SarraceniaSarracenia Volume 17, Number 1. Winter 2009 Newsletter of the Wildflower Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. C/o Botanical Garden, Memorial University, St John's, NL, A1C 5S7 [email protected] Contents Editor's Message, Upcoming Meetings and The 2007-8 Executive..............................................................2 Why Are Some Wildflowers Uncommon? By Henry Mann..........................................................................2 Re-vegetation of a Suburban Roadside Verge. By Howard Clase...............................................................7 Uncommon Wildflowers of Newfoundland 2: Knotty Figwort (Scrophularia nodosa L.) By Henry Mann.....10 Index and Submission Information.............................................................................................................14 Aralia hispida on Penney Crescent. Howard Clase Sarracenia Vol. 17 #1 From the Editor. You may be surprised to get another Sarracenia so The 2007-8 Executive soon, but this issue is more or less on time; it was that President: Carmel Conway 722-0121 previous one that was late. At the March meeting the [email protected] winners of our photo competition were announced. This Vice-President: John Maunder 335-2462 issue contains the five first prize winners scattered Past President: Glenda Quinn 834-8588 Secretary: Heather Saunders 368-6935 throughout its pages. Treasurer: Karen Herzberg 753-6568 Membership Sec: Karen Herzberg 753-6568 Upcoming Meetings. [email protected] st Editor: Howard Clase 753-6415 April 1 -Todd Boland will share his images Board Members: Judith Blakeley 437-6852 “Flora and Fauna of Trinidad.” Todd Boland 753-6027 Helen Jones 437-6852 May 6th - Dr. Wilf Nicholls will explain “How the Ross Traverse 437-5539 Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceæ-Snap Dragons) Alan Whittick 753-0626 got all shook up.” Why Are Some Wildflowers Uncommon? By Henry Mann We know that some wildflowers newsletter is an excellent vehicle to species on the danger of them being like Partridgeberry (Vaccinium vitis- add to information that may be exterminated from the province which idaea) are commonly found misleading or incomplete, and implies that no one really cares if throughout the Island. Others like readers are encouraged to do so. introduced species may acquire the Knotty Figwort (Scrophularia nodosa) One of the purposes of such a series same fate. This “dandelion are less frequently encountered. is to help “flesh out” provincial rationality” assumes that introduced Some like Wild Calla (Calla palustris) distributions of species which appear species are usually undesirable are distinctly uncommon or rare. The to be uncommon and which often aliens that should never have gotten new series initiated in Sarracenia receive scant attention from most of here in the first place. A few certainly Volume 16 #3 (Summer 2008) us. deserve this attitude if they have the “Uncommon Wildflowers of potential to create havoc with native The terms “uncommon” and “rare” Newfoundland” will feature some of populations, but most should are synonyms, however, traditionally these species. Some readers, probably be welcomed and cherished they mean something different in depending on where they live, how for adding variety to our depauperate botany. Rare plants have a widely and frequently they travel, and insular flora. “pedigree” in the sense of an how observant they are, will be ancestral line of historical Rare species are grouped familiar with some of these. Keep in importance. For example in the most according to their degree of rarity mind that the series will feature recently published compilations of based on their distribution and how species that I perceive to be Newfoundland rare species many reports exist usually in the form uncommon, but not necessarily rare, (Bouchard et al. 1991, Meades et al. of herbarium specimens. For more from my own experience and 2000) a plant is only considered to be details of rarity classification, observations and the sources I have rare if it is a native (indigenous) individuals should consult the available, but that this will not always species; introduced species (come- Bouchard et al. (1991) publication correspond with the experience of from-aways) do not get on the list which lists 291 indigenous species as others. Any one individual can only regardless of how uncommon or rare rare on the Island. This is about 20 have a limited knowledge and they may be. The rare plant to 25 percent of our flora of experience. This Sarracenia classification also categorizes native approximately 1300 vascular plants. - 2 - Sarracenia Vol. 17 #1 A considerable portion of our flora might be considered weedy, are nature study, encountering, (400 plus species) is made up of probably relicts of the “Great observing and enJoying wildflowers, introduced (non- all are best simply indigenous) species, and Plant Portraits – Flowers: Joint First Prize designated as common or many of these are also uncommon. The uncommon, so combined uncommon species with the pedigreed rare featured in the series will species this could mean hopefully stimulate some that possibly a third of our interest and provide some species would not be often impetus to search out, encountered by the locate and report new average person in the area records in our summer in which they live and travels. interact. These will all This brings the narrative have varying degrees of back to the original uncommonness or rarity. question,“ Why are some The arbitrary distinction plants uncommon?”, and a between “native” and secondary question, “Why “introduced” begins to blur is such a large portion of when one expands the our flora uncommon?” If time frame. “Native” most we can suggest answers to often means that plants these questions we should arrived naturally without also be able to reason out the intervention of humans the other side, why some in prehistoric times, that is, plants are very common. coming before the Much has been said and Europeans, or at least, written about these Field Horsetail Cones. John Bridson before the availability of questions nationally and written records. In reality Northern Revegetation” that followed internationally, but I will almost all our plants arrived in the the receding glaciers, either from the attempt to localize and simplify some last 10, 000 years or so since the last south or the north. Currently a ideas under the following headings; glaciers receded, some thousands of number of our northern species occur Perception, Habitat, Climate, and years ago and some only hundreds across Greenland, Iceland, and Introductions. of years ago or less, coming by air northern Europe and are considered Perceptions (Falsely and sea across the Gulf and the native to both sides of the Atlantic. Straits on “their own” without the help Uncommon Species) of humans. Only in the last 100 Dispersal of plants and the Some plants seem uncommon years do we have reasonably good mechanisms they have developed to because we do not notice them or botanical records, before that no one get around is a fascinating story on recognize them even though they really knows how and when most its own, far too broad a topic to delve may commonly inhabit our local area. species arrived so the distinction is into in a brief article such as this. For Many aquatic species fall into this somewhat tenuous at best. Most the purposes of this series I will category, especially submerged European species that prefer prefer to use the term “uncommon” species and those with small non- disturbed habitats (i.e. that are for both native and introduced showy flowers such as pondweeds weedy) probably were introduced by species based on how often a plant (Potamogeton spp.). Some aquatics the European migrations in fairly is likely to be encountered in an like the bladderworts (Utricularia recent times, but not necessarily. Island-wide perspective. Native rarity spp.) do not bloom every year or may For example the rare Brayas on the classification for the purposes of not bloom profusely; some species Great Northern Peninsula who species conservation is certainly have tiny widely scattered flowers require disturbed habitat and so important, but for the purposes of easily overlooked at a distance. - 3 - Sarracenia Vol. 17 #1 Many individuals, even naturalists, many are extremely sketchy. The and widely distributed habitats in avoid close contact with these preparation of detailed local species Newfoundland so plants adapted to habitats and their mud and flies. lists of parks, reserves, communities, one of these would also be expected Although not flowering plants, and habitats across the province to be common and widely distributed charophytes (stoneworts) are would produce a clearer picture of as well. For example on our acid submerged aquatic macrophytes commonness and distributions of bogs throughout the Island one can known worldwide as significant poorly studied and recorded species. easily find Roundleaf Sundew contributors to freshwater (Drosera rotundifolia), the ecology. Until fairly Plant Portraits – Flowers: Joint First Prize Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia recently only a few vague purpurea), and the reports of three stonewort Marshberry (Vaccinium species existed for the oxycoccus). On the other Island and no verifiable hand, plants adapted to records were known serpentine peridotite soils simply because no one which only occur in a few ever bothered to look. We restricted localized areas, now know of eleven would not be encountered species, at least four