The Plant Press

Art by Alice Tangerini: Dryopteris sweetiorum Lorence & W.L. Wagner

From Plant Press, Vol. 18, No. 1, January 2015.

Dryopteris sweetiorum Lorence & W.L. Wagner

Dryopteris sweetiorum is a terrestrial fern known from collections made by Ken Wood on Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas Islands and published as a new species by David Lorence and Warren Wagner in 2011 in PhytoKeys (4: 5-51). The endangered species is only known from one small area (Teavapuhiau ridge to Mt. Touaouoho) on the small island of Fatu Hiva. The epithet sweetiorum was given in honor to Barbara K. and Cyrus B. Sweet III, who have generously supported scientific research at the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) and particularly the Vascular Flora of the Marquesas Islands project. The drawing by Tangerini was made from five herbarium specimens representing portions of the stipe, rhizome and frond. The specimens were photocopied and duplicated to make an entire frond with stipe and rhizome to a full height of 180 cm. Tangerini assembled the copies on a large table, taped them together, had the resulting collage photographed by Don Hurlbert (NMNH Photographic Services Unit), and reduced to 60 cm in print form. Tangerini traced the print in ink, added details of the pinnae and sporangia, and scanned the drawings into a publishable size image. A large framed print of Dryopteris sweetiorum was presented as a gift to Barbara and Cyrus Sweet in appreciation of their support given to the NTBG.

Last Surviving Flora of the Lower Holmes Run Stream Valley: In the Footsteps of Lester Frank Ward

From Plant Press, Vol. 18, No. 1, January 2015.

By Rod Simmons, City of Alexandria Dept. RPCA, Natural Resources Division

Eastern Figwort (Scrophularia marilandica). Photo by Tony Reznicek (MICH).

Drawn to the largely pristine and exceptionally diverse stream valleys of Four Mile Run and Hunting Creek, numerous botanists and collectors came to Alexandria, Virginia, in the late 19^th century from the Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Galludet College, University of Maryland, U.S. National Arboretum, and others. Transportation was readily available from these places via the well-established railroad lines and, later in the early 1890s, when electric trolley cars began operating in Alexandria.

Exploration during this time occurred mainly along the Potomac River and its tidal estuaries and lower stream valleys, largely because transportation routes were well developed to these areas, but also because much of the land to the west was heavily forested, fenced off, or generally inaccessible.

Early significant botanical explorers and collectors in Alexandria include John W. Chickering, Jr., Frank M. Comstock, Frederick V. Coville, Edward Foreman, Henry W. Henshaw, William Hunter, Charles Louis Pollard, Joseph Nelson Rose, Edward C. Steele, George B. Sudworth, David LeRoy Topping, George Vasey, and Lester F. Ward.

Lester Frank Ward (1841-1913), primarily known as a sociologist, was also a prolific collector of local flora during his years in Washington, D.C., as a botanist and paleontologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and Smithsonian Institution from 1882 to 1905. Of all the earliest botanical explorers of Alexandria, Ward concentrated mainly on the Cameron Run watershed.

L.F. Ward and Miss Moorehead in his office at the Smithsonian Institution in 1886. Photo courtesy Chicago Botanic Garden.

Ward’s specimens, largely the earliest collected in the Washington, D.C. region, form the foundation of the DC Herbarium of the U.S. National Herbarium (US) at the Smithsonian Institution, as well as the City of Alexandria Flora. In 1881, he published the landmark “Guide to the Flora of Washington and Vicinity” (Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus. 22: 1-264; 1881), which included many of his collections from the Cameron Run watershed:

“Passing next to the Lower Potomac, the localities of special interest are…4. Hunting Creek, a large estuary below Alexandria, including Cameron Run, the stream which debouches into it with its tributaries, Backlick Run and Holmes Run, which unite to form it. Here have been found at various points Clematis ochroleuca, [Matelea carolinensis], Itea virginica…Micranthemum [micranthemoides], [Platanthera flava], Quercus [bicolor], Carex gracillima, Geum [laciniatum var. laciniatum], Galium asprellum, and very many other rare plants.”

A Rapid Assessment of the Marine Plant Ecosystems at the Caribbean Entrance of the Panama Canal

From Plant Press, Vol. 18, No. 1, January 2015.

Galeta is the type locality for several species, including the rare Augophyllum wysorii. (photo by Hector Ruiz)

On November 10-26, 2014, Barrett Brooks led a team of scientists conducting a rapid algal assessment in the vicinity of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s (STRI) Galeta Point Marine Laboratory in Panama. The lab is located near a collection of coral reef and mangrove habitats between Margarita Bay near Colon and Maria Chiquita, northeast of the Panama Canal mouth on the Caribbean side. The study covered about 7 miles of coastline. Gloria Batista de Vega (University of Panama/STRI) and Hector Ruiz (University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez) collaborated with Brooks on the project.

The Panama Canal is in the final stages of a huge expansion project which will allow the Canal Authority to accommodate today’s larger ships. Many of the natural habitats near Punta Galeta are in danger of being destroyed due to the shipping industries efforts to develop areas for shipping container storage. It was the intention of the research team to document much of the submerged mangrove and reef flora prior to any future development.

One of the many abundant crustose coralline algae (Mesophyllum sp.) around Galeta. (photo by Hector Ruiz)

The team collected over 300 specimens of marine plants, representing an estimated 100 species during 13 snorkeling transects and 11 scuba dives in the study area. In situ photographs were taken of many species by Ruiz. Portions of all specimens collected were preserved in formalin. Tissues samples were obtained of each, and dried in silica gel for future DNA barcoding. Herbarium mounts were also prepared for most of the specimens collected.

Reefs were found to be surviving along the study area, dominated by the coral genera Agaricia and Porites, with some Siderastrias present. Very few Caribbean brain corals were encountered, although they had been reported as common in surveys conducted 40 years ago. The fast growing coral of Acropora, typical of many Caribbean reefs, were scarce. The reefs appear to be holding up even though they are continually subjected to a heavy burden of siltation from mainland runoff, and they endure heavy wave action seasonally. Coralline algae and other crust forming algae (e.g., Peyssonnelia) accounted for a large percentage of reef surface area.

Guidance Issued on Pollinator-Friendly Practices on Federal Property

From Plant Press, Vol. 18, No. 1, January 2015.

The Smithsonian Butterfly Habitat Garden outside the National Museum of Natural History. (photo courtesy of Smithsonian Gardens)

In June 2014, a Presidential Memorandum entitled, “Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators,” called for a revision of the Sustainable Practices for Designed Landscapes guidance on Federal properties. The revised guidance issued in October 2014 by the White House Council on Environmental Quality helps Federal agencies incorporate pollinator-friendly practices in new construction, building renovations, landscaping improvements, and in facility leasing agreements at Federal facilities and on Federal lands. Facility managers can use the updated guidance to actively examine their current buildings, grounds, and practices for opportunities to transition to a richer diversity of pollinator-friendly plant species.

By integrating pollinator-friendly strategies into everyday design, operations, and maintenance activities, Federal agencies can have a big impact. Every day, agency managers make routine decisions that could affect pollinator populations. The easy-to-use guide will help ensure the best possible decisions are made, supporting pollinator health and habitat on millions of acres of Federal land. Additionally, the guide will serve as a valuable resource for further research on pollinators and the plant species that support them.

Plant and animal diversity is a sign of a healthy ecosystem. The Urban Bird Habitat is an oasis for many bird species; it provides for their basic needs; food, water, shelter, and a place to raise their young. (photo courtesy of Smithsonian Gardens)

An inter-agency working group prepared the revised guidance. The working group included representatives from the United States Department of Agriculture and Forest Service, the Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Botanic Garden, the General Services Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Defense, the Department of Education, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Interior's Office of Planning and Management, with assistance provided from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Representing the Smithsonian Institution was Gary Krupnick (National Museum of Natural History), and Graham Davis, William Donnelly, James Gagliardi, Jonathan Kavalier, and Jeffrey Schneider (Smithsonian Gardens). The Smithsonian Gardens NMNH Butterfly Habitat Garden and Urban Bird Habitat serve as exemplary models for pollinator-friendly habitat at Federal facilities.

The guidance is available online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/sustainability/landscaping-guidance.