The Sewanee PRESS Volume XVI, No. 4 Newsletter of the Friends of the Herbarium Autumn 2012

Nathan Bourne, Herbarium Post-Baccalaureate Fellow hen I graduated from Sewanee in comprehensive list. I know that I and the While the publication of the flora is the 2011 I had an inkling that I would not whole Herbarium staff are looking forward to main focus of my fellowship, it is not all Wbe able to stay away from Sewanee seeing the project through to its culmination. that I will be working on. I have helped the for long, but I find myself back here even As an undergraduate I undertook studies Herbarium to develop a new blog and will sooner than I thought. I could not imagine to assess what distinct plant communities continue to be a part of that project. Also, a better set of circumstances than the ones are present on the Domain and what the I am hoping to be an active participant in that bring me back. After spending the last dominant plant species are in each of many Herbarium sponsored events coming year in the Caucasus Mountains teaching those communities. As we move forward up throughout the semester. Recently, I had English in a small village in Georgia, in July the opportunity to lead a wildflower hike I began a post-baccalaureate fellowship with along the newest section of the Mountain the Herbarium and Sewanee Environmental Goat Trail, and am planning on leading a Institute. I am working closely with the hike later in the semester down into Fiery Herbarium staff to see the Flora of the Gizzard. Domain project through to its next stages. Tangentially related to my work with the Having spent the better part of two summers Herbarium, I will also be assisting with the as a student working with the Herbarium drafting of a Sustainability Master Plan for on this project, I believe the opportunity to the University. By laying out a clear set of come back as an alumnus through a post- goals and objectives to direct the University baccalaureate fellowship is a remarkable in the coming years, this plan, an extension opportunity to follow up on research that of the recently adopted Campus Master was an integral part of my undergraduate Plan, will assert our commitment as a leader academic experience. among universities in sustainability. An Since 2002, when they first developed important aspect of this project that relates a preliminary checklist of the flora of the in compiling the flora, I will incorporate the directly to my work with the Herbarium Domain, the Herbarium staff has worked results of that research into the composition is the inclusion of goals and objectives hard to find, collect, and catalog specimens of the flora. This is a way of ecologically that will preserve biodiversity on the of the entire vascular flora of the Domain, quantifying our taxa list to create a picture Domain, especially those more than 1,000 ultimately moving towards the publication not only of what are on the Domain, species that comprise our flora. Having a of an official flora. Throughout the years, but also how they are heterogeneously published flora will provide an important this flora has had many contributors who distributed across the 13,000 acres. In benchmark against which we can measure have used their unique skills and abilities to addition, much of the work that remains to our successes in sustainability and the contribute to be done before the flora will be ready for conservation of the unique biodiversity of it in different publication is centered on using, updating, our region. ways. It is and manipulating the herbarium database, I am excited to once again be a part exciting to the digital repository of information about of the Sewanee community, and look see how each of the more than 8,500 specimens that forward to the opportunity to make a all of that make up our Herbarium collection. I will use worthwhile contribution to our knowledge work from the database to create a full image of the of the Sewanee flora, the Herbarium and so many is diversity and distribution of plants across its programming, and the university and slowly coming the Domain, from the tiniest obscure fern to surrounding community as a whole. together the showiest spring wildflowers to the most — Nathan Bourne, C11 into one towering of our hardwoods. The Sewanee Herbarium: Education — Research — Conservation “Snake” Plants

from its base and looking rather like a (Endodeca serpentaria (L.) Raf.), along with ratttlesnake’s rattle. Tall Rattlesnake Root (Prenanthes altissima Chelone glabra L., found in moist areas L.), presumably all have roots like a snake’s and along streams and blooming in late body in shape. Prenanthes serpentaria nake plants (Sansevieria) summer, is usually known as turtlehead Pursh does not have a reference to snakes are familiar houseplants (sometimes called, but has also been called snakehead or in its common names—Lion’s Foot or more unkindly, mother-in law’s tongue), but snakemouth, all based on the shape of the Canker Weed—but its species name many of our native plants on the Domain flowers. serpentaria indicates the use in the past of The University of the South also have The “snake” plants mentioned so far of its milky juice as an antidote to snake common names that refer to snakes. A have been named for resemblance to a bites. White Snakeroot ( search of the database of the herbarium head, a mouth, a tongue, and a tail, as (L.) King&H.E.Robins.), on the other hand, collection comes up with seventeen well as medicinal use. Downy Rattlesnake- contains toxins that are known to cause species whose common names include Plantain (Goodyera pubescens (Willd.) “milksick” disease when passed to humans some reference to snakes, for various R. Br. Ex W. T. Aiton) is an orchid, not a through the milk of cattle that grazed on reasons. plantain, with that have a striking them. The bright white flowers of this Aster Perhaps the most impressive is the pattern in green and white that is supposed family plant should be starting to decorate Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium to look like the scales on a snake’s body, the edges of Sewanee’s woods when this Michx.), in name, appearance, and lore. plus a fruiting spike again like a rattler’s newsletter is received. It is a tall plant, to 4 feet, with yucca-like rattle, that sometimes even does make — Yolande Gottfried leaves and 1-inch-wide flowering heads, a rattling sound when dry. The Doctrine growing in dry, open places. It was of Signatures, the idea that a plant’s supposedly used as a cure for snakebites appearance gave a clue as to its purpose, References: by applying a poultice of the leaves and led early settlers to use it as a cure for Bentley, Stanley L. 2000. Native Orchids of the roots. snakebite, as did the Native Americans Southern Appalachian Mountains. The University At the other extreme is the Green before them. of North Carolina Press. Another plant with resemblance to Horn, Dennis and Tavia Cathcart. 2005. Adder’s Mouth orchid (Malaxis unifolia Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and Michx.), with one and the tiniest flowers a snake’s scales is Rattlesnake Weed the Southern Appalachians: the official field guide of all orchids in the southern Appalachians. (Hieracium venosum L.). Like the Downy of the Tennessee Native Plant Society. Lone These flowers, seen close-up, must have Rattlesnake-Plantain, it has a cluster of Pine Publishing and the Tennessee Native Plant a resemblance to an adder’s mouth. This basal leaves with a distinctive pattern, in Society. Krochmal, Arnold, Russell S. Walters, and small plant is seldom noticed, blooming this case a reddish-purple midrib and veins. Richard M. Doughty. 1969. A Guide to Medicinal in the heat of summer in areas of acid- It is a member of the Aster family, with Plants of Appalachia. USDA Forest Service dominated vegetation. yellow dandelion-like flowers on tall stems. Research Paper NE-138. Also named for adders is the Southern The remaining species do not have Monthey, Roger, Ken Dudzik, and Tom Adder’s-Tongue fern (Ophioglossum such obvious features as a basis for their Rawinski. “Rattlesnake-like Plants in Northeast pycnostichum (Fernald) A. Löve & D. Löve). names, mostly because the reason is Woodlands”. Massachusetts Wildlife (vol. 54, issue1). underground—the root. There are four In this case, the fertile segment of the fern, Sewanee Herbarium. Vascular Flora of the rising from the base of the single leaf-like species of Black-Snakeroot (Sanicula Domain. blade, must look rather like an adder’s spp.), mostly inconspicuous members of tongue. the herbaceous layer of the forest floor A more familiar fern, usually encountered until they start decorating socks and on spring wildflower walks, is the pant legs with their roundish bristly fruits. Rattlesnake Fern (Botrypus virginianus Seneca Snakeroot (Polygala senega L.) L. Holub), also a member of the Adder’s- has a long history of medicinal use and its Tongue family. This fern’s single leaf-like roots contain methyl salicylate. Sampson’s blade is triangular in shape but much larger Snakeroot ( pedunculatum and divided, with the fertile segment rising (P. Mill.) Rydb.) and Virginia Snakeroot Autumn Calendar of Events THE SEWANEE PLANT PRESS The Sewanee Herbarium Shakerag Hollow their hand at capturing some of autumn’s beauty Dr. Jon Evans, Director Sat., Sept. 22, 10 am, Yolande Gottfried in watercolors. Participants are invited to bring Biology Department We all love Shakerag in the spring—let’s see in botanical or other natural objects to paint, or Sewanee: The University of the South what it looks like on the first day of fall. Plants will choose from a variety provided. Bring your own 735 University Avenue be in fruit instead of flower and will be prepar- painting materials and meet in the herbarium Sewanee, TN 37383 ing for winter. Also, there’s a new bridge! Meet on the first floor of Spencer Hall. The workshop at Green’s View for this moderate-to-strenuous is free, but space is limited, so reservations are WEBSITE 2-mile walk that may include a steep rocky section necessary (see below). http://lal.sewanee.edu/herbarium of the trail. Nature Journaling Opportunity EDITOR Abbo’s Alley 9 – 11 am Thursdays, Mary Priestley Mary Priestley Sat., Oct. 6, 7:45 am – 9 am, George Ramseur The nature journaling group that has been [email protected] The Abbott Martin Ravine Garden is a lovely meeting throughout the summer will continue into mix of native and cultivated plants, and the the fall. This is not a workshop. Rather, it is an ravine is steeped in Sewanee history. Meet invitation to set aside any or all Thursday morn- CONTRIBUTOR on the campus Quadrangle (beside All Saints’ ings for nature journaling. The group will continue Nathan Bourne Chapel) at 7:45 a.m. for this easy one-hour to meet at the gazebo in Abbo’s Alley (near the [email protected] walk, a Sewanee Family Weekend event. entrance from South Carolina Avenue) as long as the weather permits, then move into the her- Yolande Gottfried [email protected] Fiery Gizzard (South Cumberland State Park) barium. Outings to easily-accessible places such Sun., Oct. 21, 1;30 pm, Nathan Bourne as the “H” tree, Piney Point, or the SAS Res are Nathan, a Sewanee grad, is working in a also planned with time to sketch. Bring a notebook CALENDAR post-baccalaureate position in the herbarium this (preferably small and unlined), a pen or pencil, Yolande Gottfried semester and will lead a walk through the always and something to sit on if you wish. Come as early [email protected] beautiful Fiery Gizzard. Meet at the pavilion or as late as you like and stay for however long at Grundy Forest for this 2-hour moderate to you like. COMPOSITOR strenuous walk. For directions, contact the Park Tammy Elliott office at 931-924-2980. Plant drawings, by Mary Priestley, are of Maryland goldenaster, white oak, rattlesnake plantain, Botanical Watercolor Workshop All times are CST or CDT. turtlehead (snakemouth) and large-flowered trillium. Sun., Oct. 21, 1:30 – 4:30 pm, Margaret Patten Smith Wear appropriate shoes on all of these walks. Risks This workshop led by Chattanooga involved in hiking include physical exertion, rough For more information on these events or to reserve a terrain, forces of nature, and other hazards not present spot in the watercolor workshop, call the Herbarium watercolorist Margaret Patten Smith gives in everyday life. Picking flowers and digging plants are at 931-598-3346. Directions are available at the Her- people of all ability levels an opportunity to try prohibited in all of the above-mentioned natural areas. barium website, http://lal.sewanee.edu/herbarium.

# Friends of the Sewanee Herbarium 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: q $10.00 q Other: $______Please mail checks (made payable to “Sewanee: The University of the South”) to: Sewanee: The University of the South Attn: Gift Records 735 University Avenue Sewanee, TN 37383 Others who might like to receive The Sewanee Plant Press:______Herbarium, Biology Department 735 University Avenue Sewanee, TN 37383-1000

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