This is the third in a series of articles describing the Natural Communities defined by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI). This classification system must be viewed as a system of mental constructs imposed upon an infinite variety of growing, changing, intergrading, natural environments. Hence, more often than not, a given site will not precisely fit the classic description of the appropriate natural community. By practicing comparing these descriptions to vegetation observed in the field, an interested naturalist should be able to learn to identify plant communities accurately and contribute valuable site information to conservation efforts.
Since seepage communities are relatively poorly documented, FNAI would appreciate additional information on these environments. If you have data, especially species records for a site you can clearly classify as one of the following Natural Communities (specify which I), or comments, please send them to the author at the address at the end of this article.
SEEPAGE COMMUNITIES
by Linda Conway Duever
SEEPAGE SLOPE
Where groundwater seeps to the surface along a hillside, an unusual wet upland environment called a Seepage Slope is created. This most often occurs in a Sandhill region where rainwater percolating down through the sand encounters a less permeable soil strata (usually a clayey layer, but sometimes rock or saturated soil). The resultant habitat may be wet most of the time, but, except for scattered small pools, it is never flooded. The soils are typically acid loamy sands with low nutrient availability.
To compensate for the soil's deficiencies, many plants of the Seepage Herb Bog have developed insectivorous habits. These "pitcherplant bogs" are generally located relatively high on a slope where fires spreading downhill from
the adjacent pinelands periodically burn back encroaching shrubs and maintain a meadow of grasses and wildflowers. (Another type of "pitcherplant bog," which occurs on low-lying flat sites, will be discussed in a future article on Wet Prairie.,.) Farther downslope, where the soii contains more peat and remains damp through all but the most severe droughts, Seepage Shrub Bogs develop. In certain situations where there is a zone of greasy-looking, yellowish sand, a Pinckneya Bog forms an ecotone between the herb bog and a downslope Baygall. Where there is a pine overstory extending down onto the wet part of the slope, the site may be considered a Pond Pine Pocosin or a Slash Pine Pocosin. If there is a significant overstory of white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides or C. henryi?), it is termed a White continued next page
Page 2, February, 1984, PALMETTO
(ISSN-0276-4164)
Florida Native Plant Society 1203OrangeAve., Winter Park,Fl327e
Copyright 1984 by The Florida Conservation Foundation
Peggy S. Lantz, Editor
Rt. 3, Box 437, , Orlando,FL32818
Thehtn.effo is publishedquarterly by 1tM! Florida Native Plant Societyunder the auspicesof The Environmental Information Center and The FloridaConservation Foundation.
We encourage the reuse of the articles appearing in The Palmetto in order to disseminate Iinformation on Flor ida na tive plants as widely as possible, but In accordance with the copyright law permission must grantedIn writing by the Editor or the Publisher, creditmust be given to The Palmetto and The Florida Native Plant Society, and the notice or copyright must appear in the reprin ted articles.
Articles on any aspect of Florida native plants are invited. Include drawings or photos. if possible, They will be handled with care, and will returned if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Send to Peggy S. Lantz, Editor The Palmetto, Rt 3 Box 437 Orlando, FL 32818, 305/299-1471
The next Palmetto will be issued the first week in April in order to give the complete program for the Conference in Boca Ra ton. Please have all material to the editor by the middle of March.
MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONS?
SEEPAGE SLOPES___from page 1
Cedar Bog. in centralFlorida, a slash pine (Pinus el/iottii) community with a dense carpet of bright green cutthroat grass (Panicum abscissum) is called a Cutthroat Seep.
Fire is a critical factor in Seepage Slope ecology. Since these are nutrient-restricted environments, periodic fires are important for nutrient recycling. Herb bogs are maintained in good condition by fires every three to eight years, whereas shrub bogs typically burn no more often than once every 20 to 50 years. After a herb bog has gone unburned for ten years or so, Seepage Shrub Bog species , then Baygall trees, invade. As larger woody plants become established, increased transpiration lowers soil moisture levels. Over a period of years, this dries out the bog and the site is colonized by non-wetland species.
A somewhat reverse process may create new bogs where groundwater levels are raised following the decrease in transpiration when an upslope forest is logged. More often, man's hydrological activities eliminate these communities. Even slight modifications in drainage patterns can alter surface moisture critically: a ditch only eight inches deep can be enough to destroy a bog. Seepage Slope areas are frequently convenient places for farm pond construction, so many of them are converted to impoundments or trampled by cattle. And herbicides and plant collectors have seriously reduced the diversity of some sites.
Membershipsin the Florida Native Plant Society are renewable annually based on the date of firstmemberships.If you are late renewing your membership, and receive one or more complimentaryissuesof The Palmetto beyond the expiration date, your renewal will neverthelessberetroactive to the annual date of your initial membership. lf you drop your mernbenh!p for afull year or more, and then take out membership again,your membershipwill date from the time of )'CIU-f reinstatement.Please do not ask that FNPS foot the bill for your complimentary extension of your membership when your renewal is late. Pleasebe sureto notify the FNPSoffice when your addresschanges. C Copiesof The Palmettothat are returned the address is incorrect cost FNPS 67¢„5¢ 5¢ for the mailingof the first copy, 25¢ for the post office to provide the address change,and 37¢for the secondmailout (no bulk mail rate on single copies).And sometimesthe P.O. mangles the copy and we have to send a new one: each copy of The Palmetto costs morethan $1.00 la produce.
All the above are fairly predictable sorts of human impact, but pitcherplant bogs provide an illustration of how obscure man's effects can be. Soil disturbance apparently promotes hybridization of sarracenias, yielding crosses that are less hardy and require more water than the parent species. These plants could then be among the factors operating to dry out and destroy their own habitat.
Checks for FNPS dues mustbe kept separate from payments for chapter dues. Correspondenceand address changes. changes should be sent Florida Plant Society, 1203 Orange Ave., Wi nter Park, FL 32789.
Although there are Cutthroat Seeps in Polk and Highlands counties, and some pond pine and pitcherplant communities as far south as Orlando, Seepage Slopes are generally a north Florida community. There is a small concentration in Clay and Putnam counties, but most of them are in the western Panhandle. Even there, they are uncommon and (unlike the Wet Prairie type pitcherplant savannas) seldom larger than a few acres.
It is difficult to list the plant species most characteristic of the Seepage Herb Bog because practically all reports simply lump all 'pitcherplant bogs" without distinguishing slopes from savannas, wet pine flatwoods and deep peat bogs. The experts recognize that there are differences in the vegetation on these different types of sites, but there is little documentation of just which species prefer which environm.ents. Nevertheless, we can say that wiregrass (Aristida stricta) is usually the dominant plant, but pitcherplants (Sarracenia spp.) are the most striking component of the flora. Trumpet pitcherplant (S. flava) and *white-top pitcherplant (S. leucophylla) are the most common species. Hooded pitcherplant (S. minor) is fairly abundant in the eastern part of the state, but relatively scarce in the Panhandle. Parrot pitcherplant (S. psittacina) is characteristic of open Seepage Slope bogs, whereas purple pitcherplant (S. purpurea) grows in partially shaded spots along the shrub bog interface . The • red-flowered pitcherplant (S. rubra), Florida's rarest sarracenia, prefers sunny sites. Other carnivorous plants include sundews (Drosera spp.), and butterworts (Pinguicula spp.). Dew threads (Drosera filiformis) are the most prominent sundews on Seepage Slopes. The Pinguiculas include blue butterwort (P. caeru/ea), yellow butterwort (P. lutea), and small butterwort (P pumi/a). There is usually some sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.), but clubmosses (Lycopodium spp.) are much more abundant. Bogmoss (Mayaca fluviatilis) and sedges such as Fimbrystilis autumnalis and Rhynchospora spp. (R. americana?) dominate some sites. This is an outstanding habitat for terrestrial orchids. The following species have been recorded from Seepage Slopes: •yellow fringeless orchid (Platanthera integra), rose pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides), pale grass pink (Calopogon pallidus), and grass pink (Calopogon tuberosus). Rare plants known from Seepage Herb Bogs include• naked-stemmed panic grass (Panicum nudicaule), *Drummond's yellow-eyed grass (Xyris drummondii), • Harper's yellow-eyed grass (X. scabrifolia), *Curtiss' lythrum (Lythrum curtissii), veronica dragonhead (Physostegia veroniciformis), *Panhandle lily (Lilium iridollae), •grass-of-Parnassus
BUTTERfl Y GARDENING w1T H NATIVE PLANTS
by Eve A. Hannah s
Before exotic plants we r e introduced into Florida , our butterfly popu lation s were d e te rmined solely by native plant populations, becau se bu t terfly larv ae are ex t remely se le c tive fee ders and would rather die than switch. Toda y the relationship remains much the s ame Many s pecies choose host p lants or a particular family, and s ome of but one genus .
The briilian r b lue Atala buuerfly of South Florida depen d s exclus ively on Zamia for larval foods. Developmen t and aheration o f habitat has resu lted in dras tic loss of host plants.
The elegant zebra swallowtail lays its eggs on species of pawpaw (Asimina ). A simina is s ti ll common in undevelope d areas. but missing from h i gh l y develop e d l ocal1 t ie s . Fortuna tely , the pla nt is found in grea t numbers in pro tect e d areas such as the Ocala Na tio n a l Forest and some state parks The pawpaw's presen c e assure s popu lations of zebra swa ll owtai ls, but wi ll limit their d istribut ion
Many p lants - both native and exotic - attract visiting butterflies for neoaring fo o ds. Natives are usually beuer attractors, because in th e hybridiz lng of many p la n ts fragrance and necta r are lost.
To ma ke your own se lection of plants attractive to bu n erflies, visit the roadsides and n ote th e allu re o f th is tl e , Liatris, Gilia, Cerardia, Verbena, lpomoea, Aescul us, Lyonia, Vern o nia, Carberia , La c hnanthes , and a host of others. The grea test attractor of a ll is Bidens
To have resident p opu latio n s of b utte rflies in your own yard , food for the larvae mus t b e in cl uded in the garden Eve n t h e n , some b ullerflies cannot be found in an urb an setting because th ey requi re c ertain specific na 1ural ha b itats , And , of c o u rse, you may neve r more u s e insec t ici d es or pesticides.
(In 1979 , Butterfly Conse rvatio n wa s adop ted as a state p ro ject fo r Th e Flor ida Fe d erat ion of Garde n Cl ub s, Inc.. to e d ucate th e members concernin g t h e p li g ht of 1h e bu u erfly, an d to e n cou ra ge sav in g butterfly hab it at a n d th e pla n ting o f " butte rfly g a rd ens." The p ro ject was so su ccessful tha t it was ado p ted by the Nationa l Council o f State Carden Clubs , Inc. in 1983, a n d is now pro mo ted natio nwi de . )
Below is a p artia l lis r of b u tterfl ies and the native plants t h e ir larvae n eed for food :
Atala (Eumaeus atala) - So u th Florida coontie (Zamia florldana)
Buckeye (Pr icis lavina) , p lantain (Pfan tago), and Ludwegia
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes t h aros) - Aste rs, especia lly natives a n d crownbeard ( Verbesina)
Dogface (Calias cesonla ) - Leadplan r (Amorpha frulricosa)
Gu lf Frltilia ry (Agraulis vanillae ), p ass ion v ine (Passiflora s p p.)
Florida Lea fwin g (Anaea andria) - c rot ons ( Croton linearis)
Goatweed Butte rfly (Ana e a andria) - c rotons (Croton copicaws an d C monanthogynus)
C rea l Sou thern Whil e (Ascia mo nus te) - Saltwort (Batis ma r itima )
Julia (Dryas j u lia) - passion vine (Passiflora s p p )
Monarch (Da na us p l exippu s) - m il kweeds (Asdepia s species, a lso g reen m il kwee d s)
Pai nt ed La dy (Vanessa cardui) - ch ie fl y composites (Asteraceae) , es p ecia ll y 1h istl es
Q uee n (Danus g l ippus) - ma n y s p ecies of m il kweeds (Asclepiadaceae)
Red Admi ra l (Vanessa atalanta)- nenies (Urtica), fa lse n e tt le (Boehmeria)
Re d Sp otte d Purple (Li menitis arthemis astyanax) - w illo ws (Salix), scrub oa k (Quercus 1/icifolia), etc.
Lo n g ta iled Sk ip p er (Urba n us proteaus) - me mb ers of the bean fami ly (Fabaceac)
O range- barre d Sulph u r ( Phoeb is phiJea) - cassias
Commo n Sulph u r Colias p h ilod lce) - bean fa m ily (Fa b aceae)
Black Swa ll o wtail (Pap ili o po lyxenus) - membe rs of the Umb e ll lferae
Giant SwallowLa il (Papi/lo cresp h on tes)- citrus, p r ickly ash (Za n t h oxyl u m )
Pipev in e Swallowtail (Pa p ilio p h ilenor) - p ip evi n es (Aristo/ochia) and knotweeds ( Po lygonum )
Palamed es Swallowtai l (Pa pi/lo pa lame d es) - re d bay (Persea ) , sweet bay (Magno lia v irg in ia n a), sa ssa fras
Scha u s' Swallow tail (Papili oaristod em us ponceanus) - torchwood (Amyris e l emife ra ), wild lim e (Za n thoxy/um fagara)
Sp ice bu sh Swa ll owtail ( Papili o t r o il us) - sp icebush (8enzoin). red bay (Persea), a nd sweet bay (M agnolia v irginiana)
Tiger Swa ll o w t.a il (Pap i/io glacus) -wi d e variety of trees , po p lar (Popu lus) , tu lip tree (ll r iodendron) . cher ry ( Prunus spp)
Zebra Swallo w tail (Papi/lo marcellus) - various species of paw p aw (Asimina)
Vice roy (L imeni t is arc h ipp u s) - w ill o ws, especia ll y Sa l ix nigra and S. sericea
Zeb r a ( H e l ico n ius chari co n ius) - passi o n vine ( Passiflor a sp p )
Zebra Swallowtail and pawpaw.
PSILOTUM NUDUM----
-------Survivor of Eons
by Steve Farnsworth
Psilotum nudum, commonly called whisk fern, is an ancient and primitive Florida native that is little changed from ancestral forms that were probably the first plants to invade dry land 400 million years ago. To call it a "plant dinosaur," however, is a misnomer, since it predates the dinosaurs by hundreds of millions of years, and is still surviving. Its primitiveness is self-evident, as it lacks leaves, roots, and seeds - all the things plants are supposed to have.
Its major claim to fame is as one of the few species remaining in the Psilotophyta, a small and nevernumerous plant division, nevertheless credited as having the first terrestrial vascular plants. Vascular means having conducting cells for water and nutrient transport, and in an evolutionary sense, vascular tissues were a great advance. For the first time, parts of plants could survive without being in contact with moisture, and specialization of plant tissues into leaves, stems, roots, etc., was made possible.
The whisk fern never got that far. My first contact with Psilotum was in junior college when I took a beginning botany course. We studied all the divisions of the plant world in due course, and the whisk fern, as the local and commonest representative of the Psilotophyta, was available as a preserved specimen for laboratory study. I was quite eager to see it in the wild, and you can imagine the thrill I received when I finally spotted itgrowing among a network of strangler fig roots in a coastal hammock. I decided then and there that I would go back and collect spores when they were ready, and attempt to germinate them
Fortunately for me, I never had to because I found a large patch of it growing on my own property, under - of all things -a Brazilian pepper. This colony must produce spores prolifically because I now have whisk fern popping up nearly everywhere - in my nursery pots, on rotting tree stumps, underneath trees where humusy topsoil has formed. And, as my knowledge of the plant's habits and preferences increased, I found it in nearly every decent-sized patch of natural vegetation I visited.
Psilotum nudum ranges through-
out Florida and the southeastern United States and most tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It can either be epiphytic or terrestrial, growing wherever its requirements of partial shade and pockets of organic, humusy, moist-but-welldrained material can be found.
The name "whisk" fern comes from the resemblance of the tufts of naked, green, branched stems to whisks. The stems are dichotomously branched, that is, the stem splits into two equal parts, those two parts split into two more equal parts, and so on. One stem can branch five or six times, and as the stems arise in clumps, quite a whisk-like appearance results. In reality, it is not even a fern (division Pteridophyta), but is considered one of the fern allies because it shares the trait of reproducing from spores, but not much else.
Whisk fern is not a large plant, with the clumps of stiff, thin, angular, wiry stems rarely exceeding one foot in height. Along the angles of the stems are scattered tiny scalelike appendages called microphylls which are the barest rudiments of leaves.
In the upper portion of the stems these microphylls subtend globose three-lobed sporangia that turn yellow and split to release spores. Underground, Psilotum has creep-
ing, whitish, translucent rhizomes, which are elongated horizontal underground stems, and rhizoids, which are cellular filaments that perform some of the functions of roots. A fungus is invariably associated with the rhizomes and may symbiotically assist with nutrient gathering.
The spores germinate underground, but rarely produce plants when intentionally sown, according to a book on fern culture I consulted. The plant does volunteer prolifically, though, and transplants easily, thriving in partial shade and an organic, friable media with good drainage and moisture retention.
What, then, is the lesson the whisk fern can teach us? Perhaps it is that being complicated and important doesn't assure success, but that being simple and modest is a better strategy. After all, 400 million years is a Ion time.
'The Package Deal Join FCF's Spring
Led by John Edscorn
Wed. & Thurs., March 28-29, 1984
Shake off the shackles of a mercurial winter! Spend two delightful days discovering the beauty and diversity of natural Florida under the guidance of a master naturalist who probably knows the backroads of this state better than anyone. For some years, Edscorn was Florida correspondent for "American Birds," and many know John for his penetrating assessments of Corps of Engineers projects.
Under sponsorship of the Florida Conservation Foundation, the 39passenger bus will leave Winter Haven's Audubon Center at 9 a.m., March 28, and head for the Green Swamp -a littleknown area larger than Okefenokee or the Great Dismal. While observing this varied complex of land and water, which is the headwaters for four major rivers, we expect to stop for a picnic lunch in the Withlacoochee State Forest. Afterwards we will visit several places of interest best known to John Edscorn, before proceeding to charming old Chinsegut Hill in Brooksville. There we will settle into our modern cottages and enjoy a dinner prepared just for us at the historic Manor House located on one of the highest points in Florida.
Next morning, eagle man and naturalist, Steve Fickett, will be our guide for a walk through the Chinsegut Nature Center, which he was instrumental in establishing. Steve recently served as chairman of the Florida Nature Conservancy and has just completed a distinguished career as a biologist for the state Game Commission.
Depending upon time and whether thev are still around. we mav catch a
Mitzi Chilton
SAVING NATIVES on Public School Property
by Norman M. Moody
There is no reason why our Florida native plants cannot be saved and utilized on land developed by federal, state, county, and city organizations. Native plants can be and are being successfully used in landscaping Palm Beach County schools. But what is needed to make the turnaround in saving our natural heritage is some advance planning and contact work. By relating the steps we used in a recent experience on a new Palm Beach County school property, perhaps we can help others in their efforts. '
The school district is a large one, spread over 50 square miles, and the school system is divided into many departments which are responsible for- - in the final analysis -a well-
You Can't Refuse Wanderlust Tour
glimpse of some endangered birds and mammals. Nothing about the itinerary is guaranteed, however, except that we can't go wrong in letting John Edscorn take us where his instincts dictate.
We expect to be back at the Audubon Center in Winter Haven by 5 p.m. Your parked cars will be waiting to transport you back to the world of mundane things.
All participants in the Spring Wanderlust Tour will become Sponsors of the non-profit Florida Conservation Foundation and receive its informative newsletter, ENFO, without further charge.
Host and hostess for the tour will be Ken and Helen Morrison. Ken is retired director of Bok Tower Gardens at Lake Wales and is vice president of FCF. His book, Mountain Lake Almanac, is scheduled for publication in late spring. Helen conducts field trips at the Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Tiger Creek Nature Preserve. She taught conservation education in Lake Wales area schools for 10 years.
Even before the tour's announcement, reservations have been coming in; hence early enrollment is recommended. The total fee (including bus transportation, services of the tour conductor, twin-bed lodging and meals [dinner on Mar. 28, breakfast on Mar. 29], is only $65 per person. To avoid disappointment, send in your reservation at once. Make your check for $65 per reservation payable to Florida Conservation Foundation and mail it to FCF, 1203 Orange Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789.
If you have questions about the tour, call the Morrisons at 813/638-1614
between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Reservation deadline: March 12.
run school.
I work in the maintenance department of Palm Beach County Schools, and in our efforts to rescue native plants, we become involved with many of those other departments that acquire land, contract for the building of a school facility, and maintain the finished school plant.
Factors which helped:
1. I was knowledgeable enough about native plants to know their identity, value, requirements, and moving needs. If
such a person is not already employed by an organization, the Florida Native Plant Sodety can provide the necessary advice and help.
2. I requested that, as soon as a piece of property was acquired, the school plant planning department notify me. After visiting the property, I offered recommendations with regard to saving the plants and trees on the site.
3. I sat in on pre-bid meetings with prospective bidders who would be putting the land into a condition for the builders to begin their work. I took this opportunity to request proper clearing methods and to give information on what types of plants were valuable.
4. I became acquainted with the superintendent on the job and kept in close contact with him, maintaining a good working relationship.
The project:
The school property was
PALMETTO, February, 1984, Page S
approximately thirty acres, with half of the site to be in buildings, parking, driveways, and bus turnarounds. Part of the area had to be demucked and raised with fill. Recreation and play fields were located and much of the area had to be cleared with heavy equipment. We had enough advance notice to remove many of the large plants prior to clearing. We saved dahoon holly up to 6" in diameter, and large sabal palms, successfully moving 24 sabals and 20 dahoon holly to a nursery. We also relocated dahoons on site and moved some to a nearby school ground.
By pre-arrangement, I asked that pruned dahoons and pruned sabals be saved and cleared around. I asked that all perimeter plants be saved, and that no clearing be done from the property boundaries to within twelve feet of playfield, parking lot, or building. If a drain or fence had to be installed, only the necessary area was cleared. It was agreed that my maintenance department would later take out any undesirables in these areas. We were able to save saw palmetto, tarflower, mercine, blueberry, two types of lyonia, wax myrtle, gallberry, small pines, wildflowers, and grasses.
The superintendent on the job was very helpful and cooperative. I believe this was due to our contact well before the project was begun so the company knew of our intent. We did not have to put up barriers or use marking tape because we had an understanding well in advance.
A possible result!
We hope the presence of native plants on school grounds will arouse interest in natives and help in having this specific group of plants included in the curriculum. According to Dr. David Lee of Florida International University, in addressing the Florida Native Plant Conference recently, courses on native plants are nonexistent in the State of Florida on a primary and secondary school level. What a rare opportunity for the maintenance department to play a part in helping with the education of students!
We can all work together in preserving native plants, not only on public land, but private land as well. Recently we moved 80 sabals from a proposed parking lot on private land.
As we all become more knowledgeable, we can help each other learn through working together with city, county, and state agencies.
Norman Moody and students on a nature trail at a Palm Beach school.
BOOK REVIEW
by Bijan Dehgan
Common Florida Angiosperm Plant Families, Part I, Wendy B. Zomlefer. 8 1/2 x 11, softcover, 107 pp. Privately published.
In the absence of a comprehensive flora of Florida (one is currently in preparation), the native plant enthusiast is thankful for any source of information helpful in identifying our state's myriad flowering plants. Common Florida Angiosperm Plant Families by Wendy B. Zomlefer, biological illustrator at the Florida State Museum, is one such welcome contribution. Adapted from Ms. Zomlefer's master's thesis, the twopart work (a second volume will follow) is intended formally as a laboratory manual for taxonomy courses, but serves as a valuable reference for the non-specialist as well. Thirty-four families are treated in this first volume, grouped together by their phylogenetic associations. Another thirty-three will be covered in Part II.
Items for sale by your friendly Florida Native Plant Society:
Florida Botanical and Ecological Bibliography by Dr. Henry Whittier, Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Central Florida. 278 pp. Spiral bound. $15 + $1 postage.
Decals of the FNPS logo, Serenoa repens, as it appears in the upper left corner of the cover of Palmetto. In green. $.50 each. T-shirts. One style is the logo in green on a tan shirt. The other is a picture of Florida inundated with native plants in four colors on tan background. Both are short-sleeved in 50/50 polycotton. Both come in sizes small through extra large, both men and women. $7.00 each + $1 postage.
The Insider's Guide to Owning Land in Subdivisions, a 38-page booklet from Inform by Patricia A. Simko, J.D.; and How to Judge Environmental Planning for Subdivisions, a 45-page booklet from Inform edited by Perrin Stryker. Both for $2.00.
Each family is illustrated with a full page, black-and-white plate drawn from one to several exemplars of the family native to Florida. The accompanying text includes a precise but concise technical description of the family, its size, distribution, economic importance, and Florida representatives. The collective characteristics of the family members which occur in Florida are described under separate heading. Additional descriptive text elaborates on salient morphological features and discusses pollination ecology within and evolution of the family. Literature references are provided for each family, thus allowing the interested reader to obtain further information. A thorough glossary of technical terms is included at the end of the book. Ms. Zomlefer begins her text with an edifying introduction which
includes a brief but fascinating discussion of the "brass tacks" of botanical illustration.
Of course, the highlight of the volume is its illustrations, all of which are outstanding. Vegetative and floral characteristics are amply detailed at both the macro- and micromorphological level.
My sole criticism of the volume is the omission of a key to the families treated, a feature which would only add to the utility of the book.
As anyone who has taken (or taught) a course in basic plant taxonomy can attest, the learning of plant taxa is facilitated by an appreciation of the plant kingdom at the family level. Once the diagnostic characters of a particular family are understood, one can see how these characters re-occur in related genera and species. Consequently, the task of identifying any one particular plant then becomes easier. While the book is obviously slanted for an audience with at least a grounding in botany, the layperson will find Common Florida Angiosperm Plant Families an indispensible appendix to regional wildflower manuals.
Available by mail-order from: Wendy B. Zomlefer, 603-D 4th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601. $8.50 for Florida residents (includes tax and postage), $8.15 for out-of-state (includes postage).
COPING WITH THE INEVITABLE! Florida Growth Issues of the 1980s
Friday, March 23, 9 A.M. - 5 P.M.
Bush Science Center, Rollins College Winter Park, Florida 32789
This conference will be featuring the officials responsible for formulating the Jaws, as well as those admlnfsterins the laws, related to growth, wetlands, pesticides, etc.
Spea ke rs include : William Sadowski, chairman of the Water Task force
Representative Ray Liberti, chairman of the House Select Committee on Growth
George Sheidon, president of the Florida League of Conservation Voters
And more.
Afternoon workshopsinclude: Funding the cost of growth. Can water limit growth? Wetlands jurisdictfon. Who is in charge? Organizing for action. Recharge areas. And more.
Registration fee S10 until March 9; $12 after.
Includes lunch.
Please remit registration fee to: Rollins College, Environmental Studies Box 2753 Winter Park FL 32789
Florida Native Plant Society's' FOURTH ANNUAL
NATIVE PLANT CONFERENCE
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida
Friday, May 4, through Sunday, May 6, 1984
The Conference will be sponsored by the Biology Department of F lorida Atlantic University and hosted by the Palm Beach County Chapter. The heme of this year's conference is "Native Plant Diversity,"and subjects for discussion, workshops, and speaker presentation include: ·
Native plants in the classroom (science
Landscaping with natives
Landscaping public schools with native
Propagation of native plants
Tissue culture of native orchids
Contractgrowing and governmental b
Registration begins at noon, Friday, May 4
Wildflowers of North, Central, and South Florida
Disappearing habitats
Rescuing natives from the bulldoze
Cultivars of natives
Developing with natives And more.
Friday afternoon: Technical/Scientific Paper Presentation
Friday evening : Fire Council presentation on fire ecology
Saturday 8 A.M., Registration; 9 A.M., Program starts
10:30, Workshops; 11 :30, Lunch
12:30 to 4:30 P.M., Continuation of workshops
5:30, Plant sales and cocktails
7:30, Banquet with guest speaker
Early registration is prior to April 21.
FNPS Members: $20 early registration; $25 late.
Non-members: $25 early; $30 late. Includes coffee break and lun c h.
Student registration: $5 (does not include lun c h) . Accomodations
Sunday: Field trips
Field Trips will include:
Fern Forest County Park in Broward County Red Reef City Park in Boca Raton Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound Plus preliminary workshops on each field trip
University Inn , 2700 N FederalHwy., Boca Ra ton 33431: 305/395-5225. Sing $34: Doub le $4 2 _ ·
Holiday Inn- Lakeside, 8144 SR 808 (Glad es Rd.t Bo ca Raton 33434; 305/482-7070. Singl $35; Do ubl e $40 . Ho ward Johnson's Mo tor Lodge, 80 E. C amino Real, Boca Ra to n 33432; 305/39 545
Single $5 2; Do ub le $ 59.
Day's Inn, 1250 W Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach 3341; 305/427-2200. Sing $29 Double $33. , -
REGISTRATION FORM
Florida Native Plant Societv 19
Address
Citv Affiliation
nd registration and paymen
Florida Native Plant Society (Phone 305/644-5377) embership checks may be r
State Zip please
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THE LOST HABITAT
by Robert B. Schuh and Ralph Bove
When visitors to Florida reflect on the state's ocean, the gulf beaches or cypress swamps, they think of the "real" Florida as something different from their hometown and state. The clear, almost cloudless sky, the smell of the air, the lush, green vegetation in winter, seem to be unioue.
People, whether they be tourist or native, often overlook a unique feature of Florida. For it can be seen only in Florida and a small section in southeast Alabama. The feature occupies some of the most valuable, well-elevated real estate in Florida. This height of ancient sand dunes has made it unusual enough to survive as a separate plant community for 5,000 years or more. The topography has also been the major factor in destroying (in less than a century) most of the habitat by development along the southeastern coast of Florida.
On the sand dunes formed during the Pleistocene Age (100,000 years ago) the sand pine scrub plant community developed. The plants and animals have adapted to the desert-like existence in the dry, sterile soils. It is so specialized that 40 to 60 percent of the 70 plant species are endemic, i.e., they are found nowhere other than in the sand pine scrub.
Some of these endemic plants are also endangered and likely to be lost because of development. A few examples are Curtiss' Milkweed (Asclepias curtissii), Four-petaled Paw-paw (Asimina tetramera) and the Dancing Lady Orchid (Oncidium variegatum).
There are also endemic animals, such as the Scrub Jay, Florida Mouse (the only mammal found exclusively in Florida), Gopher Tortoise, and Gopher Frog (all of which are threatened), and the rare Florida Scrub Lizard. Insects show up in the sand pine scrub, such as beetles (Altaenius saramari and Peltrotrupes profundus) and also the Red Widow spiders. It seems that every step in the food chain is endangered. These organisms have specialized in this harsh environment; however, their habitat is shrinking by growing human habitations.
Thousands of years ago, under different climatic conditions. scrub
jays must have been distributed continuously from Florida to California. However, geological changes affected the range of scrub vegetation and, in time, these birds were separated from each other. The Florida Scrub Jay is now evolved into a distinct subspecies and is rarely ever found outside the state or far from good scrub habitat.
Just as geological time has entrapped the jays, it has also made sand pine scrub an active workshop for the origins of both plant and animal life. This outdoor classroom is just beginning to be researched, and at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, five research projects are currently under way.
1. Baseline Photographic Studyto show scrub recovery after wildfire.
2. Baseline Inventory - numerically determining plant density, dominance, and abundance in the scrub.
3. Environmental Impact Study of Military Training in Scrub - to determine deterioration of
sand pine scrub by human activity.
4. A Study of the Florida Mouse in Scrub-for habitat preference.
5. Don Richardson's Ph.D. Study (University of Florida) on Allelopathy in Scrub - plant toxins to repel other plants and reduce competition.
The sand pine scrub plant association has, at times, summer temperatures of up to 130° F. From the roadside, it appears to some to be rough, ragged, and ugly. Perhaps that is the reason why it is sought by developmental interests eager for exploitation. This misunderstood, unique part of Florida has unparalleled ecological value, and efforts to actively pursue its preservation are encouraged.
(The Florida Native Plant Society's Annual Conference in Boca Raton in May will include a slide presentation on this plant community and a field trip to Jonathan Dickinson State Park, the largest tract of highly specialized scrub community on Florida's southeast coast.)
Florida Scrub Lizard (Sce/oporus wood)
GOPHER TORTOISE PRESERVE PROPOSED
by Marc and Maria Minno
Last summer a conservation project was initiated by the Broward Native Plant Society to preserve a unique area of Broward County. The area is an 18-acre remnant of scrub habitat located at the north end of the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. Efforts to preserve the site were begun when it was learned that the City of Fort Lauderdale is planning to develop the area.
Scrub is thought to be one of the oldest plant communities in the state. This desert-like habitat developed on deep, well-drained sand deposits (such as ancient coastlines) only in Florida. Many of the plants found in scrub habitats have thick, hard or leathery leaves, aromatic oils, and allelopathic chemicals that help reduce water loss, herbivory, and competition from other p1ants. The scrub community also includes animals that have become specialized to the harsh, dry conditions. As many as 40 to 60 percent of the scrub plants and animals are so specific that they can live no place else.
Scrub is developed nearly out of existence in Broward County. The area proposed for preservation is richly diverse, dominated by shrubs which are distributed in patches separated by areas of low-growing annual and perennial herbs and open sand barrens. The dominant species are rosemary, scrub oaks, blueberry, and Lyonia. This community, termed rosemary scrub, is the rarest and most diverse of all the eight different types of scrub habitat. It supports many unusual, and at least nine Threatened, plant species. In addition, the Florida scrub lizard, a few unusual butterflies, and a viable community of gopher tortoise remain on the site. Unusual invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals often use the burrow dug by the gopher tortoise. Several rare species have evolved to be completely dependent upon the tortoise, and it is likely that some of these occur on the site. The tortoise is the focus of our preservation effort.
Some of the special plants found in the area include:
1. Conradina grandif/oraUnder review for listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Listed as Threatened on Smithsonian's list of species proposed for inclusion on the U.S. list.
2. Asclepias curtissii - Threatened, Fla. Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Preservation of Native Flora of Fla. Act. Threatened, Fla. Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants and; Animals.
3. Lechea cernua - Under · review, U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Threatened, Smithsonian.
4. Monotropa brittonii - Under review by U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Threatened, Smithsonian.
5. Sabal etonia- Threatened, Fla. Dept. of Agriculture.
6. Selaginella arenicolaThreatened, F.D.A.
7. Tillandsia circinata, T. fascicu/ata, T. utriculata - Threatened, F.D.A.
8. Tillandsia flexuosa - Threatened, F.D.A. and Fla. Comm. on Rare and Endangered Plants. and Animals.
Dear Editor:
I would like to encourage FNPS members to consider joining the Natural Areas Association. NAA is a national, nonprofit organization of professionals and volunteers interested in the identification and preservation of natural areas. The quarterly Natural Areas Journal is an excellent forum for the discussion of new ideas and techniques related to natural areas protection.
Native plants, of course, are best preserved in situ in natural areas. Natural areas are native ecosystems. Yet we really know little about managing these areas for long-term survival. Those in the NAA are committed to furthering our collective knowledge in this area. Membership in the Natural Areas Association costs $10 per year and includes the journal subscription. Forward to Natural Areas Association, 320 South Third Street Rockford, Illinois 61108.
Reed F. Noss Managed Area Specialist
Dear Mr. Partington, Enclosed is a check for my membership in FCF, and a gift FNPS membership for a very good customer. This is something for other . nurseries to consider: customers who show interest in natives and purchase above a certain amount are given a free one-year membership in FNPS. Renewals are likely to follow, . given the high quality of The Palmetto.
What do you think about the idea? Richard Moyroud Mesozoic Landscapes, Inc.
SEEPAGE SLOPES ___
from page
(Parnassia grandiflora) and *hartwrightia (Hartwrightia floridana).
Seepage Shrub Bogs tend to be fairly uniform in appearance, but very variable in species composition. Some are virtually monospecific stands of titi (Cyril/a racemiflora) or buckwheat tree (Cliftonia monophylla), whereas others are made up of a diverse array of shrubs. Titi bogs may grow up rapidly on new sites, but it probably takes at least 20 to 40 years for a shrub bog to develop full diversity. Typical shrubs include lyonias (Lyonia lucida, L. ligustrina), hollies (//ex myrtifolia, I. coriacea, I. cassine, /. glabra, I. verticillata) myrtles (Myrica cerifera, M. heterophylla, M. inodora), blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), leucothoes (Leucothoe racemosa, L. axil/aris), latherbush (Clethra alnifolia), swamp haw (Viburnum nudum), red chokeberry (Sorbus arbutifolia), and Virginia willow (/tea virginica). The shrubs are often heavily entangled with Smilax laurifolia. Sphagnum moss, cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea), and Virginia chain fern (Woodwardia virginica) are common groundcovers.
Pinckneya (Pinckneya pubens), poison sumac (Rhus vernix), tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera), cliftonia, and * Florida anise (lllicium floridanum) are especially prominent in the Pinckneya Bog ecotone.
BAYGALL
Baygalls are wetland forests that form at the bases of slopes where constant seepage maintains moisture levels high enough to allow peat accumulation and prevent fire. Whereas there may be some surface peat on Seepage Slopes, oxidation during droughts prevents it from building up to any great depth and fires occur too frequently to permit trees to reach full size. Downslope the situation is different and a band of dense forest develops. FNAI uses the term Baygall specifically for this particular type of environment, but the terms "bayhead" and "baygall" are colloquially used interchangeably for all types of forests dominated by bay trees.
The most classic Baygalls are found along the edges of central Florida's sand ridges. There, where water percolating down from the Scrubs and Sandhills encounters the high groundwater table of the adjacent
2
flatlands, an environment with extraordinarily consistent moisture availability is created. The resultant Baygall grows on a deep layer of acid peat that is virtually always damp, but hardly ever flooded or dry. (This is in sharp contrast to most of Florida's wetlands which are characterized by striking variations in seasonal water levels.) Because their organic soils are valuable for farming, many of these Baygalls have been cleared, drained, and converted to gladiolus fields and other agricultural lands.
FNAI regards the streamhead bay forests of the Panhandle as Baygalls also, but they are not quite so exemplary. They tend to have a heavy buildup of organic materials within a mineral soil rather than on top of it. This is probably because they are subject to a somewhat more variable moisture regime since they generally receive groundwater intercepted and shunted laterally by an impermeable soil strata and thus do not benefit from the high regional water table that forces seepage in central Florida.
Baygalls are typically very dense forests of upright-growing evergreen trees. Sweet bay (Magnolia virginiana), swamp redbay (Persea palustris), and dahoon holly (/lex cassine) are generally the most common species, but loblolly bay (Gordonia lasianthus) usually dominates in the northeast part of the state. Red maple (Acer rubrum), blackgum (Nyssa biflora), and tuliptree are frequent components of the forest. The understory is similar to that of a Seepage Shrub Bog, but the shrub layer tends to be sparse due to shading from the dense evergreen canopy.
BOG
Although almost any damp, peaty environment may be casually called a "bog," and we follow common usage and apply the term to Plant Communities within several different Natural Communities, as an FNAI Natural Community name the term refers specifically to a peat-filled depression. A Bog can be thought of as ecologically similar to a Seepage Slope, but maintained by opposite hydrological processes. Whereas a Seepage Slope is dependent upon water seeping down from an upslope source, a Bog is kept damp by moisture drawn up from below by capillary action. The peat substrate acts as a wick to pull groundwater to the surface. This creates an almost constantly wet, but rarely flooded,
environment, which is what distinguishes a Bog from a Basin Swamp, which would occur on an inundated site in a similar topographic setting.
Bogs may have significantly higher nutrient levels than Seepage Slopes, since water moving downslope leaches nutrients out of slope environments, but deposits them in basins.
The Bog may rest on a continuous mass of peat or consist of floating islands of peat on the surface of a pond. Generally, a Bog begins as a pond, goes through a stage with floating islands, then eventually fills with peat over the course of hundreds or thousands of years. The process begins as debris from plants growing in and around the pond settles to the bottom where lack of oxygen prevents it from decaying. These plant fragments accumulate on the bottom of the pond as peat. Meanwhile, floating plants and trailing stems from shoreline vegetation may begin to cover the water surface, trapping and producing additional debris and interfering with oxygen exchange at the water-air interface so that the aquatic system becomes even more anaerobic. Bog formation may be delayed if the pond dries up and the peat begins to oxidize or the process may be speeded up as air-filled chunks of peat float to the surface following a drought. These "tussocks" or "batteries" form a substrate for more elaborate floating islands, which may undergo succession from bare peat through herb and shrub communities to forest. Eventually, the trees may grow so large and heavy that they force the peat mass to sink to the bottom and the community becomes a swamp with a surface-water-dominated hydrological regime.
The peat islands within Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp are the classic example of the southeastern Bog ecosystem. Within Florida, Orange Lake, Lake Lafayette, Lake Apopka, Lake Washington, and Lake Hellen Blazes are noted for floating islands. Small bogs occur throughout the state.
Bogs are, of course, vulnerable to the same hydrological modifications that threaten other wetlands, but they must be considered especially endangered because their soi Is are an economically exploitable resource. Limited mining of peat for agricultural and horticultural uses has
CUTTHROAT GRASS
by Lewis L. Yarlett
(Mr. Yarlett says, "I have submitted cutthroat grass to Don A. Wood, Endangered Species Coordinator for the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, as a species to be placed on an endangered or potentially endangered list." Here is his discussion of cutthroat - a seepage slope grass. - Ed.
Description
Cutthroat grass (Panicum abcissum Swallen) is a robust, strongly rhizomatous perennial grass with culms 50-70 cm tall, densely tufted, compressed; lower sheaths broad
SEEPAGE SLOPES
__ from page 10 few Florida v destroyed a few Florida bogs over the years, but the current interest in large-scale mining of peat for fuel must be regarded as a much more serious threat.
Bog Plant Communities are very similar to those of other acid peat environments. Herb Bog, Shrub Bog, and Temperate Bayhead can be expected to differ from Seepage Herb Bog, Seepage Shrub Bog, and Baygall only in minor details of species composition. FNAI recognizes the Everglades Bayhead exemplified by the "teardrop islands" of Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge as a distinct community. These islands have a mixture of tropical and temperate flora dominated by swamp redbay, sweetbay, dahoon holly, and cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco). In Marshy Bogs, Herb Bog species are mixed with marsh species such as pickerel weed (Pontederia lanceolata), sagittaria (Sagittaria lancifolia), and water pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbe//ata).
Rare species which might be encountered in Bogs include *water sundew (Drosera intermedia), *grassof-Parnassus, *white-top pitcherplant, * red-flowered pitcherplant, *yellow fringeless orchid, *Curtiss' lythrum, and *hartwrightia. All of these grow on open, sunny sites.
*Suzanne Cooper, FNAI Botanist, supplied information on rare species. Those flagged with an asterisk are on the FNAI Special Plant list. Information on populations of these plants should be sent to Suzanne at the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 254 East Sixth Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida 32303 (904/224-8207).
Next issue: Rocklands.
and strongly keeled, crowded, 3-4 mm wide from keel to margin, truncate or extended at the summit into short, broad, obtuse auricles. Blades 15-25 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, folded, scabrous; ligule a very short membrane, scarcely 0.3 mm long. Panicles terminal and axillary, 7-15 mm long. Spikelets 2.8-3 mm long, obliquely set on the pedicels. Glumes, the first one-half to twothirds as long as the spikelet, acute, 3nerved, scabrous on the keel, the
second and sterile lemma equal, 5nerved. Caryopsis 2-2.3 mm long,0.60.7 mm wide, acute, pale, smooth, and shining.
Range
This species of Panicum is found only in portions of Highlands, Polk, and extreme western portions of Osceola counties. A small acreage occurs in Highlands Hammock State Park, Sebring, Florida, where it is protected and can be observed.
Habitat
Cutthroat is very site-specific. It grows only on moisture-receiving "seepy slopes" on the eastern and western slopes of the Florida ridge. It may also occur on small isolated slopes which receive moisture from a scrub site at a higher elevation. Most frequently in pure stands with a slash pine overstory. Two grass species may occur with cutthroat, creeping bluestem (Schizachyrium stoloniferum [Nash] Hitch.) and chalky bluestem (Andropogon capillipes Nash).
Basis of Status Classification
The sites to which cutthroat is adapted are also ideally suited for intensive agricultural use, primarily improved pasture. During the 1950 s and 1960 s large acreages of the species were destroyed by intensive land preparation. Large-scale developments are also responsible for the decrease in the habitat. So far as is known this is the only location of cutthroat in the United States. It was first collected by C.V. Piper in 1917 near the now abandoned community of Florinda. This was the site of a sawmill and turpentine still and not far from the present community of Indian Lake Estates. Cutthroat was not included in the 1935 edition of Hitchcock's Manual of the Grasses of the United States. Silveus reported it as Panicum abcissum in his GrassesPanicum Paspalum of the United States, in 1942. In 1950 it was included in Agnes Chase's revision of Hitchcock's manual.
Recommendations
Although cutthroat is protected within the state-owned Highlands Hammock State Park, a survey is needed to determine specific pure stands, the ownership, and possible preservation of these areas.
FNPS OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Ri chard Workman, 1705 Maple Ave. , Fort Myers 33901, ph (hm) 813 / 332- '?183, (wk) 936-8282
Vice President: Dorie Karl , 1209 Ridge St. , Naples 33940, ph (hm) 813/ 263-7236 , (wk) 262-3062.
Treasurer : Gen Pratt , 1953 Summerfield Rd. , Winter Park 32792
Secretary: Dave Linstrum , 1555 Curlew St. , Apt 4, Naples 33942
Directors-at-Large:
Linda Duever , FNAI , 254 E 6th Ave ., Tallahassee 32304
Carol Lotspeich , P O Box 12 , Winter Park 32790, ph. 305 / 422-0600
Terrence Mock , 5660 Corporate Way , West Palm Beach 33407, ph 305 / 686-0546
Jack Stout , 324 Palmetto St. , Oviedo 32768 , ph . 305 / 365-7431 .
District Directors:
Southeast: Joyce Gann , 22140 S W 152 Ave ., Goulds 33170, ph. 305 / 248-5529
Paul Cummings , Rt. 1, Bo x 8536 , Bo ynton Beach 33437, ph. 305 /7 34-4416
Southwest: Ann Williams , Rt 1, Box 440, Big Pine Key 33043.
Dee Slinkard , SCCF Native Plant Nurser y, P O Drawer S, Sanibe l 33957
Science: Bijan Dehgan , Ornamental Horticulture Dept ., 2519 HS/ PP Bldg. , U of F., Gainesvill e 32611
Landscape: Joe Cascio , 889 N Orange Ave ., Orlando 32801-1088.
Finance: Hal Scott , 2918 Walnut St ., Orlando 32806, ph. 305 / 894- 7431.
AUTHORS AND ARTISTS
Marc Minno is an entomologist for the University of Florida at the Extension Station at Davie, Florida; Maria Minno is an environmental biologist and conservationist.
Robert B. Schuh and Ralph Bove are Rangers at Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
Norman M. Moody has just retired from the plant nursery section of the Maintenance Department of the Palm Beach County school system.
Steve Farnsworth is a horticulturist, owner of Farnsworth Farms Nursery, and past president/current secretary of Palm Beach Chapter.
Bijan Dehgan is a professor in the Ornamental Horticulture Dept. at the University of Florida.
Linda Duever is a plant ecologist working on the Florida Native Plant Inventory for The Nature Conservancy in
Tallahassee
Lew Yarlett works for Breedlove Assoc ., Environmental Consultants, in Gainesville. He has written a book on Florida range grasses for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
Eve Hannahs is a Butterfly Conservation Chairperson and Endangered Species Chairperson of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs.
Marcy Bartlett, the butterfly-andpawpaw artist, is a freelance graphic artist, with an example of her work in the Smithsonian. Her favorite things are butterflies and their host plants.
Lowell Lotspeich, who did the drawing of the Seepage Slopes, is an architect in Winter Park.
Mitzi Chilton, who drew the whisk fern, works as a programmer analyst in Orlando. Drawing is a hobby.
PLANTS OF THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT & COASTAL PLAIN
SOCIETY
FN,PS BOARD MEETINC
March 24, 1984
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton
Meet at the Visitor ParkingLot 11:45 A.M . Saturday morning
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
A nominating committee has been appointed by FNPS President Dick Workman as follows:
Francis Alsobrook, Rt. 1, Box 1012, Melrose 32666; 904/475-2299
Suzanne Cooper, 254 E. 6th Ave., Tallahassee 32303; 904/224-8207
Fred Stresau, 45 W. High Pt. Rd., Stu art 33494; 305/283-1768
If you wish to make suggestions for nominations, please call any of the committee members prior to the next Palmetto deadline (March 15). We encourage your input.
CONSERVATION COMMITTEE REPORT
The society has recently made statements on several environmental matters. We are supporting the efforts of the Broward Native Plant Society to establish a gopher tortoise preserve on a tract of public land which contains one of the few remaining scrub habitats in that area. At the request of the Big Pine Key Botanical Society we wrote to the Monroe County Zoning Department expressing Florida Native Plant Society's interest in the protection of hardwood hammocks in the Keys. We also wrote to the Secretary of State supporting continued United States participation in three important environmental protection programs: the World Heritage (305) 852-2636
Program, the Man and the Biosphere Program, and the United Nations Environment Programme. We suggested that the United States work as a member to correct any flaws in these and other UNESCO programs rather than withdraw support.
Member societies are asked to refer to the resolution printed in the last Palmetto, which requests governmental agencies to use native plants in landscaping. Local Conservation Committees are urged to present this matter to their local governing bodies and to help them find ways to implement it.
The next FNPS board meeting will be on March 24. If you have issues or programs for which you would like FNPS support, please let me or Bill Partington know before that date.
Jane Brooks Conservation Chairman
CHAPTER NEWS
Contacts for FNPS Chapters and Prospective Chapters
Big Pine Key: Ann Williams, Rt. 1, Box 440, Big Pine Key 33043; 305/872-2482.
Central Florida: David Drylie, 8100 Curry Ford Rd ., Orlando 32822; 305/282-1469.
Coccoloba (N. Fort Myers): Jean Barnhart, 7730 Hart Dr., N E , North FortMyers33903; 813 / 995-5172
Dade: Marty Roessler, 9869 E. Fern St ., Perrine 33157; 305/255-5732.
Suncoast (Tampa Bay): John Beckner, 739 Myrtle Way S., St. Petersburg 33705; 813/867-1919.
Martin County: Fred B. Stresau, Sr., 1263 S.W. Thelma St., Palm City 33490; 305/283-1768.
Chapters: Send a dozen copies of each issue of your newsletters to the FNPS office, 1203 Orange Ave., Winter Park 32789, so that a copy can be forwarded to new members in your area.
NAPLES
Naples-FNPS announces the following officers for 1984: Linda Weinland, president; Elizabeth Smith, vice president; Gary Patterson, treasurer.
The Naples Chapter is offering a 7week Native Plant Workshop at Gulf
View Middle School in conjunction with the Naples Garden Club. Classes will be taught by Naples-FNPS members on the subject of South Florida Pinelands. At the end of the course, 6th, 7th and 8th graders will reconstruct a pineland in a barren tract of land on their school grounds. Twenty-two students registered for the workshop.
In celebration of Florida Arbor Day, Friday, January 20, the Naples Chapter arranged a donation of an eight-foot containerized slash pine from Westinghouse Communities of Naples (Pelican Bay) to the Gulf View Middle School. The large tree was the first of many to be planted in Naples' first native plant landscape on public school property. Ceremonies, officiated by Dr. Karla Singer, principal, included the reading of a student's essay on the history and importance of Arbor Day.
• Dorie Karl
DADE
The Dade County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society held elections on November 22, 1983. The new officers are as follows: Martin Roessler, president; Wendy Fleming, first vice president; Rob Campbell, second vice president; Kathy Drinkwater, corresponding secretary; Liz Britt, treasurer. Members of the Board are Carl Campbell,Joyce Gann, Colleen Spencer, Peter Streklow and Barry Webster.
The Chapter has provided educational and plant exhibits as well as membership recruitment at the Fairchild Gardens Ramble in December and the Redlands Fruit and Spice Park Art Festival in January. Similar educational and membership exhibits will be held at the USDA Chapman Field open house on February 18, at Metro-Miami Flower Show on April 5-8, and at the Tropical Audubon Endangered Species Day in South Miami on March 24.
• Marty Roessler
MAGNOLIA
The votes are in and the official name of the North Florida FNPS Chapter is the Magnolia Chapter. Our newsletter will be known as the Native Clippings.
As our initial organized fund-raiser we have produced the first of a series of North Florida Native Notecards (patterned after those of the Naples
Chapter). The first set features "Slope Forest" species including Pyramid Magnolia (Magnolia pyramidata), Croomia (Croomia pauciflora), Florida Yew (Taxus floridana), and a composit of Zephyr Lily (Zephyranthes atamasco), Dimpled DogtoothViolet (Erythronium umbi/icatum), Lance-leaved Wake Robin (Trillium lancifolium), and Torreya (Torreya taxifolia). The cards are packaged in sturdy, clear plastic envelopes and are selling for $5 per packet of eight. Our next set will probably be of North Florida magnolias (there are six species, you know!). We are going to explore the possibility of having the cards sold on consignment in the State Archives gift shop near the Capitol.
We have been approached by Jim Stevenson, Chief Biologist of the Florida State Park System (Florida Department of Natural Resources), to assist in establishing more native plant species in a state park to be selected. Jim attended our first meeting of the new year to discuss this project. Of course the chapter was flattered and has accepted the challenge. A committee has been formed and is headed by Peggy Carr, local landscape architect. Those in the North Florida area interested in working on this project may contact Peggy at 904/224-5964.
Also at the meeting we discussed the need for collections of native seed of wildflowers and other herbaceous material since native species available commercially are generally restricted to trees and shrubs. We would like to send letters to all local growers requesting lists of all native species they stock. These lists will be available at meetings and the requests will help remind the suppliers that the demand is on the way.
The last item at the meeting was a showing of the film on the loss of species diversity, which was recently released by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Entitled "The Garden of Eden," the film is ominous, but well done. Copies are available for loan from the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 254 E. Sixth Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32304 (904/224-8207) or from the Florida Chapter Office, TNC, 1331 Palmetto Avenue, Suite 205, Winter Park, FL 32789 (305/6285887). Efforts are under way to have continued next page
CHAPTERS NEWS __ from page 13
approved films for the Leon County Public School System.
Our first community project was the planting of native trees, at a selected site, as part of Arbor Day activities in Tallahassee. The finished product was truly impressive, with many groups participating.
Upcoming events include a slide presentation and lecture by Dr. L. C. Anderson, curator of the FSU Herbarium, on March 22, 1984. The topic will be vegetation of Dog Island and a field trip will be conducted at the site the following Saturday (March 24). The number of participants is limited. Interested persons should contact Sydney Brinson (904/224-0693) for reservations and details.
Last year, chapter dues were set at $10 per year and many have already submitted their dues. Dues and correspondence may be forwarded to The Magnolia Chapter, FNPS, 939 E. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301. We plan to hold our first business meeting of 1984 in the spring to elect officers and set the course of our chaoter.
• Sydney T. Brinson
CENTRAL FLORIDA
The Central Florida Chapter of FNPS meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7 P.M. in "The Cottage" within Leu Gardens, 1730 N. Forest Ave., Orlando.
We have introduced six new tenminute topics to be discussed each month, presented by chapter members: 1) What's blooming this month? 2) Wild plants for the table. 3) What you always wanted to know about natives but were afraid to ask. 4) Natives on film. 5) Grow your own (seed exchange). 6) Name that plant (plant I.D.). Sam Hopkins and Dick Deuerling are the backbone of the effort to send everyone home with new information.
Additionally, we will feature a guest speaker and program each month. Jan. 9: Dr. Norman presented an introduction to plant families. Feb. 7: James McKinley presents The Nature Conservancy. Mar. 6: Wilhelmina Greene, co-author of "Flowers of the South," will discuss Florida wildflowers.
We have two special Saturday presentations scheduled at the Orlando Agricultural Ext. Serv. auditorium, Michigan and Bumby. Feb. 25, 10 a.m., Dick Deuerling will
discuss 50 to 80 edible plants found in Central Florida. A native plant sale will follow. On April 7, Carol Lotspeich will present "Natives for the Landscape." A native plant sale follows.
Work continues on our open "Florida Heritage Garden," a native plant display garden. We have two "digs" (transplanting stock from properties to be developed) scheduled on Feb. 11 and 18; also tentatively on March 3 and 10. We meet at 9 a.m., Leu Gardens parking lot, for the digs. These outings have acted as field trips to be formally reinstated the end of March through the spring. If you know of lands to be developed, please contact David Drylie.
We recently adopted the tarflower (Befaria racemosa) as our chapter logo, to be used on name tags and stationery. Anyone with tarflower plants for sale, please contact me.
The landscape committee is working on a potential publication, "Native Landscape Plants for Central Florida." Please contact Paul Davis or Bill Vaughn for more information.
The City of Orlando is rewriting part of their land development regulations and we have been invited to consult. Further, Orange County is considering some language towards policy benefitting plant communities.
Everyone is invited to attend meetings and field trips, and especially to get involved in our educational projects. The FNPS is composed of members; goals are attained by those members working together. Please contact David Drylie for information. I hope everyone enjoys the beckoning spring.
• David Drylie
PALM BEACH
Ten volunteer members planted 534 sand pines in a new county park -a good turnout, and the work was enjoyable. Another section of the park (a reclaimed shell pit) awaits our return for control of Me/a/euca which is invading a cypress dome.
Plantings are almost finished in the native section of the new county horticultural learning center. Three local native nurseries supplied most of the plants and some labor.
Upcoming programs: Corkscrw Swamp, local Indian mounds and ethnobiology, Fakahatchee Strand, and the proposed Broward County Gopher Tortoise Preserve.
• Richard Movrourl
COCCOLOBA
For the last three meetings we have been engrossed in plans for the Lee County Fair to be held at the Lee County Civic Center Frairgrounds in North Fort Myers, February 2 through 12. This will be the 60th Annual Southwest Florida Fair.
Our first attempt at presenting the Native Plant Society to the public was a success last year, so we are going out for a bigger and better display this year, with three major plant communities represented to show the public. We hope to encourage more new members out of the thousands of people passing through each day.
Our meeting place is the Agriculture Center at Terry Park in Fort Myers the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. We encourage all who love the real Florida and who are interested in joining us to come to the meetings or call Jean Barnhart, 813/995-5172 or 813/728-2122.
• Ruth Danforth
SOUTH BREVARD
Our "Afternoon with Nature" at Erna Nixon Park was a pleasant success. The Junior League of South Brevard sponsored and organized this open house event and approximately a dozen civic and governmental groups cooperated in the educational program. Our chapter had a handsome plant display loaned to us by Sun and Shade Nursery to surround our table full of publications. Hester Wagner brought a striking arrangement of wildflowers which caught a lot of attention. Erna Nixon Park is one of the best-loved attractions in South Brevard; we had high attendance and good response.
Our regular monthly activities continue: Plant identification sessions at Erna Nixon, where we practice using botanical keys and hold training sessions for guides who lead tours in Turkey Creek Sanctuary. Our lecture committee has presented slides to the Surfside Garden Club (Cocoa Beach), and the Rockledge/Cocoa Garden Club.
We had our chapter tour of the Enchanted Forest on October 29. If that name sounds over-poetic, blame the motorcycle riders who christened the area. For those who remember reading Green Mansions, you've already seen this place in your mind. The terrain in this comparatively small area (roughly 600 acres) varies widely. There are slopes, swamps, grassy stretches, rock ridges, a pretty
creek, thick woods and open woods, all tumbled close together. In places, the hack berry trees grow 30 to 50 feet high; the hawks flew under the canopy at one point. We found a rare fern and a wealth of wildlife. In one hard-to-reach area there are virgin pines with eight-foot-diameter trunks. The coquina rock at surface level forces the trees to put up buttresses. It is very easy to understand why Brad Smith champions the Enchanted Forest as a preserve park.
We were invited by the City of Palm Bay to rescue plants from the library construction site. The plants will be used to landscape the building wt'ien it is finished. Another rescue effort has given us solid satisfaction because the plants we rescued (Nolina atopocarpa) are listed as "endangered" by the Smithsonian Institution and the Florida Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants. The United States Forest Service lists it as "rare." Margaret Hames and Harold Coburn had identified this lovely "beargrass" several years ago, and we were aware of its presence in a field near the Palm Bay city line. When one of our members spotted bulldozers, culvert pipes, and other villains in the field,
Margaret organized four digging sessions. We salvaged approximately 300 plants. Some will be relocated in Carleton Teat's Wildlife Sanctuary and some in Erna Nixon Park.
One member of our chapter, who prefers no publicity, has cooperated with the County Forester to complete a plant inventory for the Mullet Creek project. Eight spoil islands and part of a barrier island are under consideration for purchase by the state. The chapter will tour the area on January 29.
We have a long-term project in the works with an opportunity to present a native plant display on March 4th and 5th at a well-publicized Flower Show. Once again, Sun and Shade will cooperate with the loan of plants. Although our directors will be at the FNPS Conference in Boca Raton, we have an active committee that will be here at home.
Freeze damage may be an unmentionable with conscientious gardeners, but I feel compelled to mention it. One thing in my yard that really depressed me was the loss of butterfly larvae. A few days before Christmas, there were dozens of fritillary larvae and some zebra (longwings) on our shrubs. After the freeze, they were decimated. If the
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PALMETTO, February, 1984, Page 15 percentage of loss I noticed is widespread, we will have a dull, colorless county this spring.
• Marcv Bartlett
SUNCOAST
Our Suncoast Chapter of FNPS is starting off the year with a lot of enthusiasm and excellent attendance at our meetings.
January 18, 1984, was our first meeting following the FNPS approval of our chapter. The Suncoast Chapter meets on the third Wednesday of each month, 7:30 p.m., at the Hillsborough Community College, Dale Mabry Campus Library, room L100. We currently have 65 members with an attendance of 45 to 50 people Our dues are $5.00 (single) and $7.50 (family) per year.
The January meeting featured a presentation by Allen Burdett on effective use of native plants for home landscaping. Our February meeting will feature a talk by Don Richardson on Florida Sand Pine Scrubs. Don, a USF botany graduate student, is conducting research in this area for his Ph.D. At our March meeting, Mark Moffler will talk on Seagrasses. Field trips will be planned when warmer weather returns.
• Betty Loraamm
CATEGORIES OF MINIMUM MEMBERSHIP
REGULAR
Single• $12
Family - $15
Contributing - $25
Supporting - $50
Donor - $100
I Patron - $500
- $50 - $100
D Patron - $500 up (Corporate or organizational members may be granted permission to use the FNPS logo in their promotional literature, but must have written notification of this permission.
16, February, 1984, PALMETTO
DADE PRESENTS AWARD
In Dade County, fall is still an extension of summer, where warm, sunny weather abounds. With the beginning of that season, the Dade Chapter of the FNPS tri-sponsored the second Conference on South Florida Native Plants. With the help of the Museum of Science and Florida International University, the First Annual Conference was held on October 1 & 2, 1983.
The keynote speaker, Mr. Art Marshal (Senior Hydrologist for the State of Florida), lectured on the Everglades Water System. Speaking from the heart, Mr. Marshall dealt with the methodology behind the study of the water system and the changes the Everglades have experienced. The attendees also heard lectures on the Plants of the Florida Keys (Col. J. Paul Scurlock), and the Morphology of Drought Resistance (Dr. Derek Burch). Earlier in the day, the lecturers dealt with Natives in Education (Dr. David Lee), A Historical Overview of South Florida Vegetation (Dr. T. Alexander) and Ethnobotany in South Florida (Dr. Dan Austin).
Rounding out the day's activities was a luncheon, at which time the Dade Chapter awarded Dr Taylor Alexander the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Award, for outstanding contributions to the understanding of native plants. The luncheon sp eaker, Mr. Roger Hammer wa
the 1982 award recipient. Mr. Hammer gave a memorable, inspirational speech.
The second day, at the Museum of Science, the program focused on working sessions and tours. The morning workshop dealt with Identification and Taxonomy. Directed by James Watson (Fairchild Tropical Garden), the program dealt with taxonomic procedures. The workshop later broke up into tour groups that put their newly acquired knowledge to work. Later in the day, the Care and Maintenance workshop dealt with questions and answers (Dr. Carl Campbell, George Allen, Brian Edmondson), where the audience could find solutions to those trying questions. The second half dealt with a lecture on Pruning Theory and Practice (Brian Edmondson, Arborist).
The Florida Cons ervation Foundation ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
Rounding out the day's activities were more short lectures: Knowledge Is Appreciation, or Ignorance Is Our Own Reward (Priscilla Forthman); Natives, Captured and Exposed (Chris Migliaccio); Attracting Native Butterflies (Rob Line); The Solar Forest (Pat Painter); and EnergyEfficient Landscapes (Dr. Jack Parker).
The two-day conference overflowed with conversation and activities, with the attendees taking home notepads jam-packed with information. Proceedings of the 1982 Conference were also available and will be available in future volumes for each conference. Thanks to all for their support and we hope that this event will add continual support to the conservation and ecology of native plants. See you this fall!
• Conference Planning Committee
FLORIDA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY 1203 Orange Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789
