Volume 17 Issue 4 December 2015 Native Orchid News: ISSN 1499-5468 The Newsletter of Native Orchid Conservation Inc.

Native Orchid Conservation Inc. PO Box 40057 Lagimodiere PO Winnipeg MB R2C 4P3

NOCI Website: www.nativeorchid.org

For more information contact Peggy Bainard Acheson Phone: 204-223-8209 Email: [email protected]

Annual General Meeting Friday, March 4, 2016 r e m i of the Month e R Slender e n

e Agalinis tenuifolia var. parviflora g u E

Agalinis tenuifolia s s e e v v e e e e R R

d d r r a a h h c c i i R R

Agalinis aspera Peggy Bainard Acheson s s e e v v e e e e R

R

d d r r a a h h c i c i R R Agalinis aspera Laura and Dawn show their wares President’s Report

By Peggy Bainard Acheson

The great fall weather resulted in a great turn out at our Open House on October 23. I’d like to thank members for coming out and especially those that helped to organize and present the program. I would like to thank Dr. Bruce Ford and Dr. Anne Worley for their presentation on the reproductive biology and hybridization of the Small White Lady’s-slipper and the Yellow Lady’s-slipper. Although some of the terminology stretched our brains a little bit, for us orchidophiles it was fascinating to learn how the hybridization of these orchids is affecting each species and especially what the implications are for the survival of the Small White Lady’s-slipper, listed as endangered on both the federal and provincial species at risk lists. See more on the Open House on page 4. The Brokenhead Wetlands Interpretive Trail is now closed for the season, but the invitation is open to visit the trail in the winter. You can park outside the gate and walk in (no motorized vehicles are permitted on the trail). Although we weren’t able to get the stars to align so we could hold the official opening this year, we are looking forward to completing the final components in early spring. Stay tuned! We are working on a project to overhaul and update the NOCI and Debwendon websites and I would like to recognize our newest board member, Donna Krawetz, for writing a fabulous grant application to obtain funding to complete this work. We recently received news that our application was successful and that we will be receiving $2,000 for this project through the Assiniboine Credit Union’s ‘Sustainable Community Grant’ program. Apparently the grants committee rated our application very highly. Good work, Donna! We look forward to getting the work underway to update and modernize our websites for easier overall management, navigation and use on mobile ‘smart’ phones. Membership renewal time is here already (please see attached renewal form) and I encourage you to consider including a small donation to help us continue our work. Your support, whether it be volunteering, participating in field trips, or donating money, is very much appreciated and is crucial to the successful running of the organization. Here’s wishing everyone a wonderful winter season and Holidays! Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our Annual General Meeting on Friday, March 4, 2016.

Visit us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Native-Orchid-Conservation-Inc/642374452483045

2 Plant of the Month

Slender Agalinis Agalinis tenuifolia var. parviflora (formerly Gerardia tenuifolia)

By Doris Ames

The Agalinis genera used to be listed in the Figwort () Family but it has now been reclassified into the Broomrape () Family on the basis of shared molecular features. The Broomrapes are a small family of much-studied, taxonomically complex, parasitic or partially parasitic . There are 35 species of Agalinis in North America. The name Agalinis comes from Greek meaning “like flax”, maybe because its delicate flowers only last one day just like flax flowers. The species name tenuifolia comes from Latin and means ”narrow-leaved”. The Latin variety name parviflora means “small-flowered”. Slender agalinis is a rare (S2) annual, herbaceous plant found in disturbed, usually moist areas like roadsides and ditches east of the Red River in the southeastern Boreal forest. It is a smooth, branching plant up to 50 cm tall with slender, reddish stems. The simple, smooth, toothless leaves are linear with a pronounced crease down the middle and are positioned opposite on the stems. The small (10-15 mm), pink to purplish-pink flowers are funnel-shaped, with purple spots on the inside. The insides of the flowers are hairless. They are borne singly in the leaf axils on long spreading stalks. The long, slender pedicels are ascending. The tubular corolla has 5 lobes, a 2-lobed upper lip and a 3-lobed lower lip. There are 4 stamens and a pistil. There are only one or two flowers on the plant at any one time as each flower only lasts one day. Blooming time is early August to early September. Bumblebees are believed to be the pollinators. The seed capsules are globose and 3-5 mm long. Seeds are believed to be spread by wind or small animals. Agalinis is a hemiparasitic genus, i.e. it carries out photosynthesis but also obtains food from a host plant. Its roots are connected to the host plant's xylem (vascular tissue that carries water and dissolved minerals) by specialized roots called haustoria and it is able to obtain some extra nourishment that way. There are two or three other species of Agalinis in Manitoba, among them Rough Agalinis (Agalinis aspera) which COSEWIC has listed as endangered. It is often found west of the Red River in Tall Grass Prairie remnants along with the endangered Small white lady's-slippers. A full write up of that plant can be found online at http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_rough_agalinis_e.pdf The rare plants in the Agalina genus are threatened by human activities such as drainage, ditchwork, road building etc., and possibly will be more threatened in future by climate change.

Note: On page 1 the upper photo of Agalinis tenuifolia was taken in the Gardenton area on August 23, 2008. The two lower photos, believed to be Agalinis aspera, were taken near Bird's Hill Park on August 20, 2015.

3 NOCI Celebrates 15th Annual Members’ Night with an Open House

By Peggy Bainard Acheson

This year the board decided to have an Open House, and to solicit more interest in the general public, we advertised more widely. Although no members of the public attended, we were pleased that several NOCI members brought friends and/or family. This was our 15th annual Members' Night and we welcomed 36 members and guests on October 23rd at the Dakota Lawn Bowls Club. Denny Smith did an excellent job as MC, and I would like to extend thanks to both Denny and Mary for baking and preparing the wonderful lunch that was provided at the break. Peggy Bainard Acheson, President, welcomed everyone and gave an update on the Brokenhead Wetland Interpretive Trail and the 2nd edition of our book, Orchids of Manitoba. Acting as interim Treasurer, Denny Smith reported on the items of the Treasurer’s report that were uncompleted at the AGM in March 2015. He also asked for and received ratification from the membership for the report and to hire Chris Law to conduct the audit of the 2015 financial records. We were very pleased to have Dr. Bruce Ford give a presentation on the “Reproductive Biology and Hybridization in a Rare and a Common Lady’s-slipper Orchid” about the state of the endangered Small White lady’s-slipper (C. candidum) and the yellow lady’s-slipper (C. parviflorum). Co- researcher Dr. Anne Worley accompanied Bruce to help answer any questions on the research. As a counter-point to Dr. Ford’s academic presentation, Rose Kuzina entertained us with an enthusiastic presentation on her trip to the Bemidji area called “’Cruisin' the Orchid Highway”. Thanks to everyone who donated raffle and door prize items, and I would also like to thank everyone who bought tickets for the raffle. The money raised helps to offset the costs of putting on the evening such as hall rental, refreshments and speaker gifts. Thanks to Laura Reeves and Dawn Kitching for bringing their wares to sell. Finally, I would like to thank all the NOCI board members and other volunteers who came out early to set up, stayed late to help clean up, manned tables, took photographs, and for otherwise making Members' Night a success. We couldn't do this without you!

Notice of passing of Debwendon friend Lawrence Smith

Lawrence Smith, an elder on the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, passed away October 28, 2015. He was a remarkable and cheerful person and a great friend to NOCI and Debwendon. He worked with NOCI from 1998 to 2005 to get a large portion of the Brokenhead Wetlands protected as an ecological reserve. Lawrence was very encouraging throughout and generous in sharing his knowledge of native plant species and the Ojibway culture with us. He was an original member of the Debwendon Inc. board of directors and lived to see the boardwalk completed using many of his suggestions for the interpretive trail route and points of interest. He also suggested the name, "Debwendon" which means "trust" in Ojibway. His children helped with this work and his son, Carl Smith, is the chairperson of Debwendon Inc. today. His obituary in the Winnipeg Free Press Passages may be accessed at: http://passages.winnipegfreepress.com/passage-details/id-229641/name-Lawrence_Smith/min-run- date-1446267600/order-publish_date%7CDESC,last_name%7CASC/

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