Marilandica - Maryland Native Plant Society

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Marilandica 

Journal of the Maryland Native Plant Society 

Volume 11, Number 1 Winter/Spring 2003 

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Table of Contents 

Native Plants of Maryland’s Eastern Shore 

By Janet L. Earickson 

Page 3 

~ 

MNPS Field Botany Updates 

By Roderick Simmons, John Parrish, and Cris Fleming 

Page 14 

~ 

Fall Line Magnolia Bogs of the Mid-Atlantic Region 

By Roderick Simmons and Mark Strong 

Page 19 

~ 

A Really Sad Farewell!!! Unless… 

By Bill Grafton 

Page 21 

~ 

Role of Native Plant Societies in Grassroots Conservation 

By Stanwyn G. Shetler 

Page 22 

~ 

MNPS Magnolia Bog Survey 

Page 23 

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Addendum to “Native Woody Plants of Montgomery County” 

By John Parrish 

Page 24 

Submissions for Marilandica are welcomed. Word documents are preferred but 

not necessary. If you wish to contribute articles or other material, or have 

questions or comments, contact Rod Simmons at marilandica@mdflora.org or 

mail to Meghan Tice at P.O. Box 25, Bowie, MD 20719. 

On the cover: “Kindred Spirits,” by Asher B. Durand, 1849. 

Maryland Native Plant Society 

P.O. Box 4877 

Silver Spring, MD 20914 

www.mdflora.org 

The Maryland Native 

Plant Society 

(MNPS) is a nonprofit organization 

that uses education, research, and 

community service to increase the 

awareness and appreciation of 

native plants and their habitats, 

leading to their conservation and 

restoration. Membership is open to 

all who are interested in Maryland’s 

native plants and their habitats, 

preserving Maryland’s natural 

heritage, increasing their knowledge 

of native plants, and helping to 

further the Society’s mission. 

MNPS sponsors monthly meetings, 

workshops, field trips, and an 

annual fall conference. 

MNPS Executive Officers: 

Karyn Molines-President 

Marc Imlay-Vice President 

John Parrish-Vice President 

Roderick Simmons-Vice President 

Jane Osburn-Secretary 

Jean Cantwell-Treasurer 

MNPS Board Of Directors: 

Lou Aronica 

Carole Bergmann 

Lisa Bierer-Garrett 

Cris Fleming 

Carolyn Fulton 

Beth Johnson 

James MacDonald 

Joe Metzger, Jr. 

Chris Partain 

Mary Pat Rowan 

Meghan Tice 

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VOL. 11, NO. 1 ARILANDICA PAGE 2

In late September, my sister Sandy Ward celebrated 

her birthday. Given the chance to have a party or 

choose any other way to celebrate, she 

enthusiastically opted to spend the day in a marsh, far 

away from the everyday concerns of teaching and 

parenting. So, I arranged for our friend and teacher 

Bill Sipple to lead us on a day-long excursion to the 

diverse wetland environs of Maryland’s Eastern 

Shore. Our journey began in the roadside brackish 

marshes of Kent Island, then led onward to the 

forested floodplain and surrounding woods and fields 

of Tuckahoe Creek, and concluded in the unique 

isolated wetlands of the Delmarva potholes. 

Early Fall Foliage in Maryland’s Colorful 

Brackish Marshes 

We set out on a beautiful, sunny morning—a pleasant 

75°F with a cool breeze. Our first stop was at a 

roadside wetland along Exit 42 off of US50 on Kent 

Island. We went right to work, with Bill pointing out 

a number of plants, some new to us and some 

familiar. 

The first new plant was a dogbane called Indian 

hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) 1 , which has opposite 

leaves and resembles milkweed, but produces 

greenish-white flowers. Next was a comparison of 

two familiar plants: groundsel tree (Baccharis 

halimifolia) and marsh elder (Iva frutescens), both 

composites. The groundsel was in bloom with white 

flowers in small heads. We noted its alternate, 

toothed leaves with wedge-shaped bases, in contrast 

to the marsh elder’s opposite, succulent leaves that 

were toothed along the entire edge. I had made this 

distinction while visiting Horsehead Wetlands Center 

earlier in the summer, but it was good to see the two 

plants side-by-side for an even better comparison. 

Groundsel tree and marsh elder are unique in that 

they are two of only three woody composites (the 

other being sea oxeye, Borrichia frutescens) that 

occur in this area (Sipple 1999). 

Next we examined the common reed (Phragmites 

australis), noting its purplish inflorescence and its 

bluish leaves that Bill said we would compare later in 

the day to maidencane (Panicum hemitomon), a rare 

plant in Maryland that we would seek out at a 

1 Scientific nomenclature follows Gleason and Cronquist (1991). 

Native Plants of Maryland’s Eastern Shore 

By Janet L. Earickson 

managed Delmarva pothole. After only several 

minutes of examining plants we realized that the 

mosquitoes along this water-filled roadside ditch 

were quite troublesome. Despite having used insect 

spray, we were being bitten about the face and neck. 

We moved along, swatting at the annoying insects 

that are all-too-common in Maryland’s saltmarshes, 

and examined a plant that was no longer in bloom: 

the seashore mallow (Kosteletzkya virginica). Again, 

this was a familiar plant, as I had seen it flowering 

next to swamp rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) at 

Horsehead the previous month. Both are obligate 

wetland plants (OBL), meaning that they almost 

always occur under natural conditions in wetlands 

(Reed 1988). The seashore mallow is similar to other 

mallows, but has smaller flowers and a leaf that is 

more distinctly lobed and heart-shaped at its base. 

All along the ditch we saw flowering seaside 

goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens), as well as a new 

plant, saltmarsh fleabane (Pluchea odorata), that had 

produced purplish flowers in small heads. This 

fleabane, which is also known as camphorweed, 

emitted a slight medicinal smell. We noted the tiny 

tubular flowers and small corolla of this composite, 

which provided an attractive view next to the goldenyellow 

inflorescence of the goldenrod. 

Then Bill pointed out a new sedge, the slender 

flatsedge (Cyperus filicinus), which is commonly 

found growing along the higher edges of brackish 

tidal marshes. Nearby we spotted orach (Atriplex 

patula), a member of the Chenopodiaceae that has 

triangular leaves with scales underneath. This is a 

common plant of saltmarshes and waste places that 

also grows along the higher marsh edges, and I 

recalled having first seen it last year at the saltmarsh 

adjacent to Fort McHenry in Baltimore. 

Sandy soon spotted a sedge and pointed it out to Bill, 

who remarked that it was Olney three-square (Scirpus 

americanus) and that it was growing in a rather 

unusual spot. This sedge has a more winged stem 

rather than triangular, and prefers the organic soil of 

a marsh, thus usually being found in the marsh proper 

rather than along the edge as it was here. It is an 

obligate wetland plant. We would later compare this 

sedge to the common three-square (S. pungens), 

which looks quite similar. 

M 


Before leaving our first site, I inquired about a shrub 

that was growing on an elevated area behind the 

roadside ditch. Bill stepped across the ditch and 

clipped several leaves. He noted the winged midrib, 

stating that this was winged sumac (Rhus 

copallinum). I had seen this species in bloom 

previously, but had not examined its leaves, which 

certainly make it easy to distinguish. Sandy also 

inquired about a pine growing near the sumac, and 

Bill stated that it was likely loblolly pine (Pinus 

taeda) given its location on the Eastern Shore and its 

long needles in bundles of three. The loblolly’s 

needles grow up to 10 inches, whereas pitch pine (P. 

rigida), another three-needle, long-leaved pine that 

occurs in this area, grows only to 5 inches (Petrides 

1986). 

Spotted Sandpiper 

We got back in the car and drove a short distance to 

our second stop along Route 18. In the distance we 

could see a patch of plants in the marsh that appeared 

grayish-black in color. Sandy recognized this from 

her summer workshop with the Chesapeake Bay 

Foundation as black needlerush (Juncus 

roemerianus). This rush has a very sharp tip, which 

Sandy had experienced first-hand by walking through 

a patch of the waste-high rush at Bishop’s Head in 

Dorchester County! Black needlerush occurs from 

Delaware south along the coast. As Bill walked out 

in the marsh to collect a specimen, Sandy and I 

examined plants along the roadside. 

After Bill returned, we noted more orach and several 

grasses. The first grass was switchgrass (Panicum 

virgatum), which prefers moist, sandy soil. I recalled 

first having seen this grass along the edge of the 

saltmarsh at Chincoteague two years ago. Next was 

saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), which was new to me. 

Saltgrass is commonly found in saltmarshes and 

somewhat resembles Bermuda grass (Cynodon sp.). 

At this location, it was mixed with saltmeadow 

cordgrass (Spartina patens), which I also recalled 

from Chincoteague. This plant is sometimes called 

saltmeadow hay (Silberhorn 1999). It is a long grass 

that lies over and resembles a hay meadow. 

We crossed the highway near a power substation 

where we would have more room to examine the 

specimens that Bill had collected and not compete 

with traffic. He showed us a saltmarsh aster, Aster 

tenuifolius, a succulent, halophytic plant that we 

distinguished from the similar looking A. subulatus 

by noting its rhizome. A. tenuifolius is a perennial, 

whereas A. subulatus is an annual. 

Next Sandy and I keyed out a non-native plant, ivyleaved 

morning glory (Ipomoea hederacea), that she 

had found along the roadside. As we worked our 

way through the key and first came to an incorrect 

location, Bill noted that we should have chosen 

“vines” rather than “wildflowers” even though this 

plant is not woody; in Newcomb’s key (Newcomb 

1977), all vines are included in this category. He also 

gave us a valuable tip to help determine the number 

of regular flower parts when a specimen is 

incomplete: simply count the sepals! 

After keying our specimen we examined common 

wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera), an evergreen that 

Sandy and I recalled from our trip to Blackwater two 

winters ago. Bill noted that this shrub is enjoyed by 

yellow-rumped warblers—also known as myrtle 

warblers because of their preference for the wax 

myrtle’s waxy fruits—and Sandy pointed out its 

sweet-smelling leaves. This shrub is also sometimes 

referred to as southern bayberry (Reed 1988, USFWS 

2001). 

A little further along this side of the road we found 

Hercules’ club (Aralia spinosa) in fruit, having 

produced black berries. At first glance it resembled 

pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), but upon spotting 

its woody, prickly stems there was no doubt as to its 

identity. 

We found some common three-square which we 

compared to the Olney three-square, noting the solid 

triangular stem, and also that the spikelets were 

situated lower on the stem. This plant was found 

characteristically growing along the edge in a sandy, 

inorganic soil. Whereas Olney three-square is an 

obligate, common three-square is a facultative 

wetland plant, meaning that it is usually found in 

wetlands, but is occasionally found in non-wetlands 

(Reed 1988). 

M 


Sandy pointed out a small woody vine with palmately 

compound leaves that Bill remarked was Virginia 

creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). Then he went 

on to note an herbaceous vine, climbing hempweed 

(Mikania scandens), which we had first seen at the 

Wooton Landing wetland restoration site in Anne 

Arundel County last summer. 

Next we examined several more grasses. First was 

Indian goosegrass (Eleusine indica), a non-native 

which has sessile spikelets and is in the Chlorideae 

tribe along with saltmeadow cordgrass and Bermuda 

grass. The only other grass tribe with sessile 

spikelets is the Hordeae, which is distinguished 

because its spikelets are symmetrical rather than onesided 

as in the Chlorideae. We noted that crabgrass 

(Digitaria sp.) resembles goosegrass, but its spikelets 

are dorsally compressed rather than laterally, and 

being in the Paniceae tribe, they are not sessile. 

We found a Setaria sp., possibly yellow bristlegrass 

(S. glauca) or green bristlegrass (S. viridis), the 

difference being in the number of bristles; upon close 

examination, our specimen had 5 or 6. I inquired as 

to how we could tell that it was one of these species 

and not S. faberi, to which Bill replied that S. faberi 

is taller with a longer inflorescence that droops. We 

later checked on the identity of our specimen in 

Gleason and Cronquist (1991) and determined that it 

was S. glauca, a non-native annual with 4-12 bristles 

that is yellowish-orange in color. We also noted that 

S. faberi has only 1-3 bristles. 

We crossed back to the side of the road where we had 

left the car, and spotted a quite tall grass, perhaps 4½ 

feet or more. This was Eastern gammagrass 

(Tripsacum dactyloides). Bill also pointed out two 

very similar paspalums: Florida paspalum (Paspalum 

floridanum), whose racemes were more erect, and 

field paspalum (P. laeve), whose racemes were more 

drooping. 

Sandy and I then keyed out another flower that she 

had spotted, a small white morning glory (Ipomoea 

lacunosa). Bill noted the non-native multiflora rose 

(Rosa multiflora), stating that it could be 

distinguished from a native rose by the fringe of cilia 

around its stipules. He then keyed out a small 

specimen of a yellow mallow with a velvety stem. 

This was identified as velvet-leaf mallow (Abutilon 

theophrasti), also a non-native. We also spotted a 

nearby native spurge known as eyebane (Euphorbia 

maculata), a weedy, roadside plant with milky juice. 

Before we could drive off to one last roadside stop, 

Sandy spotted a bright red patch of glasswort 

(Salicornia europaea) growing with seaside 

goldenrod and saltmeadow cordgrass, and producing 

a spectacular show of fall colors. Bill also noted 

another new sedge, marsh fimbry (Fimbristylis 

castanea), which had a pinecone-like, imbricated 

spikelet. Unlike Scirpus, this sedge has only basal 

leaves and achenes without bristles, since it has no 

perianth. 

At our third and final stop along Route 18, we saw 

some rather large periwinkles (Littorina irrorata) 

along the stems of smooth cordgrass (Spartina 

alterniflora). Sandy and I had seen a similar site at 

Chancellor’s Point in St. Mary’s County two springs 

ago, but these periwinkles were much larger. Bill 

noted some nearby saltmarsh sand spurrey 

(Spergularia marina), a succulent with cylindrical, 

fleshy leaves. I recalled having seen sticky sand 

spurrey (S. macrotheca) in bloom last summer in 

California at the Morro Bay National Estuary. 

It was now noon and we decided to move right along 

to our next stop at Tuckahoe. These first two hours 

of our day in the roadside brackish marshes had 

yielded 30 native species in 15 families. Satisfied 

with our progress, we now followed US50E to 

US301N, to Route 213S and turning left on Route 

309S, then over to Route 404E and across Tuckahoe 

Creek, a tributary of the Choptank River. Bill 

explained that this route was somewhat of a shortcut. 

We turned on to Route 480E, then left on Eveland 

Road and followed it 2 miles to Adkins Arboretum. 

Osmunda regalis 

Royal Fern 

M 


TABLE 1. PLANTS OF BRACKISH ROADSIDE MARSH AND EDGES, KENT ISLAND, MD 

Scientific Name Common Name Indicator (a) 

Anacardiaceae 

Rhus copallinum Winged sumac -- 

Apocynaceae 

Apocynum cannabinum Indian hemp FACU 

Araliaceae 

Aralia spinosa Hercules’ club FAC 

Asteraceae 

Aster tenuifolius 

Baccharis halimifolia 

Iva frutescens 

Mikania scandens 

Pluchea odorata 

Solidago sempervirens 

Perennial saltmarsh aster 

Groundsel tree 

Marsh elder 

Climbing hempweed 

Saltmarsh fleabane 

Seaside goldenrod 

OBL 

FACW 

FACW+ 

FACW+ 

OBL 

FACW 

Carophyllaceae 

Spergularia marina Saltmarsh sand spurrey OBL 

Chenopodiaceae 

Atriplex patula 

Salicornia europaea 

Convolvulaceae 

Ipomoea hederacea 

Ipomoea lacunosa 

Cyperaceae 

Cyperus filicinus 

Fimbristylis castanea 

Scirpus americanus 

Scirpus pungens 

Orach 

Glasswort 

Ivy-leaved morning glory (b) 

Small white morning glory 

Slender flatsedge 

Marsh fimbry 

Olney three-square 

Common three-square 

FACW 

OBL 

FACU 

FACW 

OBL 

OBL 

OBL 

FACW+ 

Euphorbiaceae 

Euphorbia maculata Spurge FACU- 

Juncaceae 

Juncus roemerianus Black needlerush OBL 

Malvaceae 

Abutilon theophrasti 

Kosteletzkya virginica 

Velvet-leaf mallow (b) 

Seashore mallow 

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VOL. 11, NO. 1 ARILANDICA PAGE 6 

-- 

OBL 

Myricaceae 

Myrica cerifera Common wax myrtle FAC 

Pinaceae 

Pinus taeda Loblolly pine FAC- 

Poaceae 

Distichlis spicata 

Eleusine indica 

Panicum virgatum 

Paspalum floridanum 

Paspalum laeve 

Phragmites australis 

Setaria glauca 

Spartina alterniflora 

Spartina patens 

Tripsacum dactyloides 

Saltgrass 

Indian goosegrass (b) 

Switchgrass 

Florida paspalum 

Field paspalum 

Common reed (b) 

Yellow bristlegrass (b) 

Smooth cordgrass 

Saltmeadow cordgrass 

Eastern gammagrass 

FACW+ 

FACU- 

FAC 

FACW 

FAC+ 

FACW 

FAC 

OBL 

FACW+ 

FACW 

Rosaceae 

Rosa multiflora Multiflora rose (b) FACU 

Vitaceae 

Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia creeper FACU

KEY to TABLE 1 

(a) From Reed (1988): 

OBL (Obligate Wetland) – Occurs almost always 

(estimated probability >99%) under natural 

conditions in wetlands. 

FACW (Facultative Wetland) – Usually occurs in 

wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but 

occasionally found in non-wetlands. 

FAC (Facultative) – Equally likely to occur in wetlands 

or non-wetlands (estimated probability 34%-66%). 

FACU (Facultative Upland) – Usually occurs in nonwetlands 

(estimated probability 67%-99%), but 

occasionally found in wetlands (estimated 

probability 1%-33%). 

UPL (Obligate Upland) – Occurs in wetlands in another 

region, but occurs almost always (estimated 

probability >99%) under natural conditions in nonwetlands 

in the region specified. 

If a species does not occur in wetlands in any region, it 

is not on the National List. 

A positive (+) or negative (-) sign is used to more 

specifically define the regional frequency of 

occurrence in wetlands. A positive sign (+) indicates 

a frequency toward the higher end of the category 

(more frequently found in wetlands), and a negative 

sign (-) indicates a frequency toward the lower end 

of the category (less frequently found in wetlands). 

(b) Non-native. 

In Search of a Rare Plant on the Forested 

Floodplain 

After enjoying lunch beneath a water oak (Quercus 

nigra), we walked over to a nearby field filled with 

purpletop (Tridens flavus) where we examined 

several more plants, all composites. We keyed out 

camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris), noting its 

stinking odor and clasping leaves along a hairy stem, 

and white heath aster (Aster pilosus), which also had 

a hairy stem. We compared the heath aster to the 

perennial saltmarsh aster we had seen earlier, 

A. tenuifolius. A. pilosus has spreading bracts, 

whereas A. tenuifolius does not. Lastly we looked at 

mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), whose leaves were 

hairy and white underneath. I noted the sweet smell 

of this plant and that it was an invasive in the upland 

area near the Fort McHenry marsh in Baltimore. On 

a recent tour, the marsh’s caretaker, Jim Peters, had 

tried to solicit volunteers to take home some of the 

pleasantly aromatic plant, but with no success. 

From the field we walked over to the visitor center, 

passing a garden filled with purple lovegrass 

(Eragrostis spectabilis), red chokeberry (Aronia 

arbutifolia) in fruit, and Joe-pye weed (Eupatorium 

sp.) in bloom. We crossed a bridge over a created 

wetland area, noting many familiar plants, including 

inkberry (Ilex glabra) bearing dark purplish fruits. 

After passing through the visitor center, we started 

down a dirt path between some fields. We spotted 

the toothed, compound leaves of trumpet creeper 

(Campsis radicans), which was no longer flowering, 

and noted persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) with its 

reticulated venation; Bill pointed out that this tree 

could be identified in winter by its single, D-shaped 

bundle scar. As we entered the woods along the trail, 

we saw pokeweed, flowering dogwood (Cornus 

florida), and lamb’s quarters (Chenopodium album), 

a weedy roadside plant. There was also a large stand 

of young pawpaw (Asimina triloba), a plant that has a 

rank smell. Bill noted that pawpaw is more common 

in the Piedmont than on the Coastal Plain, but can be 

found there, even along some rivers on the Eastern 

Shore. 

Sandy noted an odd-looking leaf, which Bill stated 

was likely a hybrid oak, perhaps red oak with willow 

oak. He cautioned us never to try identifying trees by 

leaves found on the ground or on sucker shoots. 

Other trees that we saw included white oak (Quercus 

alba), willow oak (Q. phellos), northern red oak (Q. 

rubra), hickory (Carya sp.), and ironwood (Carpinus 

caroliniana). We noted the multiple narrow buds of 

the willow oak, and the papery leaves of the red oak, 

with their yellowish-white veins. 

Next we came to some huckleberry (Gaylussacia 

sp.), which Bill pointed out could be distinguished 

from blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) by its reddish-brown 

twigs and resin dots on the leaves. To illustrate this 

point, we also examined a lowbush blueberry, the 

hillside blueberry (V. pallidum), which had green 

twigs and no resin dots; this is an upland plant. I 

asked how you could tell the difference between 

lowbush and highbush blueberry, and Bill stated what 

should have been obvious: the difference is in the 

height! 

As we diverged from the dirt trail down a slope to the 

floodplain of Tuckahoe Creek, we noted oriental 

lady’s thumb (Polygonum cespitosum), a smartweed 

that is very similar to spotted lady’s thumb (P. 

persicaria), but easily distinguished from the latter 

because it lacks the characteristic dark spot on its 

leaves. Our descent of the slope produced a bumper 

crop of ferns, including cinnamon fern (Osmunda 

cinnamomea), a facultative wetland plant; royal fern 

(O. regalis), an obligate wetland plant; and netted 

M 


chain fern (Woodwardia areolata), a facultative 

wetland plant. We were obviously moving into a 

wetter environment. The netted chain fern closely 

resembles sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis), which I 

first mistook it to be; however, its pinnae are 

alternate rather than nearly opposite as in sensitive 

fern. Also, the sensitive fern has its sori on a separate 

fertile stalk, whereas the netted chain fern’s sori are 

nearly rectangular and in rows on narrow fertile 

pinnae. 

Bill noted a familiar sedge, the greater bladder sedge 

(Carex intumescens), easily distinguished by its large 

perigynia. He also pointed out witherod (Viburnum 

nudum), with its shiny leaves and naked terminal 

bud. Other familiar plants we identified along the 

floodplain included sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia 

virginiana), lizard’s tail (Saururus cernuus), and 

common greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia). Bill 

pointed out swamp white azalea (Rhododendron 

viscosum), which at first we mistook for swamp 

sweetbells (Leucothoe racemosa). We noted its gray 

stems and seemingly whorled leaves and stems 

(appearance only); then, having found the sweetbells 

nearby, noted that its stems and leaves were not 

whorled. Shrubs have never been my strong point, so 

these details proved quite helpful. Continuing along 

we encountered more familiar plants, including wood 

reed grass (Cinna arundinacea), winterberry holly 

(Ilex verticillata), the leaves and red fruit of Jack-inthe-pulpit 

(Arisaema triphyllum), the sweet-smelling 

spicebush (Lindera benzoin), and sphagnum moss, a 

clear wetland indicator. 

We soon came to a patch of clearweed (Pilea 

pumila), a plant we had seen before on the Magothy 

River floodplain. This plant looks a lot like other 

members of the Urticaceae, but is easily 

distinguished by its translucent stem. At our location 

it was growing with spotted water hemlock (Cicuta 

maculata), which was no longer in bloom. 

The purpose of our trek along this floodplain was to 

locate a rare plant, the deciduous holly (Ilex decidua). 

We came across blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium), 

which Bill stated looks physiognomically a lot like 

deciduous holly. To distinguish the two, blackhaw 

has opposite branching, whereas deciduous holly has 

alternate branching. 

We were now in a fairly wet, but not too sinky area. 

The canopy was filled with very tall, majestic green 

ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) that was swaying quite 

dramatically in the breeze, and overcup oak (Quercus 

lyrata), which has very distinctive shreddy bark. 

Nearby was a white wetland aster, perhaps starved 

aster (Aster lateriflorus) or small white aster (A. 

racemosus); we noted that its stem was smooth, 

distinguishing it from the rough-stem upland aster, 

white heath aster (A. pilosus), we had seen earlier. 

We came to a field of nettles that Bill readily warned 

us about. These were wood nettles (Laportea 

canadensis) and they were armed with stinging hairs. 

The leaves of this plant are alternate, rather than 

opposite as in other nettles. To distinguish it from 

false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica), the wood nettle 

produces flowers along the top of the stem, whereas 

false nettle flowers along the stem. We carefully 

walked through the minefield of stinging plants, 

continuing along the floodplain toward Tuckahoe 

Creek, spotting sensitive fern along the way. 

As we neared a flooded area, possibly a tributary to 

the creek, Bill spotted the deciduous holly, a 

facultative wetland plant, near the edge of the water 

on a small hummocky area. This plant is an S2 in 

Maryland, indicating that it is state rare with only 6 to 

20 estimated occurrences. This species is actively 

tracked by the Wildlife and Heritage Division of the 

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 

(DNR 2001). 

Sandy scared two green frogs in the water, and Bill 

pointed out a nearby Virginia dayflower (Commelina 

virginica), no longer flowering. We then began our 

trek back to the trail, with Sandy finding the leaf of a 

swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii) along the 

way. The leaf of this tree is not as long as that of 

chestnut oak (Q. prinus), and this tree tends to be 

found in wetter areas. 

Once back on the dirt trail we began to hustle to our 

next site. The back of my right arm was beginning to 

itch, so I imagined that I was breaking out in a rash 

from sweating during our rapid hike. On our return 

trip between the upland fields we noted chestnut oak, 

southern red oak (Q. falcata), pin oak (Q. palustris), 

and Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) in full 

bloom. I nearly stepped on a toad in the center of the 

road as we moved rapidly along. Our second site of 

the day had yielded more than 50 species in 29 

families, including the state rare deciduous holly, 

several ferns, and a good variety of shrubs and trees, 

in particular, nine species of oak. 

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TABLE 2. PLANTS OF TUCKAHOE CREEK FLOODPLAIN AND SURROUNDING UPLAND 

FOREST AND FIELDS, TUCKAHOE, MD 


Annonaceae 

Asimina triloba Pawpaw FACU+ 

Apiaceae 

Cicuta maculata Spotted water hemlock OBL 

Aquifoliaceae 

Ilex decidua 

Ilex glabra 

Ilex verticillata 

Deciduous holly (c) 

Inkberry 

Winterberry holly 

FACW 

FACW- 

FACW+ 

Araceae 

Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in-the-pulpit FACW- 

Asteraceae 

Artemisia vulgaris 

Aster pilosus 

Aster sp. 

Eupatorium sp. 

Heterotheca subaxillaris 

Solidago canadensis 

Mugwort (b) 

White heath aster 

White aster 

Joe-pye weed 

Camphorweed 

Canada goldenrod 

-- 

-- 

-- 

-- 

-- 

FACU 

Betulaceae 

Carpinus caroliniana Ironwood FAC 

Bignoniaceae 

Campsis radicans Trumpet creeper FAC 

Blechnaceae 

Woodwardia areolata Netted chain fern FACW+ 

Caprifoliaceae 

Viburnum nudum 

Viburnum prunifolium 

Witherod 

Blackhaw 

OBL 

FACU 

Chenopodiaceae 

Chenopodium album Lamb’s quarters (b) FACU+ 

Commelinaceae 

Commelina virginica Virginia dayflower FACW 

Cornaceae 

Cornus florida Flowering dogwood FACU- 

Cyperaceae 

Carex intumescens Greater bladder sedge FACW+ 

Ebenaceae 

Diospyros virginiana Persimmon FAC- 

Ericaceae 

Gaylussacia sp. 

Leucothoe racemosa 

Rhododendron viscosum 

Vaccinium pallidum 

Fagaceae 

Quercus alba 

Quercus falcata 

Quercus lyrata 

Quercus michauxii 

Quercus nigra 

Quercus palustris 

Quercus phellos 

Quercus prinus 

Quercus rubra 

Huckleberry 

Swamp sweetbells 

Swamp azalea 

Hillside blueberry 

White oak 

Southern red oak 

Overcup oak 

Swamp chestnut oak 

Water oak 

Pin oak 

Willow oak 

Chestnut oak 

Northern red oak 

-- 

FACW 

OBL 

-- 

FACU- 

FACU- 

OBL 

FACW 

FAC 

FACW 

FAC+ 

-- 

FACU- 

M 



Juglandaceae 

Carya sp. Hickory -- 

Lauraceae 

Lindera benzoin Spicebush FACW- 

Magnoliaceae 

Magnolia virginiana Sweetbay magnolia FACW+ 

Oleaceae 

Fraxinus pennsylvanica Green ash FACW 

Onocleaceae 

Onoclea sensibilis Sensitive fern FACW 

Osmundaceae 

Osmunda cinnamomea 

Osmunda regalis 

Maryland’s Unique, Isolated Wetlands— 

Delmarva Potholes 

At 2:30 p.m. we departed towards a managed pothole 

near Tuckahoe. We turned left out of the park 

towards Cherry Lane. After 15 minutes of driving 

we arrived at the spot, a gated dirt road where we 

began a long, brisk walk. The forest was filled with 

loblolly, the dominant tree species, and we could hear 

the call of an angry bluejay. 

Along the dirt road we came to an old homesite. The 

ground was overgrown with periwinkle (Vinca 

minor), and also contained ebony spleenwort 

(Asplenium platyneuron) and Asiatic dayflower 

(Commelina communis). After a brief pause we 

continued on, noting partridgeberry (Mitchella 

Cinnamon fern 

Royal fern 

FACW 

OBL 

Phytolaccaceae 

Phytolacca americana Pokeweed FACU+ 

Poaceae 

Cinna arundinacea 

Eragrostis spectabilis 

Tridens flavus 

Woodreed grass 

Purple lovegrass 

Purpletop 

FACW+ 

-- 

FACU* 

Polygonaceae 

Polygonum cespitosum Oriental lady’s thumb (b) FACU- 

Rosaceae 

Aronia arbutifolia Red chokeberry FACW 

Saururaceae 

Saururus cernuus Lizard’s tail OBL 

Smilacaceae 

Smilax rotundifolia Common greenbrier FAC 

Urticaceae 

Laportea canadensis 

Pilea pumila 

Wood nettle 

Clearweed 

FACW 

FACW 

_____ 


See Key to Table 1 for complete explanation of indicator status. 

An asterisk (*) following an indicator identifies tentative assignments based on 

limited information from which to determine the indicator status. 


(c) S2 – State Rare; 6 to 20 estimated occurrences (DNR 2001). 

repens) in fruit along the center of the dirt road. Bill 

pointed out that the leaves of many of the beech trees 

(Fagus grandifolia) were dying, speculating that 

perhaps it was because of the year’s severe drought, 

but uncertain as to what this would mean for next 

year’s trees. 

While walking toward the pothole, Bill noted that 

these isolated wetlands were no longer protected 

under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, thanks to 

a court case that had taken place in the Midwest—the 

Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County 

(SWANCC) vs. the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

There is currently an ongoing debate as to how to 

deal with this issue and afford these unique wetland 

areas some protection. 

M 


As we neared the pothole we encountered an idle 

wood chipper and an area of girdled trees, one large 

loblolly, a number of red maples (Acer rubrum) and 

sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), and some 

persimmons, demonstrating that this area is being 

actively managed. There was quite a bit of ground 

pine (Lycopodium obscurum) around the wooded 

edge of the open glade. 

The pothole itself was very dry, and we could see 

fluted trunks and watermarks about knee-high on the 

trees surrounding the site. We observed turkey 

vultures circling overhead, as well as many 

dragonflies that Sandy remarked looked like small 

helicopters. In the pothole, we found buttonbush 

(Cephalanthus occidentalis), Canada rush (Juncus 

canadensis), woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus), and fall 

panic grass (Panicum dichotomiflorum). Bill pointed 

out a new grass, warty panic grass (P. verrucosum). 

He also noted a new sedge, tall beaksedge 

(Rhynchospora macrostachya). 

We then paused to confirm the identity of a rare 

plant, maidencane (Panicum hemitomon). This plant 

is an S3, meaning it is a Watch List species in 

Maryland. It is rare to uncommon with a typical 

occurrence of 21 to 100 in the state (DNR 2001). We 

noted the cilia on the sheath of the upper blades of 

this very tall grass, and compared it to the common 

reed, noting that its hue is much greener than the 

bluish-green Phragmites. 

Bill took a soil sample and noted the greasy organic 

soil (muck), then silt that lay just below the hard, dry 

soil surface. This soil type, combined with the fact 

that all of the plants we observed in the pothole were 

either facultative wetland or obligate wetland plants, 

were the only signs that we were standing in a 

wetland area. We noted one last plant, a meadow 

beauty (Rhexia sp.), then made our way out of the 

pothole and back to the trail. The sun was strong 

overhead, and we worked up quite a sweat, with the 

rash on my arm still itching, as we walked briskly 

back to the car. Once there Sandy remarked that our 

excursion was like one of those guided tours where 

you see multiple countries in so many days, only we 

were seeing five counties in three hours (a bit of an 

exaggeration, but she made her point). 

At 3:45 p.m. we departed for our final stop of the 

day: a pothole near Baltimore Corners. After 

20 minutes or so of driving, we pulled off onto the 

shoulder of the road. We had visited this site nearly 

two years ago. We found a trail into the woods and 

made it to the pothole with little difficulty, in contrast 

to our previous experience with a tangle of 

greenbriers. We were surrounded by sweetgum and 

holly (Ilex opaca). 

Bill noted mermaid weed (Proserpinaca palustris) at 

the edge of the pothole, and also Eaton’s panic grass 

(Panicum spretum). The Panicum appeared to be codominant 

with a rare plant, the reticulated nutrush 

(Scleria reticularis). This nutrush is an S2 in 

Maryland, again designating it as State Rare (DNR 

2001). It was very plentiful at this site. Bill noted 

the nutrush’s reticulated achene, and that it is an 

annual that only comes up when there is drawdown 

as at this site. This was a lucky find, a case of being 

in the right place at the right time. He also pointed 

out the white bony covering on this sedge’s achene, 

which resembles a tiny golf ball. 

Other plants that we observed at this pothole included 

warty panic grass, deergrass (Rhexia virginica) still 

flowering in a few spots, buttonbush, a patch of teal 

lovegrass (Eragrostis hypnoides), Canada rush, and a 

fringe of Walter’s sedge (Carex striata) circling the 

depressional area. Along the edge Bill also noted 

more maidencane and a Rhynchospora sp. Sandy 

nearly walked into the large, formidable web of a 

brilliant, hairy orange spider in some sweetgum trees, 

before continuing along the edge of the pothole to a 

stand of Virginia chain fern (Woodwardia virginica). 

We examined this fern, which Bill pointed out has a 

distinctive black stipe that can be used to differentiate 

it from cinnamon fern. It is a rhizomatous fern with 

rectangular sori. Nearby were some persimmon 

trees, growing under normally well-ponded 

conditions, as they do in Delmarva potholes. 

Belted Kingfisher 

M 


It was nearing 4:30 p.m., so we followed Bill out of 

the pothole to a field at the edge of the road. Here we 

identified a few more plants: pinweed (Lechea sp.), 

round-leaved boneset (Eupatorium rotundifolium), 

sweet everlasting (Gnaphalium obtusifolium), an 

exotic bushclover (Lespedeza cuneata), Canada 

goldenrod, deertongue grass (Panicum 

clandestinum), partridge pea (Chamaecrista 

fasciculata), and hyssop-leaved boneset (Eupatorium 

hyssopifolium). Then we headed back to the car, 

along the way spotting rough-leaved goldenrod 

(Solidago rugosa), beggarticks (Bidens sp.), Joe-pye 

weed, foxtail grass (Setaria faberi), black-eyed Susan 

(Rudbeckia hirta), and umbrella sedge (Cyperus 

strigosus). 

Once again it had been a productive venture, 

covering 42 species in 19 families, including a good 

variety of grasses and sedges including the State Rare 

reticulated nutrush and Watch List species 

maidencane. At 5:40 p.m. Bill dropped us back at 

our car and we headed home for the day, with Sandy 

declaring it was her best birthday ever. 

While cleaning up later in the evening I discovered 

that I did not have a rash on my arm, but had brushed 

against one of the stinging nettles. I spent a good 

deal of time plucking 50 or so of the small stingers 

from the back of my arm, but all the while savoring 

the day’s accomplishments. We had traversed Kent, 

Queen Anne’s, and Caroline counties; exploring 

environments that ranged from brackish marsh to 

forested floodplain, to edge and upland fields and 

woods, to the unique isolated Delmarva potholes; 

examined 125 species in 49 families, including 20 

grasses and 18 composites; and had been privileged 

to find three State-listed species ⎯ all-in-all, not bad 

for an 8-hour day in the field. 

Janet L. Earickson is a technical writer/editor for an 

environmental consulting firm. She is also a freelance naturewriter 

and journalist with a strong interest in the natural 

environment, particularly wetlands. 

TABLE 3. PLANTS OF THE DELMARVA POTHOLES AND SURROUNDING UPLANDS, 

QUEEN ANNE’S AND CAROLINE COUNTIES, MD 


Aceraceae 

Acer rubrum Red maple FAC 

Apocynaceae 

Vinca minor Periwinkle (b) -- 

Aquifoliaceae 

Ilex opaca American holly FACU+ 

Aspleniaceae 

Asplenium platyneuron Ebony spleenwort FACU 

Asteraceae 

Bidens sp. 

Eupatorium hyssopifolium 

Eupatorium rotundifolium 

Eupatorium sp. 

Gnaphalium obtusifolium 

Rudbeckia hirta 

Solidago canadensis 

Solidago rugosa 

Beggarticks 

Hyssop-leaved boneset 

Round-leaved boneset 

Joe-pye weed 

Sweet everlasting 

Black-eyed Susan 

Canada goldenrod 

Rough-leaved goldenrod 

-- 

-- 

FAC- 

-- 

-- 

FACU- 

FACU 

FAC 

Blechnaceae 

Woodwardia virginica Virginia chain fern OBL 

Cistaceae 

Lechea sp. Pinweed -- 

Commelinaceae 

Commelina communis Asiatic dayflower (b) FAC- 

Cyperaceae 

Carex striata 

Cyperus strigosus 

Rhynchospora macrostachya 

Rhynchospora sp. 

Scirpus cyperinus 

Scleria reticularis 

Walter’s sedge 

Umbrella sedge 

Tall beaksedge 

Sedge 

Woolgrass 

Reticulated nutrush (c) 

OBL 

FACW 

OBL 

-- 

FACW+ 

OBL 

M 


References 


Ebenaceae 

Diospyros virginiana Persimmon FAC- 

Fabaceae 

Chamaecrista fasciculata 

Fagus grandifolia 

Lespedeza cuneata 

Partridge pea 

American beech 

Bushclover (b) 

FACU 

FACU 

-- 

Haloragaceae 

Proserpinaca palustris Mermaid weed OBL 

Hammamelidaceae 

Liquidambar styraciflua Sweetgum FAC 

Juncaceae 

Juncus canadensis Canada rush OBL 

Lycopodiaceae 

Lycopodium obscurum Ground pine FACU 

Melastomataceae 

Rhexia virginica 

Rhexia sp. 

Deergrass 

Meadow beauty 

M 


OBL 

-- 

Pinaceae 

Pinus taeda Loblolly FAC- 

Poaceae 

Eragrostis hypnoides 

Panicum clandestinum 

Panicum dichotomiflorum 

Panicum hemitomon 

Panicum spretum 

Panicum verrucosum 

Phragmites australis 

Setaria faberi 

Rubiaceae 

Cephalanthus occidentalis 

Mitchella repens 

Teal lovegrass 

Deertongue grass 

Fall panic grass 

Maidencane (d) 

Eaton’s rosette grass 

Warty panic grass 

Common reed (b) 

Foxtail grass (b) 

Buttonbush 

Partridgeberry 

_____ 


See Key to Table 1 for complete explanation of indicator status. 


(c) S2 – State Rare; 6 to 20 estimated occurrences (DNR 2001). 

(d) S3 – Watch List species; typical occurrence of 21 to 100 (DNR 2001). 

OBL 

FAC+ 

FACW- 

FACW+ 

FAC 

FACW 

FACW 

-- 

OBL 

FACU 

Department of Natural Resources (DNR). 2001. Rare, threatened, and endangered plants of Maryland. Wildlife and Heritage Division, Annapolis, MD. 24 

pp. 30 April. 

Gleason, Henry A., Ph.D., and Arthur Cronquist, Ph.D. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second 

edition. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY. 910 pp. 

Newcomb, Lawrence. 1977. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Little, Brown and Co. 490 pp. 

Petrides, George A. 1986. A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs: Northeastern and North-Central United States and Southeastern and South-Central 

Canada. The Peterson Field Guide Series. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Co. 428 pp. 

Reed, P.B., Jr. 1988. National list of plant species that occur in wetlands: Northeast (Region 1). U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 88(26.1). 111 pp. 

Silberhorn, Gene M. 1999. Common Plants of the Mid-Atlantic Coast: A Field Guide. Revised edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 

MD. 294 pp. 

Sipple, William S. 1999. Days Afield: Exploring Wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Gateway Press, Inc., Baltimore, MD. 558 pp. 

USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. 

USFWS. 2001. Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping. Maryland: Coastal Plain. 12 pp. May.

MNPS Field Botany Updates 

By Rod Simmons, John Parrish, and Cris Fleming 

MNPS conducts field surveys throughout Maryland 

each year to assess natural communities, inventory 

flora, study plant associations, and record 

information on species distribution. Besides having 

fun discovering new plants and places, the society 

performs an important role by documenting 

Maryland’s native flora and habitats, both common 

and rare. Some of the survey sites are familiar parks 

and preserves. Others are unknown or have not been 

seen in a long time, and many are threatened by 

urbanization, pollution, and invasive exotic plants. 

Today, there are very few intact examples of these 

communities in parts of the state, especially the 

overdeveloped but floristically diverse Washington- 

Baltimore area. It is hoped that this information will 

bring attention to these sites as irreplaceable 

remnants of Maryland’s natural heritage, and lead to 

their conservation. 

These surveys also help the Maryland Natural 

Heritage Program track Rare, Threatened, and 

Endangered (RT&E) plants and special communities 

in Maryland. The location of RT&E species and 

habitats is reported to the Natural Heritage Program 

to be added to a database that includes all the known 

occurrences of state-listed RT&E species in 

Maryland. Most importantly, this information, and 

other assistance by MNPS, helps the state, counties, 

and land trusts prioritize lands for acquisition and 

develop appropriate management strategies. 

The following is a list of some of the notable sites 

and flora recently surveyed by MNPS. Species 

actively tracked by the Maryland Natural Heritage 

Program (noted below) have a state rank of S1 

(highly state rare) or S2 (state rare) and sometimes a 

state status of E (endangered) or T (threatened). A 

watchlist species is given a rank of S3 and is usually 

not actively tracked. Occasionally, a small voucher 

specimen is carefully collected (provided the 

population is large enough) so as not to disturb the 

plant and deposited in the U.S. National Herbarium 

or the Frostburg University Herbarium. 

Aitcheson Bog, Prince George’s County: A fine, 

gravel-sand based Magnolia Bog near I-95 at the 

edge of the Konterra gravel mining complex that was 

discovered by John Parrish several years ago. 

Halberd-leaved greenbrier (Smilax pseudochina) (S2) 

was recently discovered growing in the bog. Old-age 

pitch pine (Pinus rigida) occurs throughout the bog. 

This site is threatened by the Inter County Connector 

(ICC). 

Surveyors: Rod Simmons, Lou Aronica, Katharine 

McCarthy, John Parrish, and Meghan Tice 

Ammendale Bog, Prince George’s County: A 

historic, gravel-sand based Magnolia Bog near the Rt. 

1 crossing of Indian Creek that was rediscovered by 

Mark Strong several years ago. Old-age pitch pine 

(Pinus rigida) occurs throughout the bog. Purple 

chokeberry (Aronia prunifolia) (S3), low rough aster 

(Aster radula) (S1), sheep laurel (Kalmia 

angustifolia) (S3), halberd-leaved greenbrier (Smilax 

pseudochina) (S2), bog goldenrod (Solidago 

uliginosa) (S3), and Virginia chain fern (Woodwardia 

virginica) were recently discovered at this site. 

Surveyors: Rod Simmons, Lou Aronica, and Mark 

Strong; MNPS field trip participants 

Magnolia virginiana 

Sweetbay Magnolia 

Araby Bog, Charles County: The most undisturbed 

of known remaining Magnolia Bogs. A colony of 

pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata) (S1?) was 

discovered growing under pines on a ridge in upland 

oak-hickory forest overlooking the bog. Staggerbush 

(Lyonia mariana) was found growing along the edge 

of the bog. The poorly-sited, proposed Hunter’s 

Brooke and Falcon Ridge housing developments 

greatly threaten the bog. 

Surveyors: Rod Simmons and Meghan Tice; MNPS 

2002 Fall Conference field trip participants 

M 


Bald Eagle Hill, Washington, D.C.: A high, gravel 

terrace hill and steep, sloping woodlands overlooking 

Oxon Run Cove and the Potomac River. Ancient 

chestnut oaks (Quercus prinus) occupy the 

uppermost slope. Numerous other old-age trees 

occur throughout the forest. Two ancient post oaks 

(Quercus stellata) measuring 11’3’’ in circumference 

at breast height (CBH), a black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) 

at 9’7’’, American beeches (Fagus grandifolia) at 

10’4’’, and large white oaks (Quercus alba) form a 

grove on the upper slope. A gigantic tulip tree 

(Liriodendron tulipifera) measuring at least 17’ in 

circumference, a 9’4” CBH natural hybrid between a 

black oak (Quercus velutina) and a willow oak 

(Quercus phellos), and a 9’8” CBH black oak grow 

along the richer, lower slopes. 

Surveyors: Lou Aronica and Mary Pat Rowan; 

Raymond Arent and Ellen Scaruffi, Bill and Jane 

Hill, Pete McClurkin, Rod Simmons, and Ken Wright 

Barcroft Park, Arlington County, Virginia: A 

small remnant of the historic Four Mile Run Bogs 

was recently discovered at the foot of a steep, 

forested hillside terrace (Allie S. Freed Park) at 

Barcroft Park along Four Mile Run. Much of the bog 

that once existed at this site has been lost. However, 

the springs which supply the seepage flow and the 

seep itself still remain in good condition, largely 

because the upland Terrace Gravel Forest 

surrounding the seep has been preserved. Many 

characteristic Magnolia Bog plants still thrive at this 

site, including sphagnum moss (Spagnum sp.), 

sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), poison 

sumac (Toxicodendron vernix), swamp azalea 

(Rhododendron viscosum), swamp-haw (Viburnum 

nudum), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium 

corymbosum), black highbush blueberry (Vaccinium 

atrococcum), swamp sweetbells (Leucothoe 

racemosa), winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata), 

fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus), smooth alder 

(Alnus serrulata), cinnamon fern (Osmunda 

cinnamomea), royal fern (Osmunda regalis), white 

turtlehead (Chelone glabra), numerous carices 

(Carex ssp.), slender wood oats (Chasmanthium 

laxum), and likely others. The seep grades into an 

Acidic Seepage Swamp that is dominated by very 

large sweetbay magnolia (some over 2’ in 

circumference at breast height), black gum (Nyssa 

sylvatica), red maple (Acer rubrum), willow oak 

(Quercus phellos), river birch (Betula nigra), and 

skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), and was 

probably once the heart of the bog. Sweetbay 

magnolia, poison sumac, swamp-haw, and slender 

wood oats are all records for Arlington County in the 

Atlas of the Virginia Flora. Overall, much of the site 

is remarkably pristine, with large, moss-covered 

quartzite cobbles scattered throughout the seep and 

swamp. 

In A Sketch of the Natural History of the District of 

Columbia, W.L. McAtee in 1918 noted several 

Magnolia Bogs in the Four Mile Run Valley near 

Green Valley and along the north side of Four Mile 

Run Hill. A similar bog also once existed near the 

electric trolley line on the Arlington Estate (Arlington 

National Cemetery) and flora was collected in the 

1930s from bogs at Aurora Hills and Virginia 

Highlands (both along the upper east slope of 

Arlington Ridge Road). Urbanization has claimed all 

of these bogs in Arlington, with this small remnant 

probably as the only surviving one. 

Surveyors: Rod Simmons and Lou Aronica 

Broad Run Upland Depression Swamp, 

Montgomery County: A rare natural community 

known as an Upland Depression Swamp (Fleming et. 

al. 2001*) in the upper Broad Run watershed of 

western Montgomery County. This sizable wetland 

complex overlies Triassic strata within an area 

recognized as a “Natural Area of Countywide 

Significance” by the Montgomery County Legacy 

Open Space (LOS) program. This kind of wetland 

forms upon nearly level uplands in the Piedmont. 

The wetlands are seasonally flooded in the winter and 

spring and dry out as the growing season progresses. 

The canopy at this site is composed of mature swamp 

white oak (Quercus bicolor), pin oak (Quercus 

palustris), willow oak (Quercus phellos), and red 

maple (Acer rubrum). Swamp sweetbells (Leucothoe 

racemosa) also grow here in sizable colonies at the 

periphery of the wetland and on mossy hummocks 

within the swamp. Black highbush blueberry 

(Vaccinium atrococcum), winterberry (Ilex 

verticillata), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), 

fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus), arrowwood 

(Viburnum recognitum), and greenbrier (Smilax 

rotundifolia) are some of the other woody 

components growing within this unusual wetland 

community. In Maryland, willow oak and swamp 

sweetbells occur in a range almost entirely restricted 

to the Coastal Plain. These species occur here 

disjunctly, perhaps by migrating up the nearby 

Potomac River corridor. While not disjunct, swamp 

white oak and fringe tree are uncommon and have a 

M 


patchy distribution in the Piedmont and Coastal 

Plain. It is hoped that this special plant community 

will be preserved through acquisition under 

Montgomery’s LOS program. There will be a survey 

of the herbs in the spring and summer of 2003. 

Surveyors: Carole Bergmann and John Parrish 

[*G.P. Fleming, P.P. Coulling, D.P. Walton, K.M. McCoy, and 

M.R. Parrish. January 2001. The Natural Communities of 

Virginia: Classification of Ecological Community Groups. 

Natural Heritage Technical Report 01-1. Virginia Department of 

Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, 

Richmond VA. 76pp. (page 46)] 

Bryans Road Bog, Charles County: A high-quality, 

gravel-sand based Magnolia Bog discovered by Jim 

Long several years ago that lies partly under a small 

powerline easement. This site is the only known 

station for reticulated nutrush (Scleria reticularis) 

(S2) among remaining Magnolia Bogs. Clustered 

bluets (Oldenlandia uniflora) (S3), slender beakrush 

(Rhynchospora gracilenta), and twisted yellow-eyed 

grass (Xyris torta) were recently discovered here. 

Surveyors: Mark Strong, Rod Simmons, Meghan 

Tice, and Jim Long 

Fort Stanton Connector, Washington, D.C.: A 

high elevation gravel terrace with a mature oakhickory-heath 

forest. Large, weathered cobbles 

closely-knitted with pincushion moss (Leucobryum 

longifolium), woodland grasses, sedges, and 

wildflowers carpet the ground along the windswept, 

upland trails. Fragrant goldenrod (Solidago odora), a 

plant of the coastal plain not seen in Washington for 

decades, was discovered here recently in thin, upland 

woods. 


Lycopodiella appressa 

Bog Clubmoss 

Franconia Bog, Fairfax County, Virginia: The last 

surviving Magnolia Bog complex in Fairfax County. 

A diverse bog flora, including old-age pitch pine 

(Pinus rigida) and many Fairfax County records, 

occurs at this site. Another Fairfax County record 

and characteristic Magnolia Bog plant, halberdleaved 

greenbrier (Smilax pseudochina), was recently 

discovered here by Ken Wright on a small outing 

after a VNPS-MNPS field trip to Accotink Stream 

Valley Park. Large retention ponds and water 

management areas created to mitigate stormwater 

flow and impervious surface runoff from a large 

townhouse development nearby have severely 

affected the bog’s hydrology. 

Surveyors: Rod Simmons and VNPS-MNPS field trip 

participants 

Gunpowder Falls State Park, Baltimore County: 

A particularly scenic stretch of the park where Blue 

Mount Road crosses Gunpowder Falls. Steep, rugged 

outcrops of Baltimore Gneiss (the oldest rock in 

Maryland) and Loch Raven and Oella schists 

overhang the road here and are densely vegetated 

with hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), sweet birch 

(Betula lenta), wild hydrangea (Hydrangea 

arborescens) and other shrubs, many varieties of 

evergreen ferns, mosses, and numerous wildflowers, 

including smooth false foxglove (Aureolaria flava) 

(S3) and columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). 


Konterra Bog #1, Prince George’s County: A 

large, gravel-sand based Magnolia Bog with old-age 

pitch pine (Pinus rigida) near the western end of 

Muirkirk Road that was recently discovered by John 

Parrish. This high-quality wetlands is mostly 

undisturbed and exhibits no sign of soil disturbance 

that characterizes the adjacent Konterra sand and 

gravel mining complex. Low rough aster (Aster 

radula) (S1E) was first rediscovered in any of 

Maryland’s Magnolia Bogs at this site last August by 

John Parrish (a dozen or so plants were also located 

in an adjacent seepage). The Smithsonian Institution 

has nine historical records of this species: six from 

1898 and 1899 and three from 1909, 1916, and 1917. 

Eight of the nine historical records are from the 

Powder Mill Bogs and one is from Suitland Bog. 

This species is also recorded historically from boggy 

habitat in Garrett County. Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia 

nudicaulis), wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), 

smooth winterberry (Ilex laevigata), halberd-leaved 

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greenbrier (Smilax pseudochina) (S2), and many 

other interesting plants were also found growing 

here. This site is greatly threatened by the ICC and 

encroaching sprawl. 

Surveyors: John Parrish, RG Steinman, Rod 

Simmons, and Meghan Tice 

Little Paint Branch Bog #1, Prince George’s 

County: The largest, most diverse, and uppermost 

bog in a series of terraced, sand and gravel seeps 

under a powerline easement between I-95 and Little 

Paint Branch Park. Several colonies of purple 

chokeberry (Aronia prunifolia) (S3) were recently 

discovered at the bog. This site is a “Wetlands of 

Special State Concern.” Repaving of I-95 in 2000 

altered the seepage flow that sustained Bog #2, 

causing the bog to dry up and its flora to disappear. 

The invasive exotic buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) 

is also highly detrimental to the bogs here. 

Surveyors: Rod Simmons, Mark Strong, Meghan 

Tice, and Jason Harrison 

Maydale Nature Center, Montgomery County: 

Several ragged-fringed orchid (Platanthera lacera) 

plants were observed blooming in a wet meadow on a 

hillside seepage above the pond. 

Surveyors: Barbara Medina, Meghan Tice, Jane 

Osburn, Ellen Dashner, and field trip participants 

Patuxent River State Park, Montgomery County: 

A small population of bear oak (Quercus ilicifolia) 

was found growing on a rocky ridge east of Hipsley 

Mill Road in a forest dominated by chestnut oak and 

black huckleberry. In Maryland, bear oak is most 

commonly seen in the mountains and is a rare find in 

Montgomery County. Old Smithsonian records 

(1910-1913) indicate that bear oak was also found in 

the Coastal Plain in Anne Arundel County near Glen 

Burnie and east of Laurel. Additional old records 

from 1894 (Sudworth) indicate bear oak growing in 

the Piedmont of Montgomery County in the vicinity 

of Laytonsville and Goshen. Little Bennett Park in 

northern Montgomery County currently harbors a 

small bear oak population and is the only other 

location known by this botanist to exist in 

Montgomery County. South of Washington D.C., 

bear oak is found almost exclusively in the mountains 

and is known to rarely occur in the upper Piedmont 

and, to my knowledge, is not known from the Coastal 

Plain. North of D.C. into New England, bear oak 

Thelypteris simulata 

Bog Fern 

continues to occupy the Appalachians, but makes a 

range expansion eastward into the Piedmont and 

Coastal provinces. For example, bear oak is common 

in sandy-gravelly soils of the New Jersey Pine 

Barrens and occurs at or near the coastline north to 

Maine. I welcome more information about extant 

and historic occurrences of this species in the 

Washington-Baltimore area. 

Surveyors: John Parrish and RG Steinman 

Osmuda cinnamomea 

Cinnamon Fern 

Powder Mill Bog #3, Prince George’s County: A 

very small remnant of the historic Powder Mill Bogs 

rediscovered by Rod Simmons, Mark Strong, and 

Lou Aronica several years ago. W.L. McAtee first 

surveyed the four Powder Mill Bogs very early in the 

20 th century. All four bogs were located on the east 

side of and near the Paint Branch; bogs #1 and #2 on 

the south side of Powder Mill Road and bogs #3 and 

#4 on the north side. These bogs were among the 

most floristically diverse of any known. Bog #3 was 

distinguished by extensive patches of ten-angled 

pipewort (Eriocaulon decangulare) (S2), which still 

lingers in a much-diminished state, and large, 

weathered quartzite cobbles scattered over the 

surface. Purple chokeberry (Aronia prunifolia) (S3) 

was recently observed at the bog. 

Surveyors: Rod Simmons, Mark Strong, Meghan 

Tice, and John Parrish 

Rock Creek Park, Washington, D.C.: Several new 

additions to the Rock Creek Park flora were 

discovered. Late purple aster (Aster patens) and 

bastard toadflax (Comandra umbellata) were found 

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growing adjacent to each other on a forested knoll 

with another rare park species, the Virginia snakeroot 

(Aristolochia serpentaria). Several colonies of 

American dog violet (Viola conspersa) were located 

growing on a moist slope adjacent to the Rock Creek 

floodplain and watercress (Nasturtium officinale) was 

found growing in a spring brook. Arrow-leaved 

violet (Viola sagittata) was discovered growing in 

gravelly soil in a mowed area near the edge of a 

chestnut oak forest. A heavily deer browsed colony 

of sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia) was located 

at yet another park site growing in association with 

scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea). Sweet pepperbush is 

a Coastal Plain species found here growing at the 

extreme western edge of its range. Curiously, this 

colony was growing on a slope in the upland forest. 

It is more typically found on moist lowlands to the 

east of D.C. According to Fleming and Kanal 

(1995), sweet pepperbush is rare in the park and 

“probably planted.” Perhaps this species is naturally 

occurring here and very rare due to it being at the 

margin of its range. It is known to grow naturally in 

the nearby Paint Branch and Indian Creek watersheds 

a few miles to the east. 

Surveyors: John Parrish, RG Steinman, and Jake 

Hughes 

Sandy Spring Bog (McKnew Bog), Montgomery 

County: A large, sand-based Magnolia Bog at the 

northeastern edge of the county. Many plants of the 

Coastal Plain region grow in the sandy-gravelly soil 

of this area, and together with the bog community 

represent the westernmost occurrence of Coastal 

Plain soils and flora in Maryland north of 

Washington, D.C. Screwstem (Bartonia paniculata) 

(S3), a typical plant of Magnolia Bogs, was found 

growing in a shaded section of the bog. The ICC and 

a sprawling, ill-sited golf course development are 

major threats to the bog and nearby seepages. 

Surveyors: Rod Simmons and Meghan Tice 

Sherwin Island, Montgomery County: A colony of 

floating paspalum (Paspalum fluitans) (S1E) was 

discovered in a low, rocky river channel between the 

mainland and the island. About 45 plants in mature 

fruit were growing along with common nutsedge 

(Cyperus strigosus), water stargrass (Heteranthera 

dubia), and false pimpernel (Lindernia dubia). Also, 

several small shrubs of running juneberry 

(Amelanchier stolonifera) (S2T) were seen on a 

rocky terrace above the river growing with big 

bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Indian grass 

(Sorghastrum nutans), and riverbank goldenrod 

(Solidago spathulata) (S1T). Both newly discovered 

species have been documented at other locations in 

the Potomac Gorge but had not been previously 

recorded on Sherwin Island. (According to Chris 

Frye of the Maryland Natural Heritage Program, this 

is probably the much rarer A. nantucketensis (G3S1). 

Chris has found this juneberry species in the same 

type of habitat in the Potomac Gorge). 

Surveyors: Cris Fleming and Bill Bridgeland 

Suitland Bog, Prince George’s County: The most 

floristically diverse of known remaining Magnolia 

Bogs. However, numerous outplantings and the 

“naturalization” of non-native (to the site) pitcher 

plant (Sarracenia purpurea) and cranberry 

(Vaccinium macrocarpon) plants, a boardwalk, and 

construction of a sewer line immediately below the 

bog has robbed native species of valuable habitat and 

significantly degraded the site. Low rough aster 

(Aster radula) (S1), last seen at the bog in 1924, was 

recently rediscovered. 

Few-flowered beakrush (Rhynchospora oligantha), 

“a plant typically occurring in pine barren bogs,” was 

collected at Suitland Bog in 1953 and 1958 by F.H. 

Sargent and F.J. Hermann, respectively, but was 

unreported for the Maryland flora until discovered in 

the U.S. Herbarium by Mark Strong. The 

“Noteworthy Collections” for Maryland in the 

September 2002 issue of Castanea was the first 

reporting of this plant for Maryland and represents 

the only known occurrence of the plant in the state. 

Surveyor: Rod Simmons 

Suitland Bog, Prince George's County: Thirteen 

plants of sandplain flax (Linum intercursum) (S2T) 

were discovered during the annual meeting walk to 

Suitland Bog. The plants were in late fruit and were 

quite robust, some up to a meter tall with several 

stems. They were growing in wet, sandy soil at the 

high end of the bog, along with other rare species 

such as red milkweed (Asclepias rubra), twisted 

spikerush (Eleocharis tortilis), and tawny cottongrass 

(Eriophorum virginicum). Although Suitland Bog 

has been heavily botanized for over 100 years, this 

species has never before been recorded from the bog 

(personal communication from Stan Shetler). 

Surveyor: Cris Fleming 

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Fall Line Magnolia Bogs of the 

Mid-Atlantic Region 

By Roderick Simmons and Mark Strong 

[Reprinted from the October 2002 issue of Audubon Naturalist] 

Magnolia Bogs have long been regarded as one of the 

most interesting natural features in the Washington, 

D.C. area. W.L. McAtee, a Washington area 

naturalist who first defined these bogs in 1918, 

termed them “Magnolia Bogs” for the unique 

assemblage of sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia 

virginiana), Sphagnum moss, and other bog flora. 

Occasionally they are referred to as “McAteean 

Bogs,” after McAtee, or “Seepage Bogs.” These 

bogs usually form on hillsides or slopes where a 

spring or seep flows from an upland gravel and sand 

aquifer over a thick, impervious layer of underlying 

clay which prevents the downward infiltration of 

water. This seepage flow and the highly acidic, 

gravelly soils create optimal conditions for the 

formation of bogs. 

The term “bog” as applied here, although technically 

a misnomer, has traditionally been used by people in 

general, including botanists, to describe acidic, 

sphagnous wetlands that strongly resemble bogs. 

Magnolia Bogs are actually acidic, fen-like seeps 

uniquely associated with high elevation gravel 

terraces of the inner Coastal Plain near the Fall Line, 

which divides the Coastal Plain and Piedmont 

physiographic provinces in the mid-Atlantic region. 

Their distribution generally follows the Fall Line in a 

narrow east-west band from the Laurel area, at the 

northern extent of their range in Prince George’s 

County, Maryland, to their southern extent near 

Fredericksburg, Virginia. 

Throughout their range, they were never common or 

very large, usually occupying an area an acre or less 

in size. Nevertheless, they are vitally important 

resources both for the pure, naturally filtered waters 

which flow continuously from them – even in 

drought periods – and the relic populations of ancient 

northward and westward migrations of often rare 

Coastal Plain flora, which have persisted in small 

communities well inland and fairly close to the 

Piedmont. Included in these relic communities are 

plants such as bog clubmoss (Lycopodiella appressa), 

twisted spikerush (Eleocharis tortilis), slender 

beaksedge (Rhynchospora gracilenta), bunched 

beaksedge (Ryhnchospora cephalantha), hairy 

umbrella-sedge (Fuirena squarrosa), darkgreen 

sedge (Carex venusta var. minor), bog yellow-eyed 

grass (Xyris difformis var. difformis), ten-angled 

pipewort (Eriocaulon decangulare), smooth 

winterberry (Ilex laevigata), red milkweed (Asclepias 

rubra), zigzag bladderwort (Utricularia subulata), 

and Elliott’s goldenrod (Solidago latissimifolia). 

Other well-known bogs near Washington in Anne 

Arundel County, Maryland that are more eastward of 

the Fall Line – such as the extirpated Glen Burnie 

Bog and the Magothy and Severn Bogs – are not 

characteristic Magnolia Bogs, despite some floristic 

similarities, because of different geological 

conditions and plant assemblages. 

Peatlands, pocosins, fens, and bogs throughout the 

Coastal Plain are now extremely rare as a result of 

development, habitat disturbance, fire suppression, 

and fragmentation. Magnolia Bogs are also 

increasingly rare and surviving ones degraded 

throughout their range because of extensive 

development of the gravel terraces that surround the 

bogs – destroying or severely depleting their water 

supply. Most of the famous ones surveyed by the 

Smithsonian Institution and W.L. McAtee nearly a 

century ago, like the Holmead Swamp, Terra Cotta 

Bog, and Powder Mill Bogs, have long been 

destroyed (although we recently uncovered a small 

remnant of the latter, along with a small population 

of ten-angled pipewort). 

Some, like the Suitland Bog and Oxon Run Bogs, 

have survived, although the Suitland Bog is greatly 

disturbed with the addition of a boardwalk, numerous 

out-plantings of non-native (to the site) carnivorous 

pitcher plants (Sarracenia purpurea) which rob 

valuable habitat for native species, a sewer line, and 

encroaching housing developments. Urbanization, 

stormwater runoff, siltation, off-road vehicles, and 

invasive exotic plants have degraded most of the few 

remaining Magnolia Bogs and greatly threaten their 

future survival. Unless adequate protection is 

uniformly given to these sites, most of them will 

disappear in the decades to come. 

For the past five years as part of a research project 

mainly for conservation purposes, we have been 

conducting an exhaustive search for any remaining 

Magnolia Bogs in the region. All available 

information regarding the historic Magnolia Bogs – 

going back to the Civil War – was also researched 

and documented. We have been aided in these 

surveys by other botanists with the Maryland Native 

M 


Plant Society (MNPS), and the preservation of 

surviving Magnolia Bogs has become a major 

campaign of MNPS. Although most of the historic 

sites have been destroyed, some new sites were 

discovered – the mostly pristine but threatened Araby 

Bog is a stellar example. 

A dozen Magnolia Bogs are known to exist today in 

Maryland, D.C., and Virginia, three of which are in 

the path of the proposed Inter County Connector. 

Several small remnants of historic bogs like the 

Ammendale and Powder Mill Bogs have been 

discovered. While most of the rare orchids and lilies 

have largely disappeared, several very rare plants that 

had not been seen for many decades – halberd-leaved 

greenbrier (Smilax pseudochina), low rough aster 

(Aster radula), and Long’s rush (Juncus longii), for 

example – have been rediscovered. Several 

previously unreported plants for Maryland – 

including featherbristle beak sedge (Rynchospora 

oligantha) – have also turned up. 

Rod Simmons is a field ecologist and MNPS Botany 

Chair. Mark Strong is a botanist with the Smithsonian 

Institution. They expect to publish their research on 

Magnolia Bogs later this year. 

________________________________________ 

Asa Gray, 1810-1888 

The foremost American botanist and taxonomist of 

the 1800s, author of the landmark Manual of Botany, 

and friend and most prominent supporter of Charles 

Darwin in America. “Do not hurry over Asa Gray,” 

wrote Darwin. “He strikes me as one of the best 

reasoners and writers I have ever read. He knows my 

book [The Origin of Species] as well as I do 

myself…a complex cross of lawyer, poet, naturalist, 

and theologian.” 

Many other anecdotal accounts of Gray and the 

“community” of America’s early naturalists and 

explorers, including their European colleagues, are 

chronicled by Joseph Kastner in A Species of 

Eternity: “Both [Asa Gray and John Torrey] took 

pleasure in going out into the field to see in nature 

what others had sent them. Torrey went to Florida to 

look at the Torreya taxifolia, a rare yew. He and 

Gray both made trips to the west where they camped 

with the mystic naturalist and conservationist John 

Muir and visited two Colorado mountains of personal 

interest, Torreys Peak and Gray’s Peak. Torrey was 

too old and fatigued to climb his mountain but Gray 

went all the way up his. 

“In the last decade of his life, Gray heard of an event 

that held a special meaning for him. The Shortia 

galacifolia, the lost mountain plant that André 

Michaux had found almost a hundred years before 

and Gray had come upon in the herbarium in Paris, 

had finally been located again in the Carolina 

mountains. The many unsuccessful searches for the 

Shortia had made other botanists skeptical, 

suggesting that Gray had erred in his identification. 

‘Now I will sing my nunc dimittis,’ Gray wrote when 

he heard about the find: he needed nothing more to 

content him and he set out to see for himself. 

“It was like an older day when John Bartram hunted 

for the balm of Gilead tree or William Bartram for 

the Franklinia. Up into the hills went the aging 

master of American botany. On the slopes under the 

laurels and rhododendrons grew the elusive Shortia. 

Standing there, Gray could again claim his discovery 

and, looking down at the living counterparts of the 

dried leaves he had found in André Michaux’s 

herbarium, the closet botanist [Thomas Nuttall’s term 

for a desk botanist] could now rightfully feel kin to 

the French wanderer.” 

Oconee Bells (Shortia galacifolia) 

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A Really Sad Farewell!!! Unless… 

By Bill Grafton 

[Reprinted from the August 2002 issue of Native Notes, 

newsletter of the West Virginia Native Plant Society] 

Historians say, “Learn from the mistakes of the past 

or you are doomed to repeat them yourself.” The 

chestnut blight killed all of our mighty chestnuts, but 

they were largely replaced by oaks. In more recent 

times, we’ve seen the demise of several hundred 

thousands of acres of beech by beech bark disease in 

our high mountains. Our dogwoods are gone from 

the forests as victims of anthracnose. Butternut 

(white walnut) is being studied for inclusion as a 

federally threatened species and is killed by another 

anthracnose. Last year several West Virginia Native 

Plant Society members were involved with efforts to 

collect seeds from the few natural stands of balsam 

fir before the balsam woolly adelgid “stuck its dagger 

into the heart” of our fir trees in Blister Swamp, 

Blister Run, and Canaan Valley. 

Now for history. Have we learned from past 

mistakes? Marching relentlessly south and west from 

New England is the hemlock woolly adelgid. These 

insects are small, cottony white aphids that can 

rapidly cover hemlock twigs. They suck out the sap, 

the needles turn gray-green and fall off, and the trees 

die. One or two years and a healthy tree is dead. I 

recently witnessed this dreaded insect near 

Greenbrier State Forest. It is quite common east of 

the Allegheny Front. Can you imagine Cathedral 

State Park without the huge virgin hemlocks? Parts 

of Babcock, Twin Falls, and much of Blackwater 

Falls State Parks will resemble a moonscape of dead 

tree trunks. The mighty spires of the Laurel Run 

Virgin Hemlock Area on the WVU Forest will be no 

more. What will happen to the rhododendron 

thickets, ferns, mosses, and wildflowers that have 

depended on the moist, shady habitats provided by 

the dense hemlocks? Where will the Swainson’s 

warblers, winter wrens, and kinglets go? I can’t 

imagine the future devastation of future trips to 

Blackwater Lodge! Are the trout fishermen 

concerned that half of the trout streams could be 

gone? 

What are you doing? What is anyone doing? The 

West Virginia Department of Agriculture is trying to 

get money to spray the adelgids. Rumor has it that 

West Virginia State Parks will spray the former 

national champion hemlock tree in Cathedral. There 

seems to be little or no action by big or small 

landowners nor from managers of other public lands. 

If you care, you’d better voice your opinions quickly 

to neighbors, friends, businessmen, and politicians. 

Or say your farewells. Loss of the hemlock will rival 

the loss of the American chestnut. Will the mistakes 

of the past be repeated by our generation? 

Ed. Note: The hemlock adelgid was originally 

imported to this country from Asia. Research 

suggests that the rapid spread of adelgid infestations 

may be caused by excess levels of nitrogen in the 

atmosphere that stem from air pollution. The 

adelgids seem to thrive on the higher levels of 

nitrogen that have been absorbed by the hemlocks. 

“This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the 

hemlocks, 

Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in 

the twilight, 

Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic…” 

~ Longfellow 

M 


Role of Native Plant Societies in 

Grassroots Conservation 

By Stanwyn G. Shetler 

In 1900, as the Audubon movement to save our 

native birds was getting underway, the New England 

Wild Flower Society (NEWFS) was born out of 

concern for our native plants. While hatters were 

killing birds for their plumes, florists were robbing 

nature for their flowers. The Audubon movement 

caught on nationally much more quickly than the 

native plant movement, which did not really catch on 

until the second half of the 20 th century, especially in 

the last 25-35 years, when many of the state societies 

were founded, such as the Virginia Native Plant 

Society (1982). 

Across North America today there are numerous 

native plant societies under one name or another, 

including statewide societies in all but a few states. 

Perhaps the first of the state societies was the North 

Carolina Wild Flower Preservation Society, founded 

in 1951. The largest state society is the California 

Native Plant Society, founded in 1965, which in 2002 

has over 10,000 members, 32 chapters, a budget of 

$800,000, and 14 full- or part-time employees. The 

state societies vary greatly in size, budget, and 

staffing, but most are much smaller, with less than a 

thousand members, a budget of $50,000 or less, and 

typically all-volunteer staffing. 

Nothing is more central to their existence than the 

conservation of the native flora. The rampant 

development across North America during the last 40 

years or so, which has destroyed or fragmented 

habitat on an alarming scale, has sparked 

unprecedented citizen concern for the native flora. In 

effect, the mission of every native plant society is the 

time-honored mission of the NEWFS: “to promote 

the conservation of temperate North American plants 

through education, research, horticulture, habitat 

preservation, and advocacy.” 

Few issues have energized the native plant societies 

in recent years as much as the growing scourge of 

invasive alien plants in the natural landscape. Thanks 

to dedicated members, the state organizations and 

their local chapters have often led the way in 

providing public information and guiding local 

eradication campaigns. Important as this focus is, it 

must be kept in balance and not become the tail that 

wags the native-plant-society dog. 

Rescues of plants from doomed habitats have been a 

common activity. Gardening interests have also 

strongly influenced society agendas, particularly in 

encouraging the use of native species in landscaping 

and ecological restorations. Conservation education 

takes many forms, from field trips and tours to 

conferences, workshops, classes, school programs, 

publications, and Web sites. Some societies, as 

VNPS, are supporting state flora projects or other 

basic research. 

In short, it would be hard to overestimate the 

importance so far of the native plant societies in the 

growing movement to save the native flora. At the 

same time there are some reasons for concern about 

the future. 

I see native plant societies at a crossroad. Will 

growing natives become the obsession? Will our 

societies be remembered for saving wild habitat or 

for adding to the planted landscape? The business of 

our societies should be to save wild places, not to add 

to or promote planted landscapes beyond obvious 

gardens. Civilization is busily turning natural 

landscape into planted landscape at an ever faster 

pace, and native plant societies should be trying to 

slow down that process, not fuel it. Are we 

contributing to the clamor for planted landscapes? 

As the line between the natural and the artificial 

(planted) is being blurred on every hand, the North 

American landscape in general is being homogenized 

and our natural landscape thoroughly compromised. 

Planting native can be a cop-out for developers, who 

can develop wild land and then claim that they are 

mitigating the damage, perhaps even enhancing the 

environment, by landscaping with native species. 

The plant-native trend has spawned a growing market 

for native species and a whole industry to supply 

them. The larger the industry, the greater the 

likelihood of unscrupulous suppliers who will sell 

wild-collected plants. By pushing the use of native 

plants, we help to put a price on the heads of native 

species. Through their own conferences and plant 

sales, native plant societies help to stimulate and 

supply the native plant market. Shouldn’t native 

plant societies be strong advocates of natural process 

in the revegetation of land, minimizing intervention 

and letting nature be nature whenever possible? 

Then there is the question, What is a “native”? A 

plant from the same continent? Region? State? Part 

of a state? County? Site? Obviously a species can 

M 


e native on one level and not on another. If a 

species is said to be native to an area, does that mean 

that all individuals of that species are automatically 

native there also? 

Typically, we think of a species as native if it was 

here in pre-Columbian times, and I would add that an 

individual of that species must have reached its 

present-day site by the natural forces of dispersal and 

colonization without deliberate human intervention. I 

would go further and say that a native, regardless of 

source, near or far, becomes an alien or exotic the 

moment it is sowed or transplanted by human agency. 

Deliberate introduction, by definition, makes aliens 

of otherwise native plants. It is not the distance from 

the source that determines what is alien, but the act of 

planting. Thus, a native plants itself, an alien is 

planted by someone. 

The plant geographer, in plotting and explaining 

plant distributions, must be able to rely on the 

authenticity of the individual records. Everything we 

know about the nativeness of plants derives 

ultimately from the geographer’s records. The very 

act of transplanting or sowing falsifies in some 

measure, large or small, the history of plant migration 

and establishment and thus falsifies the concepts of 

“native” and “alien.” 

From green concrete, fake turf, and plastic greenery 

and flowers to whole theme parks, ours is an age of 

fabricated landscapes of little redeeming value as 

synthetic surrogates for nature. Even our graves are 

decorated with plastic bouquets, certainly the 

ultimate cynicism in perpetual care. As a society, we 

have come to accept counterfeit biomes as the real 

thing. Surely, native plant societies should spend 

more time studying nature and less time planting and 

manipulating it. There are only three rules for saving 

species–save habitat, save habitat, save habitat! That 

reality alone should govern our future agenda. 

Stanwyn G. Shetler is Botanist Emeritus of the 

Smithsonian Institution, NMNH, the author of Annotated 

Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington- 

Baltimore Area: Part I (Ferns, Fern Allies, Gymnosperms, 

and Dicotyledons) and Part II (Monocotyledons), and 

Botany Chair for the Virginia Native Plant Society. The 

above article is an abbreviated version of a talk given by 

Stan at the 2002 annual meeting of the Potowmack 

Chapter of VNPS. 

Ed. Note: MNPS welcomes continued discussion and 

exploration of this topic. 

Hooded Warbler, a typical denizen of Magnolia Bogs 

MNPS Magnolia Bog Survey 

In the fall of 2002, MNPS completed an intensive 

vegetation sampling study of the remaining gravel 

seepage Magnolia Bogs of the Fall Line vicinity in 

Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. The focus of this 

study is to classify the vegetation of these 

remaining bogs using the National Vegetation 

Classification System, adding an important 

dimension to our somewhat limited understanding 

of these unique natural communities and aiding 

conservation planning. Vegetation and 

environmental data was carefully collected with as 

little disturbance as possible from 12 of the 13 

known remaining Fall Line bogs (most of which 

are mentioned in the Field Botany Updates). This 

data will be compared to data collected from 

similar wetlands in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, 

leading to a more refined community classification 

for the bogs. Many thanks are extended to all those 

who assisted with data collection in the field (many 

long hours!), the MD Natural Heritage Program for 

assisting with surveys and fixing plot locations 

with GPS, the National Park Service, and Gary 

Fleming, Vegetation Ecologist with the VA Natural 

Heritage Program, for generous help in analyzing 

the data. A copy of the report is available from the 

MNPS library. 

M 


Addendum to “Native Woody Plants of 

Montgomery County” 

By John Parrish 

The title above may as well read “No Good Research 

Goes Unpunished.” Just after “Native Woody Plants 

of Montgomery County” was published in the 

Summer/Fall 2002 issue of Marilandica, I found data 

that sheds more light on Montgomery’s woody flora 

heritage. The data falls into three categories: 

Category 1: These are records from Montgomery 

County for five species I overlooked, or should I say, 

“under-looked” the first time around. Because of 

contradictions in the old literature, I am uncertain 

whether the Smithsonian Institution records are 

correct for Myrica pensylvanica. For example, 

Ward’s Flora (Guide to the Flora of Washington and 

Vicinity, 1881) lists only one species, M. cerifera, 

occurring in our area with the nearest record from 

“Terra Cotta” in nearby Washington, D.C. Hitchcock 

and Standley’s Flora of the District of Columbia and 

Vicinity, 1919 lists only one species, M. carolinensis, 

and indicates it from “Silver Springs” and notes that 

this is “M. cerifera of Wards Flora.” The 

Smithsonian records list M. pensylvanica from 

“Silver Spring and vicinity.” I doubt that two species 

of bayberry were growing in the vicinity of Silver 

Spring. Since all of the historic sites have been 

destroyed, a visit to the herbarium may be the best 

Latin Name Common Name Rank Where Found 

way to clarify this issue. Three-toothed cinquefoil 

(Sibbaldiopsis tridentata), also known as Potentilla 

tridentata, has a voucher from “Violet Locks Area, 

rock ledge, 17 April 1976, Porter 20 (MARY).” 

Although reported in Brown & Brown as an herb, 

this species is an evergreen sub-shrub more akin to a 

woody plant. Surprisingly, MD DNR (MNHP) does 

not recognize this plant as a rare species. 

Category 2: These are records for six species found 

growing within a mile or so beyond the county border 

but to my knowledge have not been observed in 

Montgomery County. Because of the close proximity 

of these occurrences to Montgomery County, it is 

appropriate to note them as potential additions to 

Montgomery’s native woody flora. 

Category 3: These are two species that I suspect may 

grow, or have been recorded to grow, in Montgomery 

County, but for which I presently have insufficient 

data to make a determination. The two, Smilax 

walteri and Celtis laevigata, are listed in the Selected 

Vascular Plant List for Chesapeake & Ohio Canal 

National Historic Park (National Park Flora 

database), but I have been unable to ascertain the 

exact location where they were documented. I 

welcome help to verify the occurrence of these two 

“uncertain” species. I also welcome input from 

readers regarding any of the uncommon, rare, or 

extirpated plants that I’ve listed in the Montgomery 

native woody flora thus far. 

Category 1 – Montgomery Co. records 

Populus heterophylla Swamp cottonwood 4 mi. w. of Seneca, "marsh on Potomac River floodplain" Uhler & 

Hotchkiss 1966 (SI); "above Great Falls" Bartlett (H&S) 

Myrica pensylvanica Northern bayberry "Woodside" Miller 1899; "Silver Spring vicinity" Pollard 1895 

(Smithsonian Institution records) 

Sibbaldiopsis tridentata Three-toothed cinquefoil "Violet Locks Area, rock ledge, 17 April 1976" (R.E. Riefner & 

S.R. Hill in Castanea 1983, citing Porter's voucher) 

Amelanchier nantucketensis Nantucket shadbush S1 Potomac River Gorge; extant (MD Natural Heritage Program – 

Chris Frye determination). Nantucket shadbush is often confused 

with A .stolonifera. 

Baccharis halimifolia High-tide bush "Cabin John vicinity" Chickering 1878 (Smithsonian Institution 

records) 

Category 2 – Potential additions 

Itea virginica Sweetspires Powder Mill Bogs, Prince George's County (McAtee 1918, 

Bulletin of the Biological Society of Washington) 

Spiraea betulifolia Corymbed spiraea S3 "Sugarloaf" (Frederick County) Roller 1946 (SI); personal 

observation on top of Sugarloaf Mountain (John Parrish 1995) 

Hypericum densiflorum Glade St. John’s wort Powder Mill Bogs, Prince George's County, McAtee 1917 

(Smithsonian Institution records) 

Rhododendron arborescens Smooth azalea S3 Difficult Run at Great Falls Park, Fairfax County, VA (extant) 

Gaylussacia dumosa Dwarf huckleberry "Takoma" Steele 1897; Powder Mill Bogs: Oldys 1903 and McAtee 

1910 (Smithsonian Institution records) 

Kalmia angustifolia Sheep laurel S3 Powder Mill Bogs, Prince George's County (McAtee 1918, 

Bulletin of the Biological Society of Washington) 

Category 3 – Potential additions C&O 

Smilax walteri Coral greenbrier C&O Canal NHP (Selected Vascular Plant List for C&O Canal 

M 

NHP); likely found in Montgomery or D.C. section of park 


Celtis laevigata Sugarberry SU C&O Canal NHP (Selected Vascular Plant List for C&O Canal 

NHP); likely found in Montgomery or D.C. section of park

Marilandica - Maryland Native Plant Society

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