we have created for Herbarium gave the collection to us. Chris the southern Cumberland Plateau in recently completed his M.S. thesis on the Tennessee. This database also integrates vascular flora of the Park under the published floras from Savage Gulf State guidance of Dr. Eugene Wofford. Natural Area (Grundy County), Wolf Cove Chris documented the occurrence of (Franklin County), Fiery Gizzard (Grundy 883 plant species within the Park, with 300 County) and the University of the South of these species being county records for Domain (Franklin County). either Van Buren or Bledsoe Counties. He The database includes over 1350 found that Fall Creek Falls had one of the species documented for this highest concentrations of plant diversity in region and contains ecological, taxonomic Tennessee. Using land use maps for the and conservation-related information that Cumberland Plateau generated by is used extensively by biology classes at Sewanee’s Landscape Analysis Labora- Sewanee. In comparing these five floras, tory, Chris also examined the encroach- Fall Creek Falls contains the largest Grape fern ment of pine plantations and commercial number of plant species and the greatest development on the Park. He found that number of unique species (not found in Printed on Recycled Paper

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID Herbarium, Biology Department PERMIT NO. 4 735 University Avenue SEWANEE, TN Sewanee, TN 37383-1000

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Walking fern