wildflowers of the adirondacks D O N A L D J . L E O P O L D & LY T TO N J O H N M U S S E L M A N
Covering more than six million acres of protected wilderness, the Adirondacks— with their landscape of high peaks, verdant wetlands, majestic trees,and lush carpets of flowers—is a pristine paradise for nature lovers. This comprehensive resource is packed with more than 300 gorgeous color images, one to represent almost every flower commonly found in this huge range. Revealing the stunning diversity of Adirondack wildflowers, from goldenrod and marsh blue violet to cattails and hellebore, the book includes • detailed botanical species accounts, arranged by flower color • images of each flower that highlight key features for easy ID • information about each species’ natural history • descriptions of the region’s upland, wetland, and aquatic habitats • a special section on the nearly 40 terrestrial orchid species found in the Adirondacks
The definitive field guide to the magnificent wildflowers of the Adirondacks.
wildflowers of the adirondacks D O N A L D J . L E O P O L D & LY T TO N J O H N M U S S E L M A N
Table Of Contents Written by Donald J. Leopold and Lytton John Musselman, skilled
Preface
botanists and the foremost authorities
Introduction
on these plants, this superior quality guide will appeal to residents of and visitors to the Adirondacks and northeastern mountains, including wildlife professionals, citizen scientists, backpackers, campers, photographers, bird watchers, artists, and wild food foragers.
General Plant Community Types in the Adirondacks Overview to Special Groups of Adirondack Wildflowers Species Accounts (by Predominant Flower Color) References Index to Species Descriptions
32
G EN ER A L P L A NT CO M M U N IT Y T Y P E S
Maianthemum canadense
Canada mayflower
Medeola virginiana
Indian cucumber root
Mitchella repens
partridge berry
Monotropa uniflora
Indian pipe
Oxalis montana
northern wood sorrel
Rubus repens
dewdrop
Streptopus lanceolatus
rose twisted stalk
Tiarella cordifolia
foamflower
Trillium erectum
purple trillium
Uvularia sessilifolia
wild oats
Viola rotundifolia
early yellow violet
Mixed Conifer Hardwood Forests Red spruce (Picea rubens), eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), or eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) are significant Š 2019 The Johns Hopkins University Press UNCORRECTED PROOF Do not quote for publication until verified with finished book. All rights reserved. No portion of this may be reproduced or distributed without permission. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
F I R S T PAG E S
Over 300 components of these upland forests, joined by sugargorgeous maple (Acer saccharum), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), color American beech (Fagus grandifolia), and red maple (Acer ruimages. M Ix ED cO N I FE R H A R DwO O D FO R E S TS
33
brum). Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) is usually a minor component. Striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum L.) and mountain maple (Acer spicatum Lam.) are in the subcanopy.
Š 2019 The Johns Hopkins University Press UNCORRECTED PROOF Do not quote for publication until verified with finished book. All rights reserved. No portion of this may be reproduced or distributed without permission. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
F I R S T PAG E S
60
Y EL LOW TO O R A N G E FLOW E R S
in the cultivated parsnip, or it could be a more recent introduction from Europe. Plants are up to five feet tall with grooved stems and compound leaves. The entire plant when crushed (but don’t crush it without gloves) smells like celery or carrot. Like its other relatives in the parsley family, it has flat-topped inflorescences (flower clusters). Wild parsnip has masses of small yellow flowers in midsummer. Fruits are flattened and resemble fennel seed. All parts of the plant contain compounds that cause phyto-photodermatitis induced by contact with the plant. These irritants are absorbed into the skin and when activated by light, initiate a chemical transformation causing swelling and blisters. This reaction is not an immune response but rather a contact poison, so it operates in a manner different from that of poison ivy. Wild parsnip is difficult to control because of its large, persistent root, which requires digging for effective removal.
Zizia aurea (L.) Koch, common golden Alexanders (Apiaceae) Golden Alexanders occurs in rich, mesic forests (those with a moderate amount of moisture), in floodplains, and moist fields. Individual flowers are bright yellow, one-eighth of an inch in diameter, and arranged Š 2019 The Johns Hopkins University Press UNCORRECTED PROOF Do not quote for publication until verified with finished book. All rights reserved. No portion of this may be reproduced or distributed without permission. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
F I R S T PAG E S
This superior 61 quality guide will in a flat cluster (an umbel) that resembles spokes of an umbrella appeal to residents and is about one to two inches in diameter. Leaves are doubly of and visitors to compound and consist of nine to twenty-seven toothed leaflets. the Adirondacks. A P O c Y N Ac E A E
Plants often grow in patches and can reach two feet in height.
At first glance, this species might be confused with the wild parsnip, Pastinaca sativa, but the latter species is taller, flowers later, and has more leaflets per compound leaf. A homeopathic medicine is derived from the root. Golden Alexanders is a host plant to black swallowtail butterfly larvae. The genus is named after J. B. Ziz (1779-1829), a German botanist.
Asclepias tuberosa L., butterfly weed (Apocynaceae)
Unlike its milkweed relatives, butterfly weed has alternate leaves and lacks milky latex (juice). It is easily recognized by its bright orange flowers that appear throughout most of the summer. Butterfly weed is also different from most other milkweeds in that it can branch from the base and produce a solid clump of many flowering stems. Its ease of cultivation and attractive, long-blooming flowers make it a popular garden Š 2019 The Johns Hopkins University Press UNCORRECTED PROOF Do not quote for publication until verified with finished book. All rights reserved. No portion of this may be reproduced or distributed without permission. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
F I R S T PAG E S
296
W H IT E FLOW E R S
by removing leaf litter around the plant and finding the tiny buds borne on a sharply recurved stalk. The fruit is technically edible, with a taste that with some imagination resembles that of a raspberry. However, it would take at least ten fruits of the dewdrop to equal the size of a single raspberry. Recent research has placed dewdrop in the genus Rubus, a group that includes blackberries and raspberries, replacing the more familiar name Dalibarda repens L.
Sibbaldia tridentata (Aiton) Paule & Soják, three-toothed cinquefoil (Rosaceae)
Rocky ridges, alpine meadows, and rocky outcrops are the habitat of this cinquefoil, so named because most species have a five-parted leaf—cinquefoil in French. It appears to be an herbaceous plant but is technically an evergreen creeping subshrub. Like many alpine tundra plants, its leaves are borne close to the ground. Leaves are three-parted, shiny, thick, and © 2019 The Johns Hopkins University Press UNCORRECTED PROOF Do not quote for publication until verified with finished book. All rights reserved. No portion of this may be reproduced or distributed without permission. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
F I R S T PAG E S
The only 297 available identification leathery, often turning red in winter. Flowers areguide borne into midthe Adirondack to late summer and have five white petals. region’s Three-toothed cinquefoil is part of a guild of plants of the s. most exclusive community in the Adirondacks—thewildflower High R U B I Ac E A E
Peaks. Fewer than one hundred acres of this fragile plant community exist in the Adirondacks.
Mitchella repens L., partridge berry (Rubiaceae)
The coffee family, Rubiaceae, is one of the five largest plant families, largely tropical in distribution and a small component of the Adirondack flora, with only five genera. The only evergreen member of the family here is partridge berry, a common plant in a diversity of habitats throughout the region. The genus is named after a colonial Virginia physician, John Mitchell (1711-68), best known for his map-making skills. This is a winsome, miniature vine that can form large colonies through its ability to root and branch. Attractive white © 2019 The Johns Hopkins University Press UNCORRECTED PROOF Do not quote for publication until verified with finished book. All rights reserved. No portion of this may be reproduced or distributed without permission. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION
F I R S T PAG E S
Publication date: February 2020
wildflowers of the adirondacks D O N A L D J . L E O P O L D & LY T TO N J O H N M U S S E L M A N
978-1-4214-3110-9 $24.95 £18.50 pb
368 pages 5½ x 8½ 315 color illus. Also available as an e-book
Sales queries: Devon Renwick dbr@press.jhu.edu
Media queries: Rebecca Rozenberg rer@press.jhu.edu