This is a rarely reported species. I found it in a wet meadow on the North Tract of the Refuge When I first tried to determine the plant’s name, I thought it was Rhynchospora capitellata, a fairly common beaksedge. I posted it to a Facebook page for sedges to verify my initial determinination. I was informed by Wes Knapp that this was Juncus brachycarpus instead.
What is interesting about this species is its tuberous rhizome.
A search of available databases on the internet has yielded the following (only four Maryland records since 1950):
1. and 2 Two in Piscataway Park, Prince Georges County C. A. Davis (Charles Davis?) in 1995 and Wesley Knapp in 2005,
3. One in 1998 in Queen Anne’s County by Jennifer Meininger, and
4. One in Talbot County by Wayne Longbottom in 2013.
There is also a record of this by R. H. Simmons and M. Tice on 4 Sep 2000 at Runnymede Park, Herndon, Virginia.
There are no other known records of this in Anne Arundel County and the Refuge.
The Maryland Biodiversity listed the conservation status of this species as uncertain and it is unlisted in the Maryland Natural Heritage Program Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plant list. I will be reporting this to the Maryland Natural Heritage Program.
Ophioglossum pycnostichum (Southern Adders Tongue) is native to Southeastern North America. Some authors subsume this species under Ophioglossum vulgatums.l. which is found in Europe and Asia. Even though it does not look like it, it is a type of a primitive fern.
The sporophore (the spore bearing spike) is said to resemble a snake’s tongue and thus the common name. It is found on the Refuge in moist area in mesic woods at several locations.
Flora of North America; Ophioglossum Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 1062. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 484, 1754.
Viola primulifolia or Primrose-leaved Violet is an acaulescent viola meaning that the flowering stem grows from the crown of the plant along with the leaves. Its natural range is Eastern USA from Maine in the north, Iowa and Texas in the west, and Florida in the South. It prefers wet areas like seepages. It is fairly common on the Refuge is this type of habitat.
It is a nothospecies, or a self-reproducing hybrid of Viola macloskeyi and Viola lanceoalata. The former is not known from the Refuge, while the latter is. The populations of this species in this part of Maryland appear to be slightly different in the leaf shape from other populations found elsewhere.
These photos were taken on 10 April 2012 on the North Tract of the Patuxent Research Refuge.
Today, we visited a second site where Liparis liliifolia (Purple Twayblade) was growing on the Refuge. We looked around and found several patches of these lovely orchids thriving. In all, it is possible we spotted over 100 individual plants. I am sure that if we spent more time in the area, we could have found many more.
Yellow Fumewort – Corydalis flavula (Raf.) DC. – is another spring bloomer that is a denizen of bottomland woods and adjacent areas and is commonly found in parts of Eastern North America. As typical of a member of the Papaveraceae family (poppy) it contains a large number of alkaloids. It ranges from Ontario in the north, the Eastern Seaboard on the east, the Gulf Coast on the south, and Nebraska and Kansas on the West. It is conspicuously absent from New England except for a small number of populations in Connecticut.
Yellow fumewort’s flowers are bilaterally oriented and its leaves are finely dissected. The seed pod is pendant and contains several seeds.
Today, I forayed on the South Tract and spotted a bunch of Bald Cypress trees thriving in a swampy area next to Reddington Lake. Bald Cypress is not native this far north, but can do all right when planted in the right place. In this case, they were planted by Fran Uhler back in the 1960’s or 1970’s. They are doing just fine and some of the trees are producing cones and seeds. In fact, these trees have established themselves with several younger trees growing next to the larger ones.
Several vines of wild yam (Discorea villosa) L. were spotted in full bloom along the Knowles 1 Pond on the Central Tract. Wild Yam is common in North America ranging from Ontario on the North, along the Eastern Seaboard to Florida and West to Texas and Nebraska.
It purportedly has medicinal properties, including as an anti-cancer treatment. However, according to the American Cancer Society these claims are false, and there is no evidence of its effectiveness.
On the way home from work today, I took a bunch of pictures of two established colonies of Aesculus parviflora (Bottlebrush Buckeye) near our home. One of them was in the middle of someone’s lawn and the other one was in the woods. I first spotted them six years ago, and they have spread since then. The latter one ran for about 100 feet along the road and was about 50 feet back into the woods. Three or four saplings had popped up across the road from this colony. I am not sure if they are primarily spread from seedlings or if they are clones, but they sure like where they are at.
The following are photographs that I took today. (Click on the thumbnails for a larger view.)
The following are photographs that I took in previous years.
Spike with pistillate (female) flowers. (Click on thumbnail for larger view)
Today, I found an interesting exotic on the Central Tract. It is called Temple Grass and the scientific name is Zoysia matrella. This native to East Asia and northern Australia is sometimes planted in North America as a lawn grass. Its matting nature makes it a natural for planting on golf course greens. It is tolerant to high salinity and is therefore sometimes planted as erosion control and in lawns in coastal areas.
Someone planted this grass on the Snowden Pond dike, and it seems to like it there.
Spike with staminate (male) flowers. (Click on thumbnail for larger view.)
It is a diecious, meaning that the female and male reproductive flower parts are found on separate plants. (see the photos on this page.) The leaves angled at more or less 90 degrees from the culm/stem, distinguishes this species from a related species, Zoysia japonica, which have leaves that point upwards towards the end of the stem.
Leave blades extending at about 90 degrees from culm/stem. (Click on thumbnail for larger view.)
It’s been a while since I blogged here. This time we will look at an obscure plant called Camphor Pluchea or Marsh Fleabane. Its scientific name is Pluchea camphorata. This member of Asteraceae is listed by the Maryland State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as a endangered species (S1 E).
This species grows in clumps in a narrow stretch of the Patuxent River on the refuge. This fall, I spotted a clump of it growing next to a stream by a road which visitors drive by.
It has a very odd almost putrid smell if you crush the leaves.
Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) are important to the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) because its larva feeds exclusively on it. The recent decline of the Monarch butterfly population has sparked an interest saving it by planting milkweed. The Friends of Patuxent is sponsoring an effort to plant milkweed on the Patuxent Research Refuge. The Patuxent Research Refuge is home to six species of Milkweed. This series of blogs will introduce them to you.
Milkweed meadow on Central Tract
The most easily seen species of milkweed is the Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.). It grows in open fields and along the side of roads throughout. There are a number of them planted by the North Tract Contact Station. The largest patch of it is under the Pepco powerlines on the Central Tract. (Click here for more details.)
Close-up of flowers
The Common Milkweed is found throughout Eastern North America from Southern Canada on the north, along the Eastern Seaboard from Maine to North Carolina and northen Georgia on the east, and to the Great Plains as far west as Texas and Oklahoma. It occurs in a wide range of habitats from floodplains to dry sandy areas and waste fields. It prefers sunny locations over shade.
Chemicals in the milkweed make the larva and adult Monarch’s flesh distasteful to most predators. In addition to the Monarch, it is attractive to the milkweed bug, various other pollinators and insects.
Photo above: Close-up of inflorescence – 18 September 2010.
Close up of leaf Notice the whitish stripe along the middle – 8 September 2010
Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus) is a common invasive plant from Asia that has spread to 26 states. Infestations of it can alter native plant communities, change and suppress native insects, and slow plant succession. The good news is that the removal of it can lead to a recovery of native plants.
It is found throughout the refuge, especially along roads and trails, and in adjacent woods. The whitish stripe along the middle of the leaf is an easy way to distinguish this grass from other species such as the rosette grasses (Dichanthelium ssp.), white grass (Leersia virginica,) and small carp grass (Arthraxon hispidus).
In habit – 25 September 2015
Japanese stilt grass is an annual that blooms in late summer and goes to seed soon after. So mowing or weed-whacking infestation before it blooms can be an effective strategy to reduce its seed bank. The seed bank can remain viable for up to five years, so persistence is necessary to get a handle on controlling it. Both pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides can be effective if applied appropriately.
Contrast between mowed and unmowed areas along Wildlife Loop – 25 July 2015
This is an example of how effective mowing an infestation next to a road can be. In this case, a strip about 6 feet wide was mowed in early July and the mowed portion has already started to die back. If the infestation would have been done closer to flowering time, mowing it then could be even more effective.
After mowing – 25 July 2015
This is an close-up of die-back after mowing.
Infestation in the woods – 6 August 2010
It spreads from roads to the woods. It is shade tolerant and this makes it an opportunist, meaning that it will take over in places where plants are not growing. The white-tailed deer is an effective vector for spreading the seeds. Consideration to limiting human activity in infested areas should be considered during flowering and seeding time.
Along Bald Eagle Drive – 18 September 2010
One of the easiest places to see Japanese stilt grass is along Bald Eagle Drive where it is present on both sides of the road.
REFERENCES:
Bauer, J.T. and Flory, S.L. 2011. Suppression of the woodland herb Senna hebecarpa by the invasive grass Microstegium vimineum. American Midland Naturalist. 165:105-115.
Flory, S.L. and K. Clay. 2009. Invasive plant removal method determines native plant community responses. Journal of Applied Ecology. 4:434-442.
Flory, S.L. 2010. Management of Microstegium vimineum invasions and recovery of resident plant communities. Restoration Ecology. 18:103-112
Flory, S.L. and K. Clay. 2010. Non-native grass invasion alters native plant composition in experimental communities. Biological Invasions 12:1285-1294
Knight TM, Dunn JL, Smith LA, Davis J, Kalisz S (2009) Deer facilitate invasive plant success in a Pennsylvania forest understory. Nat Areas J 29:110–116
Simao, M.C., S.L. Flory, and J.A. Rudgers. 2010. Experimental plant invasion reduces arthropod abundance and richness across multiple trophic levels. Oikos 119:1553-1562.
USDA, NRCS. 2012. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 19 August 2012). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA. (accessed 27 July 2015)
(Photo above –the twelve different types of mushrooms collected today)
Click on the thumbnails below for full views.)
Mushroom 1 – Bolete?
After all the rain we have received this past several days, the mushrooms on the Refuge were popping up all over, a real cornucopia. So, today I decided to look for as many different kinds as I could. I ended up with twelve different species, all of which you can see below. I am not a mycologist (fungus expert), so I don’t know the names of these off hand. So, I will be having fun figuring out what I found. Some of these are cool looking. If you happen to know any of the species, let me know.
Mushroom 1 – Bolete?
The mushrooms I collected will be dried and process for inclusion in the Refuge’s herbarium.
Today, I spotted some Indian cucumber (Medeolavirginiana L.) at Chestnut Oak Bog growing on a sphagnum moss hummock. One of the plants (pictured here) was blooming and was setting seed. This interesting looking member of the family Liliaceae is found in Eastern North America from Ontario and Quebec in the North, and Minnesota to Louisiana on the West. It grows up to 1 to 1.5 feet tall and has one or two whorls of leaves on the stem.
Each plant has one stem. When it blooms, there are between 3 to 9 flowers at the summit of the stem with a whorl of leaves directly under. There is usually one more whorl of leaves further down the stem. The blooming period is in late spring to early summer and lasts about one month. The pedicels bearing the flowers become erect and develop purple-colored berries. Each berry contains several seeds. The plant can also propagate into colonies from rhizomes.
The plant like light to medium sun, and thrives in loamy soil containing decaying organic matter. The plant is named after its cucumber-like tasting root.
This meadow on the Central Tract is located along Beech Forest Drive near where the powerlines cross MD 197 and as far as I can determine is the largest field of Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) on the refuge.
I am not sure of the meadow’s maintenance history, but it is has developed into an ideal location for Milkweed. You can bet that this is probably an ideal place to look for the Monarch Butterfly. The size of the meadow is truly impressive.
Spotted this interesting mushroom along Mill Race Road just past the swamp. They were growing all over the woods from the humus soil. I can’t seem to find a common name for it, but its scientific name is Gerronema strombodes. In some references, it has been called Chrysomphalina strombodes, Omphalia strombodes and Clitocybe strombodes.
It is saprobic, meaning that it feeds on the deadwood of hardwoods and conifers. Its gills run down the stem.
It is found in the Southeastern USA.
This mushroom’s edibility is uncertain, but at least one states that it is edible. Depending on the person, it has a mild or bitter taste, and its odor is mild or faintly sweet.
Spent 1.5 hours on the refuge today. Drove out to Lake Allen and spotted some white-colored flowers off in the pine woods on the east side of the lake. I got out of the Jeep to investigate and discovered it was a fairly good-sized patch of Spotted Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata (L.) Pursh).
It likes oak-pine woods, sandy woods, well-drained upland forests and other mesic habitats. It is tolerant of acidic soil. It is frequently found in these types of habitats on the refuge.
The Spotted Wintergreen is native to eastern North America and Central America, from southern Quebec west to Illinois, and south to Florida and Panama. There are four populations in Ontario and one small extant population in Quebec. It is secure in Maryland.
Its scientific name and its frequently seen common name Spotted Wintergreen are misnomers. Species epithet “maculata” means spotted, but as you can see from the photo above, the leaves are striped, not spotted. Believe it or not, it is sometimes called Striped Wintergreen and Striped Prince’s Pine.
About 15 years ago, I spotted two colonies of white roses across the street from our house. They were not the Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) which had already mostly finished because blooming, and this rose was in its prime.
It keys it out to Memorial Rose (Rosa wichuraiana) Crép. It is native to East Asia, and has a natural sprawling, but not climbing, habit which makes it attractive as a ground cover. These two colonies could be considered persistent/established and spreading.
These are some photos I took of this simple but elegant flower. There are some cultivar forms of this species including one with pink tinged petals and a double petal form.
In the fall, it produces small red hips. It is named after the German botanist Max Ernst Wichura. Its scientific name is synonymous with Rosaluciae Franch. & Rochebr., which is sometimes seen in literature.
I found some Common Winterberry that was in full bloom today along the Little Patuxent Trail. The scientific name for this member of the holly family (Aquifoliaceae) is Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray. Its native range covers Eastern North America from Newfoundland to Alabama on the East, Ontario on the North, to Minnesota and Louisiana on the west.
Leaf in full view
Common winterberry is dioecious, meaning that male flowers (staminate) and female flowers (pistillate) are found on separate plants. So means that male and female plants both need to be present for pollination to occur. The specimen pictured here is staminate.
Common winterberry in fruit. Photo taken on 27 September 2012
Its fruits are red and clustered around the branches, and persist through the winter. The fruits are a favorite to birds.
Branch with leaves and flowers
Common winterberry can be found in wet to dry habitats, but seems to do best in moist soil and full sun.
Ciliate sepals
The sepals of the Common Winterberry are ciliate (have hairs which extend from the margins.) This distinguishes it from the closely related Smooth Winterberry (Ilex laevigata (Pursh) A. Gray), which have no margin hairs on the sepals.
Branch with leaves and flowers
It goes by numerous other common names including Possumhaw, Swamp Holly, Virginian Winterberry, Winterberry Holly, Black Alder Winterberry, Brook Alder, Canada Holly, Fever Bush, Inkberry, Michigan Holly, Coralberry, Deciduous Holly, Deciduous Winterberry, and False Alder.
This is a rarely reported species. I found it in a wet meadow on the North Tract of the Refuge When I first tried to determine the plant’s name, I thought it was Rhynchospora capitellata, a fairly common beaksedge. I posted it to a Facebook page for sedges to verify my initial determinination. I was informed by Wes Knapp that this was Juncus brachycarpus instead.
