FALL 2018, VOLUME 19, ISSUE 4 A PUBLICATION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Native Plant to Know Seedbox Ludwigia alternifolia by Lisa K. Schlag Seedbox is a multi-branched, herbaceous wetland perennial that On a winter walk in a nearby park a grows two to three feet (up to a few years ago, curiosity led me down a metre) tall with a fleshy and fibrous narrow, overgrown path between a root system. The stems are glabrous pond’s margin and a wetland where I (lacking hairs) and have a habit of discovered the dried stalks of a plant reclining on neighbouring with distinctly shaped fruit capsules. plants. A prominent identifying The brown capsules were shaped like feature of this plant, typical of little square boxes. Intrigued, I later members of the evening primrose learned that this plant was called family, is that the flower parts are seedbox (Ludwigia alternifolia). in fours, including a four- Seedbox is the only plant with a branched, cross-like (lobed) square fruit capsule. Throughout the stigma. The solitary, bright yellow winter, the seeds are shaken out by the four-petalled flowers with four petal- wind and escape their container sized green sepals and four through a small apical pore. The stamens are supported by short capsules can also float. Wind and water stalks that develop in each carry the many seeds to new locations. upper leaf axil. The green, lance- The loose seeds tumbling around shaped leaves have a toothless edge inside their live container have given and taper to a point on either end. The the plant another of its common small flowers bloom from June to names: rattlebox. August. The plant usually sheds its L. alternifolia is a member of the delicate petals after one day, leaving evening primrose family, Onagraceae. the lovely green sepals. When I visited Seedbox is one of 82 species currently a population of seedbox in September, classified within the genus Ludwigia I observed the leaves and sepals had whose specific epithet, alternifolia, begun to display reddish coloration. describes its leaf arrangement: leaves Below the sepals, the fruit capsules that are alternate, not opposite, to each containing the seeds were developing. other on each side of a stem. Carl Seedbox prefers full to partial sun in BRIGITTE GRANTON Linnaeus named the Ludwigia genus wet to moist conditions with acidic, after Christian Gottlieb Ludwig (1709 sandy soil; it would complement – 1773) a German botanist and cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), ILLUSTRATION BY professor of medicine in Leipzig, great blue lobelia (Lobelia syphilitica), Germany. marsh marigold (Caltha palustris), Continued on page 15 The Blazing Star is... 2018 Annual General Meeting The Blazing Star is published quarterly (April, August, November, February) by the North American Native Plant Society On October 27, the North American Native Plant Society held its Annual General (NANPS). Contact [email protected] Meeting and Social at the Toronto Botanical Garden. This year, as one of the for editorial deadlines and for advertising member groups of Ontario Nature, Lake Ontario North region, NANPS hosted the rates. The views expressed herein are regional meeting in conjunction with our AGM. those of the authors and not necessarily We are very fortunate that all the NANPS directors stood for re-election this year. those of NANPS. And we welcome our newest director Nishaa Agarwal who will be taking on the The North American Native Plant Society role of treasurer in 2019. is dedicated to the study, conservation, The NANPS Volunteer Award went to two invaluable volunteers this year: Dilys cultivation and restoration of North Bowman and Ryan Godfrey, who both generously contributed their time, extensive America’s native flora. knowledge and enthusiasm for native plants with NANPS. Fall 2018 The 2018 Founders Conservation Award was presented to Riverwood Volume 19, Issue 4 Conservancy, a 150-acre property in Mississauga, Ontario. Their focus is on ISSN 2291-8280 gardens, stewardship, native plant propagation and environmental education. The conservancy provides a beautiful green space open to the public every day of the Editor: Irene Fedun year. Visit theriverwoodconservancy.org. Production: Bea Paterson Paul Heydon was the recipient of the Richard Woolger Cultivation Award. Paul is Proofreader: Vicki Soon-Ai Low a biologist and landscape designer who operates Grow Wild!, a small company that Printed by: Guild Printing, Markham, Ontario provides biological consulting, ecological restoration, ELC surveying and contract growing for native tree and plant restoration projects. He will lead a seed © North American Native Plant Society cultivation workshop on March 2, 2019. See next page for details. Images © the photographers and The 2018 NANPS Garden Award went to Susan Beharriell, a King City, Ontario illustrators, text © the authors. gardener whose property includes pollinator-friendly gardens, a pond, walking All rights reserved. trails and more. Susan gave a presentation on the steps she took planning and North American Native Plant Society, planting her garden. formerly Canadian Wildflower Society, We capped is a registered charitable society, no. off the day with 130720824 RR0001. a guided hike Donations to the society are tax- through nearby creditable in Canada. Wilket Creek NANPS Membership: Ravine, led by CAN$25/YEAR WITHIN CANADA, Alan Colley of US$25/YEAR OUTSIDE CANADA Toronto Join online or send cheque or money Aboriginal Eco order to North American Native Plant Tours. TASSIE DANIELLE Society, Box 69070, St. Clair P.O., Highlights of Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4T 3A1. the hike for me: E-mail: [email protected] HOTOGRAPH BY spotting P Web: nanps.org. thimbleberry Facebook: facebook.com/nativeplant NANPS AGM attendees gathered outside the Toronto Botanical Garden at the (Rubus Twitter: @tnanps start of a botanical tour of nearby Wilket Creek Park led by Alan Colley. Instagram: parviflorus), instagram.com/nativeplant_society/ whose delicious berries are appreciated by Board of Directors: humans and wildlife, Vice-president: Adam Mohamed and seeing remnants of Treasurer: Ralph Fernando the historic uses of the Secretary: Tyler Doré area, such as the old Nishaa Agarwal metal tubes used for Jason Bernardon tapping maple syrup in Colleen Cirillo Arielle Dillonsmith sugar maples (Acer Janice Keil saccharum). Alice Kong FOSTER © JOHN F. Danielle Tassie Donna Lang NANPS Communications Harold Smith HOTOGRAPH Coordinator P Wilket Creek 2 NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY FALL 2018 A Graceful Flower Clings to Mountain Gorges in the Carolinas by Kay Wade gracing moist ravines and steep banks dried, broken fragments of a plant he of the many streams pouring out of did not recognize. Upon inquiry, he The story of Shortia galacifolia is the mountains. No records, oral or learned that no botanist in America rooted in the history of Jocassee written, appear to exist acknowledging was aware of its existence. He Valley, the Toxaway River and the river the plant’s usefulness as medicine or described the specimen as best he valley known simply as the food. could in the absence of a flower and named the new plant Shortia galacifolia. The quest to discover Shortia living in its native habitat would occupy Dr. Gray for most of the rest of his life. More than a century would pass before the plant would again be found in Jocassee Valley. In the meantime, a small patch of the sub-species Shortia galacifolia var. brevistyla was found in the headwaters of the Catawba River in North Carolina. Dr. Gray visited the state to see the plant before his death, declaring his life complete. Dr. Gray likely never saw Shortia in flower. Gray’s friend and fellow botanist Charles Sargent discovered Shortia galacifolia during a botanical KAY WADE KAY GROWING NATIVE HOTOGRAPH BY P PLANTS FROM SEED Shortia galacifolia WORKSHOP SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2019 Horsepasture in the southeastern The first documented collection of 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. United States. Here, where the Blue Oconee bells was made by France’s Toronto Botanical Garden, Ridge Mountains face south, royal botanist, Andre Michaux, in Garden Hall, 777 Lawrence headwaters of the Savannah River have 1787. Michaux, perhaps the first Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario cut deep gorges through ancient European to penetrate these wild mountain rock. Here, where an lands, botanized his way up the Learn from an expert and owner imaginary line divides the Carolinas, is Savannah River until it became the of an established native plant where Shortia galacifolia clings to the Seneca and then the Keowee. A couple nursery, Paul Heydon. thin soil of steep mountain slopes. of miles shy of where the Keowee Paul will lead participants When a power company made the River split once again into the through seed harvest and decision to dam the Toxaway River Toxaway and Whitewater Rivers, germination techniques. These and flood these valleys, few people Michaux collected a specimen of an include moist-cold stratification, knew – or cared – that the move evergreen groundcover he merely scarification, double dormancy, would eliminate the majority of the described, misleadingly, as growing in seeds that germinate without any world’s habitat for this rare mountain the “high mountains of the Carolinas.” pre-treatment, slow-growing species. Michaux’s botanical collection woodland plants, and orchids and The Cherokee people who lived at eventually became the property of the ferns, if there’s time. Tickets the base of the Jocassee Gorges were Museum of Natural