The Bulletin A Quarterly Devoted to Man's Oldest Garden Ornamental Boxwood hunters in Russia. Dr. Alexey Romashin, Charles Fooks, Dr. TomaszAnisko, Rima Pridnya, and Dr. Mikhail Pridnya pose below a statue of Prometheus, a Titan who stole fire from Olympus and delivered it to man. See article, page 27. (Photo: Dr. Henry Frierson) IN THIS ISSUE Return to the Greater Caucasus, 2004, Henry F. Frierson, Jr., MD ..... ......... 27 Correspondence and Notice .. ......... ................... ................. ................. ........ .... 36 Walking with Phoebe, Sigrid G. Harriman ........................... .......... ....... ....... 37 News of the Society .. ......... ............. .. ... .. .................................. ....... ... ... ........... 41 October 2004 Volume 44, Number 2 The American Boxwood Society The American Boxwood Society is a not-for-profit organiza­ A vailable Publications: ti on founded in 1961 and devoted to the appreciation, scien­ ti fi c understanding and propagation of the genus Buxus L. Boxwood: An Illustrated Encyclopedia* $110 Back issues of The Bulletin (through Vol. 42) (each) $ 4 For information about boxwood and the Society, refer to Boxwood Handbook: A Practical Guide (Revised) $ 18 www.boxwoodsociety.org. Boxwood Buyer 's Guide (5 th Edition) $ 8 Officers: International Registration List of Cultivated Buxus L. $ 3 Index to The Boxwood Bulletin 1961-1986 $ 10 PRESIDENT: Index to The Boxwood Bulletin 1986- 1991 $ 4 Mr. Charles T. Fooks Salisbury, MD Index to The Boxwood Bulletin 1991-1996 $ 3 FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT: To order, see page 36. Mr. Clyde Weber Bentleyville, PA * Other prices includes tax, postage and handling. SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT Publications may be ordered from ABS Treasurer, Box 85 , Dr. Henry F. Frierson, Jr. Charlottesville. V A Boyce, VA 22620-0085. SECRETARY: Mrs. Laurie Jamerson Madison Heights, V A Contributions: EXECUTIVE TREASURER: Mr. McHenry Stiff. III Round Hill, V A Gifts to the Society are tax-deductible and may be REGISTRAR: undesignated or applied to: Mr. Lynn R. Batdorf Washington, DC ABS Boxwood Memorial Garden Fund DIRECTORS: ABS Boxwood Research Fund Mr. John W. Boyd III (2007) Roanoke VA ABS Publications Fund Mr. Walter S. Carell, Jr. (2007) Millington, NJ Mrs. Robert L. Frackelton (2006) Fredericksburg, V A Correspondence: Mr. W. 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The Bulletin is printed by M-J Printers, Fredericksburg, VA. Return to the Greater Caucasus, 2004 Collecting Boxwood in Russia Henry F. Frierson, Jr., MD A successful 3-day collecting seeds from boxwood growing along the river. We sometimes observed that expedition in 2002 to the southwestern old road from Adler to Krasnaya their leaves were covered with scale part of Russia along the Black Sea Polyana. We then headed to the Sochi and fungus, and wondered about their prompted a return trip to Sochi, Russia National Park, where we saw boxwood effects on the plants. We also saw a from July 4-18, 2004. The participants draped along the limestone walls of the small black butterfly (fig. 6), said to be included Dr. Tomasz Anisko from Psakho Canyon of the river Kudepsta. Polymorpha epialtes by Dr. Romashin, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Our finding of boxwood thriving along on boxwood leaves. Dr. Romashin P A, Charles Fooks of Woodland a river in a moist, rocky environment stated that the butterfly might be Nursery of Salisbury, MD, and Dr. would be repeated many times. We important in boxwood pollination. We Henry Frierson, Jr. of Charlottesville, also observed moss-strewn boxwood in learned later that oral history claimed V A. The expedition had been planned deep shade growing over moss­ that boxwood honey was produced in by Dr. Anisko and organized by our carpeted limestone in the National Park the 19th century prior to the extensive host, Dr. Mikhail Pridnya, Academi­ (figs. 3 and 4). timbering of boxwood. cian of the Russian Ecological Acad­ On July 6 we explored along the On July 8 we explored along the emy and Honourable Forester of river Shahke (fig. 5). The day was river Dagomys-Zapadniy, north of the Russia. Prof. Pridnya, whose office remembered for our stranding (fortu­ village Tretia Rota. Here, for the first was located at the Research Institute of nately for only several hours) two time, we found more shrubby boxwood Mountain Forestry and Forest Ecology former Soviet military vehicles; the growing on exposed and dry, steep in Sochi (fig. I), selected Dr. Alexey first, a large and heavy Gorki truck, slopes along a road cut (fig. 7). We Romashin, a zoologist at the Institute, developed a clogged fuel line as we collected cuttings from several small, to assist in the expedition. attempted climbing a steep incline in mounded plants appearing to grow The Institute was located on the the mountains, while the second, our straight from limestone rocks. We grounds of the Dendrarium, a well­ passenger van, stalled in the middle of noted that boxwood seed capsules known park and arboretum that had the river Shahke. In hiking to a hunting seemed to be present predominantly on been founded in 1892 by Sergey lodge for assistance, we observed plants exposed to the most sunlight; Khudenkov, a publisher from St. boxwood approximately 30 feet tall this observation was made on numer­ Petersburg. A popular destination for and 300 years old. The boxwood ous occasions during our travels. Russian tourists, the Dendrarium was a provided the understory below horn­ On July II we traveled approxi­ showcase for semitropical plants that beam, ash, maple, and elder trees. Prof. mately 300 Ion from Sochi to explore thrive in the environment along the Pridnya explained that although it is areas along the north side of the Black Sea. known where the tallest boxwood trees Greater Caucasus. Prior to our destina­ While at the Dendrarium we grow in Russia, no one has attempted tion at Mezmay, we stopped at the collected cuttings from five boxwood to explore all of the mountain habitats Forestry Service Office in Apsheronsk, plants of interest, including an unusual to find and claim the tallest "cham­ where we collected cuttings from three variegated form that we had collected pion" tree. After our vehicles were different plants contained within two years previously. The other plants once again functional, we ended the hedges in front of the building; one of collected were growing in hedges that day by visiting the oldest (and most these plants had leaves with a particu­ contained mixed types of boxwood. northerly in the world) tea plantation in larly bluish cast. We finally arrived at The Dendrarium had catalogued the Russia, Verhnyi Soloh-Aul, which had Mezmay (fig. 8), a remote and quaint named boxwood growing on site, been founded by Iuda Koshman in village of I, 000 inhabitants, many of which included B. balearica and 14 1901. whom were involved with the lumber cultivars of B. sempervirens (Table I.) The following day we hiked along mill there. The village was centered (fig. 2). the Sochi River in the Sochi National along the river Kurdzhips and had After touring the Dendrarium on the Park between the villages Nizhnoye wonderful scenic views of the moun­ first day, we traveled south toward Orekhovo and Azhek. Once again, tains. In our explorations here, we saw Abkhazia and collected cuttings and boxwood populated sites along the beautiful wildflowers in bloom, October 2004 27 incl uding Lavatera. Campanula. that these were particularly hardy with the exception of its presence on a Gentiana. Erigeron. Echium. Inula. plants, as Mezmay is 2,255 feet above few plants growing at the Dendrarium. Prunella. Lysimachia. and Aruncus. In sea level, typically has a low tempera­ Psyllid was noted very infrequently, a si ngle meadow, we saw a profusion ture of -10°C in winter (and may even while we commonly saw mite damage. of blooming plants including Stachys. get to -25°C), and gets 3 to 4 meters of Scale and rust were often seen on Delphinium, Filipendula. Ranunculus, snow annually. leaves of boxwood growing in warm, Geranium, Silene, and Verbascum (fig . On July 13 we collected boxwood moist areas. 9). cuttings on Mezmay Rock, west of the At the end of the trip, we had On one excursion from Mezmay, village. We found boxwood growing at collected samples from 40 different we hiked along abandoned railroad the highest elevations (3,255 feet) of plants of B.