Return of the Ericads

Students Dig and Reestablish A Prehistoric Species

Michael Heim Hayward, Wisconsin

Box huckleberry, Gaylussacia brachycera.

A student plants box huckleberry at the test site. Photos by the author.

Cuttings of box huckleberry overwintered in Potted box huckleberry. Pipsissewa, Chimaphila umbellata. greenhouse.

JOURNAL AMERICAN RHODODENDRON SOCIETY 19 icture a project with the allure of rock here in Wisconsin, together with ahead of the advancing wall of ice were P“Jurassic Park,” the rigor of scientific wintergreen, trailing arbutus, pipsissewa, spared. Those and only those are the ones research, and the hands-on appeal of lowbush blueberry, and sweetfern, all of which returned many thousands of years Arbor Day. Sound intriguing? Well, this which are also abundant here in our area. later, some slower than others, to reclaim is the kind of project that tribal students Although published hardiness limits for their former territory and create the at the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe High this species vary widely from USDA Zones mosaic of natural beauty which we today School in northern Wisconsin became 4 to 6, a plant which I purchased from a call the northwoods. It may come as a involved with courtesy of yours truly, their mail-order nursery years ago withstood surprise that this mosaic is incomplete and enthusiastic science teacher. Of course exposure to -34° C (-30° F) without the simplified, with many of its most beautiful it would have been fun working with slightest harm to its foliage. and valuable components missing. California condors, but since that would Box huckleberry occurs today in Mountain-laurel, Kalmia latifolia, along be difficult and messy we opted instead for the unglaciated eastern states from with the rhododendrons R. maximum, R. reestablishing an endangered plant, one Pennsylvania south to North Carolina and catawbiense, and R. minus for instance are that hasn’t been seen in these parts since west to Kentucky and Tennessee, usually found today in the Appalachians where the before the last ice age. in widely scattered isolated colonies up to forest vegetation and sometimes even the The plant is the box huckleberry, around 915 m (3000 feet) in elevation. temperature minima are almost identical Gaylussacia brachycera, a slow-growing It is listed as globally rare with only to that of upland northern Wisconsin. groundcover 10-46 cm (4-18 inches) about 100 native sites in existence and is Some may perhaps never return, but other tall, similar to blueberries, with shiny imperiled to critically imperiled in most species such as the American chestnut evergreen leaves and red new growth states. However, it is a long-lived plant simply haven’t had enough time to which really sets it apart. Its name refers and may be locally abundant, covering return on their own. It had only reached to the small glossy leaves which somewhat many acres. For instance, one ancient southeastern Michigan by the time the resemble those of boxwood. Although colony in Pennsylvania extends one and a blight struck in the early 20th century, but we’ll probably never know for sure, it quarter miles up a ravine from the bank understandably thrives when planted in seems likely that it grew in the upper of a brook. It continues to spread about its ancient preglacial home of Wisconsin. Midwest during the Tertiary Period, in 15 cm (six inches) annually by means There it creates a positive ecological effect, the time preceding the last ice age. The of underground runners. Seedlings of providing food for wildlife and people. foliage of a plant from Virginia is virtually box huckleberry are extremely rare. The Box huckleberry finds itself in a similar identical to that of the beautiful evergreen species is typically found in sandy acidic situation. Its slow dispersal rate and need blueberry, Vaccinium ovatum, of the woods, usually with a northern or western for specific soil conditions has hindered Pacific coast. Although in slightly different exposure. On south slopes the soil tends recolonization of its former haunts. genera, this may be another example of to dry out too much for the slow-growing Intervening limestone soils of vast extent eastern and western North American seedlings to get established. The plant around most of the upper Midwest create disjunct species pairs with ancient prefers at least some shade and grows wild a formidable barrier for ericaceous plants, preglacial roots. Others are Rhododendron beneath white pines, oaks, red maples, and as the well-aerated acidic soils preferred catawbiense/R. macrophyllum, Pachistima rhododendrons. by these species are lacking. Therefore, canbyi/P. myrsintites, Oxalis montana/O. The disruption of the ice age which the only ericads to date to colonize oregana, Eriogonum allenii/E. jamesii, ended here around 13,500 years ago Wisconsin are those from the north such Polystichum acrostichoides/P. munitum, was a serious blow to biodiversity across as Rhododendron groenlandicum and R. and Thuja occidentalis/T. plicata. They northern America. Plants, insects, fish, and lapponicum, and a few like Vaccinium were likely connected through the upper amphibians which were narrowly endemic, membranaceum with their main range far Midwest in the distant past. Biochemical being found only in one particular stream to the northwest in the northern Rockies. analysis of the two species would prove an or on one range of hills, were driven to That’s where my students come in, as interesting study. In its present-day native extinction. More widespread species and advocates for full biodiversity, rewilding a range it grows on sandstone, a widespread those which could disperse rapidly enough plant which hasn’t been seen in these parts

20 WINTER 2010 for over a million years. group a couple of metres (yards) away a nuisance of itself as Rhododendron Research geneticist Dr. Margaret from the other clones. Hopefully when ponticum did in Britain by reasserting Pooler of the U.S. National Arboretum the light pink to white blossoms open, the claim to its ancestral realm. was instrumental in helping us accomplish bees will do their duty and cross-pollinate In the years to come, my students and this project. Through a plant testing the clones, as each is self-sterile. Planting I look forward to providing Dr. Pooler and agreement we were able to obtain offsets several clones within a half metre (a few the staff at the National Arboretum with of six vigorous box huckleberry clones or feet) of one another should help ensure data on our plants’ cold-hardiness, disease genetically identical individuals from the this. The fruit color ranges from white to resistance, vigor, drought tolerance, fruit states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, blue to black and the delicious tart berries set, palatability, and (hopefully) self- West Virginia, and two clones from are favored by turkeys, ruffed grouse, bears sowing. Perhaps this rare species will Delaware, which together represent and other critters. Perhaps they will oblige find Wisconsin much to its liking and be a good cross-section of the species’ us by dispersing viable seeds. Clones are better able to reproduce itself in our cooler, genetic diversity. The arboretum has known to vary wildly in fruit set; some moister northern climate. Who knows, it the most extensive collection of living bearing reliable heavy crops while others would certainly be exciting to one day find box huckleberry plants in the world. hardly ever fruit at all. a box huckleberry seedling established here They were collected under permit across The test site is located in a mixed in the wild! Our results with this species its native range for the purposes of pine and hardwood forest behind our could be a significant first step towards evaluation, breeding, conservation, and school. Notable companion plants there understanding the preglacial ecology and reintroduction. are a large colony of the acid soil-loving distribution of other eastern American The shipment of box huckleberries pipsissewa and attractive rattlesnake ericads like rhododendrons. Thus we can arrived in autumn and my students’ first orchids. We try to keep our access routes dream of a primeval landscape returning step was to obtain a suitable growing to the site as inconspicuous as possible in the future when drifts of beautiful medium for the plants. We did this by to prevent disturbance by others (we are ericaceous shrubs will make springtime in simply bringing a supply of 1.9 l (half a K-12 school after all!). Basically my the Lake Superior region look like that of gallon) pots into the pine forest next to students will be evaluating the adaptability the present day Appalachian highlands. the school and filling them with the sandy of the box huckleberries to our regional acidic soil, being careful not to destroy too environmental conditions. The plants will Michael Heim is a member of the Midwest many tree roots while digging in any one not be coddled in any way, so no animal ARS Chapter. spot. We brought these into the greenhouse fencing, mulching, or watering. and then potted up the box huckleberry We were happy to see, two weeks offsets, making sure that the individual after planting, that all of the plants were plants were correctly labeled as to origin so in good shape. Even though there was a that our test results would be accurate. We drought, the soil there remained moist. grew them in the greenhouse over winter One concern was that a bear would smell and in May they were planted out at the where we had dug and uproot the plants, Michael Heim also authored test site. We had also received hardwood but much to our relief that didn’t happen. the article “Evergreen Eden in cuttings of each of the clones. These were Deer are a bigger concern. In Wisconsin, the Northwoods” which ap- treated with a rooting hormone, grown they would usually be a serious limiting peared in the fall 2007 issue in siliceous glacial sand over winter, and factor to any tasty evergreen shrublets of JARS, page 195, and which planted out soon after the larger offshoots. such as these. In my experience, unfenced features many of the species of Generally, cuttings of the six different box dormant plants located off-reservation Ericaceae growing in Wiscon- huckleberry accessions rooted strongly by were almost always killed by heavy sin. the end of the school year, particularly the browsing from an unnaturally high deer ones from West Virginia, the exceptions population. Fortunately, tribal lands have being one clone from Delaware and those historically had much lower deer numbers from Virginia where only one cutting than surrounding areas and provide a of each barely rooted. Perhaps they just refuge for otherwise rare plants such as needed more time. We planted them out Canadian yew (Taxus canadensis, also anyway, hoping that they would root in known as ground hemlock). So it seems place. there is little chance of this species eagerly Each clone was planted out in a engulfing the northwoods and making

JOURNAL AMERICAN RHODODENDRON SOCIETY 21