CHINQUAPIN The Newsletter of the Southern appalachian Botanical Society
Volume 21 (2) Summer 2013
One other species has been recognized, Comandra elegans found Bastard Toadflax in the Balkans. I have seen C. elegans on the shore of the Black Sea in Albena, Bulgaria where it grows in the upper strand vegetation By Lytton John Musselman, Old Dominion University along with the impressive, rope-like dodder, Cuscuta lupulifor- mis. Present taxonomy, however, recognizes it as C. umbellata var. What is bastard about this plant? The common name is mislead- elegans. The Balkan-North American phytogeography is intriguing ing, as Comandra umbellata bears little resemblance to toadflax, and shared with few other species. species of the genus Linaria. Comandra’s flowering overlaps with The only other genus in the Comandraceae is the monotypic a common weedy toadflax in southeast Virginia and growing Geocaulon lividum, together they would never be confused. So it is difficult to imagine found in boreal and how this white flowered parasitic plant with symmetrical flowers arctic habitats. It could be confused with the two-lipped species in the genus Linaria. superficially resembles Current classification placesComandra in the Comandraceae bastard toadflax but while older treatments (and older botanists) include Comandra in has a larger orange-red the Santalaceae. It is a wide-ranging species, found in 47 states and fruit. I have seen the the majority of Canadian provinces making it the most widespread two species growing of all native parasitic angiosperms in North America, perhaps in together on the shores the world. It usually occurs in open, sunny areas. For example, it of Lake Superior is common in some prairie communities in the Midwest. Hemi- where they share a parasites favor such habitats probably because of the need for high similar habitat and transpiration rates to move materials from the host. Like many likely similar hosts as variable widespread species, numerous varieties of bastard toadflax Flowers of Comandra umbellata in southeastern well. (While the emi- have been named. Virginia in May. nent botanist Merritt Lyndon Fernald described many species, I believe Geocaulon is the News from the SABS Annual Meeting only genus he described). Comandra is a small plant seldom more than a foot tall. It is On April 10-13, the annual meeting of the Southern Appala- strongly rhizomatous and can form large patches. Small white chian Botanical Society took place in Charleston, West Virginia flowers appear in the spring. The fruit is a purplish drupe. I rarely along with the Association of Southeastern Biologists and affiliated find fruits and have not been able to verify that they are sweet as societies. This was a homecoming for SABS, returning to the state reported. where the society was formed in 1936. The society’s Financial State- The presence of chlorophyll belies the parasitic nature of bastard ment is reprinted inside this issue of Chinquapin. Other items of toadflax. However, the numerous small haustoria are readily seen interest: when the plant is dug. The host range is very broad but little is • Thanks to the following for their service to SABS, as they step known about any host preference. As if one level of parasitism down from their posts! Lytton Musselman (past-president), were not Ruth Douglas (recording secretary), Ed Lickey (council member enough, this at large), Dan Pittillo (interim newsletter editor) unassum- • New Officers and Members of Council– Kathy Matthews (presi- ing plant is dent-elect), Susan Farmer (recording secretary), Brian Keener the alternate (council member at large), Joe Pollard (newsletter editor) host of Cronartium • Award Winners – comandrae, a Richard and Minnie Windler Award: Joey Shaw, University of rust that can Tennessee at Knoxville infect and Elizabeth Ann Bartholemew Award: Stewart Ware, College of cause dam- William and Mary age to pines. Student Poster Award: Gwendolyn Casebeer, University of Roots and haustoria are on the right half of the picture and North Carolina at Asheville lighter in color. The host is likelyQuercus laevis, turkey oak. 10 Chinquapin 21 (2) The Newsletter of the Southern Appalachaian Botanical Society SABS Officers and Newsletter Editor From The Editor’s Desk: in print for now. Until I became editor, I would generally get my Chinquapin from Wendy Zomlefer President (2012-2014) Joe Pollard, Newsletter Editor the mailbox and toss it on my office desk. Department of Plant Biology Often, I would read the articles when I had 2502 Plant Sciences The Southern Appalachian Botani- a few spare minutes before going to a class, Athens, Georgia 30602 cal Club (now Society) was born in West or while waiting for a student who was late (706) 583-0389 Virginia over 75 years ago, but we have not for an appointment, or even while on-hold [email protected] had an opportunity to meet in the state of for a telephone call. A newsletter begs for our birth in living memory. There have that kind of casual reading. It’s true that Kathy Gould Matthews President-Elect (2013-2016) been many reasons for this extended “exile,” most SABS members now receive Castanea Department of Biology including the lack of suitable hotel and con- electronically, and even the august botanical Western Carolina University ference facilities for a meeting as large as the journal New Phytologist (which was “new” Cullowhee, NC 28723 Association of Southeastern Biologists, with back in 1902!) has recently become elec- (828) 227-3659 whom we regularly meet. So SABS owes tronic-only. That works for scholarly scien- [email protected] a heartfelt thanks to the officers of ASB, tific articles, which researchers and students Charles N. Horn especially to the Place of Meeting Com- must consult in order to stay current in their Treasurer (2010-2014) mittee and the Meeting Coordinator, Scott fields. But it’s different for a newsletter. If it Biology Department Jewell, for securing the facilities to hold requires much effort to read it, most people 2100 College Street such a convivial and productive 2013 meet- won’t bother, and in the process we become Newberry College ing, in Charleston, West Virginia last April. a bit less of a society, in the full sense of the Newberry, SC 28108 The meeting included several newsworthy word. At least that’s my opinion. If you (803) 321-5257, fax (803) 321-5636 outcomes that are reported in this issue of have views on the paper vs. online debate, [email protected] Chinquapin. you are welcome to send them to me or to Michael E. Held One of the matters discussed by the SABS any of the other SABS officers (preferably in Membership Secretary (2012-2016) Council in Charleston was whether Chin- a nice, paperless email). Department of Biology quapin should move to an all-electronic In the meantime, please remember that Saint Peter’s University format. Our society could save some money if you prefer to view Chinquapin online, Jersey City, NJ 07306 by doing that, and save a few trees as well. you can always do so at http://sabs.appstate. (201) 761-6432 [email protected] As editor, I will do what SABS tells me, but edu/chinquapin-issues, with future issues my personal view is that we should continue scheduled to be downloadable in color! Susan Farmer Recording Secretary (2013-2016) Department of Science Mistletoe Considered on the Positive Side Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College By J. Dan Pittillo 2802 Moore Highway Tifton, GA 31793 (229) 391-5126 Nearly everyone finds kudzu the bane of forest trees, at least in the edges or where tree [email protected] succession is attempting to take place. In our southern Appalachians we have another semi- parasitic plant (see Chinquapin 19[4]), Phoradendron serotinum (= P. leucarpum) or eastern John Pascarella mistletoe. Our widely distributed mistletoe is common on many deciduous trees but not Editor-in-Chief of Castanea (2009-2013) conifers as noted by Lytton Musselman. Lytton also has observed death of silver maples Dean, College of Sciences, Box 2209 (Acer saccharinum) infested with eastern mistletoe. Further north in the Appalachians is Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX 77341 dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum) that lives on black spruce (Picea mariana). (936) 294-1401 In Mid December last year, Alanna Mitchell of the New York Times popularized the [email protected] 2012 report by David Watson and Matthew Herring at Charles Sturt University in Albury, New South Wales, finding that the removal of mistletoe in Australian forests had a nega- Jean Baldwin tive impact on the diversity of the forest fauna. Subsequently NPR picked up the story and Managing Editor of Castanea reported it nationally. 810 East 10th Street Lawrence, KS 66044 In Watson and Herring’s study, a dozen people spent two seasons removing mistletoe [email protected] (predominantly Amyema spp.) from 17 eucalypt woodlands that were compared to 11 woodlands not harvested. Although only a few plants were found in each acre, during the Joe Pollard study 40 tons of mistletoe was removed and left on the ground. Three years later, a third of Chinquapin Editor (2012-2015) the bird species were lost from the removal sites, including those feeding on mistletoe fruits, Department of Biology which was expected, but also those feeding on forest floor insects. There was also a decline Furman University in mammals and reptiles, according to the NYT interview. There was a slight increase in 3300 Poinsett Highway Greenville, SC 29613 birds in the 11 control woodlands. (864) 294-3244 Perhaps a second added ecological boost by mistletoe is increased recycling of minerals. [email protected] This is related to the evergreen nature of the Australian mistletoe as their leaves are frequent- Mistletoe continued on Page 15 The Newsletter of the Southern Appalachaian Botanical Society Chinquapin 21 (2) 11 Everything is Rare Somewhere By Alan Weakley, UNC Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina tures prevented by the heat-absorbing qualities of water. Botanical Garden, UNC-Chapel Hill These sentinel outposts of plants will have varying fates in the Some years ago, I attended a conference in Montréal, and went future, as rapid and unprecedented climate change takes us into on a field trip afterwards to Parc National du Mont-Tremblant novel climates and ecosystems. We know that edge-of-range and (Mont-Tremblant National Park) about 50 miles (or, 80 kilometers, disjunct populations often have greater genetic diversity than, or I should say) north of the city. The field trip leaders led a wonder- different sets of alleles relative to, populations that are more central ful tour, enticing us onwards on the longish hike with mention of in a species’ distribution. Some of these outlier populations will be a special and rare plant we would see at the end of the hike. After lost, unable to adapt or move fast enough in response to change, leaving the trail and bush-whacking a few hundred meters, we ar- while others will expand and colonize new territory. Perhaps rived at the quarry, which proved to be…, to be… Quercus rubra, Mont-Tremblant’s red oaks will prevent an ecological collapse by Northern Red Oak! Apparently, this was one of its northernmost being positioned to expand northward as a new northern oak forest outposts, slightly disjunct from its main range. ecosystem. Our southern fir,Abies fraseri, has almost had its epitaph It would be easy to react with laughter or sarcasm – “Ah, the rare written as doomed in a warming world, but it has persisted through and elusive Quercus rubra! Why did we hike over hill and dale to hotter and drier times before, and perhaps having done so, it will see red oak!?” But, we should check that response with the humil- persist again and provide the genetic stock for a warmer and drier ity that everything is rare somewhere, and rare plant lists in every central and northern Appalachians. Who can say? The details of jursidiction include a mix of species that are rare rangewide, along climate change are still very uncertain, and, moreover, we know with species that are common (or even weedy) somewhere else and next to nothing about the physiological requirements, genetics, and rare only locally as a peripheral or disjunct species. If I imagine ecological abilities of nearly our entire flora. Let us be humble in taking my Quebecker hosts for a trip in the mountains of North our judgments and predictions, and conservative in handing down Carolina, I might lead them excitedly to see Trichophorum caespi- all the pieces of the natural world to our descendants. tosum (Deerhair Bulrush), or Chamerion platyphyllum (Fireweed), or North Carolina’s only population of Campanula rotundifolia (Bluebell), and perhaps they would chuckle, as all these are com- mon, dominant, and even weedy plants in Québec. Other North Castanea Cover Contest Carolina rarities might elicit derision from those in other parts of the continent, like Sabal palmetto (Cabbage Palmetto) to a Florid- Photo Winners ian ecologist, Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed) to an Iowan natural area manager, Deschampsia caespitosa (Tufted Hairgrass) to We’re pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 an Oregonian botanist, or Pellaea wrightiana (Wright’s Cliffbrake) cover photo contest for the Castanea journal. The to a Texan or Chihuahuan biogeography professor. contest was open to all SABS members, who submit- But perhaps we should see these disjunct and peripheral rare plant populations as the closest thing to a time machine that ted a variety of plant and landscape subject matter. we will see. These present plant distributions are guideposts to Many excellent entries were received. We thank every- understanding the almost unimaginably different North American one who submitted photos to the contest. A special ecosystems of the past – most recently, the hotter and drier time thank you to Jonathon Horton and Alan Harvey for from about 9000-5000 years before present sometimes referred to serving on the Judging Committee. as the Hypsithermal or the Holocene Thermal Maximum, and the Pleistocene glaciation before that. With our short life spans, we think of plants as stolid and stationary (almost all trees outlive us, as Congratulations to our winners! do many perennial plants), but with a little longer time perspective • Cheryl Gregory: Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri), Sandhills and some imagination, we can see plants almost racing around the Lily (Lilium pyrophilum) landscape in response to changing climates. Boreal species march- • John Gyer: Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora), ing southward into the southeastern Coastal Plain and Piedmont; Decumbent Trillium (Trillium decumbens), Spotted prairie plants moving across the Gulf coast into dry habitats of the Trillium (Trillium maculatum – berry trans-section) southeastern Mountains, Piedmont and Coastal Plain Blue Ridge; • tropical species moving northward along the coast, but also in- Jennifer Stanley: Mafic Glade Bidens( species: aris- land in protected humid sites? Each of these movements has left tosa or polylepis), Sedge (Cyperus echinatus), Mar- outposts and pioneers behind – boreal species at high elevations or shallia (Marshallia legrandii) on shady north-facing slopes at lower elevations; “dry” species in shallow soils of glades and barrens, on deep sands, or in woodlands These photos will be featured on the covers of the on sun-drenched southwest-facing slopes; and subtropical species 2013 and 2014 volumes of Castanea. on coastal islands or mountain waterfalls, with killing cold tempera- 12 Chinquapin 21 (2) The Newsletter of the Southern Appalachaian Botanical Society Botanical Excursions
Coal fungus (Ustilina vulgaris) is associated with “butt scars” on Pathological Ventures stumps and logs. Older fruiting bodies are “crust like” and com- pletely “carbonaceous.” By George Ellison “Sterile conks” occur around “wounds” and cause serious “heart Years ago--when I was a grad student at the University of South rot.” Black clinker-like” fungus frequently breaks through “the face Carolina and had a few extra dollars--I would drive over to Ab- of older cankers.” Those in the genusNectaria display “elliptical, beville and spend the better part of a day rummaging through the target-shaped areas with definite callous ridges resulting from kill- vast disarray of printed materials shelved or stacked or piled in ing back of successive folds of healing tissue.” Those in the Eutypella every corner of the old Noah’s Ark book emporium. (Chicken wire genus “contain numerous minute bristle-like projections that are was strung up along the multiple tiers connected by step ladders to the necks of fruiting bodies.” keep patrons from falling to their death.) Some of the happiest days Lightning or freeze-thaw create vertical or spiral “seams” (espe- in my life were spent in such places … when I should have been in cially in beech bark) that can run the length of a trunk, folding class. inward like a carefully tucked blanket or remaining open like a I still remember purchasing a 45-page booklet with a title page knife wound. Commonly initiated by fire or logging injuries, “butt that reads: “Northern Hardwoods Culls Manual / by Savel B. scars” create triangular-shaped openings at the bases of trees large Silverborg / Research Associate in Forest Pathology / Bulletin 31 / enough for livestock or humans to take refuge in during rain or Price 75 cents / January 1954 / State University of New York / Col- snow. And so on. lege of Forestry at Syracuse.” I know that I paid 35 cents because Here we part ways with Silverborg and his grim recitations so as the price is still penciled in the right hand corner of the title-page. to conclude on brighter note. Because of associations pertaining to Copies are selling on the Internet these days for $65. both the natural and human history of the Southern Appalachians, The Silverborg manual wasn’t written with grad students in burls are, for me, the most intriguing of these growth forms. English literature in mind. It was for “timber cruisers, foresters, Spelled “bur” or “burr” in Great Britain, they are roundish elon- timber land managers, and farm woodlot owners”--people who gated swellings, ranging in size from a few inches to several feet in needed practical advice on which trees should be culled. But I had length. Some are of unknown origin, but most are probably caused an interest in nature writing of any sort and the manual attracted by either insect or fungal infestations. Fantastically shaped burls my attention for two reasons: the full-page black-and-white photos on old yellow birch trees in the higher elevations of the mountains depicting the pathologies described in the text; and the descriptive lend an eerie touch to that often fog-shrouded landscape. language employed in that particular field of study. Burls from the trunks of yellow birch often yield a highly pat- The terminology associated with these extraneous growth forms terned wood prized for its beauty and sought after by furniture would be suitable in a gothic novel. Internal “heart rot,” Silverborg makers, artists, and wood sculptors. During World War II—when advises readers is commonly classified according to the color of the European wood traditionally used to make briar pipes wasn’t the decayed wood as either “white rot” or “brown rot.” Fungi gain available—burls from the roots of laurel (Kalmia latiflora) and entrance via “dead stubs” and “bark wounds.” “Fungus filaments” evergreen rhododendron (probably R. maximus for the most part) tend to “feed” vertically within a tree, producing “decay columns.” in boggy places in the Southern Appalachians were “grubbed up” as External “conks” serve as fruiting structures. a substitute. The horse’s foot “conks” Fomes( fomentarius) crack with age and The center of the industry in Western North Carolina was become “incrusted.” A single “conk” of Fomes igniarius on beech or around Hendersonville and Brevard, as well as Sparta, where the maple indicates a “decay column” six to seven feet both above and Dr. Grabow pipe company was established. Another spot associ- below the fruiting structure. On yellow birch the “decay column” ated with the industry was the White Oak Stamp in Clay County, extends eight to ten feet above and below. adjacent to the Appalachian Trail just north of the state line with Georgia. An old road near Chunky Gal Mountain in the Nantahala range is still known as “the old burl road.” Digging was hard work and the end product only brought ten to twelve dollars a ton. But it was money. As the Blue Ridge Parkway project continued after the war, construction up-rooted a great many burls that were easy to harvest. The burls suitable for pipes are apparently not abnormal growth. They are “root collars” called “lignotubers” that develop slightly below or slightly above the soil line. They are perhaps an adaptive trait for recovery and persistence under stresses of many types, especially fire. It is certain that I am more attentive to these matters than would have otherwise been the instance if I hadn’t invested 35 cents in a cull manual 45 years ago at Noah’s Ark in Abbeville, South Caro- lina, when I should have been in class studying Shakespeare. Contact info:
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Where’s Linda Chafin’s column?
Linda Chafin is taking a year’s leave from her usual column on rare plants to focus on writing a field guide to the wildflowers of Georgia. The guide is being published by the University of Georgia Press and should be available early in 2014. (Just didn’t want anyone to think that I had done anything No. 3 nefarious to Linda! We’ll welcome her back in 2014 – ed.) The Newsletter of the Southern Appalachaian Botanical Society Chinquapin 21 (2) 15 Kudos for George Ellison The “Botanical Excursions” column by tic, with the whole exceeding the sum of plifies passion, dedication, and leadership.” George Ellison has been a regular fixture its parts. Those who want to learn more Then, in April, the Southern Independent in Chinquapin since the very first issue in about George are encouraged to consult Booksellers Alliance nominated George’s 1993. From his home on the edge of the the extensive biography and interview latest book, Permanent Camp as a finalist Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently published in the North Carolina for the annual SIBA Book Award in the near Bryson City, NC, George has had a Literary Review (Byer KS. 2011. Writing category of poetry. It is worth noting that long and distinguished career of writing the interior landscape: an interview with the other two nominees are the former about the natural history of his beloved George Ellison. North Carolina Literary Poet Laureate of North Carolina, and the landscape. His works span many genres Review 20:79-93.) current Poet Laureate of the United States including poetry, prose, essays, and literary George has recently received one major – very impressive company indeed! The criticism. He is an acknowledged expert award and been nominated for a second. final award will be announced in July. You on the life and career of Horace Kephart, Last March, Wild South honored George can check out George and Elizabeth’s work whose work in the 1900’s helped set the with the Roosevelt-Ashe Conservation in Permanent Camp: Poems, Narratives, stage for the preservation of the park. award as Outstanding Journalist in Conser- and Renderings from the Smokies (Natu- Many of George’s writings have been ac- vation. In the words of Tracy Davids, Wild ral History Press, Charleston SC, 2012). companied and enhanced by watercolors South’s Executive Director, “Like Teddy And you can see the latest installment in painted by his wife Elizabeth. The partner- Roosevelt and W.W. Ashe for whom our “Botanical Excursions” in this issue of ship between these two is clearly synergis- awards are named, [George’s] work exem- Chinquapin!
Mistletoe continued from Page 10 Book Corner ly shed, thus providing more decomposing litter that supplies the trees rooted with these hemiparasites. Two recently-published books were highly recommended by While no similar study has been conducted in North America, there are some values from mistletoe. A study Linda Chafin, the regular contributor of our Rare Plants col- of mistletoe in junipers indicated an increase of juniper umn (see note elsewhere in this issue). At this point we’ll just seedlings in areas where it occurs, apparently related to call them to your attention. Perhaps we’ll include a full review bird consumption of juniper berries along with mistle- in a future Chinquapin. If you’d like to write such a review, toe berries, thus spreading more junipers as a result. In contact the editor. our West where other mistletoes live, removal of large masses of dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium douglasii) from Douglas fir Pseudotsuga( menziesii) has been halted, as The Natural Communities of Georgia by Leslie Edwards, they are favorite places for nesting sites of the spotted Jonathan Ambrose, and L. Katherine Kirkman, with photo- owl. graphs by Hugh and Carol Nourse. University of Georgia Maybe there is not a good woodland system suited for Press, 2013. 800 pp. ISBN-1 3: 978-0820330211 a similar study of our eastern mistletoe, as it is not very abundant in my experience, but if you know of abun- Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History dant stands, pass that knowledge along. National Public Radio. 22 Dec. 2012. http://www. by Carol Gracie. Princeton University Press, 2012. 336 pp. npr.org/2010/12/22/132263833/kiss-away-harvesting- ISBN-13: 978-0691144665. mistletoe-from-the-treetops Mitchell, Alanna. 2012. New York Times: http:// www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/science/beyond-the-kiss- mistletoe-helps-feed-forests-study-suggests.html?_r=0 “The evolutionary heritage of life in the Watson, D. 2001. Mistletoe—A keystone resource in forests and woodlands. Annual Review of Ecology and Appalachians is profoundly ancient, yet most of Systematics 32: 219-249. the signs I see are fleeting...A muddy streamside is Watson, D.M. and M. Herring. 2012. Mistletoe as a a blackboard, scribbled by passing feet and erased keystone resource: an experimental test. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 279(1743):3853-3860. by every rain...I follow them…remembering myself Wikipedia, May 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ only when I turn and face my own footprints.” Mistletoe [Dan is best contacted via email: [email protected] Chris Bolgiano, If you don’t have computer access write to: 675 Cane Creek Road, Sylva, NC 28779] The Appalachian Forest, 1998, Stackpole Books, p. 1. Charles N. Horn, PhD, Treasurer Southern Appalachian Botanical Society PRSTD. STD. Newberry College U.S. Postage 2100 College Street PAID Newberry, SC 29108 Asheville, NC Permit 575
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In an unannounced treat, Dr. Peter Young Botanists Meet Peter Raven Raven, President emeritus of the Missouri Botanical Garden was in attendance at the ASB/SABS annual meeting in West Virginia this April. For many readers of Chinquapin, Dr. Raven will need no introduc- tion. His accomplishments as an evolutionary researcher, conserva- tion advocate, and garden director have been recognized with a long list of awards, including a MacAr- thur Foundation fellowship and the U.S. National Medal of Science. At the annual meeting Dr. Raven was named a Fellow of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, the highest honor bestowed by ASB. He also attended the SABS Botany Students’ Reception, and is shown below with a group of the next generation of southeastern botanists.
8 Chinquapin 21 (1) The Newsletter of the Southern Appalachaian Botanical Society