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Botany Ramblings:
1999-2000
James P. Goltz
Reprinted from the N.B. Naturalist
The editors of the N.B. Naturalist are determined to give plants a higher profile in our quarterly Nature News report. We need your help. Please report your interesting sightings and discoveries of flowering and other vascular plants, mosses, lichens, mushrooms, liverworts, etc. to: Jim Goltz, 126 Wilsey Road, Apt. 17, Fredericton, NB E3B 5J1, phone (506) 459-8685, E-mail: . Please remember to record the date and location for each observation, as well as the name of the observer, and the numbers of plants of each species. Just as for birds, it's best to document observations with good scientific proof. Adequate substantiation for plant records includes a pressed specimen or a photograph depicting the key identifying characteristics of the plant (Note: it is illegal to collect specimens of any of the eight plant species listed under the province's Endangered Species Act1. Rare, threatened or uncommon plants should only be collected when collecting will not threaten the population.). Illustrations or detailed descriptions may also be useful adjuncts, but by themselves are usually not adequate to confirm the record. Nonetheless, original artwork depicting your botanical discoveries would provide a most welcome accent for this column. Now that Hal Hinds= second edition of the Flora of New Brunswick is available, plant enthusiasts will be able to quickly determine the significance of their discoveries.
People and Plants
The year 2000 marked the formation of a new botany group for the province, the New Brunswick Botany Club. In its first growing season, the club held outings at Miscou Island in July and in the St. John River valley between Meductic and Florenceville in August. For more information about this group, contact Sean Blaney, phone: (506) 364-2658, E-mail: .
New Hot Spots for Plants
While conducting field research for the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre, Sean Blaney came across a new calcareous fen wetland complex in the vicinity of the Eel River and First Eel Lake, with such rarities as White Adder's-mouth (Malaxis monophylla), Northern Bog Aster (Symphyotrichum boreale), Brown Beak-rush (Rhynchospora fusca) and Swamp Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera oblongifolia). Sean also found a single plant of White Adder's-mouth in a calcareous wetland near Belle Brook, bringing the known extant New Brunswick locations for this extremely rare species to three. Sean also discovered that Lambert and Carr Barren Bogs near Bathurst are among the best spots in the province for orchids, with at least 19 species occurring there, including the very rare Small Round-leaved Orchid (Amerorchis rotundifolia).
New Native Species and Hybrids
During a botanical survey commissioned by the Nature Trust of New Brunswick to evaluate a site near the St. Croix River, Bruce Bagnell and Gart Bishop discovered Terrestrial Water-starwort (Callitriche terrestris), a new species for both New Brunswick and Canada! This small (2 to 3 cm.), inconspicuous, creeping plant was found in the ruts of an old bush road that runs through an open mixed forest. In 2000, the nearest known location for this species was Massachusetts [but this species now has also been found in several locations in Maine].
Sean Blaney's explorations along the Meduxnekeag River in late May resulted in the discovery of Carex sterilis, a new sedge species for the province. After reviewing recent publications on sedges, Hal Hinds identified a number of herbarium specimens of Carex vacillans, a salt marsh sedge species that is also new for the province, having been segregated from a similar-looking species called Estuary Sedge (Carex recta). Sorry, some of our sedge species still have no standard common names.
Hal found 34 plants of Case's Ladies=-tresses (Spiranthes casei) on Sept. 13 at Currie Mountain, the only known site for this orchid species in the province. Although past their peak bloom, Hal was glad to see a big increase in the local population from the 7 or 8 plants that were there when he first discovered this species in 1997.
While leading a field trip for the New Brunswick Botany Club near Woodstock on August 12, Sean Blaney spotted a few plants of the hybrid between Red and White Baneberry (Actaea x ludovici; = Actaea rubra x Actaea pachypoda) and later that day found the hybrid between White and Wood Avens (Geum x catlingii; = Geum canadense x Geum urbanum) at Meductic. Neither of these hybrids had previously been reported for New Brunswick.
Endangered Species
It was a bumper year for the Gulf of St. Lawrence Aster (Symphyotrichum laurentianum). At least a thousand plants were found at the Val-Comeau site, about ten times as many as had been seen there in 1999. Valérie Godbout and her field crew found three new provincial locations for this species, two in Kouchibouguac National Park and one on the Bouctouche dune. About 1000 plants were found at each of these new locations, a remarkable observation considering that the global population of this species was formerly believed to be only about 1000 plants. This aster species was formerly known to occur at only three locations in New Brunswick, and had vanished from two of these.
In contrast, the year 2000 was poor for Pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea). No plants of this species were seen at Meductic except for a few fruiting stalks from previous years. Pinedrops has a habit of disappearing from known locations for periods of up to several years, but usually reappears if its habitat is maintained.
Other Rare Native Species
At 7 new locations on the St. John River between Islandview and Florenceville, Sean Blaney found Early-leaf Brome (Bromus latiglumis), a rare grass formerly known only from one location on the Restigouche River. Sean also located new stations for the very rare Massachusetts Fern (Thelypteris simulata) at French Lake and in a bog northwest of Minto, as well as a new site for the very rare Fringed Violet (Viola sagittata) near Prince William Station. Sean discovered Bristle-leaf Sedge (Carex eburnea) on the Meduxnekeag River, an area where it had not previously been seen, and reported Coastal Salt Grass (Distichlis spicata) at Waterside, the first confirmed location for this species along the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.
On July 9, Maureen Bourque and I found a large colony of Northern Adder's-tongue Fern (Ophioglossum pusillum) in a wet field near Sunpoke Lake, growing with its scientific namesake Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides) and Loesel's Twayblade (Liparis loeselii).
Two plants of the rare Andrews= Rose-purple Orchid (Platanthera x andrewsii), the hybrid between Ragged Fringed-orchid (Platanthera lacera) and Small Purple Fringed-orchid (Platanthera psycodes), were seen at Lake Utopia on August 5 (J. Goltz).
A single plant of Round-headed Bush Clover (Lespedeza capitata) persisted at Grand Lake, its only known New Brunswick location, sending forth over 40 stems of blooms.
Range Expansions or Declines
Hilaire Chiasson, botany expert for the Acadian Peninsula, reported several new discoveries for Miscou Island, including Water Horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile), Field Chickweed (Cerastium arvense), Old-field Cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex), Water Bulrush (Schoenoplectus subterminalis) and a single plant of Cursed Crowfoot (Ranunculus sceleratus).
In early May, Julie Singleton found a nice population of Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) in bloom on the floodplain of the Tay River. Julie and Rob Whitney found three plants of One-flowered Cancer-root (Orobanche uniflora) amidst dense vegetation along a rich section of the Nashwaak River floodplain on June 26.
A May 28 trip to the Hartland area to see Calypso (Calypso bulbosa) was successful for Fredericton area botanists, much to the credit of aspiring botanist Don Gibson, but it was alarming to find that this species had disappeared from two sites where it used to occur.
Unusual Colours, Forms, Numbers, Blooming Dates
On June 11, Julie Singleton and Rob Whitney found the unspotted white-flowered yellow-stalked form of the western subspecies of Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis forma flavida) near Bower Brook on the Tay River.
On July 2, Don Vail, Dwayne Sabine and I saw a single white-flowered plant of Arethusa (Arethusa bulbosa forma albiflora) in a small calcareous fen near Arthurette.
On July 13, Don Gibson and I found hundreds of two-flowered plants of Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides) growing along the boggy fringe of Sunpoke Lake among thousands of plants with the usual single blooms.
At Lower Jemseg on July 30, James Walde and I saw dozens of plants of Canada Lily (Lilium canadense), with colours ranging from deep orange-red to the usual pale yellow-orange.
A very late Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) was found in peak bloom on August 5 at Lake Utopia during a fern and flower foray with a group from Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre (J. Goltz).
Flowering plants of Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) were exceptionally abundant along the Digdeguash River in late July and early August, much to the delight of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (their principal pollinators) and various naturalists= groups (J. Goltz).
Mike LeBlanc reminded me to report on the prolific fruiting of Mountain Ash, Balsam Fir and Spruce over wide areas of the province in 2000; this sensational phenomenon had significant impacts on wintering bird populations.
Non-native Species
During the August foray of the New Brunswick Botany Club, Gart Bishop and Sean Blaney discovered and identified a new weed species for the province, Narrow-leaved Bittercress (Cardamine impatiens), along the St. John River near Florenceville. Other non-native species found in 2000 for the first time in the province by Sean included Everlasting Pea (Lathyrus latifolius) along the Canada-United States border near the Meduxnekeag River, Cup-plant (Silphium perfoliatum) along the St. John River between Bath and Florenceville, and Carex hirta near the Saint John-Digby ferry terminal. Sean also added Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) to the New Brunswick plant list, thanks to his discovery of 20 plants growing without cultivation near a campsite on French Lake.
New localities for Summer-cypress (Kochia scoparia), a very rare Eurasian introduction previously known in New Brunswick only at Fredericton, were found by Sean at McGowan's Corners and Moncton. His keen eyes revealed many new locations for Rugel's Plantain (Plantago rugellii), a provincially rare and easily overlooked species, mainly along the St. John River valley between Fredericton and Woodstock.
Huge populations of Scouler's Popcornflower (Plagiobothrys scouleri) were found in disturbed ground at Wilkins= field in Fredericton on October 8 (J. Goltz).
Hilaire Chiasson observed that Oak-leaved Goosefoot (Chenopodium glaucum) had completely vanished from the vicinity of Lac Frye, Miscou Island where it had been abundant the previous year. In contrast, Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) has become very well established on lawns at Miscou Centre. Hilaire also reports that Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) was found for the first time on Miscou Island in August 1999.
Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) was found near Tidehead by Sean Blaney; this was the first record of this invasive species on the Restigouche River. Near Woodstock, Hartland and Sackville, Sean detected new stations of Wild Chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris), a prolific colonial weedy species.
1 By legislation, New Brunswick's endangered species are Furbish's Lousewort (Pedicularis furbishiae), Prototype Quillwort (Isoetes prototypus), Pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea), Southern Twayblade (Listera australis), Parker's Pipewort (Eriocaulon parkeri), Anticosti Aster (Symphyotrichum anticostense), Gulf of St. Lawrence Aster (Symphyotrichum laurentianum) and Bathurst Saltmarsh Aster (Symphyotrichum subulatum var. obtusifolium).
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