Reprinted from Clintonia 18(4): 3-4. 2003. Two problems in along the River: Alnus glutinosa and Betula cordifolia

P. M. Eckel Missouri Botanical Garden, PO Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299

Over the past several years I have had occasion to as long ago as 1886 (Tillie M. Schlegel, Delaware take note of the vegetation growing along the Ni- Park, 1886, Buffalo, ; Elizabeth C. agara River and its attendant steams. At Buckhorn Rochester, 1886, Buffalo Park; Ottilie E. Hauen- Island State Park, a multitude of branched twigs stein, "Park," April 15th, 1888). More recent col- on which were attached numerous tough woody lections show a disturbing trend: during the 1960's little cones occurred floating in shallow water in Harold and Rachel Axtel found numerous in- the . Trees on the moist island bank stances of this species in the Niagara region and were decorated with pendent male catkins together along the Niagara River and streams feeding into with those very cones (the female factor). it: USA: New York: Beaver Island State Park, Erie Apparently the cones were attached to deciduous Co. Near E. Niagara River. "This species has mul- branched twigs that fell in their season and floated tiplied at this station so that in 1967 several thou- to a favorable spot where the could germi- sand are growing, mostly in about 2 acres, and oc- nate on the shore. casional ones on the shore down the river." Harold The trees, with broadly rounded to emargi- & Rachel Axtel. August. 13, 1967; Town of Por- nate , proved to be of an introduced Eura- ter, Niagara Co. New York. "A solitary specimen sian species of Alder (Alnus), A. glutinosa (L.) at edge of vegetation on shore of Lake , 5 Gaertn., or the Black Alder (named for the sticky, miles E. of the Niagara River Obviously an es- glue-like covering on young parts). The native cape." Harold & Rachel Axtel, Sept. 29, 1967; Speckled Alder (A. rugosa (Du Roi) Spreng. has Canada, Ontario, Humberston Twp., Welland Co. acute to acuminate leaves. Speckled Alder favors "Escaped & abundant over one or 2 acres beside the quite marshy borders inland to the Niagara Holloway Bay Road." Harold & Rachel Axtel, River at Buckhorn, whereas the Black Alder is Aug. 6, 1967. Karen Wallace more recently found quite happy with the more rough conditions along a specimen along Seneca Creek in West Seneca the river, especially the strong current, which (9/21/75). helps in seed dispersal. Another station in Canada: Regional Mun. The major manuals indicate that Black Alder Niagara. "Off the Niagara Parkway about 2 miles is not wide-spread in its area of occurrence, so I N of Miller's Creek; low, soaking ground being was surprised to find it colonizing the stony berm eroded by Niagara River," P. M. Eckel, Sept. 10, at the northwest extremity of the Park. Midway 1983, herb. no. 53446, can probably be said to be along the eastern shore of Grand Island I found it a mother source of seed for Alnus glutinosa popu- again colonizing its beaches, and again, on a small lations along the Niagara River. These were ma- natural shoreline on the mainland at the base of ture trees that occurred in a horticultural setting the South Grand Island bridge. An extensive popu- and appear planted. If so, it is important that agen- lation was found in association with at least the cies with horticultural obligations in areas beside lower reaches of the Buffalo River along the great waterways avoid planting these trees and to re- meanders above the Buffalo harbor. move ones already established. Some thought Examination of specimens in the Clinton should also be applied to how major a role gov- Herbarium of the Buffalo Museum of Science ernment agencies play in creating situations for showed Black Alder was planted in Delaware Park the invasion of noxious species to occur. Of particular interest concerning the ongo- checklist by Morton and Venn (1990) at all, not ing relicensing of the New York State Power Au- even a mention. Gleason indicated this species thority, is the role that water diversion in both On- was a hybrid between the two species of dis- tario and New York have in exacerbating water cussed above. fluctuations in the Niagara River and its tributar- Voss (1985) indicated B. cordifolia has dif- ies. Already stream flow in this watershed is re- ferences in chromosome number in northern popu- duced by lower annual precipitation, intensified in lations, but included the taxon in B. papyrifera in drought years. Conditions along stream margins of his Michigan flora. Since Mitchell and Tucker exposed moist soil for however limited a time re- (1997) include the taxon on the New York State semble a petrie dish in which all sorts of diaspores flora, it is included here in the checklist of species can germinate, especially those that tolerate peri- growing in the Niagara Frontier Region, as de- odic flooding. Care should be made to protect ri- fined by Zenkert (1934). parian habitats from invasive taxa such as the no- Specimens of Alnus glutinosa and Betula torious Purple Loosestrife and Phragmites com- spp. are deposited in the Clinton Herbarium (BUF) munis that ruin ecosystems. The Black Alder may of the Buffalo Museum of Science. ultimately prove to be such a species. Betula cordifolia Regel.: USA, New York, While processing a box full of leafy twig Niagara Co., City of , base of the specimens of Betula collected in the Niagara River gorge of the Niagara River, just upstream from gorge long ago, I had occasion to identify sterile DeVeaux (Whirlpool) stone steps, downstream of material of Betula alleghaniensis (= B. lutea) and the Whirlpool basin. River's edge, P. M. Eckel, B. papyrifera, the familiar white-barked Paper September 5, 1988. Canada, Ontario, Regional Birch, both rather fragile and relatively ephemeral Municipality of Niagara, Whirlpool Ravine, up- trees typical of the riparian forest at the base of the stream from Niagara Glen adjacent to the Niagara . The first species is noted for its River Boulevard, water's edge, base of the gorge dark bark and numerous pairs of veins on either of the Niagara River; P. M. Eckel, June 10, 1988. side of the midrib, the latter white bark and Grateful acknowledgement is made to Dr. with fewer veins. To this useful character might be John Grehan, Director of Science and Collections added that the Yellow Birch has longish hairs at BUF for herbarium access. mostly lying parallel to the main vein on the un- derside of the leaf, and crinkly hairs in the vein Literature Cited axils. Paper Birch has shorter, straight hairs in a Fernald, Merrit Lyndon. 1950. Gray's Manual of Botany. ed. fringe perpendicular to the main vein, especially in 8. American Book Co., New York. Gleason, Henry A. 1952. The New Britton and Brown Illus- the vein axils. trated Flora of the Northeastern United States and Two anomalous specimens of Betula, were Adjacent Canada. 3 Vols. New York Botanical Gar- distinctive in that although the leaves had fewer den. New York. vein pairs and were from white-barked trees, and Mitchell, Richard S. & Gordon C. Tucker. 1997. Revised so like the Paper Birch, however the leaf bases Checklist of New York State . New York State Museum Bulletin 490. were cordate, rather than with the cuneate base of Morton, J. K. & Joan M. Venn. 1990. A Checklist of the the Yellow Birch. The hairs along the main vein Flora of Ontario Vascular Plants. University of Wa- below were both long and parallel and also short terloo Biology Series No. 34. Obtainable from De- and perpendicular. One specimen was also un- partment of Biology, University of Waterloo, Water- characteristically pubescent on the underside of loo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3G1. Voss, Edward G. Michigan Flora. 1985. Part II. Dicots (Sau- the leaf. ruraceae-Cornaceae). Cranbrook Institute of Science These two specimens would key to Betula Bulletin 59 and University of Michigan Herbarium, cordifolia in the Britton and Brown manual (Glea- Ann Arbor. son 1952). This species bears no mention by Fer- Zenkert, Charles A. 1934. Flora of the Niagara Frontier Re- nald (1950) and it does not occur in the Ontario gion. Bull. of the Buff. Soc. of Nat. Sci. Vol.16. Buf- falo, New York.