Prepared by Brent Baker Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission

FINAL REPORT ON LINDERA MELISSIFOLIA (WALTER ) BLUME [P ONDBERRY ] SURVEY AND RESEARCH WORK IN ARKANSAS , 2016

Prepared by

Brent Baker Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission

Submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

March 2017

Funding Provided by Grant AR-E-F16AP00069 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………………….2

OBJECTIVE ……………………………………………………………………………....…………5

METHODOLOGY ……………………………………………………………………………..……..6

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION …………………………………………………………………………6

FIGURES

1. Extant and historical Lindera melissifolia occurrences in Arkansas………….……………9 2. Excerpt of page from GLO survey notes with “spicewood” reference ……………...…...10 3. Photo of in situ Lindera melissifolia at Coffee Prairie on 6 August 2014…….………...... 11 4. Photo of Lindera melissifolia removal from Coffee Prairie on 14 November 2014...……12 5. Photo of ex situ Coffee Prairie Lindera melissifolia plant at Pine Ridge Gardens on 30 August 2015………………………...…………………………………………………...... 13 6. Sites monitored or surveyed for Lindera melissifolia in Arkansas in 2016.……………....14 7. Photo of ex situ Coffee Prairie Lindera melissifolia at Pine Ridge Gardens on 30 September 2016.……………………………………………………………………...…...15 8. Area of GLO survey notes reviewed in 2016, with potential Lindera melissifolia references indicated …...……………………………………………………………………………...16

TABLES

1. Positive-result sites surveyed for Lindera melissifolia in 2016………….……………..…17 2. Negative-result sites surveyed for Lindera melissifolia in 2016………….………………17

REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………………………..….18

APPENDIX A: Positive Results: Maps, Location Information, Descriptions, and Results/ Discussion for Monitored/Updated Sites of Lindera melissifolia in 2016.……...... 19

APPENDIX B: Negative Results: Maps, Location Information, Descriptions, and Results/ Discussion for Unoccupied Sites Searched for Lindera melissifolia in 2016.…………...29

Cover Photo:

Lindera melissifolia clone rescued from Coffee Prairie Natural Area in November 2014 growing ex situ at Pine Ridge Gardens, London, Arkansas, on 30 September 2016. Photo credit: Brent Baker.

1 FINAL REPORT ON LINDERA MELISSIFOLIA (WALTER ) BLUME [P ONDBERRY ] SURVEY AND RESEARCH WORK IN ARKANSAS , 2016

Prepared by Brent Baker ANHC Staff Botanist

INTRODUCTION

Lindera melissifolia (Walter) Blume [pondberry] is a dioecious, aromatic, clonal shrub in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is listed as Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the federal Endangered Species Act (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service [USFWS] 1986, 1993) and has been given a global conservation status rank of G2G3 (vulnerable to imperiled) by NatureServe (2015). Lindera melissifolia is known to occur in seasonally flooded wetlands in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, and South Carolina, with historical populations reported from Florida and Louisiana (NatureServe 2015). It is tracked by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission as a state species of conservation concern and has been given a state conservation status rank of S2 (very rare) (Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission [ANHC] 2017).

Prior to 1999, L. melissifolia was known in Arkansas only from isolated sand pond depression wetlands amid ancient sand dune fields in Clay, Jackson, Lawrence, and Woodruff counties in the Western Lowlands Pleistocene Valley Trains subdivision of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain Natural Division in the northeastern part of the state (Figure 1). The prevalent thought at the time was that this was the only habitat in which L. melissifolia occurred in Arkansas, although there were historical reports of the species from bordering parishes in northern Louisiana (Louisiana Natural Heritage Program 2011; NatureServe 2015). Then in 1999, a very small and seemingly stressed population of L. melissifolia was discovered by chance at Coffee Prairie Natural Area in Ashley County in the Floodplains and Low Terraces subdivision of the West Gulf Coastal Plain Natural Division, in the Ouachita River bottoms just north of the Louisiana border (ANHC 2017; Figure 1). The population occurred at the ecotone of several habitats: bottomland hardwood forest, lowland sand prairie, and sandy upland pine-dominated mound. Upon further investigation, it was found that there were multiple references to “spicewood,” presumably in reference to L. melissifolia , in original General Land Office (GLO) survey notes dating to the mid-1800s from bottomland forests in the vicinity of this occurrence, where it was sometimes listed as a common understory species (Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands [ARCoSL] 2016; Figure 2). The GLO survey notes contain information, often including common woody plants or other notes on vegetation, recorded by land surveyors as they blazed the mile by mile Section grids of the Township/Range system.

Then in 2001, an extremely large population of L. melissifolia , one of the largest known (thousands of clones across over a thousand acres), was discovered by chance in sandy, forested bottomlands near the St. Francis River in the St. Francis Lowlands subdivision of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain in Craighead and Poinsett counties (ANHC 2017; Figure 1). This area, generally referred to as the St. Francis Sunken Lands, consists of slightly elevated Valley Train deposits

2 (sandy glacial outwash from the Late Wisconsin glaciation) within an area of lower bottomlands (Saucier 1994). The entire Sunken Lands area is seasonally inundated (in winter and spring) and supports bottomland hardwood forest that varies in composition across slight elevation gradients. Lindera melissifolia is concentrated on a series of low (less than one meter high) ridges separated by shallow channels or depressions.

Although these latter two discoveries were somewhat of a surprise, nevertheless, all known Arkansas populations of L. melissifolia still shared common habitat characteristics. They all occurred within bottomland or lowland forests specifically associated with sandy, Pleistocene alluvial deposits. It subsequently became accepted that this was the standard for L. melissifolia populations in Arkansas, and surveys in subsequent years were often restricted to just such areas.

However, another exciting discovery of a population of L. melissifolia on Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge in Crittenden County (Figure 1) in the fall of 2012 changed the perception once again (ANHC 2017). This population, although still within a bottomland hardwood forest matrix, occurs within a depression atop a natural levee along a former channel of the Mississippi River in the Northern Holocene Meander Belts subdivision of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. The soil at this site did not superficially appear to be particularly sandy; in fact, it appeared to be primarily clay to clay-loam. Furthermore, the age of the geomorphic surface of the site was much younger than at the sites of the other known Arkansas populations. In 2014, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC) botanists visited several populations of L. melissifolia in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain within the State of Mississippi in order to investigate the locations and habitats occupied in that state. These investigations revealed the species’ ability to grow in bottomland hardwood forest depressions with clay to clay-loam soils and even in wet hardwood flatwoods with similar soils, and on sites of younger age/more recent geomorphic origin (Baker & Witsell 2015). This information seemed to open many possibilities for potential sites for as yet undiscovered L. melissifolia populations in Arkansas.

Although L. melissifolia is widely considered to have been relatively uncommon historically, the size and extent of the St. Francis Sunken Lands population (ANHC 2017; Baker & Witsell 2012; Witsell & Baker 2011) as well as the extent of references in the GLO survey notes from the lower Ouachita River bottoms (ARCoSL 2016) suggest that perhaps the species was more common historically than previously thought. Regardless, it appears to have become much rarer since the time of the GLO survey, with some populations continuing to exhibit decline or being extirpated altogether (Baker & Witsell 2015; NatureServe 2015; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1993). Loss of habitat by clearing for agriculture as well as habitat alteration by wetland drainage and/or changes to the hydrologic regime have been the predominant threats to L. melissifolia populations, while timber harvesting may also be a contributing factor (NatureServe 2015; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1993). The increasingly fragmented habitat and populations may greatly reduce the species’ chances of survival, as sexual reproduction is limited and dispersal and recruitment are impeded (NatureServe 2015). Surveys for and protection of any as yet undocumented populations could be vital to the ultimate conservation and recovery of this species.

To this end, and as evidenced by the notes from the Coffee Prairie area, the GLO survey notes could hold possible clues to locations of any such previously undocumented L. melissifolia

3 populations in the state. Additional review of nineteenth century GLO survey notes from lowland areas in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and West Gulf Coastal Plain have revealed other references to “spicewood,” “swamp spice,” as well as other such names that perhaps could have been in reference to L. melissifolia (Baker 2016). Further and more systematic review of GLO survey notes followed by additional field surveys in areas of such references is certainly warranted .

Monitoring and conservation of known L. melissifolia populations remains a priority, as well. One population in Arkansas that has exhibited an apparent drastic decline, as indicated by recent survey results (Baker & Witsell 2015) compared to the GLO survey notes (ARCoSL 2016), is that of the lower Ouachita River bottoms in Ashley County, of which a relic persisted until recently at Coffee Prairie Natural Area. Upon its initial discovery in 1999, the Coffee Prairie L. melissifolia population consisted of only a few small, sterile colonies in rather poor condition (depauperate stems and unhealthy appearance) within a few meters of each other. Two small colonies or presumed clones (one with 6 stems, one with 19 stems) in poor condition were last observed in September 2004, at which time precise GPS coordinates were recorded (ANHC 2017). Following a lengthy period without monitoring, the site was surveyed late in the year in both 2010 and 2011, but no sign of the two colonies were located at or near those coordinates either year (Witsell & Baker 2011; Baker & Witsell 2012), and the population was feared extirpated. However, it should be noted that both years were rather droughty, and it would have been possible for depauperate stems of L. melissifolia to be overlooked if plants had entered drought-induced early dormancy. It was speculated, though, that the plants had succumbed to several years of extreme and prolonged flooding alternating with several seasons of severe drought. Anecdotal evidence led to speculation that changes in the hydrologic regime (perhaps more prolonged flooding events) in the lower Ouachita River bottoms have altered the habitat suitability of the area for L. melissifolia .

The site was then monitored earlier in the season in 2014 in an attempt to catch any plants before they lost leaves due to stress-induced early dormancy. Again, however, there was no sign of the original plants at the original coordinates. Then, on 6 August 2014, a single, tiny, sterile clone was located 85 meters to the east of the original coordinates on the opposite (downslope) side of an ATV trail (Baker & Witsell 2015). The clone consisted of two live stems, one about 7.5 centimeters tall and one about 15 centimeters tall, in addition to a 15-centimeter tall dead stem and the remnant base of an older dead stem about 0.5 centimeter in diameter, all within a couple of centimeters of each other (Figure 3). The plant was observed again on 16 September 2014. It generally appeared in poorer condition than six weeks earlier, primarily having sustained significant herbivory of the leaves, while simultaneously not having grown much, if any, in the interim. Intensive surveys failed to locate any additional plants in the area.

Since this was the last known extant L. melissifolia individual from the West Gulf Coastal Plain populations that once occupied southeastern Arkansas and northeastern Louisiana and since its continued existence at the site was clearly precarious, it seemed prudent to extract the Coffee Prairie individual for ex situ cultivation in an attempt to preserve its genes for possible use in recovery efforts for the species. With approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the individual was dug on 14 November 2014 after it had gone mostly dormant. It appeared in even poorer condition at the time, with the larger of the two live stems browning and appearing to be

4 perhaps in a stage of dieback (Figure 4). The plant was removed with a shovel, cutting the soil and roots at a 0.5 meter radius from the stems and digging about 0.5 meter down. It turned out that the stems were growing from the end of a thick rhizome extending horizontally only a few centimeters below the surface. Very few roots were present. A portion of the rhizome of unknown length beyond the 0.5 meter radius remained in the ground at the site. The dug plant was immediately transferred to Pine Ridge Gardens, a native plant nursery in London, Arkansas, for housing and care.

The Coffee Prairie L. melissifolia plant survived the 2014-2015 winter and then did well in ex situ cultivation during the 2015 growing season, with the main stem growing to about 0.6 meter in height and with two additional suckering stems emerging (Baker 2016; Figure 5). This plant should continue to be cared for and monitored closely, and divided into multiple pots (clones) if possible. Then, if one of the clones reaches a sufficient size and vigorousness, tissue culture micropropagation should be pursued. This could ultimately lead to conservation through dissemination of clones to arboreta and to preservation of its genetic diversity by dissemination to researchers for use in recovery efforts throughout the species’ range. It could also lead to possible re-establishment of clones at Coffee Prairie, perhaps along a hydrological gradient that would allow for collection of microhabitat suitability data which could also aid in further recovery efforts for the species.

The specific locality at Coffee Prairie Natural Area from which the L. melissifolia plant was removed in November 2014 was monitored in July 2015 for possible resprouting from the portion of the rhizome that had remained in the ground (Baker 2016). However, no resprouts were observed and it was noted that there had been sustained flooding of about 1.3 meters at the location for a considerable period of time in late spring 2015, which could have been detrimental to any potential young resprouts. Further monitoring of the site for the next several years is warranted to determine if the remaining rhizome produces additional stems in situ.

Incidentally, when the Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge population was discovered in 2012, a large population of the congener species L. benzoin (spicebush) was found along the natural levee on which the depression wetland harboring the L. melissifolia is situated. The L. benzoin population surrounds the L. melissifolia population, with plants of both species coming into direct contact around the margin of the depression wetland. A single, sterile plant exhibiting characters of both species was found growing nearby. It had the growth habit of L. benzoin , but had leaves more typical of L. melissifolia , and it was thus speculated that it might represent a hybrid. The two species grow in relatively close proximity at other sites in Arkansas, as well. However, the two species’ ability to hybridize and, if they do, the degree to which they hybridize is not known. This subject is worth investigating further.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this project were to locate previously undocumented populations of L. melissifolia in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, West Gulf Coastal Plain, and perhaps Arkansas Valley natural divisions of Arkansas, as well as to cultivate and pursue possible ex situ propagation and conservation of the only known extant West Gulf Coastal Plain individual via tissue culture micropropagation.

5 METHODOLOGY

Using occurrence information from known populations of Lindera melissifolia in Arkansas (ANHC 2017) and Mississippi, along with the study of soils, topography, and geomorphology maps, as well as aerial imagery, appropriate habitat was identified and surveyed in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and West Gulf Coastal Plain natural divisions from July through October in 2016. Additionally, a subset of the GLO survey notes (ARCoSL 2016) from those natural divisions was methodically reviewed for potential references to L. melissifolia , such as “spicewood,” “swamp spice,” etc. Geographic Information System shapefiles were digitized for these references and were used to help guide field survey efforts. Five known L. melissifolia populations were also at least partially monitored during September and October 2016. Contracts for continued ex situ cultivation of the Coffee Prairie L. melissifolia plant were brokered between the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and Pine Ridge Gardens.

In order to investigate the degree to which L. melissifolia and L. benzoin hybridize, if they do at all, as well as to try to get an understanding of how genetically distinct or related the separate populations in Arkansas are, the ANHC contracted with Dr. Scott Woolbright of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to conduct a genetics study testing for hybridization between the two species, as well as attempting to compare relatedness of the Arkansas populations of L. melissifolia . To this end, ANHC botanists provided Dr. Woolbright with location information of L. melissifolia populations on ANHC natural areas, as well as some locations of L. benzoin within Arkansas. Dr. Woolbright then made site visits to several populations of each species to collect leaf tissue samples and accompanying herbarium voucher specimens for the genetics study. ANHC botanists additionally made several site visits or took advantage of opportunistic already planned site visits to several populations of each species and collected leaf tissue samples and accompanying herbarium voucher specimens.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In 2016, monitoring of Lindera melissifolia populations was conducted at five sites while surveys for previously undocumented populations were conducted at an additional three sites across a total of eight counties within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and West Gulf Coastal Plain natural divisions of Arkansas (Figure 6; Tables 1 & 2). Four of the known populations monitored proved extant (Table 1), with three of them appearing relatively robust and healthy (i.e., Swifton Sand Ponds Natural Area, St. Francis Sunken Lands, and Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge). Only a single large clone was relocated at the fourth (i.e., Stateline Sand Ponds Natural Area), although surveys were conducted over a relatively small portion of the area. Maps (on 2006 dormant-season color-infrared aerial imagery), location information, site descriptions, and discussion of results for the occupied sites monitored (Table 1) are provided in Appendix A.

The location at Coffee Prairie Natural Area where the L. melissifolia plant was removed in November 2014 (Baker & Witsell 2015) was monitored 2 September 2016 for possible resprouting from the rhizome that had remained in the ground. However, no resprouts were observed. Although this marks the second year with no evidence of resprouting, the site should

6 continue to be monitored again over the next few years to be sure. Furthermore, no previously undocumented populations of L. melissifolia were found as a result of the surveys at the three additional sites. Maps (on 2006 dormant-season color-infrared aerial imagery), location information, site descriptions, and discussion of results for all unoccupied sites surveyed (Table 2) are provided in Appendix B.

The ex situ Coffee Prairie L. melissifolia plant, meanwhile, continued to be housed and cared for at Pine Ridge Gardens throughout 2016. The potted plant continued to flourish, with the main stem branching and growing to a height of about 1.5 meters (Figure 7). Furthermore, seven additional stems sprouted during the season, bringing the total to ten. The plant is sufficiently robust enough to be divided during the winter of 2016-2017 while it is dormant. The clones will continue to be housed at Pine Ridge Gardens and monitored closely. If the subsequent clones continue to do well during the 2017 growing season, one or more of them could be robust and vigorous enough to pursue tissue culture micropropagation in 2018. Further discussions with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other potential collaborators toward this end will likely take place in 2017. Eventual mass propagation of the plant, as well as dissemination of potential resulting clones to arboreta and researchers, will ensure a better chance of long-term survival of the population and preservation of its genetic diversity. Also, eventual re-establishment of clones at Coffee Prairie Natural Area along a hydrological gradient would allow for collection of microhabitat suitability data which could aid in recovery efforts for the species.

A total of 119 additional books of GLO survey notes (ARCoSL 2016) were reviewed in 2016 in search of possible references to L. melissifolia . This review covered approximately one- thirteenth of the state, building northward from the area reviewed in 2015 (Baker 2016), specifically from the rest of Township 13 South, to a portion of Township 11 South, all in Ranges West (Figure 8). As mentioned previously, the GLO survey notes contain information, often including common woody plants or other notes on vegetation, recorded by land surveyors as they blazed the mile by mile Section grids of the Township/Range system. Multiple surveyors, with varying degrees of botanical identification skills and recording their notes in varying levels of detail, worked throughout the study area over the course of several decades in the early to mid-1800s. As is the case today, some plants can have multiple common names while multiple plants can have the same common name. Since GLO surveyors almost always recorded only common names of plants, in many cases it is difficult, if not impossible, to know to which species a particular reference may have pertained. For the purposes of this study, references to “spice,” “spice bush,” “spicewood,” “swamp spice,” and “swamp spicewood” were recorded and digitized in GIS due to their most likely possible association with L. melissifolia (Figure 8). Although “spice bush,” and perhaps some of the others, may have actually been in reference to L. benzoin , those occurring in or near habitats that could support L. melissifolia are still worth investigating in the field. Furthermore, there were instances where “spicewood” or “swamp spice” were cited near areas where “spice bush” was also referenced by the same surveyor, indicating that at least in some areas, two distinct plants were being observed and differentiated. It is also important to note that Sassafras albidum , another common member of the Lauraceae family in Arkansas, and one that would have been well-known due to its herbal and culinary uses, is referenced by name throughout the GLO survey notes, often from higher, better-drained sites. Therefore, it seems unlikely that the aforementioned references would have pertained to Sassafras . Although not indicated on the map in Figure 8, various “bay” and

7 “laurel” references were also documented and digitized in GIS due to the association of those names with some members of the Lauraceae family. Some of these may also be worth investigating in the field, but given the multitude of species, including those from other unrelated families, to which these names could apply, they would be lower priorities.

These GLO references to potential L. melissifolia sites have been and can continue to be used to help guide targeted field survey efforts. Methodical review of the remaining GLO survey notes should continue in order to further document such references. Ranges East would be reviewed once all Ranges West have been completed. Townships North, likewise, would be reviewed once all Townships South have been completed. Although no L. melissifolia was located in any such areas surveyed in 2014 (Baker & Witsell 2015), 2015 (Baker 2016), or 2016, in most cases the habitats appeared quite suitable, and it seems reasonable they could have once supported this species. Also, in many cases, these sites seemed to lack other plants that might have potentially been called by the aforementioned common names, implying the current absence of the plants to which the GLO surveyors were referring. This absence could certainly correlate to the general decline and extirpation of some L. melissifolia populations that has been documented over the past century throughout its range. Continuing to follow up on potential L. melissifolia GLO references and continuing to extend search efforts to bottomland forests and wet flatwoods with a variety of soils greatly increases the likelihood of finding additional populations in Arkansas. Much area in the state remains to be searched. The presence of additional populations in the state would greatly increase the species’ chance for recovery, allowing for the possible conservation of a greater number of plants and a potentially greater amount of genetic diversity within the species.

In preparation for the genetic study of L. melissifolia and L. benzoin , Dr. Woolbright made a site visit each to Stateline Sand Ponds Natural Area, Swifton Sand Ponds Natural Area, and St. Francis Sunken Lands Natural Area to collect leaf tissue samples and accompanying herbarium voucher specimens from L. melissifolia . He also visited and collected the same at the sites of several L. benzoin populations. ANHC botanists supplemented Dr. Woolbright’s collections with additional collections of both species from Stateline Sand Ponds Natural Area and from St. Francis Sunken Lands Wildlife Management Area, as well as L. benzoin samples from Swifton Sand Ponds Natural Area, Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area and private property in Pope and Saline counties. A sample was also obtained from the Coffee Prairie Natural Area plant currently being grown ex situ at Pine Ridge Gardens.

8 Sand Ponds St. Francis Sunken Lands

Wapanocca

Coffee Prairie

Figure 1. Extant and historical Lindera melissifolia occurrences in Arkansas.

Figure 2. Excerpt of a scan of page 49 from the original GLO survey notes in Book 976 of Bundle 169, recorded by C. Langtree, Deputy Surveyor, in October 1842 (ARCoSL 2016). This excerpt describes the mile Section line between Sections 20 and 29 of Township 19 South and Range 9 West, in southwestern Ashley County, about a mile southeast of the site of the Coffee Prairie L. melissifolia population. It reads “Lands overflows to 15ft…Timber pin oak [willow oak] Cypress Gum...Undergrowth greenbriers & spicewood.” There are numerous references to “spicewood” in this area, presumably in reference to L. melissifolia .

Figure 3. Single, sterile, clone of Lindera melissifolia (with two live stems and one dead stem) discovered 6 August 2014 at Coffee Prairie Natural Area in the Ouachita River bottoms in Ashley County, Arkansas. Garmin eTrex Legend HCx ® handheld GPS unit for scale. Photo credit: Brent Baker.

Figure 4. Single, sterile, clone of Lindera melissifolia removed from Coffee Prairie Natural Area in the Ouachita River bottoms of Ashley County, Arkansas, on 14 November 2014. It was immediately transferred to Pine Ridge Gardens, a native plant nursery in London, Arkansas, for potting, housing, and care. Photo credit: Brent Baker.

Figure 5. Single, sterile, clone of Lindera melissifolia originally from Coffee Prairie Natural Area, growing ex situ at Pine Ridge Gardens, a native plant nursery in London, Arkansas, on 30 August 2015. Note the several young suckering stems in addition to original stem. Photo credit: Brent Baker.

Figure 6. Sites monitored or surveyed for Lindera melissifolia in Arkansas in 2016.

Figure 7. Single, sterile, clone of Lindera melissifolia originally from Coffee Prairie Natural Area, growing ex situ at Pine Ridge Gardens, a native plant nursery in London, Arkansas, on 30 September 2016. Note the several suckering stems in addition to original stem. Photo credit: Brent Baker.

Figure 8. Area of GLO survey notes reviewed in 2016 within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and West Gulf Coastal Plain natural divisions of Arkansas, with potential references to Lindera melissifolia indicated. Note that the site of the Coffee Prairie population of L. melissifolia is imbedded within a large area of “spicewood” references, perhaps roughly indicating the historical extent of at least a portion of this population.

Site # Site County Latitude Longitude Date(s) Surveyed Page # 1 Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge Crittenden 35.33090 -90.22244 10/11/2016 20 2 Swifton Sand Ponds Natural Area Jackson 35.85587 -91.10237 10/5/2016 22 Craighead 10/11/2016; 3 St. Francis Sunken Lands & Poinsett 35.70836 -90.42873 10/12/2016 24 8/2/2016; 4 Stateline Sand Ponds Natural Area Clay 36.49509 -90.60739 10/6/2016 26

Table 1. Positive-result sites surveyed for Lindera melissifolia in 2016. Coordinates represent centrum of area surveyed. See Appendix A for detailed maps.

Site # Site County Latitude Longitude Date(s) Surveyed Page # 1 Coffee Prairie Natural Area* Ashley 33.05589 -92.06574 9/2/2016 30 2 Highway 67 Jackson 35.66544 -91.19417 10/5/2016 32 3 Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area Arkansas 34.28709 -91.61936 10/13/2016 34 4 Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge Sevier 33.90806 -94.37561 7/6/2016 37

Table 2. Negative-result sites surveyed for Lindera melissifolia in 2016. Coordinates represent centrum of area surveyed. See Appendix B for detailed maps. *Coffee Prairie Natural Area is a known and potentially wild- extirpated population (the only known surviving genetic individual from this population is currently being grown ex situ).

17 REFERENCES

Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands (ARCoSL). 2016. Arkansas: General Land Office survey notes. Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands Office, Little Rock, Arkansas. Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands: History & Archives: Louisiana Purchase; available history.cosl.org/lp.htm. (Accessed: 2016).

Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC). 2017. Arkansas Natural Heritage Program biodiversity database. Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Little Rock, Arkansas. (Accessed: March 19, 2017).

Baker, B. 2016. Final Report on Lindera melissifolia (Walter) Blume [Pondberry] survey and research work in Arkansas, 2015. Unpublished report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Baker, B. and T. Witsell. 2012. Final Report on Lindera melissifolia (Walter) Blume [Pondberry] survey work in Arkansas, 2011. Unpublished report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Baker, B. and T. Witsell. 2015. Final Report on Lindera melissifolia (Walter) Blume [Pondberry] survey and research work in Arkansas, 2014. Unpublished report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Louisiana Natural Heritage Program. 2011. Rare Plant Tracking List and Fact Sheets. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Available http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/wildlife/rare-plants-fact-sheets. (Accessed: November 5, 2011).

NatureServe. 2015. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://explorer.natureserve.org. (Accessed: March 19, 2017).

Saucier, R.T. 1994. Geomorphology and Quaternary Geologic History of the Lower Mississippi Valley, Vol. I. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Mississippi. December 1994.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1986. Determination of endangered status for Lindera melissifolia . Federal Register 51:27495-27500.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1993. Pondberry ( Lindera melissifolia ) Recovery Plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia.

Witsell, T. and B. Baker. 2011. Final Report on Lindera melissifolia (Walter) Blume [Pondberry] survey work in Arkansas, 2010. Unpublished report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Little Rock, Arkansas.

APPENDIX A

Positive Results

Maps, Location Information, Descriptions, and Results/Discussion for Monitored/Updated Sites of Lindera melissifolia in 2016

19 Site # 1: Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge

Location: KNOWN POPULATION MONITORED; Crittenden County, Arkansas; Jericho 7.5’ quadrangle; Centrum: N35.33090, W90.22244

Surveyor(s): Brent Baker

Date(s) of Survey(s): 11 October 2016

Description: Margins of forested depression on natural levee between two oxbow lakes in ancient channels of the Mississippi River. Although the natural levee may consist primarily of sands and silts, the depression wetland consists of heavy clay soil to some depth. This site is owned and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Results/Discussion: This population consists of as many as seven large colonies of several hundred to several thousand stems each, up to 2 meters tall, as well as at least four small scattered colonies of about a dozen to a couple of dozen stems each. Fruits were present within two of the large colonies. This population was first discovered in September 2012. It was reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service but not as part of a Section 6 grant report. This is the first time it has been monitored by Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission staff since. The population appears robust and healthy and a few of the smaller colonies apparently were missed during the original survey in 2012 and so are documented here for the first time.

Associates: Asimina triloba , Boehmeria cylindrica , Brunnichia ovata , Campsis radicans , Cephalanthus occidentalis , Lindera benzoin , Quercus texana , Q. lyrata , Smilax rotundifolia , Styrax americanus , Acer rubrum var. drummondii , Diospyros virginiana , Fraxinus sp., Vitis sp., Scutellaria lateriflora , Gleditsia sp., Liquidambar styraciflua , Sicyos angulatus , Carya sp., Ulmus americana , Commelina virginica , Ampelopsis arborea , Crataegus viridis , Trachelospermum difforme , Taxodium distichum , Planera aquatica , and Carpinus caroliniana .

Threats: No major threats to this L. melissifolia population were noted. Although there was some ongoing thinning of the forest on the levee nearby, the Refuge is aware of the L. melissifolia population and they would presumably not be cutting trees within the depression wetland.

20 Site # 1: Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge

21 Site # 2: Swifton Sand Ponds Natural Area

Location: KNOWN POPULATION MONITORED; Jackson County, Arkansas; Swifton East 7.5’ quadrangle; Centrum: N35.85587, W91.10237

Surveyor(s): Brent Baker

Date(s) of Survey(s): 5 October 2016

Description: Forested sand pond depression wetlands among ancient sand dunes, mostly surrounded by agricultural fields. The dunes, cleared for agriculture in the past, have been replanted in trees and are in the process of reforestation. This site is privately owned but managed by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission through a conservation easement.

Results/Discussion: This population was last monitored in 2014 (Baker & Witsell 2015). At the time at least 20 distinct colonies of Lindera melissifolia were observed, ranging from a couple of stems to a couple of hundred stems each. Stems ranged up to 2 meters tall and fruits were observed on stems within several colonies. However, the entirety of suitable habitat on the natural area was not covered during the 2014 survey. The survey in 2016, although overlapping significantly, also included additional portions not surveyed two years prior. This resulted in discovery of two additional large colonies on the southern end of the west side of the natural area. These colonies consisted of several hundred stems, up to 2 meters tall, each. Fruit was observed on stems within one of these colonies. Additionally a previously undocumented single, sterile stem about 0.5 meter tall was found north of the bisecting road. Although most of the colonies within the surveyed area south of the bisecting road were relocated, the two small colonies within the area surveyed north of the bisecting road could not be relocated. Overall, the population at this site seems of comparable size to past reports, and the plants generally seem healthy and many colonies are robust. Additionally several colonies were fertile and producing fruit. Leaf tissue samples for the genetic study were collected by Dr. Woolbright from at least six L. melissifolia colonies at this site. Brent collected leaf tissue samples from six L. benzoin plants at this site, as well.

Associates: Ulmus americana, Celtis laevigata, Diospyros virginiana, Smilax rotundifolia, Smilax glauca, Trachelospermum difforme, Brunnichia ovata, Morus rubra, Styrax americanus, Quercus lyrata, Q. phellos, Q. cf. texana, Saururus cernuus, Amsonia tabernaemontana, Impatiens capensis, Sambucus canadensis, Toxicodendron radicans, Cephalanthus occidentalis, Acer rubrum var. drummondii, Campsis radicans, Asimina triloba, Ilex decidua, Carya aquatica, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Vitis rotundifolia, and Nyssa sylvatica.

Threats: A few colonies were being overtaken significantly by Smilax rotundifolia and other woody vines. No other significant threats noted.

22 Site # 2: Swifton Sand Ponds Natural Area

23 Site # 3: St. Francis Sunken Lands

Location: KNOWN POPULATION MONITORED; Craighead & Poinsett Counties, Arkansas; Hatchie Coon 7.5’ quadrangle; Centrum: N35.70836, W90.42873

Surveyor(s): Brent Baker

Date(s) of Survey(s): 11-12 October 2016

Description: Bottomland hardwood forest with low ridge and swale microtopography in soils ranging from clay to sandy-loam. This Lindera melissifolia population extends across lands owned and managed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (St. Francis Sunken Lands Wildlife Management Area) and lands privately owned and managed, with the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission holding a conservation easement over 80 acres of the private lands (St. Francis Sunken Lands Natural Area).

Results/Discussion: This L. melissifolia population, the largest in the state, consists of thousands of colonies occurring throughout more than 1,500 acres. Although efforts to map individual colonies have been undertaken over portions of the area in the past (ANHC 2017; Baker & Witsell 2012; Witsell & Baker 2011), this was not attempted in 2016. Instead, the general status of the population was monitored. Several scattered segments of the population were visited. The population appears to remain healthy and robust. Fruits were noted within numerous colonies. A segment of the population within the Wildlife Management Area occurs within a unit that was undergoing timber thinning in 2016. The forest was being selectively thinned, not clearcut, and the L. melissifolia within the thinned areas appeared to be responding favorably to the thinning at this point. Although some existing stems of L. melissifolia were damaged or destroyed by machinery or falling trees during the thinning process, some stems remained and, more importantly, numerous new, healthy, and vibrant shoots were emerging from the rootstock. Although timber harvesting has been suggested as possible contributor to the decline of some populations, the degree and frequency of harvesting may be more significant than the harvesting itself. More infrequent selective thinning of the matrix forest, such as being conducted at this site, may not be especially harmful, and may even promote at least temporary robust asexual regeneration of L. melissifolia . Leaf tissue samples for the genetic study were collected by Dr. Woolbright from at least seven L. melissifolia colonies at St. Francis Sunken Lands Natural Area. Brent collected leaf tissue samples from four L. melissifolia colonies and six L. benzoin plants at St. Francis Sunken Lands Wildlife Management Area.

Associates: Fraxinus pennsylvanica , Taxodium distichum , Ulmus americana , Nyssa sylvatica , Morus rubra , Diospyros virginiana , Quercus nigra , Q. michauxii , Q. texana , Q. pagoda , Q. phellos , Q. lyrata , Populus deltoides , Acer negundo , A. rubrum var. drummondii , Celtis laevigata , Liquidambar styraciflua , Berchemia scandens , Smilax glauca , S. hispida , Toxicodendron radicans , Carex louisianica , C. tribuloides , Cocculus carolinus , Dioclea multiflora and Rubus spp.

Threats: No significant threats to this population were noted.

24 Site # 3: St. Francis Sunken Lands

25 Site # 4: Stateline Sand Ponds Natural Area

Location: KNOWN POPULATION MONITORED; Clay County, Arkansas; Corning 7.5’ quadrangle; Centrum: N36.49509, W90.60739

Surveyor(s): Theo Witsell; Brent Baker

Date(s) of Survey(s): 2 August 2016; 6 October 2016

Description: Forested sand pond depression wetlands among ancient sand dunes, bisected by cleared gas pipeline easement. This site is owned and managed by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission. The natural area is surrounded by agricultural fields to the west, south, and east. It is bordered on the north in Missouri by the Missouri Department of Conservation and The Nature Conservancy’s Sand Pond Conservation Area.

Results/Discussion: This population was last monitored in 2014 (Baker & Witsell 2015). It is worth noting that in 2015, subsequent to the current monitoring, this Natural Area, and thus protected habitat, was expanded with the purchase of an additional 26.5 contiguous acres to the south. At the time of the 2014 monitoring, two Lindera melissifolia colonies were observed. One small, sterile colony was observed in the northwestern section of the natural area. A second, larger, sterile colony consisting of hundreds of stems up to 1.25 meters tall was observed on the eastern side of the natural area, north of two cleared gas pipeline easements. Substantial stem dieback was observed, and a portion of the colony was being overtaken by greenbrier vines. Although only two colonies were observed, a greater number of colonies have been reported at this site in the past; however, the entirety of suitable habitat within the natural area was not covered during the 2014 survey and other colonies could have been overlooked.

The surveys in 2016 did not extend into the northwestern portion, so the smaller colony observed in 2014 was not monitored. The larger colony on the east side, however, was monitored in 2016. It appeared to be roughly equivalent in number of stems and overall size as in 2014. A portion was still being significantly overtaken by greenbrier vines. It was again sterile, suggesting that either it is a male clone or a female not close enough to male plants to be pollinated. As stated above, other colonies have been reported and mapped from the area (ANHC 2017), although they may not have been mapped as precisely as GPS technologies now allow. Although the general vicinities for some of these other mapped colonies were surveyed in 2016, none could be relocated. Particular attention was devoted to surveying the gas pipeline easement and the immediately adjacent forest. The easement had become somewhat overgrown with shrubs and young trees and the gas company was interested in managing the vegetation. The company approached the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission regarding formulating a compatible vegetation management plan for the easement given the natural area status and the rare and sensitive species within or adjacent to the easement. The easement was mowed between August and October and it was agreed that further management would be contingent on results of additional botanical surveys over the following year.

Although there is at least one large colony of L. melissifolia on the natural area, overall the population at this site within Arkansas seems relatively small, and perhaps smaller than in the

26 past. However, the population does extend onto adjacent protected lands in Missouri. Additional surveys to assess the status of the remainder of the population at this site are warranted. Leaf tissue samples for the genetic study were collected by Dr. Woolbright from at least two plants of Lindera at this site, although the exact species is a bit in question and has not yet been confirmed by ANHC botanists. Brent collected leaf tissue samples from one L. melissifolia colony and seven L. benzoin plants at this site to supplement Dr. Woolbright’s collections.

Associates: Liquidambar styraciflua, Acer rubrum var. drummondii, Quercus cf. texana, Q. nigra, Q. michauxii, Smilax rotundifolia, Itea virginica, Cornus foemina, Saururus cernuus, Ulmus americana, U. alata, Diospyros virginiana, Celtis laevigata, Carpinus caroliniana, Toxicodendron radicans, Stachys tenuifolia, Lycopus sp. , Persicaria virginica, Rubus sp. , Bignonia capreolata, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Commelina virginica .

Threats: As observed in 2014, a portion of the larger L. melissifolia colony was still being significantly overtaken by greenbrier vines in 2016. No other significant threats were noted.

27 Site # 4: Stateline Sand Ponds Natural Area

APPENDIX B

Negative Results

Maps, Location Information, Descriptions, and Results/Discussion for Unoccupied Sites Searched for Lindera melissifolia in 2016

29 Site # 1: Coffee Prairie Natural Area

Location: KNOWN POPULATION MONITORED; Ashley County, Arkansas; Felsenthal Dam 7.5’ quadrangle; Centrum: N33.05589, W92.06574

Surveyor(s): Brent Baker

Date(s) of Survey(s): 2 September 2016

Description: Ecotone between bottomland hardwood forest with clay to sandy soils, edge of lowland sand prairie, and slope of sandy upland pine mound. The Lindera melissifolia plants were once located in open woods (about 50 percent canopy cover directly above) at the edge of the bottomland hardwood forest on the north-facing slope of a sandy pine mound in an area with lowland sand prairie affinities. This site is owned by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and co-managed by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission through a conservation easement.

Results/Discussion: No resprouts were observed from the rhizome that had remained in the ground when the last known L. melissifolia plant was removed in November 2014 for ex situ cultivation. Although this marks the second year with no evidence of resprouting, the site should continue to be monitored again over the next few years to be sure. Leaf tissue samples for the genetic study being conducted by Dr. Woolbright were collected by Brent from the L. melissifolia plant originally from this site but now being grown ex situ at Pine Ridge Gardens.

30 Site # 1: Coffee Prairie Natural Area

31 Site # 2: Highway 67

Location: Jackson County, Arkansas; Tuckerman 7.5’ quadrangle; Centrum: N35.66544, W91.19417

Surveyor(s): Brent Baker & Kayti Ewing (Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department)

Date(s) of Survey(s): 5 October 2016

Description: Bottomland forested sand pond depression wetlands and an open herbaceous depression wetland among ancient sand dunes which were cleared for agriculture in the past. The immediately surrounding dunes are now naturally revegetating after having been ‘protected’ within a large median of a divided highway. The depressions on the west end of the site surveyed (actually central within the overall enlarged portion of the median) have remained forested, but are suffering edge effect disturbances. The depression on the east end had been deforested at some point in the past and now consists of an open herbaceous or viny wetland with portions exhibiting a receding shoreline habitat in the summer and fall. This site is owned and managed by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.

Results/Discussion: Although this site occurs within the sand ponds region and is only about 7 kilometers from the nearest known extant or historical Lindera melissifolia populations, none was found. The habitat appears somewhat suitable, specifically the forested depressions, although they are small, isolated, and rather disturbed.

32 Site # 2: Highway 67

33 Site # 3: Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area

Location: Arkansas County, Arkansas; Lodge Corner 7.5’ quadrangle; Centrum: N34.28709, W91.61936

Surveyor(s): Brent Baker

Date(s) of Survey(s): 13 October 2016

Description: Hardwood flatwoods and sloughs. This Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is surrounded by agricultural lands, but the WMA itself is quite extensive. This site is owned and managed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Results/Discussion: One reason this site was chosen to survey was that multiple references to “swamp spice,” possibly in reference to Lindera melissifolia , were made in this area in original General Land Office (GLO) survey notes from the mid-1800s (ARCoSL 2016). Surveys were targeted along and near Section lines where swamp spice was mentioned, and build on and connect surveys conducted to the west, south, and east in 2014 (Baker & Witsell 2015) and 2015 (Baker 2016). Despite the swamp spice references and although habitat seemed especially suitable for L. melissifolia , none was found. It is important to note, though, that the hydrology of the area has been altered substantially. Some of the waterways in the area have been channelized, and large swaths of the area are seasonally impounded for waterfowl.

It is also possible that the GLO surveyor was using the name “swamp spice” to refer to another species, although few potential candidates were observed. Although Lindera benzoin (spicebush) was observed on higher and better drained sites along the southern margin of the area surveyed, as well as elsewhere on the WMA, there were specific references to that species (as “spice bushes”) in the GLO notes in the vicinity, indicating a clear distinction between it and swamp spice. Amorpha fruticosa (indigo-bush or false indigo), a leguminous shrub with a spicy aroma when crushed or broken, was observed in the area. However, individuals were rather sparse, widely scattered, and generally small, and it seems unlikely that it would have warranted special note by the surveyor unless it occurred in much greater abundance at the time. Another unusual and clonal woody shrub particularly abundant in Bayou Meto WMA and present along the western margin of the surveyed area is Leitneria floridana (corkwood). If it was as abundant in the mid-1800s, it certainly seems like it would have warranted special note by the surveyor; however, no discernable reference to it was found in the GLO notes. Leitneria floridana does not have a spicy aroma, so it would seem to make little sense to call it swamp “spice” unless it was due to misidentification by a surveyor otherwise unfamiliar with the species. One other potential candidate observed in the area is Callicarpa americana (American beauty-berry) which has a pungent, somewhat ‘spicy,’ aroma when leaves or stems are bruised or broken. It was growing in the higher and better drained portions along with the Lindera benzoin , however not currently in abundance that would have warranted special note by the surveyor. Given that much seemingly suitable habitat for L. melissifolia occurs and remains unsearched at Bayou Meto WMA, additional surveys in the area are warranted.

34 Leaf tissue samples for the genetic study being conducted by Dr. Woolbright were collected by Brent from six L. benzoin plants from this and nearby sites within this Wildlife Management Area.

35 Site # 3: Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area

36 Site # 4: Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge

Location: Sevier County, Arkansas; Cerrogordo & Horatio 7.5’ quadrangles; Centrum: N33.90806, W94.37561

Surveyor(s): Brent Baker

Date(s) of Survey(s): 6 July 2016

Description: Bottomland hardwood forest with swales, swamp and shrub-marsh margins, and sloughs. This site is owned and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Results/Discussion: One reason this site was chosen to survey was that several references to “spice wood,” possibly in reference to Lindera melissifolia , were made in the vicinity in original General Land Office (GLO) survey notes from the mid-1800s (ARCoSL 2016). Surveys were targeted along and near Section lines where spice wood was mentioned, and build on a survey conducted immediately to the east in 2014 (Baker & Witsell 2015). Additionally, there have been rumored reports of L. melissifolia observations on the Refuge but with no as yet verifiable documentation. Despite the spice wood references and L. melissifolia rumors, and although habitat seemed suitable for L. melissifolia , none was found. It is also possible that the GLO surveyor was using the name “spice wood” to refer to another species. The only potential candidate observed in the area is Callicarpa americana (American beauty-berry) which has a pungent, somewhat ‘spicy,’ aroma when leaves or stems are bruised or broken. It was growing in the better drained portions of the area surveyed. Given that much seemingly suitable habitat for L. melissifolia occurs and remains unsearched at Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge, additional surveys in the area are warranted.

37 Site # 4: Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge