Sarracenia Chapter of the Native Society The SARRACENIA TRUMPET SUMMER 2018

UPCOMING EVENTS WILDFLOWER REFUGE WITH A CENTER STRIPE:

WAKULLA’S HIGHWAY C-375 ULY J 14 – Chapter Field Trip, 9–11:30 David Roddenberry SEPTEMBER 18 - Chapter Meeting Exhibit One for Apalachicola National Forest’s extraor- SEPTEMBER (date t.b.a.) – Chapter Field Trip dinary wildflower routes is Hwy. S-65 curving through Liberty County, partly in the Apalachicola River drain------age. (See photos from a recent Sarracenia Chapter trip Keeping the custom, we will not hold program there in this issue.) But there’s an unsung route that’s a meetings during the summer months close second —C-375 paralleling the Ochlockonee in ------Wakulla County. rd The Sarracenia Chapter meets on the 3 Tuesday of each Much is owing to the pine flat- month September – November and January – May. woods terrain these roads trav- Meetings are held at 6:30 PM (6:00 PM social) at the erse. Much may also be owing Wakulla Public Library, Crawfordville, Fla. Free and to 1950s roadbuilding ways. C- open to the public. 375 between the Smith Creek  community and Sopchoppy has FNPS promotes the preservation, restoration, and con- wide swales, their bottoms servation of the native and native plant communi- sometimes nearly flat. They’re ties of Florida. always wet in goodly stretches, ______and make a rich and diverse wildflower show. The conventional wisdom is that the wildflowers of the highways in the National Forest came there from the flanking woodlands. That many of them today are scarcely found in those woodlands related field trip —see What’s Ahead… , below seems either to challenge that wisdom or to sharpen the point that the roadway’s habitats are now their refuge. It would be hard to imagine a better (cont. p. 4)

WHAT’S AHEAD FOR SUMMER AND NEXT YEAR Plant of the Month Bonnie Basham Woodward Titi —Cyrilla racemiflora Your Board of Directors has been hard at work planning Article, p. 2 field trips, plant sales and chapter meetings. If you’re like us, we still want to get out and see what natives are “The time has come to achieve a sustainable coexist- blooming where in our area. ence with the rest of life and raise our conservation efforts to a new level.” E.O. Wilson –FIELD TRIPS As a follow-up to the article just above, we have planned an “air conditioned” field trip for Saturday morning,

JULY 14. We will depart the Sopchoppy City Hall at 9 a.m. to drive/walk that notable wildflower route, C 375, for up-close encounters with wildflowers of mid-sum- mer. It will be shorter than our normal trips. It will also have a delectable finish for those who wish, as we come continued What’s Ahead … way down to and species. Facts such as medicinal back by 11:30 and go to lunch at the world famous uses, edibility, poisonous aspects, pollinators and uses Sopchoppy Pizza parlor. Look for more details, in the home garden are included. shortly. Each page showcases two wildflowers with clear, vi- brant, 3.5 X 2.5” photos, As ever, we’ll be planning field trips in the fall. We’ll common and scientific surely conduct one in Florida Native Plant Month — names, detailed descrip- October. This is tentatively planned for October 13. tions, bloom season, A September trip also may become feasible. habitat and range, and YOU can help us plan our fall field trip(s) as well as also some interesting others during the year. See the boxed note below. comments about the –PLANT SALES plant. We are tentatively planning a plant sale at Azalea For example, I was look- Park, Crawfordville, for October 6th. We plan to of- ing up a plant that I re- fer both fall blooming plants as well as spring peren- cently bought, starry nials. rosinweed (Silphium as- On October 28 at the Monarch Butterfly Festival at teriscus), and was sur- St. Mark’s NWR, we will have our traditional plant prised to read that the sale. seeds of this tall aster are produced in the ray If there are hard-to-find plants you would like us to flowers (petals) —not in try to offer, please let us know. Also, Sarracenia the center disc where I Chapter members will receive a 20% discount on all usually find the seeds in wildflowers. This plant’s resin plants purchased at these sales. So be sure you get smells like turpentine, is used for a breath freshener in your membership renewed or become a new mem- chewing gum, and has some medicinal purposes as well. ber today! The last part of the book includes a glossary of botanical terms used and a list of resources for further information WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU about native plants. Most will appreciate the handy in- dex done in a font size easy on the eyes. Do you have a favorite Check out Roger Hammer’s website to see what else he (1) place you go to see native flowers and trees? has published. The list includes 7 books and a collection Would you tell the Sarracenia board of direc- of laminated folders spotlighting plants of varying parts tors and let us plan a chapter field trip to your of Florida. favorite spot(s)? This newly published guide book is a great source of in- We are planning chapter field trips now and would formation for anyone who loves wildflowers and wants love to include some of your favorite locations. Email to learn more about the native plants that they encoun- us: ter. It should be available at your favorite bookstore. I’m [email protected] sure that you will agree that at $29.95 it’s a great book to have around when you want to learn more about our na-

(2) speaker or topic you think would make a tive wildflowers. great chapter meeting presentation? Please email us the speaker’s name and background or topic in- PLANT OF THE MONTH formation. David Roddenberry That the intrinsic beauty of a BOOK REVIEW life form should be dis- Jeannie Brodhead counted for no other reason than the abundance of that Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers by Roger L. form seems an injustice. But Hammer (Falcon Guides / ISBN 978-1-4930-3093-4 / we native-plant enthusiasts $29.95) do it all the time. Really, is a Roger Hammer's new guidebook includes photos Harper’s beauty more beauti- and information for 686 of Florida’s wildflowers, in- ful than a blue curls? No. But cluding 101 Florida endemics, from 103 plant fami- this wins the latter flower lies. Included are all of the orchids and milkweeds nothing. And the swamp titi native to Florida. or white titi, Cyrilla racemi- The book is arranged in six color groups based on the flora, now gracing many miles main color of the flowers. Within each group the of wet roadway-edge in plants are arranged by the botanical family, on the Franklin and Wakulla Counties with its long whitish-

2 green racemes, is in the same humble boat with the 4. Chapman’s crownbeard Verbesina chapmanii Bob blue curls. It’s dead common. Thompson Myriad little 5-petal flowers crowd the titi’s long, 5. the rare Henry’s spiderlily Hymenocallis henryae Kitty showy racemes. The effect, in the long flowering sea- Loftin son, makes the species unmistakable in North Flor- 6. kidneyleaf rosinweed Silphium compositum Kitty ida. The leaves are remarkably variable in size —so Loftin much that the authorities tried for a time to see two 7. the rare pineland false sunflower Phoebanthus tenuifo- species. Leaves of individual trees in some forest sit- lius Bob Thompson uations can be several times the size of those in open terrain. Then the little tree can get an amateur bota- nist scratching her head. Maybe it’s worth mention that every species in the world in the family Cyrillaceae can be seen here in Sarracenia Chapter country. Each of the family’s two genera, Cyrilla and Cliftonia (both called titi), have a single species. Cyrilla racemiflora is distinguished as a Florida native tying the Americas together botanically. In the U.S. it’s a southeastern coastal plain species (to Virginia), but those racemes also make their show all the way to northern Colombia and Brazil, the range going through Mexico, other Central American countries, Cyrilla racemiflora is distinguished as a Florida native tying the Americas together botanically and the Caribbean. In a presentation to Sarracenia four years ago, Dr. Bruce Means identified this shrub of the Florida Panhandle among the flora of the 2 tepuis, those skyscraper tropical buttes of northern South America. 3 Stop and stand and look a minute the next time you get close to this titi. Maybe take your hat off.

FIELD TRIP GALLERY Sarracenia’s 4th native-plant outing of 2018, on June 3, was graciously guided by botanist-photographer Virginia Craig of the Magnolia Chapter. The six Sar- racenia members and five Magnolias visited botani- cal “hotspots” in pine woodlands and savannas of Apalachicola Nat. Forest in Liberty County. Many in the group made their first acquaintance with several species. Shutters were clicking —

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1. the party explores a savanna Sandy Tedder

Following photos:

2. the rare night-flowering wild petunia Ruellia noc- 6 tiflora budding Kitty Loftin

3. grassleaf coneflower Rudbeckia graminifolia Bob Thompson 3 study produced these interesting tree cookies from ! lighter stumps found on Goethe State Forest. The stump —excerpted, adapted from the summer 2018 newsletter dating from 1473 is the oldest stump found in the State of the Sea Rocket Chapter— of Florida so far." (Goethe State Forest is located west of Ocala in Levy Powerline Decline in Palms by David Humphrey County.)

continued Wildflower Refuge With a Center Stripe … spectacle of parrot pitcherplant flowering in spring than that along C-375. In fact, this right-of-way that also shows a bit of yellow pitcherplant may be the only paved road in Wakulla County from which any kind of pitcherplant is visible. Those who drive C-375 in spring can attest also to the fine shows of purple thistle (Cirsium), yellow colic root (Aletris), sneezeweed (Helenium), and a lot more. The show changes with the seasons, but it goes on. At present, the small but exquisite flowers of the shrub “hairy wicky” (Kalmia) mark the road’s shrub borders with a soft pink to usher in summer’s suite of flowers. A Did you know palm trees can be damaged by high July star in that suite is the highly conspicuous Bartram’s voltage power lines? rosegentian (Sabatia) of the low swales (the flower color told by that common name). However, a new star of C- It seems only palms are subject to this malady. Even 375’s summer is rising: the large light-lavender flower of the native Sabal palmetto will demonstrate signs of Stokes aster (Stokesia). This flower has been noticeable in decline. “Powerline Decline” as it is called is rarely spots each June, but this June has seen a great breakout; fatal to the tree but will affect the leaf by yellowing the patches are this year frequent along several miles. or even killing the leaf tips. Contact is not required, In fall the highway’s swales become a golden avenue of even at a distance of five feet, the visual decline can Florida tickseed (Coreopsis) but show great patches of show. Certainly, it is a result of the electromagnetic dense blazing star (Liatris) with its rose-magenta spikes field … . But why only palms? feeding swarms of colorful butterflies. This quote from the UF/IFAS Blogsite [not specifi- The spectacle of the Stokes aster now on display can cally concerning powerline decline —ed.] may help. serve as entrée to a governmental factor —the County of “Visual symptoms … may be sufficient for the diag- Wakulla. In 2013 the County accepted a part- nosis of potassium deficiency, although leaf nutrient nership with Florida analysis may be helpful in distinguishing a … man- Wildflower Foundation ganese (Mn) deficiency. … examination should re- and adopted special veal characteristic spotting and marginal necrosis in roadway-maintenance K deficiency. Potassium deficiency symptoms are (particularly mowing) also more severe toward the leaf tip … .” practices for a half-mile Could it be that the power line electromagnetic field stretch and one lesser interferes with the potassium (K) or manganese (Mn) stretch of C-375. (Sarrace- transfer in the palm leaf? nia members assisted with prerequisite field observations.) —and from the Cuplet Fern Chapter’s Facebook page— The mowing measure, if followed in the desig- nated areas, is partial gratification to the wild- flower enthusiast. How- ever, the show of Stokes asters, almost all outside of that half mile, and recent 10-ft mow leaves a line many of the wildflowers of Stokes asters along C-375 mentioned above beg for a sympathetic mowing regime on C-375. (This and the other county-maintained highways are outside the scope of the DOT mowing regime recently revised with a great deal of input from Sarracenia and other environmental Oldest tree stumps dating back to 1473 found in Goe- organizations.) the State Forest in May this year. C-375 could seriously rival the celebrated S-65. But some From Bobby Cahal, Forestry Supervisor II [Fla. For- friends will have to help. est Svc: –ed.] "The dendrochronological research 4 your own. A great resource on our website for one place FNPS CONFERENCE 2018 is the Ochlockonee Bay Bike Trail guide that was prepared The Conference this past May 17-20 was probably as by our own members David Roddenberry, Dr. George far south as it’ll ever be, FNPS choosing the Mic- Weaver, and Doug Gilbert. cosukee Resort west of Miami. Sarracenia was repre- We also have a Sarracenia Facebook page, so “friend” us if sented by chapter representative Jeannie Brodhead you are on Facebook. and chapter vice-president David Roddenberry. You will want to check out the Florida Native Plant So- The theme was renewal (something South Florida’s ciety, Fnps.org, where you will find so many resources, natural environment could stand), and the organiz- including the page for finding the best native plants for ers had arranged a superb program. A wide array of your area, and the newsletters, the Sabal Minor and the field trips on the first and last days ranged from Palmetto. These have excellent articles and information Broward County to Key Largo to Fakahatchee Strand on native plants and native plant communities. In order in the west. Among the many headquarters presen- to get current issues of the Palmetto, you must join or re- new with fnps.org >Join or Renew. Of course, you can also join at any Sarracenia Chapter meeting. One website you will want to visit is the Florida Natural Areas Inventory. FNAI is Florida’s Natural Heritage Pro- gram and is a State member of the NatureServe network, a network connecting science with conservation. FNAI manages a database of current information on Florida’s rarest species, maintains an inventory of the state’s con- servation land holdings, and conducts ecological sur- veys and analyses to support conservation planning and land management. Do you want to plant natives in your yard or garden? You can find a list of retail native plant suppliers on this page: PlantRealFlorida. Locally, you can visit Native Nurse- FNPS Conference participants on field trip to Deep Lake in ries in Tallahassee for a good selection of native plants Big Cypress Nat. Preserve Jeannie Brodhead and information. The Florida Association of Native Nurse- tations was an especially inspiring one on landscap- ries is also a great resource. Also visit Florida Wildflower ing 10 miles of Miami’s Underline —the land corri- Growers Cooperative; it sells and ships seeds. dor under the elevated Metrorail— with a “planting You may be familiar with many of the following web- palette” inspired by natural plant communities that sites, but here are the clickable links to some helpful once inhabited the area. The principals are portable sites: to places much less urban. The International Carnivorous Plant Society – check out As to business, Dr. Susan Carr was installed as the their newsletters for valuable information. new FNPS president, the gavel passing from Cathe- For a great link on sustainable biodiversity - NatureServe. rine Bowman. And Sarracenia’s good friend Kara The iDigBio website is a valuable link for reading articles Driscoll, formerly of Magnolia Chapter and not in- and exploring their specimen records and plant portal. frequently in attendance at Sarracenia, was chosen iDigBio is funded by a grant from the National Science leader of the Council of Chapters. By dint of early Foundation's Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity rising, Sarracenia’s two representatives made a Collections Program. It is a resource for plant data and breakfast threesome with the incoming FNPS presi- contains images for millions of biological specimens. dent an hour before her installation, and had the For our Florida plant database, visit Atlas of Florida pleasure of relaxed conversation with Dr. Carr. Plants. Another good collections database can be found at the LINKS TO NATIVE PLANT RESOURCES USDA PLANTS Database. Sandy Tedder Dave’s Garden has a plant database as well as forums, Everyone probably knows lots of websites contain- guides, plant photos, and a great way to search for infor- ing great information and photos of our native mation and plants for all types of gardening. plants. But you might not always have your list of Good places to see our native plants in their native plant them at hand. Here is a list of my favorite links as a communities is by hiking our local trails. You can find native plant lover: great trail ideas at Florida Hikes. First and foremost is our Sarracenia Chapter website, The Florida Wildflower Foundation is a resource you won’t Sarracenia.fnpschapters.org; here you can find our cal- want to pass up. endar and other chapter information as well as a page A quote from revered biologist E.O. Wilson on Page 1 with all of our past issues of The Trumpet. goes with his advocacy for preserving half of the earth As you see in this issue, our Sarracenia Chapter con- to protect biodiversity from extinction. Learn more ducts field trips, but you can also explore areas on 5 about his mission and his work toward this Half- Here are some interesting photo blogs or photo sites: El- Earth goal at the Half-Earth Project website. eanor Dietrich’s Photostream, Gil Nelson, Bob Thompson, One of our local treasures, professor emeritus Dr. Lo- and Shirley Denton. ran C. Anderson, has compiled floras of various land And, finally, if you are on Facebook, you’ll want to check units, including St. Marks NWR. These can be down- out the following pages: Florida Flora and Ecosystems, loaded individually from the Magnolia Chapter Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Florida Panhandle Wild- website, Documents tab. We’ve linked the SMNWR flower Alliance, Florida Wildflower Foundation, Native Flora flora here for you, with its specific locations and usu- of Alabama and Adjacent States, International Carnivorous ally GPS coordinates for native plants in the Refuge. Dr. Plant Society Forum, and Native Plants of Florida. Anderson is also an author and/or contributor to This list is by no means comprehensive and we welcome many plant publications shown under Magnolia’s you to let us know of YOUR favorite links. Email us at Documents tab. [email protected]. DiscoverLife.org has a plant identification site that al- lows you to check boxes for observed characteristics and then returns a narrowed list of candidates.

Sarracenia congratulates — -new FNPS president Dr. Susan Carr -outgoing president Catherine Bowman

Sarracenia Board and Please Join Us at Any Board Meeting Other Volunteer Help Regular Volunteers Bonnie Basham Woodward Second Monday of September, Come to Chapter Meetings Jeannie Brodhead October, November, January, at 5:45 to help set up tables Dr. George Weaver February, March, April and chairs David Roddenberry Email us for location: Sandy Tedder [email protected] Kitty Loftin

Membership information is available at all Chapter meetings (ask Jeannie for info) or online at FNPS.org.

Find us on Facebook at Sarracenia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society

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