The Rhexia Paynes Prairie Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society Medical Remedies Using Local Native Plants At our October Chapter Meeting, we have lined up a speaker that you will not want to miss! He is a retired Florida Native Plant Society Mission: cardiologist and one of the founders of the Matheson Promote the preservation, Museum, Dr. Mark Barrow. conservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant Dr. Barrow will engage our native plant interests with his communities of Florida. talk entitled, “Old Time Medical Remedies Using Local Native Plants”. He will relate information from a study IN THIS ISSUE: done thirty years ago in Mayo, FL where it was discovered that many of the older people in the area were still using SPEAKER THIS MONTH 1 homemade medicines passed down from prior generations. CONTACT LIST 2 NATIVE PLANT SALE 2 Join Dr. Barrow, chapter members, and other native plant FIELD TRIP/ YARD REPORT 3 enthusiasts on Thursday, October 9th, at 7 pm at our new YOUR HELP NEEDED 4 OCTOBER FIELD TRIP 5 meeting place, Matheson Museum, 513 E. University PLANT ID REPORT 6 Avenue in Gainesville, for what promises to be an SPONSORS 7 interesting and enlightening evening for native plant lovers. CALENDAR 8 PAYNES PRAIRIE CHAPTER Fall Plant Sale Just Around the Corner Lisa Jelks CONTACT LIST for 2014 There’s just the hint of coolness in the air, signaling the beginning of the fall planting season. And, what a welcome feeling! After a very hot and humid summer we are all looking forward to the brisk, clear days of autumn. Claudia Larsen, [email protected] Attending the Fall Native Plant Sale at Morningside Nature Center is a perfect way to spend some time outdoors, while perusing the various vendor booths and picking out the best plants for your landscape. Goldie Schwartz, [email protected] You won’t want to miss this Fall’s sale, rd th which will be held October 3 and 4 . rd Chapter Representative Remember, Friday night (October 3 ) is for our members only, which means you get first dibs on all the wonderful offerings of wildflowers, bushes, Connie Caldwell, [email protected] vines, trees, and shrubs. This window of opportunity is narrow, with the sale beginning at 4:30 and ending at 6:30. Then on Saturday (October 4th) we have a whole host of fun. Beginning at 8:30 and going until 12:30, there will not only be the fantastic plant vendors selling the “right plant for the right place” but there will also be live music, courtesy of Leo Nico, a guided wildflower walk through Morningside’s nature trails, and free plant advice at the FNPS booth. The sale also features the very unique Park- A-Plant, which allows plant lovers to shop Paul Cohen, [email protected] hands-free and enjoy one-time payment and plant pickup. Both credit and debit cards are now accepted. If you have an Karen Schneider, [email protected] extra hour or so, we could use some help at Park-A-Plant or at our booth. You do not need to be a plant expert to be helpful. Contact Lisa Jelks at [email protected] or **Starred Positions will be VACANT after DECEMBER 2014 call 373-3028. See you there! 2 THIRTY YEARS OF RESTORATION Connie Caldwell We turn off the pavement onto a dirt road in Flamingo Hammock in Southeast Gainesville. Wildflowers in abundance surround us, especially partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) in full bloom. Following some “FNPS” signs, we meet up with Doug Hornbeck and Sue Mauk, who are hosting this month’s (September) native plant yard visit. A table is set up in the shade with various wildflower books and two binders containing spreadsheets for Alachua County culled from the Florida Atlas of Vascular Plants--the “working list” for Flamingo Hammock. Many of the plants have been checked off as “found”. For 30-some years, Doug, Sue, and some friends have been clearing exotics and laurel oaks and conducting controlled burns so that natives contained in the latent seed bank can once again germinate and thrive. In addition, numerous species that are indigenous to the natural habitat have been planted. Sue leads us along dirt roads and mowed paths where we’re treated to an amazing diversity of plants, many of which are tagged and cross referenced to lists in the binders, thanks largely to identification work by Ellie Sommers and Paul Hoffhein. Doug follows us on a golf cart, offering rides and cold drinks, much welcome on a hot day. Wildflowers that we see along the way include beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis), blood leaf (Iresine diffusa), obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana), partridge pea (C. fasciculata and C. nictitans), horsemint (Monarda punctata), goldenrod (Solidaga spp.), lyreleaf sage (Salvia lyrata), elephant’s foot (Elephantopus elatus), ironweed (Vernonia angustifolia), incised agrimony (Agrimonia incisa), coral bean (Erythrina herbacea), clematis (Clematis spp.), butterfly pea (Clitoria spp.), wild petunia (Ruellia caroliniana), dog fennel (Eupatorium spp.), pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), passion vine (Passiflora incarnata), liatris (Liatris spp.), desmodium (Desmodium spp.), black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia mollis), sand squares (Paronychia patula), Yellow buttons (Balduina angustifolia), pennyroyal (Piloblephus rigida), white top aster (Aster tortifolius), queen’s delight (Stillingia sylvatica), Florida paintbrush (Carphephorus corymbosus), pinewoods milkweed (Asclepias humistrata), Spanish needles (Bidens alba), Flyr’s nemesis (Brickellia cordifolia), Indian plantain (Arnoglossum floridanum), Florida milk vine (Matelea floridana), stinging nettle (Cnidoscolus stimulosus), whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata), tickseed (Coreopsis leavenworthii), Feay’s palafox (Palafoxia feayi), hairy milkvetch (Astragalus villosus), and lespedeza (L. spp.). A seminole squash asserts itself among the wildflowers in a planted area. Gopher tortoises abound and Sue tells us they especially like to eat lyreleaf sage and elephant’s foot. We notice trees that include sand live oak (Quercus geminata), chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia), American holly (Ilex opaca), hawthorne (Crataegus marshallii and C. uniflora), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), longleaf pine (P. palustris), slash pine (P. elliottii), hickories (Carya spp.), cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto), and live oaks (Quercus virginiana). Some shrubs along the way are beauty berry (Callicarpa americana), sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum), deerberry (V. stamineum), St. John’s wort (Hypericum spp.), Adam’s needle (Yucca filamentosa), narrowleaf paw paw (Asimina angustifolia), garberia (G. spp.), devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa), New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus), bumelia (Sideroxylon spp.), Snakeroot (Ageratina jucunda), cat’s tongue (Melanthera nivea), firebush (Hamelia patens), and yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria. Grasses are many. Some that we notice include wiregrass (Aristida stricta var. beyrichiana), lovegrass (Eragrostis spp.), skeleton grass (Gymnopogon spp.), silkgrass (Pityopsis graminifolia), lopsided Indian grass (Sorghastrum secundum) and red top (Tridens flavus). Paths diverge and we are given a choice: walk beside a creek and sinkhole or see other tree species. We choose the latter and see meadowbeauty (Rhexia spp.), swamp tupelo (Nyssa slvatica), hophornbeam (carpinus caroliniana), paw paw (Asimina triloba), witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), bluff oak (Quercus austrina), chapman’s oak (Q. chapmanii), viburnums (V. spp.), basswood (Tilia americana var. caroliniana), myrtle oaks (Q. myrtifolia), red buckeye (Aesclus pavia), fringe trees (Chionanthus virginicus), and post oak (Q. stellata). Some of us remain to view 30 neighboring acres of a newly logged area where laurel oaks have been removed, leaving an open overstory of pines and live oaks. We enjoy the open, park-like appearance and the sense of potential that is there for more native species to show themselves. Numerous species, in addition to the ones that we saw, have been identified in Flamingo Hammock. One very rare plant, agrimonia, had been discovered in areas previously mowed and burned. Who knows what might be waiting in this newly cleared area----??? Many thanks to Doug and Sue and all their friends and neighbors who have been working to save, preserve, and restore this piece of Florida’s beauty, and to Doug and Sue for making it possible for us to visit. 3 Will you PLEASE consider helping your FNPS Chapter by serving in some capacity? There is an urgent need for replacements. Positions as President and Vice President, Newsletter Editor, and Field Trip Coordinator will be vacant after December. Help us continue to offer programs and field trips of interest to native plant enthusiasts. In order to assist your consideration of this important service we are listing job descriptions below. This way you can see that it’s not an impossible task – you only need a commitment to our group and a few organizational skills. Maybe you can join as a board member to get your feet wet. We already have experienced members serving, but of course eventually someone has to be an officer… Paynes Prairie Chapter is in urgent need of the following: President/Vice President - responsibilities (term- 1 year, renewable for 3 consecutive years) • Host 8 program meetings per year • Conduct 5 Board/Planning meetings (First Monday in Jan, Mar, May, August, October) • Appoint committees as necessary • Nominating Committee in Sept (3-persons with 2 non-officers and 2 person audit committee for treasury • Coordinate monthly speakers and field trips-remind speakers and FT leaders