Deep Woods, the Appalachian Gametophyte, and Ohio Geobotany
On our trip we took time looking into plants that are associated with acid sandstone substrate. Three species that we observed were the Sourwood, the Eastern Hemlock, and Deer Berry.
Sourwood can be identified by its opposite, elliptical, serrated leaves (Trees and Shrubs Peterson Field Guides by George A. Petrides). One use of the Sourwood tree is for making honey. The honey is hard to get right and is rather expensive due to this. The honey also provides some health benefits as an allergy reliever to people with pollen allergies. (Sourwood Honey: No. 1 American Favorite | World of Honey)
Sourwood
Eastern Hemlock is an evergreen tree that can be identified by its rough twigs and slender stalks on the needles. It prefers to grow in cold, moist areas. (Trees and Shrubs Peterson Field Guides by George A. Petrides). One use of Eastern Hemlock that was used in the past was as medicine. The bark would be made into a paste and put onto wounds to promote faster healing and the needles and twigs would be made into tea to treat kidney problems and scurvy due to their high vitamin C. (Omeka@CTL | UVM Tree Profiles : Eastern Hemlock : What do humans use it for?)
Deerberry, also known as Huckleberry-Blueberry, is a shrub with alternate, entire leaves (Trees and Shrubs Peterson Field Guides by George A. Petrides). Deerberries are well adapted to fire-prone ecosystems and help regenerate the ecosystem after a fire has occurred. One way this happens is by bringing back pollinators and being a food source for a variety of animals including insects, birds, and mammals. (Deer Berry – TN Nursery)
Deerberry
We learned about a lot of different ferns and their distinctive features. The three that I will be focusing on are Christmas Fern, Royal Fern, and New York Fern.
Christmas fern has a FROND type of Hemidimorphic, a FROND dissection type of Pinnate, and one of its distinctive features is how the leaves get smaller going up the main stem that looks like the shape of a Christmas tree.
Christmas Tree Fern
Royal fern has a FROND type of Hemidimorphic, a FROND dissection type of Tripinnate, and one of its distinctive features is that it has both very large leaves and sporangia.
Royal Fern
New York fern has a FROND type of Monomorphic, a FROND dissection type of Pinnate-pinnatifid, and one of its distinctive features is that it is tapered at both ends.
New York Fern
Vittaria appalachana, commonly known as the Appalachian Gametophyte, exists solely as an asexual reproducing gametophyte. To reproduce asexually, the Appalachian Gametophyte forms large gemmae that, unlike spores, are too large for long-distance wind dispersal. Instead, the gemmae relies on short distance dispersal by wind, water, or animals. One potential mode of dispersal, as shown by Kimmerer and Young, 1995, is by slugs. The idea of short distance dispersal is supported by the fact that the species is absent north of the last glacial maximum. The notion of limited dispersal is supported by the lack of Appalachian Gametophytes in suitable substrates close to where a colony is already established. The current range of the gametophyte suggests that it must have had a sporophyte that was lost sometime around the last ice age. The current Appalachian Gametophyte populations could not be sustained by long-distance dispersal based on allozyme studies and the range in the southern portion of New York. The more likely explanation is that the gametophyte used to have a sporophyte that has since gone extinct. (“Unraveling the Origin of the Appalachian Gametophyte”, Pinson and Schuettpelz).
Appalachian Gametophyte
Japanese Stilt Grass is a highly invasive and troublesome grass with slightly lopsided and shiny leaves. It originates from tropical areas in Asia and grows in dense groups that overgrow the native species. To help control the grass a non-selective herbicide is most effective, but can also do damage to the native species which may not always be an option. (Japanese Stiltgrass | National Invasive Species Information Center & Japanese Stiltgrass Identification and Management | NC State Extension Publications (ncsu.edu))
Japanese Stilt Grass
The Butternut Tree, also called the White Walnut, is an endangered tree species. It can be identified by its once pinnately compound leaves with a terminal leaf, its lighter bark, and its fruit (Trees and Shrubs Peterson Field Guides by George A. Petrides). It’s endangered due to an invasive fungal disease called Butternut Canker. There is no current remedy for Butternut Canker, but hybrid trees can have varying degrees of resistance to the disease. The other problem is with habitat availability, there are not many good habitats currently so the trees have to share the place and can spread the disease among the new trees. (https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-421-W.pdf & https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/juglans-cinerea/#:~:text=Insects%2C%20Diseases%2C%20and%20Other%20Plant%20Problems%3A%20The%20tree,no%20cure.%20It%20may%20also%20suffer%20from%20blight.).
Butternut Tree