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Botany Ramblings:
mostly from
1 Oct. through 31 Dec., 2001
James P. Goltz
Reprinted from the N.B. Naturalist
Species New for New Brunswick
Comb-leaved Mermaid-weed (Proserpinaca pectinata) was discovered by Cindy Spicer on July 12 in sphagnum at Fowle Lake, Charlotte County during environmental studies on a proposed new NB Power international power line from Point Lepreau to the Maine border (CS, GBe). The power line route was moved several hundred metres as a result of the discovery of this Atlantic coastal plain species.
Updates on Endangered Species
Furbish's Lousewort (Pedicularis furbishiae) is still extant at all three known New Brunswick locations, the provincial population totalling about 350 flowering plants and over 400 non-flowering plants (DNRE). The New Brunswick government has established a recovery team for this species.
The summer of 2001 was fairly good for Pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea), a species renowned for its tendency to temporarily vanish from locations where it occurs. This species was relocated at all three known sites in the St. John River valley, with local populations ranging from 1 to roughly 20 plants (DNRE, JPG). The population on the Restigouche River was not monitored in 2001.
It was a bumper year for Bathurst Salt Marsh Aster (Symphyotrichum subulatum var. obtusifolium), a taxon known only from 5 sites in the world, all located near Bathurst in New Brunswick. This aster was rediscovered at a site where it had not been seen since 1914, and populations at known sites were mostly greater and occupied larger areas than was previously believed (DNRE).
The number of plants of Parker's Pipewort (Eriocaulon parkeri) at known locations along the Miramichi estuary ranged from about 100 to over 10,000. This species could not be found at two sites where it had previously been recorded (DNRE).
Gulf of St. Lawrence Aster (Symphyotrichum laurentianum) fared very poorly at most sites this year, even though numbers had reached record highs in the previous year. The drastic population reduction was a result of the raging storm surge that occurred in late October 2000, breaching dunes, blocking water outflows and piling sand over most of the sites where this species was known to occur. At Kouchibouguac National Park, none could be found, as a result of flooding and sand deposition (ET). In 2002, this species will be studied in the park to learn more about its population dynamics and genetic variation. Only about 15 plants of the aster could be found at Val-Comeau, where over 1000 plants had been seen the previous year (SD). Fortunately, Valérie Godbout found two new locations for this species on the Bouctouche dune, and Aster numbers on the "dune" were still very healthy at the site where the largest population had been found in 2000 (GA).
Rare and Uncommon Species
Many species of rare and uncommon aquatic plants were found in Charlotte County by Cindy Spicer and various members of AMEC Earth and Environmental during environmental studies for the proposed new power line (GBe). Some of the more exciting finds included Bayonet Rush (Juncus militaris) at 5 sites, Northern Long Sedge (Carex folliculata) at 4 sites, Two-stemmed Bladderwort (Utricularia geminiscapa) at 3 sites, vegetative plants of Greater Purple Bladderwort (Utricularia purpurea) at Fowle Lake and the St. Croix River, Lesser Bladderwort (Utricularia minor) at Lake Anthony Brook and Bonny River, Large Purple Fringed-orchid (Platanthera grandiflora) at Clarence Stream, Small-fruited Burreed (Sparganium natans) at Lake Anthony Brook, Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris) at Bush Brook, Twig-rush (Cladium mariscoides) at Lepreau River, and Arrow-wood (Viburnum dentatum) and Water Smartweed (Persicaria amphibia) at Mohannes Stream.
Unusual Observations of Common Species
A bizarre bloom of Scentless Chamomile (Matricaria maritima), resembling Aa white chrysanthemum >boutonnière=@ and lacking disk florets, was found along Crescent St. at Sackville in September, in the same general area where similar aberrant flowers have been sporadically appearing since the mid 1980s (TE).
Near Sackville Waterfowl Park, five plants of Evening Primrose (Oenothera cf. biennis; compiler's note: most of our large evening primroses are O. parviflora) with a withered terminal inflorescence and fresh axillary blooms all down the stem were seen between Oct. 12 and 25 (TE).
Population Shifts
Despite three searches, Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) could not be relocated where they had been seen last year at the Mt View picnic area site near Sackville (TE).
A new (second) station of Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) was found along the former railway track to PEI (TE). It is thought that this new stand of about 50 plants may have been established from seeds carried by all-terrain vehicles from the largest colony in the region, the latter known for about 20 years and located south of Bayfield (about 1.5 km east of the new station).
Woody Plants
A very rare white-flowered plant of Rhodora (Rhododendron canadense forma albiflorum) near Sackville was still mostly in bud on May 28 when a typical magenta-flowered plant was already in full bloom nearby (TE).
Serviceberries (Amelanchier sp.) began to fruit much earlier than usual in the Sackville area. Some fruits were already edible before the end of June and had mostly disappeared by late July, their normal peak fruiting time in most years (TE).
Spectacular Ashowers of leaves were reported at Memramcook on Oct. 29 (YLB), at Taymouth in mid October (MPa) and at Campbellton in late October (MGD). According to Yolande LeBlanc, it was AAs though all the leaves tightly held on to their branches overnight in fear of falling in the darkness, and as the sun was warming them up and melting the frost off of the roof, the leaves all let go at the same time.....The leaves were audible, tumbling down and falling on to other leaves and branches on the ground. They made a noise like rain[;] there [were] so many of them coming down at the same time.@ At Memramcook, the event took place over 15 minutes, on a very calm morning when not a single breeze was stirring. Vince Zelazny proposed the following explanation for this phenomenon: A...on a cold night when the leaves are still hanging on (barely), frost can form at the point of attachment of the leaf to the twig and effectively separate the leaf and the twig due to the expansion of water as it freezes...this attachment will still hold while the frost remains but will let go when the sun melts the frost in the morning.
Several huge Bur Oaks (Quercus macrocarpa) were seen at Lower Jemseg on Nov. 16 in woods where Red Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), Red Oak (Quercus rubra) and Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) predominated (NP). Prolific samara (the winged fruit of ash and maple trees) development on Red Ash in the Jemseg area has provided an attractive food source for Pine Grosbeaks this fall and winter (NP, JPG).
Some plants of Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) still sported their exotic yellow blooms as late as Nov. 22 at Cotter Hollow near Sussex (GBi).
Late Bloomers
A sustained period of mild autumn weather with few heavy frosts favoured the prolonged blooming of many plant species late into the fall, and stimulated the autumn flowering of some plant species that more typically bloom in the spring.
A two- to three-foot diameter patch of ground at Alma was covered with the showy blooms of Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) on October 21, while in a nearby area there was a similar scenario with flowering Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)(DR).
An impressive number of plants, including Wild Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum), Evening Primrose (Oenothera sp.; compiler's note: probably O. parviflora), New York Aster (Aster novi-belgii) and Butter-and-eggs (Linaria vulgaris), was still in bloom on White Head Island on October 29 (DS).
Among the plant species still in bloom in the Moncton/Shediac area on November 3 and 4 were Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), Red Clover* (Trifolium pratense), White Sweet Clover* (Melilotus alba), Eyebright (Euphrasia sp.; compiler's note: probably E. stricta), Butter-and-eggs (Linaria vulgaris), Evening Primrose (Oenothera sp.; compiler's note: probably O. parviflora), a daisy-like flower resembling chamomile (compiler's note: likely Scentless Chamomile*, Matricaria maritima) and at least one species of vetch (Vicia sp.)(ST).
In November, a lawn near Penniac was full of Apurple violets (species not determined), while well-developed Pussy Willows (Salix discolor) were seen at Marysville (BD).
At Fundy National Park, many flowering plants of Common Dandelion, Fall Dandelion (Leontodon autumnalis), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Clammy Groundsel (Senecio viscosus) were in bloom as late as Dec. 8, along with a single Arather pitiful bloom of Northern Heart-leaved Aster (Aster ciliolatus)(MM).
Common Dandelion was still in bloom at Fredericton on Dec. 14 (MPu).
Mosses and Liverworts (Bryophytes)
Bruce Bagnell was excited to find a number of very rare mosses and liverworts during explorations of calcareous fens and rich hardwood stands located west of Canterbury. The most interesting mosses included Meesia triquetra, Fissidens taxifolius, Tomenthypnum falcifolium, Tomenthypnum nitens, Limprichtia revolvens and Calliergon giganteum. Among the liverworts, Aneura pinguis and Calypogeia sphagnicola were the rarest species from that area. Although many naturalists are impressed with the beauty of mosses and other bryophytes, it is unfortunate that so few people can understand the significance of these discoveries. If only the bryophytes had fanciful common names like the dragonflies!
Fungi
A Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea) measuring 31 by 22 cm and weighing about 5 kg was found on Oct. 23 in the Mactaquac area by Marc Schneider.
People and Plants
Since 1993, Tony Erskine has been working on a personal atlas project to record the plant species that occur in 5 by 5 km squares on the Cape Tormentine peninsula. Most plants are named in the field and not collected; the few specimens that are collected are verified by Sean Blaney. To date, Tony has already surveyed 10 squares and plans to check out an additional 3 squares this year, as well as to recheck all of the other squares in June to add early-blooming species. Up to 194 species have been found in a single square. It is interesting to note that Tony has only found Creeping Snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula) in one atlas square. Tansy Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea), an introduced species that is well known for its toxic effects on the liver in cattle and other livestock, was abundant along a roadside in one square but had previously only been seen in one other square where a single plant was found. Thanks, Tony, for letting us know about your interesting initiative.
*Thanks to the excellent reports and descriptions provided by some field observers, the compiler was able to put names to plant species that were not identified by the observer.
Abbreviations
BD Bonnie Deveau, CS Cynthia Spicer, DNRE Department of Natural Resources and Energy (records kindly provided by Maureen Toner and Jeff Hoyt), DR Doreen Rossiter, DS Dwayne Sabine, ET Eric Tremblay, GA Géraldine Arsenault, GBe Garrett Bell, GBi Gart Bishop, JPG James Goltz, MGD Margaret Gallant Doyle, MM Mary Majka, MPa Margie Pacey, MPu Mary Pugh, NP Nelson Poirier, SD Sabine Dietz (Piper Project), ST Stuart Tingley, TE Tony Erskine, YLB Yolande LeBlanc
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