Rytidospermums in Florida

Rytidospermums in Florida By Steven M. Riefler . The Umbrella Magnolia The only reported site of Magnolia malachodendron, needle palm, redbud, tripetala, the umbrella magnolia, in Ostrya, Oxydendron, and others. Florida was published in Rhodora by Magnolia pyramidata was present, as R, F, Miller in l975. This magnolia was Sabal minor and Magnolia enjoyed an undisturbed life until a virginiana in the streambed. Dogwood logging operation in the fall of 1983 and horse sugar (Symplocos tinctoria) eliminated all but two or three plants. were also present, along with several The Florida site of M. tripetala is in others in a list I have supplied to the the Panhandle, in Oklaoosa County, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, immediately on the south side of the 254 East Sixth Avenue, Tallahassee, Shoal River about seven or eight miles Florida 32303. east of Crestview, due north of the At the times I have visited this site intersection of U. S. highway 90 and the soil(5 inches or so of rich humus Mt. Olives Road. over a wet, heavy clay) literally dripped The original site was a several-parted moisture. As the site now remains, it is ravine about 30 feet deep. It included strewn with slash but not all the cover an overstory of laurel oak, white oak, was cut, and a few oaks remain. Magnolia grandiflora, slash pine, Pinus One would hope that the remaining glabra, and so on. There was an M. tripetala may also survive the understory of llex opaca, solid lllicium reduced moisture and the intense heat floridanum cover, Stewania and light of its altered environment. The Pyramid Magnolia The pyramid magnolia (M. such as ravine slopes of the upper pyramidata) in the western Florida Econfina Creek area in the east to west Panhandle occupies areas of high relief central section of the Panhandle. and even moisture, from the east bank The pyramid magnolia is present in of the Ochlockonee River, in the the sandhills from Wausau, in eastern part of the Panhandle, Washington County, westward, and on westward. The pyramid magnolia has a steep slopes along all the major rivers much broader adaptive range than that in the upper Panhandle. The largest M. of the Ashe magnolia (M. macrophylla pyramidata I have measured in the f. ashei), which is confined to a Panhandle area is in Torreya State relatively narrow area of the Park, on the east side of the Panhandle. Apalachicola River. This tree was 59 M. pyramidata will occupy rather feet tall with a trunk diameter of !3 rich areas, such as the bluffs of the inches at breast height. Apalachicola and Chipola rivers, as Just south of Vernon, in Washington well as more acid and more sterile sites County, most individuals are less than 10 4 inches in diameter but some on logged-over areas. A comparative occasionally reach a much larger size, examination of stamen scars indicates over eight inches across. In this area that the flowers on this plant have only M. pyramidara is much less common about a third as many stamens as those than M. ashei. of M. ashei, a companion plant here. Yet its seed viability is much higher, The pyramid magnolia frequently suggesting a possibly different pollen Aowers when only six or seven feet tall vector. The Ashe Magnolia The Ashe magnolia (Magnolia are absent a half-mile north, where clay macrophylla f. ashei) is a Florida becomes the dominant component of endemic that grows from Leon County, the soiL in the eastern part of the Panhandle, The Ashe magnolia seems not to be westward on ravine and other steep very exacting as to soil pH or slopes within the sandhill region of the richness. It shares its habitat on the Panhandle. According to R. F. Miller, Apalachicola bluffs with such lime this species appears as far west as lovers as Taxus floridana and on the Avalon Beach, about 20 miles east of Ochlockonee bluffs with this native Pensacola. Florida yew and the needle palm. This strip is delineated by sandhill Westward, it picks up again in ravines in the Florida Panhandle. On Washington County south of Wausau, the Ochlockonee and Apalachicola where it is associated with plants that River bluffs the ravines occur as require somewhat more acid, such as natural outwashes on the east side of Rhododendron ausirinum, Sretvania each river. They begin as steephead malachodendron, and lllicium seepage springs where seeping water floridanum. carries out substrate at the junction of ln more acidic environments such as the sand and clay horizons of the those occupied by Rhododendron subsoil. canescens and Kalmia laiifolia, the These ravines will not support the numbers of Ashe magnolia begin to Ashe Magnolia if the soils are too drop off, though M. pyramidaia still sterile, as is true of the upper Econgina occurs in such areas. Creek area north of Panama City, The typical specific habitat of M. although a few plants occur in the ashei is a forest of beeches, magnolias, middle area, which appears to be white oaks and hickories with 100 somewhat more fertile, near state road percent canopy cover, just below the No 20. rim of a steephead, that is, at the Any cursory examination of U. S. beginning of a spring-fed ravine. The geological survey maps in the southern soil is extremely well drained, the water Rorida Panhandle clearly outlines non-fluctuating. In well populated Ashe magnolia habitat, the ravines that habitats, there will be a plant every 30 drain the northern edge of the sandhills, feet or so. in a strip averaging four or five miles The Ashe magnolia is one of in width. Occasionally there are a few America's natives with excellent individuals on the steeper banks of ornamental potential. This author has larger streams that Aow through the raised several thousand plants from sandhills, but this is unusual. seed. This magnolia is well adapted to The range is exactly limited. Trees pot culture. hf. ashei will grow and will be abundant at the edge of the flower well as far north as the Arnold sandhills (a Pliocene sandbar a Arboretum in Massachusetts and as far hundred miles or more in length), yet south as Orlando, Florida. 11 M. ashei usually has completed nor seed well in nature, since the beetle shedding its seed before September I upon which it depends for pollination and in dry years will drop its leaves doesn't do a very good job. very early in the autumn. This early It also is worthy of note that completion of its annual growth cycle virtually all the area where this species is probably genetic, for in most years occurs is either part of the Eglin Air there is drought from September to Force reservation, Torreya State Park, October in this area. Seed viability or in private hands, and therefore is averages about I5 to 20 percent due to inaccessible to the seed collector. Any poor pollination. Many clones have program of improvement needs to rather small seed cones without begin with collection of seed from the ornamental attraction. best plants across the entire range, then It is of interest to note that the the seed must be grown out to typically small stature, the twig flowering (which takes two to three dieback, the diminution in the size of years), followed by selection, crossing, flowers and cones, and the narrowness and re-selection. Only in this way can a of the cones all indicate a genetic very good "pure" species be supplied to adaptation that saves on carbohydrate American gardeners. expenditure. As a result of its shaded habitat, the tree's carbohydrate supply rEm is chronically low. There is not enough HOW TO Get to grow more wood or to seal off You can't say Steven Riefler, the injuries. The trees never make it out of Florida nurseryman who wrote the the understory as will typical M. three articles on magnolias of the macrophyiia. Survival therefore Rytidospermum Section in the Florida depends on the plant husbanding its Panhandle, isn't motivated. To spread carbohydrate supply and flowering and the word about the desirability of the fruiting when very small. Hence the subspecies M. ssp. ashei and M. ssp. precociousness of this magnolia. pyramidara, he' ll sell bare-root liners As with any species, not all for 65 cents apiece, plus shipping. I individuals are of equal garden merit. I don't know what he considers a have plants whose normal blooms may minimum order, but I do know that be as much as l2 inches across or as these two magnolias are considered the small as five inches. Some are pure rarest of the U. S. species. Also that white, some have deep maroon spots at they both become beautiful trees, and the inside base of each of the three have been grown in a number of inner tepals. Some have broad, giant northern states without winter injury. leaves (this is typical of specimens from His address: Rt. 2, Box 178B. Chipley, the Apalachicola bluffs). Some are Fla. 32428. smaller and narrower. Some have cones that color red; some remain green. Still other cones are consistently AMS Bylaws "heavy duty. " Plants from the Vernon This note is to inform those area are susceptible to midsummer members interested in obtaining a copy sunburn. Others are not, and generally of the AMS bylaws that they may do trees from the Apalachicola area tend so by requesting one from the to be more treelike and sun tolerant. secretary-treasurer. To save costs of Needless to remark, there is a great printing and postage, copies of the deal of room for selection, crossing, bylaws are not sent to members unless and more selection among the Ashe requested.

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