The Sewanee PLANT PRESS Volume XIII, No. 4 Newsletter of the Friends of the Herbarium Autumn 2009 Jubilee Jamboree he Herbarium hits the half- of particularly interesting plants. Wear We will gather in the new Spencer century mark this year, and we’re comfortable shoes, and bring your Hall at 4 PM that afternoon for a birthday Tcommemorating in style! Throughout camera and drinking water. party—make that a birthday bash— 2009 we’ve had a series of special Dr. George Ramseur, founder of the hosted by the Sewanee Natural History events to mark this Jubilee Year. In Sewanee Herbarium and its Director Society, a student-led organization addition to our regular schedule of emeritus, often took his classes to Fiery dedicated to celebrating the Domain’s wildflower walks and botanical activities, Gizzard to botanize. It was natural, biodiversity. Help cut the cake and toast we produced a series of “Wednesday then, for his former student Ross Clark the Herbarium’s accomplishments and Walks at Noon,” short strolls to to choose the Gizzard as the subject expectations. See the Herbarium’s botanically interesting places on campus of a plant inventory and analysis when new home, and tour this wonderful that could be visited over the lunch hour. he was in graduate school in North facility. For more about the Natural We also initiated a series of “quests” in Carolina. “Ross found the Gizzard to History Society, see <http://snhscurator. conjunction with the Sewanee Natural be a place of great botanical diversity, blogspot.com/>. History Society. Last but not least, we including several rare and interesting That evening, we expect a visit put on a “mega-mountathon” in which plants, which we hope to rediscover with from “John Muir.” Actually, the famous volunteers spent a morning helping us him,” explains Herbarium Director Dr. naturalist was last in Tennessee in the mount our backlog of specimens. Jon Evans. “Plus it’s just a great place late 19th century. This appearance It’s been a great year, and it will all for an October hike.” will be made by actor Lee Stetson culminate on Sunday, October 11, who portrays Muir on stage, with a gala 50th birthday celebration, as he has done for the past 27 which we’ve dubbed our Jubilee years in Yosemite National Park Jamboree. The day begins with a and throughout the world. His trek into Fiery Gizzard, led by Dr. performance will take place in Ross Clark and co-sponsored by Gailor Auditorium at 7 PM. the Herbarium and the Friends of We’ve scheduled our Jubilee South Cumberland State Park. It Jamboree to coincide with will commemorate the many trips to Homecoming Weekend, with the the Gizzard that Sewanee botany intention of getting returning alums, students have taken over the years, as well as and current students, as well as the recent purchase and townspeople, and Friends of the protection of a large portion of the Herbarium to join us. We hope Gizzard by the State of Tennessee. to see you on October 11, as we The 2- to 3-mile hike, over observe this significant milestone moderate terrain, will leave from in botanical research, education, the Grundy Forest trailhead at and conservation on the Sewanee 10 AM. We will walk the beautiful Domain and beyond. 2-mile Grundy Forest Day Loop — Mary Priestley and possibly hike to the Sycamore Falls area, where there are a couple The Sewanee Herbarium: Education — Research — Conservation Bells and Bellflowers and in rocky woods, as at Fall Creek Falls family, is often missed in open woods State Park. and meadows, in part because it blooms The familiar Virginia bluebells, Mertensia from mid-summer to fall when ticks and virginica (L.) Pers. ex Link, are not in the chiggers are out but also because the Bellflower family but in the Forget-Me-Not plants seem to be a favorite food of deer. family, the Boraginaceae, which has often The leaves are grass-like, as reflected in led to confusion and consternation among the name Stenanthium gramineum (Ker- plant taxonomy students when keying Gawl.) Morong, so when not in bloom, it is out this species. These are part of the not conspicuous. spring flora of the area, of course, and the All the “bell” flowers discussed so herbarium staff was excited to be able to far have been herbaceous plants, add them to the flora of the Domain when wildflowers, but there are a couple of they were found in the bottomlands of Lost woody plants, members of the Storax Cove on a field trip this past March. family, Styracaceae, that are named Also blue but not quite bell-like is the for bells. American snowbell, Styrax he Sewanee Herbarium has been soapwort gentian, Gentiana saponaria L., americanus Lam., is a shrub or small tree celebrating its 50th anniversary this though it does have the common names found in bottomlands and collected by Tyear, and so has the Leonidas Polk bluebells and harvest bells. It will be the herbarium during a study of Sinking Memorial Carillon. The carillon, bells blooming this fall in wet meadows, often Pond at the Arnold Engineering and hung high in the Shapard Tower of All around ponds on the plateau, and will Development Center in nearby Coffee Saints’ Chapel, was completed under the be one of the plants to be looking for on County. It has small, fragrant white flowers leadership of Vice-Chancellor Edward the Lake Eva walk on the herbarium fall hanging below the leaves in the spring. McCrady and the direction of Arthur calendar. Carolina silverbell, Halesia tetraptera Ellis, Bigelow, and was dedicated with great A genus in the Lily family, Uvularia, has is common in the southern Appalachians, ceremony in April, 1959. That same the common name of bellwort, although where it can be a large tree. It has also spring, the students in Professor George the Latin name refers to the uvula that been found apparently established as a Ramseur’s plant taxonomy class were hangs at the back of the throat. The population in Abbo’s Alley! Its largish white collecting the first herbarium specimens, spring-blooming yellow bellwort flowers flowers often cover the ground below large which were eventually housed in metal hang below the leaves, like dangling trees at the time of the Smokies Wildflower cabinets in a room under the observatory bells, and there are several species in Pilgrimage, leading one to look up and see in the Carnegie science building. The the area. Two are perfoliate, with stems the tree in bloom. This also leads to the coincidence in timing leads to this article that look like they are growing through local name, Heavens Above. on bells and bellflowers. the leaf: Uvularia grandiflora Sm., the And that name brings this reflection on The Latin word campanula means little large-flowered bellwort, is bright yellow bells and bellflowers full circle, for surely bell, and the word “campanulate” refers to and abundant in Shakerag Hollow and the carillon could also be called Heavens a bell-shaped flower in plant identification other areas with rich calcareous soils; Above. terminology. The Bellflower family is called and Uvularia perfoliata L., the perfoliate —Yolande Gottfried the Campanulaceae, and in the Sewanee bellwort, is smaller and paler and found in area the tall bellflower, Campanulastrum less fertile, acidic soils. Uvularia sessilifolia References: americanum (L.) Small, grows in the L., wild oats or sessileleaf bellwort, is even Duncan, Wilbur H. and Marion B. Duncan,1988. Trees of the Southeastern United States. The University limestone soils on the slopes of the smaller and not perfoliate, and is found of Georgia Press. plateau, including in Shakerag Hollow, but near ponds and streams in the Sewanee Horn, Dennis, and Tavia Cathcart, eds., 2005. is perhaps not seen as often as the spring area. Another spring-blooming member of Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the flora there since it begins to flower in the Lily family with dangling yellow flowers, Southern Appalachians. Lone Pine Publishing. White, Peter. 1996. Wildflowers of the Smokies. Great mid-summer. The flowers are blue with a found in Shakerag Hollow and other rich Smoky Mountains Natural History Association. flat face, not having the characteristic bell woods sites, is Prosartes lanuginosa shape of the family. The southern harebell, (Michx.) D. Don, called fairybells or yellow Campanula divaricata Michx., does have mandarin. hanging, light-blue bell-shaped flowers The tall narrow panicle of small white and can be found on trailsides and slopes flowers of featherbells, again in the Lily Autumn Calendar of Events THE SEWANEE PLANT PRESS The Sewanee Herbarium A Guided Walk Through Abbo’s Alley Come join in the celebration! Please see Dr. Jon Evans, Director Sat., September 26, 7:45 AM, Mary Priestley the article in this newsletter for more Biology Department A Family Weekend tradition! Meet at the details. Sewanee: The University of the South Quadrangle for this one-hour easy walk in 735 University Avenue the Abbott Cotten Martin Ravine Garden. Botanical Watercolor Workshop Sewanee, TN 37383 Sat., October 31, 9:30 AM to NOON. Lake Eva-Fall Wildflowers Margaret Patten Smith WEB SITE Sat., October 3, 10:00 AM, Also fast becoming a tradition, this http://lal.sewanee.edu/herbarium Jean and Harry Yeatman workshop led by Chattanooga Sewanee’s premier watercolorist Margaret Patten Smith EDITOR naturalists, the Yeatmans, gives people of all ability levels Mary Priestley will lead a stroll around an opportunity to try their hand [email protected] Lake Eva near their at capturing some of autumn’s CALENDAR home on Eva Road. We beauty in watercolors.