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N A TIVE NOTES

K A TE’S MOUNT A IN CLOVER

BILL GR A FTON – Editor

WEST VIRGINI A N A TIVE PL A NT SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

Volume 15:3 DECEMBER , 2007

Dear WVNPS Members ,

I hope everyone had an exciting spring , summer and fall and took many opportunities to botanize . I attended several Tri - State Chapter trips and the Fall State field trip . Getting together with friends and fellow botanical enthusiasts is always a treat . I encourage you if you haven’t already , to take advantage of these trips next summer . It’s a great chance to learn about the flora from excellent botanists such as Bill Grafton , Donna Ford - Werntz and Judy Dumke and wildflower gurus such as Romie Hughart , Helen Gibbons , Jeff Patton and many others who regularly attend these fields trips and willingly share the knowledge with participants . Even though I work with , identify and read about plants for my job , I always learn new things on our field trips .

I’d like to thank our Chapter presidents , the WVNPS Board and Frank Porter ( Fall meeting host and organizer ) for organizing excellent field trips and working to educate and involve our WVNPS members .

Please remember that the WVNPS is a organization for all seasons , not just the growing season . This winter we will continue our annual lecture series at Marshall University (see schedule in this issue ). A t the first talk in December I will present on the topic of fire ecology . The use of prescribed fire by land managers is an important tool in conserving biodiversity and rare plants . I will explain why that is and discuss some of the controversy surrounding the use of prescribed fire . The next topic of our lecture series in January features a similar but more specific theme ; How does fire and other forest management practices affect mosses ? This will be presented by John Willey a graduate student at Ohio State University . A nother graduate student and colleague of mine , Gerald Scott will present his research on the effects of the invasive species Tree - of - Heaven on plants and soils . Many of you are probably familiar with this species and its stench . Not only does this plants stink literally , but its also stinks for the plants and soils that have to live with it . Last but not least , Jim Boggess of Barboursville will prime us for spring wildflower season by giving us a virtual tour of the wildflowers of Barboursville park . Jim will discuss many virtues and uses of the plants he has photographed at the park .

Thanks for your continued support of the WVNPS and I look forward to seeing you this winter or next summer .

Cheers ,

Chad Kirschbaum , WVNPS President

SILENT INV A SION : ECOLOGIC A L A ND HE A LTH THRE A TS OF INV A SIVE SPECIES

A silent invasion is taking place in our precious forests , meadows , and wetlands . Little by little invasive plants are out - competing native plants as they vie for nutrients to survive . The list of invasive species is growing at an exponential rate . These invasives arrive in cargo containers from abroad either as seeds , roots , or plants . They also are brought into this country intentionally by nurseries who sell them to unsuspecting gardeners who are delighted by the flowers and foliage , but are completely unaware of the ecological havoc these plants can cause in our native ecosystems . A ttempts to eradicate these invasives will always be hampered until the public is made aware of the damage caused by them . One solution is to begin using native plants as substitutes for these invasive species . Native plants are not only extremely ornamental , they are also well - adapted to the growing conditions in which they will be placed , requiring little or no irrigation , needing no fertilization , and requiring no insecticides . The use of native plants lessens the destruction of fragile ecosystems that are inundated with chemicals as the result of too much irrigation and use of pesticides and insecticides .

The intentional and accidental introduction of alien species of plants is one of the dire threats to the natural resources of the Ohio Valley . One need only drive along our major highways and look at the rapid spread of Kudzu vines , Paulownia trees , and the ornamental grass Miscanthus sinensis to see how devastating these species can be . Invasive species are even more prevalent within the confines of our federal and state forests and parks . Microstegia vimineum ( Stiltgrass ) is literally choking out hundreds of species of wildflowers and grasses . It is an annual grass that produces thousands of seeds per plant that attach themselves to any object that passes through them . A TVs are one of the main culprits . A s they ride along trails covered with Stiltgrass , their tires spread the seeds wherever the A TVs venture . A nd all too often , the riders stray off the trails and traverse the sides of the mountains or along gullies and cuts dissecting the slopes . Within a matter of weeks , there are green strips present where the tires have dispersed the seeds .

Invasive species also present health risks to humans . Tree of Heaven (A ilanthus altissima ) is not only invasive but also poisonous . There have been instances where individuals who were sawing these trees became seriously ill from the sap . Another pernicious invasive plant that is a public health hazard is Heraclelum mantegazzianum ( Giant Hogweed ). Originally from A sia and introduced as an ornamental plant , Giant Hogweed ' s clear , watery sap has toxins that cause photodermatitis . Skin contact followed by exposure to sunlight produces painful , burning blisters that can develop into purplish or blackened scars .

There are far too many other species that have invaded the forests , meadows , and waterways of the Ohio Valley . A regional effort must be implemented to prevent and control the continued spread and introduction of these non - native species . Efforts are already underway by both federal and state agencies to eradicate specific invasive species . But it will prove to be a fruitless effort if these same non - native species are allowed to grow in adjacent private lands and continue to be a source of seeds that will ultimately spread back onto public lands . Private landowners , as well as federal and state agencies , must be made aware of the health hazards and ecological catastrophe that is taking place because of non - native invasive plants .

KEYNOTE SPE A KER : Mark Rose

Mark Rose , of Greensboro , North Carolina , has been interested in native plants since 1954. A t an early age , he began cultivating native orchids , trilliums , lilies and hexastylis . His primary interest is in shade gardening and spring ephemerals . He owned and operated a commercial tropical orchid nursery from 1964 to 2007. He is a Life Member of the A merican Orchid Society Inc .; a fellow in the Royal Horticultural Society of London , England ; a co - founder and Board Member of the Native Orchid Conference Inc .; and a member of the North Carolina Native Plant Society and serves on its board . In March of 2006, Mark was appointed by Governor Easley to the North Carolina Plant Conservation Board .

Date : March 27, 2008

Location : Meigs County Extension Office , Pomeroy , Ohio

For further information contact Frank W . Porter at sr 2642@ dragonbbs . com

Wvnps . org ----------- You can pay your 2008 dues now . Check our website .----------- wvnps . org

Our winter lecture series has been finalized for this season . See the schedule below and feel free to forward it to anyone you think would enjoy these lectures . Hope to see you all this season .

Winter Lecture Series

Fire Ecology of the A ppalachian Foothills

Chad Kirschbaum , Wayne National Forest

Wednesday , December 12 th

Silvicultural Effects on Forest Mosses in Vinton County : Ohio Records and Species Trends

John Wiley , Ohio University

Wednesday , January 16 th

Tree - of - heaven its history , biology , and invasion into the deciduous forests of southern Ohio

Gerald Scott , Ohio University

Wednesday , February 13 th

The Wildflowers of Barboursville Park

Jim Boggess

Wednesday , March 12 th

All Lectures will be held at

Marshall University

Science Building Room 376

6 :30 – 7:30 P . M . Free

Public welcome ! Please join us for a series of talks about wildflowers , mosses , ecology and invasive species .

wvnps ------------ wvnps ------ 2 008 dues are now due -------- wvnps --------- wvnps ---------

WVNPS BO A RD MEETING : Will be held in Charleston ( Saturday , January 19, 2008

Back - up date will be February 19 th . Time and place on website and by email . We hope to have a guest speaker talking about invasive species .

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Summary of the A nnual Joint Meeting of the Torrey Botanical Society , the Philadelphia Botanical Club , and the Botanical Society of A merica , Northeastern Section ( June 17-21, 2 007).

By Elizabeth Byers , with thanks to Larry Klotz and Ed Miller for their notes on the event

The meeting took place at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins , West Virginia , and featured a program of three all - day field trips plus four evening lectures . This was the 60 th BOTSOC foray . The 42 full - time and five part - time participants represented 11 northeastern states plus the District of Columbia and Florida .

The field trip leaders were Jim Vanderhorst , Elizabeth Byers , and Brian Streets from West Virginia Natural Heritage Program ; Dr . Katherine Gregg of West Virginia Wesleyan College ; and Leah Ceperley from Canaan Valley National

Wildlife Refuge . Evening lectures were given by Elizabeth Byers , Katherine Gregg , Bill Roody ( West Virginia DNR ), and Rodney Bartgis ( The Nature Conservancy ). Larry Klotz was the Chair for this meeting , Marcia Minichiello was the A ssistant Chair , and Karl A nderson again served as Treasurer . The next meeting for June 2008 will be in southern New Jersey and organized by Ted Gordon and Walt Bien .

The program opened on Sunday evening with a slide presentation by Elizabeth Byers on " High elevation wetlands of the A llegheny Mountain region ." We distributed field trip materials , including maps and a checklist of 733 species which have been documented at the field trip sites . On Monday morning , we departed for Cheat Mountain in the area of Gaudineer Knob . We began with an upland limestone forest on west flank of Cheat Mountain . This was the lowest elevation stop of the day , and was situated along a band of Greenbrier limestone that forms a ring around the entire Tygarts Valley River . The forest here is successional , with black cherry and slippery elm over a rich herbaceous layer . There was an abundance of land snails . This area also had lots of black cohosh (A ctaea racemosa ) in bloom and blue cohosh ( Caulophyllum thalictroides ) in fruit , Goldie’s shield fern ( Dryopteris goldiana ) , and other calciphiles . In the dense shade of June , the spring ephemerals had disappeared , except for wild leek flowers ( Allium tricoccum ) , which are known ( and relished ) as “ramps” to the locals .

The group then ventured into the balsam fir ( Abies balsamea ) swamp at Blister Run . This is perhaps the finest stand of balsam fir in WV near the southernmost extent of the species range . This large swamp hosts numerous wetland plants including several rare species . We saw several pad orchids ( Platanthera orbiculata ) . One was in perfect bloom which greatly pleased the photographers .

Lunch was at the Gaudineer Picnic A rea . Gaudineer Knob is over 4400 feet elevation and is clearly in the “spruce zone . ” The picnic area is surrounded by a young spruce forest with a ground carpet of the liverwort Bazzania trilobata . At the lunch stop , we enjoyed a southern beauty , the southern mountain cranberry , ( Vaccinium erythrocarpum ) . Its fruit dangles like deerberry but is red when ripe . Mountain wood fern ( Dryopteris campyloptera ) and a budding woodland orchid ( Platanthera clavellata ) were additional highlights . We then ventured into the old growth spruce forest at Gaudineer Scenic A rea . This is a rare old growth remnant of upland spruce forest in WV , said to have survived the loggers by a surveyors’ error , so that ownership was in question . Ed Miller observed that in the Adirondacks of New York , A LL of the adjacent landowners would have logged and asked questions later . A loop trail meanders through the stand which is near the ecotone of the red spruce and northern hardwoods ecosystems .

The final ( or first , if you were in the second group ) stop of the day was the high elevation river scour prairie on the Upper Shavers Fork River . Our northern guests enthusiastically waded the river to what they attractively called an “ice meadow” . Ed Miller said it reminded him strongly of the ice meadows on the upper Hudson River , which also have sticky tofieldia ( Triantha glutinosa ) and a green orchid ( Platanthera flava ) . Two rare Central A ppalachian endemics , Barbara buttons ( Marshallia grandiflora ) and long - stalked holly ( Ilex collina ) provided a geographic / botanical thrill to the group . Other highlights were smooth azalea ( Rhododendron arborescens ) , Carolina tasselrue ( Trautvetteria caroliniensis ) , glade St . Johnswort ( Hypericum densiflorum ) and a pretty phlox ( Phlox maculata ) .

Monday evening , Kathy Gregg gave a fascinating slide presentation entitled " Do orchids hedge their bets ?" Tuesday morning we set out in windy , threatening weather for Dolly Sods . Luckily , the rain and lightning and held off until the afternoon , and we were able to enjoy the spectacular views and breathtaking expanse of mountain laurel in bloom . We began with a brief stop in the upland forest at Laneville Cabin . Dolly Sods is drained by the high - gradient Red Creek , which crosses the Greenbrier limestone at this point . We looked at the transition from the rich deciduous forest to the high elevation spruce zone . There is a small colony of exotic but uncommon strawberry - raspberry ( Rubus illecebrosus ) at this site , with a large white flower and pleasant odor . We then drove up to the top of the ridge and visited the beautiful shrub and bog communities along the Northland Loop Trail . Lunch was at the Red Creek Campground , followed by a brief visit to the tall shrub community and views of the Ridge and Valley ecological province on eastern side of A llegheny Front .

The last stop of the day was at Bear Rocks . Here the landscape was covered with blooming mountain laurel , whites , pinks and red . The laurel is complimented with groves of red spruce , Pleistocene rock rivers , and open bogs . Minniebush ( Menziesia pilosa ) was a new species for many of our northern visitors . They also enjoyed the many blueberries and cranberries ( Vaccinium spp .), trailing arbutus ( Epigea repens ) , swamp dewberry ( Rubus hispidus ) , black huckleberry ( Gaylussacia baccata ) , catberry ( Nemopanthus mucronata ) , chokeberries ( Photinia melanocarpa , P . pyrifolia ) , wild raisin ( Viburnum nudum var . cassinoides ) , pinkster azalea ( Rhododendron prinophyllum ), and smooth gooseberry ( Ribes rotundifolium ) . They recognized bunchberry ( Cornus canadensis ) and three - toothed cinquefoil ( Sibbaldiopsis tridentata ) , common northern species that are rare in West Virginia . Along the road we found a very photogenic display of wild red bleeding heart ( Dicentra eximia ) and native bush honeysuckle ( Diervilla lonicera ) . A bout this time , the lightning began to flash and we drove back to Elkins in a driving rain , grateful for the beautiful day .

Tuesday evening , Bill Roody treated us to an engaging slide presentation on “ Mushrooms : a world of wonder . ” Wednesday dawned clear , cool and dry . A perfect botanizing day . We headed out to Canaan Valley , a high , cool valley at about 3 000 ft . above sea level . Canaan Valley is home to a 7,000 acre expanse of wetlands , the largest anywhere in the unglaciated A ppalachians . Geologically , the valley lies along the axis of the breached Blackwater River anticline , with a ring of limestone around the edge , and a sandstone ridge in the middle . The Blackwater River , called the “River Styx” by surveyor Thomas Lewis in 1746, drains the valley with slow - moving meanders and boggy tributaries , providing exceptional habitat for wildlife , birds , and rare plants . Cold air drains from the surrounding uplands to pool in the flat valley at an elevation of 3200 feet above sea level . Rainfall is plentiful , averaging about 1300 mm / year , and the valley functions as a giant frost pocket . Natural wetland communities in this system generally have substrates of shallow to deep peat or muck . Canaan Valley is especially known for its rich limestone swamps , which are among the most biologically significant of all Appalachian wetlands .

The day began with a walk to a limestone meadow and beaver pond complex in a restricted part of the national wildlife refuge , with many interesting seep and wetland species , ferns and mosses . Several purple fringed orchids ( Platanthera psycoides or P . grandiflora ) , one of which was an albino were a highlight . We then visited an oxbow fen impounded by natural stream levees along the Blackwater River . Steeplebush ( Spiraea tomentosa ) and meadowsweet ( Spiraea alba ) were common . We also saw roundleaf sundew ( Drosera rotundifolia ) and green woodland orchid ( Platanthera clavellata ) . Lunch was at the Canaan Valley State Park Pavilion .

In the afternoon , we walked the A be Run Swamp Boardwalk , with its rich limestone flora . This swamp contains “frost pocket” balsam fir wetlands with one of the highest concentrations of rare plants in the state . We saw good populations of glade spurge ( Euphorbia purpurea ) , a globally rare plant that is fortunately not palatable to deer . A few plants of pretty Jacobs ladder ( Polemonium van - bruntiae ) pleased the photographers , and we saw a few common northern species ( rare in WV ) including creeping snowberry ( Gaultheria hispidula ) , star violet ( Dalibarda repens , known as dew drop up north ), and alder - leaved buckthorn ( Rhamnus alnifolia ) .

Our final stop was at the deer exclosure on Timberline Road within the national wildlife refuge . Here we put our botany skills to work , surveying a 1600 sq m deer exclosure at the edge of a shrub swamp and enclosing a balsam fir stand . Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge and volunteers built the exclosure in 2002 to protect balsam fir regeneration . Our many eyes and specialties helped to inventory the plant species that are present after 4 years of deer - free growth .

The meeting came to a close with a delightful lecture on Wednesday evening by Rodney Bartgis , entitled " Dry limestone communities of the upper South Branch ." On Thursday , some participants toured Cathedral State Park and / or Cranesville Swamp on their way home . It was a great privilege to spend four days with this remarkable group of talented botanists from the northeast , and to have the opportunity to showcase some of our West Virginia treasures !

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Federally Listed Threatened and Endangered Plant species in WV

An Update Regarding Their Status – Part 1

Paul J . Harmon

Botanist - West Virginia Natural Heritage Program

Wildlife Resources - Division of Natural Resources

Four federally listed endangered ( LE ), and two federally listed threatened ( LT ) plant species occur in West Virginia . They include running buffalo clover ( Trifolium stoloniferum ) ( LE ), shale barren Rockcress ( Arabis serotina ) ( LE ), harperella ( Ptilimnium nodosum ) ( LE ), northeastern bulrush ( Scirpus ancistrochaetus ) ( LE ), Virginia spiraea ( Spiraea virginiana ) ( LT ), and small whorled pogonia ( Isotria medeoloides ) ( LT ). Botanists of the West Virginia Natural Heritage Program have been monitoring the status of these species for more than two decades , using standard methods generally used across the range of the species by other Heritage botanists in other states . The large volume of qualitative and simple quantitative data has accumulated to the point that we can begin to see whether they are stable in numbers , increasing in numbers or decreasing in numbers .

T & E plant species in West Virginia are some of the most interesting species found in our state , often growing in unique habitats or in specific disturbance regimes that help to keep competitor species from overcoming them . They often have special adaptations or qualities that enable them to survive in their respective habitats .

Let’s revisit the T & E plant species found in the Mountain State and learn how they’ re doing .

Running buffalo clover ( Trifolium stoloniferum )

Running buffalo clover ( RBC ) ( Trifolium stoloniferum ) is a member of the legume family ( F A B A CE A E ). It was once commonly reported from West Virginia to eastern Kansas ( Brooks , 1983). Brooks (1983) had concluded that this species was extinct in North A merica , but Rodney Bartgis , now Director of the West Virginia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy , found two small Element Occurrences ( EOs ) in West Virginia in 1983 and 1984. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS ) listed RBC as an endangered species in 1987. Since then , sufficient EOs of RBC have been discovered across its range to warrant the RBC recovery team to recommend to the USFWS to down - list it to federally Listed Threatened ( LT ) status , but this has not been officially acted upon to date .

RBC looks much like the European white clover common to lawns in our state , but it differs in having large white flower heads atop a stalk that arises from a pair of trifoliolata leaves . Its leaves are glabrous ( having no hairs ) and there are no chevrons ( v - shaped ) markings on its leaves . RBC produces stolons ( runners along the ground ), with two large , thin stipules at each leaf node . A s of 2007, West Virginia has 36 extant ( existing , living ) and three extirpated ( eliminated from the landscape ) occurrences .

Running Buffalo Clover is disturbance dependant , most commonly growing in mesic woodlands in partial to filtered sunlight , where there is a pattern of moderate periodic disturbance , such as mowing , trampling , vehicle traffic , or grazing . In at least some instances , disturbance can be as extreme as the hauling of logs along a road , or as mild as periodic trampling by large mammals . In West Virginia , the species prefers old logging roads , jeep trails