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THE PLANT PRESS Volume VIII, No. 1 Newsletter of the Friends of the Herbarium Winter 2004 Update on the Hart’s Tongue Fern in Tennessee he Hart’s Tongue Fern (Asplenium The trip was a great success and made for fern 50 years previously (1885) from an scolopendrium L. var. americanum a very unique and interesting Friday English botanist named Mr. Middleton. Mr. T(Fern.) Kartesz & Gandhi) is on the afternoon! Middleton had been very familiar with the Tennessee Natural Heritage Program’s fern in England, and through scientific 2003 Rare Plant List. The species is channels had heard of its presence in a endangered in this state and is considered sinkhole in South Pittsburg. The young Mr. to be extremely rare. It has a Federal Lodge used to accompany the Englishman Status of “Listed Threatened,” meaning it on trips down into the sinkhole. In 1900, is likely to become a globally endangered Mr. William R. Maxon and a Mr. Pollard, species in the foreseeable future. The both from the Smithsonian Institution, Hart’s Tongue Fern is usually found in the were escorted down into the sinkhole in Northeast, where temperatures are cooler. order to collect specimens of the fern. By In the state of Tennessee, the plant has 1925, very few ferns were left, and there been reported from the Cumberland were no remaining ferns at the very bottom Plateau, Ridge and Valley and the Blue of the sinkhole. It has been hypothesized Ridge physiographic provinces. It is that between 1900 and 1920 a destructive usually found in sinkholes, where the flood washed the soil and ferns away. The moisture and temperature resemble that of only fern specimens remaining after this its native Northeast climate. time were found on the rocky shelves that Currently the Hart’s Tongue Fern is were protected from the devastation of the known to inhabit only one sinkhole in flood. Tennessee, which is located in Marion Tennessee Rare Species Protection County near South Pittsburg. This past Program Administrator David Lincocome, November, I climbed down into that who last visited the site about five years sinkhole with Dr. George Ramseur and ago, has a grant through the Cincinnati Zoo Mary Priestley to check on the status of to collect spores and leaf tip tissue from all the population. The forty-foot vertical drop the southern sites that have recorded made this exceedingly interesting! Dr. sightings of the Hart’s Tongue Fern. He Ramseur heaved his homemade rope plans to visit the South Pittsburg site in the ladder down into the hole, and the journey spring, in order to collect some tissue from began. He climbed down first, and then the ferns for cryopreservation and Mary and I followed. The sinkhole was experimentation with the tissue culture beautiful! The sun shone down on the propagation. waterfall and the array of green mosses It was quite an honor to be able to and liverworts that covered the rocks. In February of 1935, Eleanor McGilliard participate in this search for the elusive Once we were down in the hole, Dr. of the University of Chattanooga Depart- Hart’s Tongue Fern. It is remarkable that Ramseur saw the first small Hart’s Tongue ment of Biology sent a letter to Mr. and this plant is still growing in rural Tennes- plant. After carefully inspecting the area, Mrs. Lodge in South Pittsburg concerning see, where it first sparked the interest of we found a total of five plants in the the history of the Hart’s Tongue Fern in botanists over 100 years ago. sinkhole. This is the largest number of South Pittsburg. Mr. Lodge responded, —Jeanne Lumpkin, Biology major, C’04 ferns seen in the sinkhole in several years. explaining that he had first heard about the The Sewanee Herbarium: Education — Research — Conservation From the Editor t is a great Lab, and Department of Biology. This issue ment on the land and then donate it to the pleasure to focuses on ferns, highlighting several University. I was pleased to be invited to Icommence, with members of the Asplenium genus, the write an article about Shakerag for the March this issue, Volume VIII spleenworts. Biology major Jeanne Lumpkin ’04 issue of the Tennessee Conservationist of The Plant Press. We writes about a recent trip with Herbarium Magazine. thank the Office of Print Director Emeritus George Ramseur and me Finally, thanks so much to the Herbarium’s Services for all they do to to check on Tennessee’s rarest plant, the supporters. The names of those who made maintain the high quality of the newsletter. Hart’s Tongue Fern. And Herbarium Director donations in 2003 are listed below. We could And we are indebted to the Office of Alumni Jon Evans describes plans for a study of the not do this without you, our readers and Relations for underwriting the cost of distribution of ferns on the Sewanee Domain. supporters. We hope that in 2004 you will postage. Currently 27 fern species, representing 10 find Plant Press articles and Herbarium Our wildflower walks and other activities families, are known to inhabit the Domain. It activities that interest you. continue to attract participants from will be interesting to see the results of this —Mary Priestley Sewanee and the surrounding area. We are study. grateful to the many talented people who Great news on the Shakerag Hollow volunteer their time to lead our programs. Initiative front! As we go to press, the South Special thanks go to Herbarium Associate Cumberland Regional Land Trust has raised Curator Yolande Gottfried for preparation of approximately 95% of the funds needed to our calendar of events. purchase 200 or so acres of the Hollow. Illustrations: Our articles present a taste of the activities Plans are to work with The Land Trust for Mountain and Ebony of Sewanee’s Herbarium, Landscape Analysis Tennessee to secure a conservation ease- Spleenworts Our Contributors in 2003 — Thank You! Lynn and John Adams Rebecca and Tom Dolan John Lukens Donald and Lisa Rung Alliant Techsystems Richard Dolbeer Shirley Manaley Lila Saunders Fred and Clara Allison Mr. and Mrs. Hank Eickhoff William Manier Winona Schane Jim and Sylvia Anderson Betty Foreman Beth Marchman John and Carole Sergent Bob and Margy Ayres Joyce Forte Miriam McClendon Sewanee Garden Club Sue and Greg Barker Dr. and Mrs. H. Joseph Fritz Peter McCrohan Bill and Hennie Shasteen Juanita Barry Diane Getty René and Jessie McCurdy Georgie and Bob Short Trink Beasley Wayne and Blair Glenn John and Carole McGough Jan Smith Betty Pride Blythe Robert and Kate Gooch Robert Meyer Stephen Smith Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bowyer Melissa Green Arnold Mignery Blackwell and Dana Smith Valerie Brain James Groton J. E. Moffat Robert and Elaine Smyth Sam Breyfogle John and Dagmar Gundersen Mildred Montague James Snell Mr. and Mrs. Kemper Brown Bruce Hackemann Cary Moran Elizabeth Rossi Spatafora Dan Brown Gene Ham Jennie Murray Dr. and Mrs. Anderson Spickard John Canale Irene and John Hamer Vivian Nance Dr. William Louis Stern Rick and Jennifer Candler Shirley Harms Freya and Loch Neely Ronald S. Stuckey Ronn and Jill Carpenter Cheryl Hiers Charlie and Gerry Nokes Joseph Swearingen Steve and June Centimole Palmer Hough Dieter and Erika Nowak Morris Terry Henry and Beverly Chase Jim Ann Howard Anne Paine Roy and Melissa Turrentine Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Cheek Sally Johnson William and Lynn Patten Univ. of the South Office of Alumni Donna Cheek Karen Keele Sam Pickering Relations Allen Chesney Elizabeth Kimbrough Denise Pierre Elizabeth Manning Vaughn Edward Chester Mr. and Mrs. James King George & Sylviane Poe Paul Von Ward Chevron Texaco Pat Kirby Dennis & Janice Raines Nabil Wakid Ed and Meredith Clebsch Alan and Tracie Knott Patrick Rakes Julia Walker Stewart Connor Ralph and Virginia Kraft Louis and Ellen Rice Mr. and Mrs. F. S. Wartman Jo Ann Coutta Debbie Lane Mr. and Mrs. David Roddy Connie and Tom Wells Joe and Mary Sue Cushman Chloe Fort Lenderman Dr. George Rogers Dorris Wells Latham and Mary Davis Sarah Little Bert Rogers A. M. Wilkinson Hal DeSelm Sarah Lodge Carlotta Rotman Clyde Womack Harry and Milly Dodd Nancy Womack Winter Calendar of Events Winter Botany Early Spring Wildflowers Sunday, Feb. 1, 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 29, 1:30 p.m. George Ramseur Yolande Gottfried Join us for a hike down the Old Cowan “Leap” into spring on “leap” day and come THE PLANT PRESS Road to find Sewanee’s unusual “H” tree. out to see the early season bloomers: The Sewanee Herbarium If you missed this last year, here’s your bloodroot, harbinger-of–spring (salt-and- Biology Department chance! George will introduce tree pepper), hepatica, halberd-leaved yellow The University of the South anatomy and overwintering strategies and violet, and more. Meet at Green’s View for 735 University Avenue give tips for winter identification of some a two-mile moderate hike through Sewanee, TN 37383 of the more common woody plants. Shakerag Hollow, which can include a Maybe we’ll also find a few of the earliest strenuous steep climb. WEB SITE spring wildflowers, or see a groundhog http://www.sewanee.edu/ see its shadow (a day early). Meet at the Wildflower Identification biology/herbarium War Memorial Cross for a 1-mile moderate Saturday, March 13, 10-11:30 a.m. hike. Mary Priestley EDITOR Get a jump on learning to identify wild- Mary Priestley Nature Drawing and Watercolor flowers in this early spring workshop. Herbarium Curator Saturday, Feb. 7, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon Become familiar with some of the basic 931.598.1997 Charley Watkins and Bob Askew plant identification terminology, and try [email protected] These local artists will give a workshop on out a new identification key that we have line drawing from natural materials and devised especially with Sewanee’s CONTRIBUTORS adding watercolor.