Spring 2019 Volume 10, Issue 1 a Publication of the Maryland Native
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Spring 2019 A Publication of the Maryland Native Plant Society Volume 10, Issue 1 Letter from the President A Publication of the Maryland Native Plant Society Dear Friends, Have you tried iNaturalist? My introduction to it was the City Nature Challenge, an interna- tional contest where cities worldwide compete for the most observations of nature during a 4-day period. You record your observations photographically on the iNaturalist app. e app itself can suggest an ID; and these are surprising accurate for common and easy-to-ID plants. e ID can be confirmed or disputed by others, and it’s recorded at the location where you took the photo. It’s a lot of fun, and like other social media, you can ‘follow’ others who share yourKirsten Johnson www.mdflora.org natural science interests. P.O. Box 4877 Silver Spring, MD 20914 But. I’ve had a hard time persuading field trip participants that the ID iNaturalist gave them wasn’t correct. “Just look at the plant!” I plead. I’m sure iNaturalist’s software will improve over CONTACTS time, to the point where it won’t be necessary to know anything at all about plant structure or Membership & Website habitat in order to get an accurate ID. You won’t need to examine plants yourself. Just show Karyn Molines, [email protected] Marilandica Editors them to your phone! Wait. What? Kirsten Johnson, [email protected] Vanessa Beauchamp, [email protected] What fun is a field trip where most of the participants spend their time fooling with their phones General Inquiries and their cameras? With regard to the camera, I stand guilty as charged. Yet. Last week in West [email protected] Virginia, it rained on and off so I left my camera in the car. As a result, I rediscovered the joy of MNPS CHAPTERS NOT thinking about setting up the shot or searching a patch for the one perfect flower to Eastern Shore preserve electronically. [email protected] Greater Baltimore I don’t have any particular conclusion for these rambling thoughts. I’ve always believed field trips Kirsten Johnson, [email protected] Montgomery County were the Society’s most important activity. No other organization conducts numerous field trips, [email protected] all over Maryland, free and open to the public. All accomplished by dedicated field trip leaders North East and our busy field trip coordinator, Anne DeNovo. ank you! Tracey Ripani, [email protected] ~ Kirsten Johnson, President Prince George’s/Anne Arundel Counties Robinne Grey, [email protected] Southern Maryland Karyn Molines, [email protected] MNPS Needs You Washington, DC Claudine Lebeau, [email protected] Western Mountains We are an all-volunteer organization with a lot of activities. Liz McDowell, [email protected] Dedicated members of our Board of Directors put in a lot of time and we can always use help. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Kirsten Johnson, President Karyn Molines, Vice-president Field Trips. We are always looking for new places and leaders for field trips, especially in Anne Denovo, Secretary western Maryland, northeastern Maryland (Harford and Cecil Cos), and the eastern shore. Sujata Roy, Treasurer If you have an idea, and would like someone to join you to scout out the area, please contact BOARD OF DIRECTORS Anne DeNovo, fieldtrips@mdflora.org. Vanessa Beauchamp Carole Bergmann Website. Are you interested in website updating and design? We can use your help. Please Allen Browne contact Karyn Molines, info@mdflora.org. Michael Ellis Marc Imlay Board. Do you want to serve on the Board of Directors? Please contact Nominating Committee Beth Johnson Kerrie Kyde Chair, Beth Johnson, info@mdflora.org. If you would like to attend a board meeting, please Liz Matthews email info@mdflora.org for the time and location. (Ideally the Board meetings would be Brett McMillan regularly announced on the website, but see above.) Christopher Puttock Roderick Simmons Montgomery County Programs. Can you help with program logistics? Please contact Marney Jil Swearingen Bruce, either at a program, or at info@mdflora.org. Michelle Wenisch Lou Aronica, Emeritus Chris Fleming, Emeritus Field Trip Plant Lists. Do you love working with data? Do you have a basic working knowledge Joe Metzger, Emeritus of the common Maryland plants? We have many plant lists from field trips posted on the website, but also a substantial backlog that need editing. Please contact Kirsten Johnson, Our Mission [email protected] if you can help. Promote awareness, appreciation and conservation of Maryland’s native plants and their habitats. We pursue our mission through education, research, On the cover: Conopholis americana. Photo: Ed Boyd. Ed and the other photographers featured in this issue are advocacy, and service activities. contributors to the Maryland Biodiversity Project and the Maryland Plant Atlas. See marylandbiodiversity.com. Marilandica Spring 2019 page 1 Wildflower in Focus — Squawroot Conopholis americana (Linneaeus) Wallroth Squawroot, American Cancer-root, Bearcorn alking in the woods, you can easily overlook the Squawroot displays structural characteristics typical of self-fertilizing holoparasites—plants with no chlorophyll—or species: reduced amounts of pollen, small corollas and corolla lobes, mistake them for fungi. ey’re short and they’re small stigmatic lobes, and stigmas and anthers located close to each not green. But as Ed Boyd’s lovely cover photo other. ey don’t need to invest in the fancy corollas and delicious shows, if you look closely, these peculiar plants nectars that other plants use to attract pollinators. Self-pollination possess a distinctive beauty and interest. may evolve as a strategy for reproduction when opportunities for cross-pollination decline, perhaps due to the Squawroot’s erect stems have numerous disappearance of animal pollinators, or scale-like flowers that make the plant look a perhaps to the low density of the squawroot bit like a pinecone. “Conos” means “cone” populations. And individuals that self-pollinate and “pholos” means “scale” in ancient Greek, have a competitive advantage because they hence the name “Conopholis.” transmit their genes simultaneously through both their pollen and their ovules, whereas an Keep your eyes open in an oak forest and individual cross-pollinator contributes only you’re likely to see one of these fascinating half its genes to the offspring. plants. Squawroot parasitizes the roots of red oak species that are associated with mycor- But wait. If self-pollination is so advantageous, rhizal fungi. It does this by penetrating first why isn’t it more common? Why haven’t more the fungal sheath surrounding the root, and plant species evolved this way? Are there then the root itself with structures called disadvantages too? Indeed, self-pollination “haustoria” that enable the transfer of nutri- reduces genetic variation and the potential for ents from the oak root to the squawroot. adaptation. Not surprisingly, self-pollinating Once the seedling establishes that connec- lineages have greater rates of extinction, and tion, it grows underground for about four reversion to cross-pollination occurs extremely years before a flowering stalk emerges. Most rarely or not at all. is is why self-pollinating of the biomass remains underground. plants like squawroot are hypothesized to be evolutionary “dead-ends.” is doesn’t mean ere is debate about whether the squawroot Booth Kimberly they’re destined for extinction anytime soon, weakens the tree, but oak trees can certainly Squawroot in fruit. but it does mean they have a very limited live a long time while supporting a popula- ability to adapt in response to changing tion of squawroots. Squawroot is more conditions. common in older forests and may be an indicator of forest age and stability. In areas References where oaks are being replaced by beeches, Baird, W.V. and J.L. Riopel. 1986. Life History maples and other species, squawroot is an Studies of Conopholis americana (Oroban- increasingly uncommon plant. I’ve seen chaceae), e American Midland Naturalist claims that squawroot also parasitizes beech, 116:140-151. but I could find no primary sources. e Barrett, S.C.H. 2013. e evolution of plant confusion could arise because oak and beech reproductive systems: how often are transitions are often found together. irreversible?, Proc. Biol Sci. 280(1765): 20130913. Squawroot reproduces by self-pollination. Jaunzems, M. Plant of the Week: American Bumble bees visit occasionally, but they are Cancer-root, https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflow- unlikely to return because squawroot ers/plant-of-the-week/conopholis_americana. produces no nectar. In one study, plants were shtml covered with bags to prevent insect visitation. Niklas, Karl J. 1997. e Evolutionary Biolo- ey still set seed at the same high rate as gy of Plants. Univ. of Chicago Press. 447 pp. unbagged plants. In fact, even the under- Penn State Univ. Squawroot. www.psu.edu/ ground part of the stalk will flower and set USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, dept/nkbiology/naturetrail/speciespages/ viable seed. Seed dispersal seems to be accom- N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora squawroot.html plished by mammals, especially deer and of the northern United States, Canada and the Wright S.I., S. Kalisz and T. Slotte. 2013. bears (hence the common name “bear corn”). British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, Evolutionary consequences of self-fertilization New York. Vol. 3: 235. in plants. Proc R Soc B 280: 20130133. Marilandica Spring 2019 page 2 Maryland Native Plant Society Conference 2019 Co-sponsored by Frostburg State University Department of Biology Ancient Forests & Peatlands of Western Maryland Liz McDowell Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD. SATURDAY August 24 MORNING 8:30 Registration 9:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks Speakers: • Sunshine Brosi, Assoc Professor of Biology & Ethnobotany Director, Frostburg State U • Kevin Dodge, Director of Natural Resources & Wildlife Technology, Garrett College • Joan Maloof, Founder & Executive Director of the Old-Growth Forest Network • Poster Session AFTERNOON 12:00 Announcements followed by lunch 1:00 – 5:00 Field trips.