May - June 1995 Vol. 5, NO. 3 The Gymnosperms Species Accounts Abies balsamea (L.) Miller - Balsam Fir. Native to of Long Island, northeastern North America, north of Long Island. Often cultivated; seedlings have been recently Introduction reported from Nassau County. More data on this species are needed. This issue represents the second installment in the *Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) B.S.P. - Atlantic Atlas of Long Island Plants that the Flora Committee has White-Cedar. Native to the coastal plain of the been working on for many years. eastern United States, including Long Island. The maps that are printed here show the distribution Extensive cedar swamps formally occurred along the based on specimens, visual sightings and published south shore of Nassau County at Merrick, Baldwin, reports. A key to the symbols is printed on page 17. Freeport, and Seaford. In addition, Atlantic White Because there are many cultivated species which rarely Cedar stumps can be seen at low tide just off the if ever escape into the wild we have decided not to coast of Montauk Point. Extant populations occur produce maps for those species, instead we have written near Riverhead, Flanders, North Sea, and accounts for each species. Those species which are Smithtown. The wood has been well known for its mapped have a * in front of the species account. insect repellant and decay resistant qualities, and Readers should check both the maps and the species historically the trees have been exploited for use as account for information about the distribution of a fence posts, shingles, railroad ties, and telephone species. poles. Atlantic Whire Cedar is listed as a rare plant As always, if you have information that would flesh in New York State (Young 1992). For historical out these maps please report that information to the Long Island accounts see Harper (1907), Bicknell Chairperson of the Flora Committee. (1908), Taylor (1915) and Laderman et al. (1987). Cryptomeria japonica D. Don - Cryptomeria. Native to Japan. Often cultivated; seedlings have been recently reported from Nassau County. More data on this species are needed. PROGRAMS Ginkgo biloba L. - Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree. Native of China. Often cultivated; seedlings have been 9 May 1995 - 7:30 pmg, Prof. John Silba, "Rare and recently reported from Kings County (Brooklyn). Endangered Conifers of the South Pacific and More data on this species are needed. Asia." Uplands Farm Nature Center, Cold Spring *Juniperus communis L. var. depressa Pursh - Harbor. (For directions to Uplands Farm call 516- Common Juniper. Native to Long Island. Widely 367-3225). scattered individuals occur in open pine barrens. Particularly good stands occur in western 13 June 1995 - 2nd Annual LIBS Barbecue: Glenn Southampton and eastern Brookhaven Townships. Richard has planned a special evening at the Swan A fine specimen can been seen along the sandy Pond Biological Station of S entrance road of Cranberry Bog Preserve, just south Please see the enclosed fi of Riverhead. For an historical account see Davis information. (1917). All specimens examined have been referred to var. depressa, which forms flat-topped circular are available s patches less than 6 feet tall and several feet wide. The arborescent Eurasian var. communis has been reported from Long Island but not verified. Long Island May - June I995 Page I3 Botanical Society *Juniperus virginiana L. - Eastern Redcedar. Native Long Island are of cultivated specimens. For more to Long Island. Frequently occurs as a pioneer details see the last issue of this newsletter. species in old fields. On some coastal sands (eg., *Pinus banksiana Lambert - Jack Pine. Native to New Orient Beach State Park) Eastern Red Cedar forms a York only in the northern counties. A small stand climax forest community known as the maritime red at Fire Island was first reported by Art (1976) and cedar forest which is listed as a rare ecological still persists, a second population (introduced in the community in New York State (Reschke, 1990). 1960's) consisting of over 1000 self-perpetuating Individuals at Orient have been dated at over 130 individuals occurs at bluff-tops overlooking Long years old. This species is known as the Long Island Island Sound near Riverhead. There is a third Christmas Tree. It was once used as a christmas report from Orient. This species is planted tree in Old Bethpage Village. The var. crebra Fern. elsewhere on Long Island. & Grisc. occurs scattered on Long Island, old trees *Pinus echinata Miller - Shortleaf Pine. A southern were seen by John Silba in south Massapequa and species native to New York only in the extreme in Southampton. This variety is not recognized in southeastern counties; historically known from Flora North America. western Long Island, with one collection from *Larix decidua Miller - European Larch. Native to Northport; not reported from Long Island during the Europe and Siberia. A rare escape from cultivation; past 80 years. has spontaneously reproduced and become Pinus nigra Arnott - Austrian Pine. Appears to be established at Underhill Estate, Muttontown Preserve naturalized in several areas and reproducing many and Sands Point Preserve. It is reported elsewhere seedlings which reach at least 15 years old or more. on Long Island. John Silba has seen this plant at Farmingdale, Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch - Tamarack. Native Massapequa, Islip, and Wading River; earlier Roy to northern North America (north of Long Island). Latham saw this plant in Orient. All historical collections and reports from Long *Pinus rigida Miller - Pitch Pine. Native; infrequent in Island are of cultivated specimens; neither escaping western Long Island, frequent throughout Suffolk nor naturalizing on the island. Jelliffe (1899) and County, the common pine of the Pine Barrens; Taylor (1915) reported that this species is "not wild frequently occurs in dry sandy soils, but can also on Long Island." but House (1924, p. 43) reports tolerate wet soils. A large population of dwarf this plant as "formerly found at Wading River, Long individuals occurs at Westhampton, but this form is Island." not taxonomically recognized. *Picea abies (L.) H. Karsten - Norway Spruce. *Pinus strobus L. - Eastern White Pine. Native Long Native to northern Europe. Escaped from Island populations occur at Shelter Island, cultivation on Long Island. Planted trees thrive and Greenport, Northwest Harbor, and Flanders. Peters their seeds sometimes germinate; second generation (1957) reported isolated individuals and small individuals sometimes grow to approximately 20 populations along the north shore from Queens to feet in height before dying, without reproducing. eastern Suffolk. Native populations often occur in *Picea glauca (Moench) Voss - White Spruce. Native swamps; large stands on the north shore have been to northern North America. Escaped from introduced. cultivation on Long Island. Planted trees thrive and *Pinus sylvestris L. - Scotch Pine. Introduced from their seeds rarely germinate; second generation northern Eurasia; planted and rarely escaping from individuals rarely grow to 15 feet in height before cultivation. dying, without reproducing. *Pinus thunbergiana Franco - Japanese Black Pine. Picea rnariana (Miller) B.S.P. - Black Spruce. Graves Introduced from eastern Asia by Mr. & Mrs. Joseph & Rusk (1949) state: "It may be seen in a swamp Fays in 1892-1893 and planted at the Edward and near Merrick". There is no confirmation in this Cook Estates in Sag Harbor (Littlefield, 1942). It "long and well botanized area" (Peters, 1973). escapes from cultivation, spontaneously reproduces Picea pungens Engelrnan - Blue Spruce. Reported and persists. It was planted along the Montauk from Fishers Island by R. H. Smith in 1943, Smith Highway as early as the 1930's and was extensively reported abundant seedling reproduction (New York planted along barrier beaches and State highways State Museum Flora Cards). during the 1960s to 1980s, currently dying in large *Picea rubens Sargent - Red Spruce. Native to numbers (Daughtrey and Kowalsick, 1988). This eastern North America. One population native to species once was spelled P. thunberii but changes in Long Island, located at Gidd's Island, Orient, was the code af botanical nomenclature necessitated the destroyed by a hurricane over 50 years ago. The change in spelling. only other collection and all other reports from Long Island May - June 1995 Page 14 Botanical Society "Pinus virginiana Miller - Virginia Pine. A southern Bicknell, E. P. 1908. The white cedar swamp in species native to New York only in the extreme western Long Island. Torreya 8: 27-28. southeastern counties. Collected by Norman Taylor Eaton, D. C. 1878. A Catalogue of the flowering plants on the Hempstead Plains in 1914; reported from and higher cryptogams growing without cultivation Suffolk County by Miller and Young (1874) and within thirty miles of Yale College. Berzelius Middle Island by LeRoy (Eaton, 1878). There are Society, New Haven. 71 pp. no extant Long Island occurrences, but Virginia Daughtrey, M. and T. Kowalsick. 1988. The Japanese Pine persists on Staten Island. black pine - What's happening? Home Hort. Facts, Taxodium distichum (L.) Richard - Bald Cypress. Cornell Cooperative Extension, Riverhead, NY. 4 Native to southeastern United States. Reported as a PP. native from Long Pond, Bridgehampton by Hehre & Davis, W. T. 1917. Juniperus communis on Long Bollard (1974), but the native status of this Island and Staten Island. Torreya 17: 99-100. occurrence is questionable. Escaped from Graves, A. H. and H. M. Rusk. 1949. Guide to Trees cultivation at Muttontown and Whalehouse Point, and Shrubs: based on those of greater New York. Fire Island. Published by the Authors, Brooklyn, NY. 76pp. Taxus baccata L. - English Yew. Native to Europe. Harper, R. M. 1907. A Long Island cedar swamp. Reported as a rare escape from cultivation on Long Torreya 7: 198-201. Island; however, it is questionable whether this Hehre, E. J. and P. M. Bollard. 1974. The occurrence species spontaneously reproduces on the island. of bald cypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Richard) *Taxus canadensis Marshall - Canadian Yew.