Quick Report on the Collecting Trip to the Carolinas

I am sorry; this will be quick and dirty. Fern Valley staff is on a collecting trip to North and South Carolina and we have one target species: Shortia galacifolia. That's putting all your egge in one basket. Three people for five days to collect one species. And we didn't know where to go when we got there. I can't begin to describe how cooperative people have been in both states. We started in South Carolina and but wow it has been great so far. We were shown lots of Shortia. Shortia is a rare plant but we saw large stands of it and if our collecting had ended after Monday, the trip would have been a success thanks to South Carolina. We saw other fascinating species, including Turkey Beard, Xerophyllum asphodelioides, a fascinating member of the Melianthaceae.

The size of the trees is impressive. The diameters are large, but in the coves, the trees grow to heights that would be unheard of around Washington. My last post featured a picture of Magnolia tripetala, and I am hoping to see it, but haven't so far. We have seen hundred of Magnolia fraseri, which has comparably sized leaves but with slightly different leaf bases. After looling for two days, we finally found one tree in Panthertown Valley with flowers. We also saw a stand of Pink Lady's Slippers with over 300 flowers. Wow. Location secret, but pictures to come. We have done some extra collecting; we have aat east a half dozen nice species with two days to go.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we are going in to Gorges State Park accompanied by Park staff to collect from a new location. Got to get to bed and rest. Today was tough. More later!

Umbrella Magnolia.....Magnolia tripetala

Tell me again why they call it the Umbrella Magnolia, oh right. This is a wild plant to stand underneath. The leaves are almost 2 feet long, so the "umbrella" is 4 feet across. Magnolia tripetala is Native to rich moist forests on the slopes of the Appalachians from Pennsylvania to Georgia. The literature, universally describes it as "widespread but uncommon." This plant is in Fern Valley inside the Loop Trail in the Cultivar Area. If you come in the main trail, turn right at the shed taking the little spur, then make an immediate left and look to your right. You will circle the plant because you are on a loop trail. It is most easily seen from the far side (3/4 of the way around the loop). There are no flowers this year but the foliage is incredible. The record tree iis ~50' tall and this one is maybe 10-12'.

The horticultural literature also suggests that it is difficult to use in a garden setting because of its bold texture/large leaves. I would not swear to this, but I seem to be able to trace that idea back to Mike Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. I certainly don't want to debate the Dean of Woody Plants in North America, (I'm outgunned!), but yes this plant does have character and while it might not either look or perform well sitting in the middle of a grass lawn, that doesn't mean it wouldn't be an incredible addition to many landscapes. Hey, that's what design is about....putting plants in the right places.

The Fern Valley Staff takes it on the road again; Sunday morning we head for the area surrounding Ashville, N.C.. We will be there most of next week, primarily collecting seed of Shortia glacifolia, or Oconee Bells. We will be in North and South Carolina on some wonderful sites. There will be camping involved, so hopefully we will all still be on speaking terms next weekend....just kidding, we're all looking forward to spending time outside in an area so rich in botanical resources. Maybe we will see Magnolia tripetala in the wild; it's like a Brown Pelican in Ocean City, they may not be common, but if they're there, we probably won't miss them.