The Quest for the Western Wallflower

So much to see and do with so little time.  The theme my life revolves around more and more it seems as my list of plants and places ever grows.  For every successful sighting and experience I scratch off the list, two more are sure to be added.  It's the law of nature for this botanist but how could I complain?  I count myself among the lucky and am very thankful my passion and career only seems to grow in the number of things I want/need to accomplish; a product of the "more you know, the more you don't know" line of thought.  That being said, I made sure to make some time this late spring for an attempt at seeing one plant that had been on my radar for years.

Looking east along the top of the limestone bluffs along the Ohio River 

Back in late May, myself and good friend Dan Boone, who is one of the best field botanists in the state decided to hunt down one of the rarest of the rare: the western wallflower (Erysimum capitatum).  Its only known site in the entire state of Ohio is along a stretch of steep limestone bluffs that hang a couple hundred feet above the Ohio River near the small town of Aberdeen.  Dan and I had a pretty good idea of where to look and were greeted by a very precipitous slope that made for a harrowing search.  In an awkward catch 22 situation, the dense thicket of bush honeysuckle (Lonicera mackii) allowed for something to grab and steady yourself on as our eyes scanned for a blip of unmistakable orange.  I never thought I'd be so thankful to have an invasion of honeysuckle around me.

The western wallflowers clinging to the steep bluff's slopes.

They took a while to find with some moments of nervousness that the plants had been crowded/shaded out but in the end our search was not in vain.  What had been recorded as an occurrence of over 30 plants a decade ago had unfortunately dwindled to just five flowering plants and six vegetative rosettes by our count.  Regardless of the low numbers it only takes one specimen in full flower to see just how striking a wildflower it is!

Close up look at the western wallflower's unique shade of orange

I can't say I've seen every plant known to Ohio, but I think proclaiming the western wallflower as the most unique and vibrant shade of orange in the vascular flora to be an accurate assessment.  It's definitely the most showy of its fellow mustard family (Brassicaceae) brethren!  Even under the thick shade of the oaks, maples, and honeysuckle its fire-orange petals beckoned us to them like a moth to a flame.

North American distribution map (courtesy: BONAP)

As mentioned earlier, the western wallflower is only known from this single site in Brown county along the Ohio River.  Even looking back over 150 years into Ohio's past the only other record for this plant was an 1838 collection from Franklin county by famed Ohio botanist (and Ohio University alum; yay for a fellow Bobcat!) William Starling Sullivant.  That ancient record, at least ancient in botanical terms, is probably what gives the most credit to our flora recognizing it as an indigenous species rather than adventive/introduced.  Looking at its distribution above you can see that once you get east of the Rocky Mountains the species tapers out almost instantly before popping up in a seemingly random scattered pattern as far east as the Virignias.

Dan standing with two of the handful of flowering western wallflowers we found

The photograph above shows Dan standing with two of the handful of blooming wallflowers.  Like I mentioned earlier the slopes really were a challenge to navigate and keep upright on.  Dan isn't holding on to the honeysuckle trunk for the sake of a pose.  The white colored background beyond the trees is actually water of the Ohio River, not sky if you can believe that.  I guess the common name of 'wallflower' was a valid one as its preferred habitat of limestone bluffs, slopes, and outcrops was being displayed picture perfectly.

Western Wallflower - Erysimum capitatum

With any luck this piece of priceless Ohio biodiversity will one day be under the management and protection of the state.  Better sooner than later, as the site could use much-needed habitat management to remove honeysuckle and open back up the upper slopes.  Hopefully long-dormant seeds that have been biding their time in the soil will germinate and spring forth with an increase in sunlight.

Once satisfied with our scouring of the river bluffs and getting an accurate count of the western wallflower, we climbed our way back up to the ridge top and walked back to the car with a very satisfied feeling of accomplishment.  Dan had never seen this particular taxa before either and was just as pleased as I was to finally have it on his life list.  Between what Dan and I have seen in our respective botanical experiences, it's not every day we both get to see something we've never seen at the same time.  The day seeing something as rare and breathtaking as this starts to bore me is a day I never want to know.

Buffalo Clover Re-discovered 100 Years Later

Let's travel back to 1910 when famed botanist and ecologist E. Lucy Braun was roaming and traversing the forested hills of Hamilton county, Ohio, collecting and observing the native flora to gain a better understanding of the fascinating and seemingly endless diversity and ecosystems of the extreme southwestern corner of our great state.  Lucy was well before her time and one of the most accomplished and talented botanists Ohio ever produced; let alone the fact she was a woman in a largely male-dominated field.  Her findings, knowledge and publications are still widely used and appreciated today by anyone with an interest in the botanical world.  

On one particular day in May of that same year she came across an intriguing and very rare species of plant with clusters of pale-pink flowers and three-parted leaves that she collected and sent to the herbarium at the University of Cincinnati.  There the voucher sat for decades on end as the only proof that buffalo clover (Triflolium reflexum) ever existed in Hamilton county and it slipped into legend and mystery.

Dan Boone and one of his greatest discoveries, the Buffalo Clover (T. reflexum)

Fast forward a little over a century later and another great native of the area and incredible botanical mind would erase that mystery and legend.  On an early May afternoon while wandering around the same area as Lucy over 100 years earlier the sharp, eagle-eyes of Dan Boone spotted something unique growing in small groupings under a mixed oak canopy that made his heart skip a beat.  If there was anyone in Ohio worthy and deserving enough to find something of this botanical magnitude it's Dan.  You don't get a nickname like 'the clover kid' for nothing!  Our native clovers (Trifolium spp.) have long been one of Dan's greatest and deepest passions and finding this great rarity in his home county just mere miles from his house was more than a dream come true.  I can still hear the excitement in his voice as I got the call sharing the news and an invitation to come down and photograph the gorgeous specimens.

Buffalo Clover (Trifolium reflexum)

While Lucy described her plants as having pale pink flowers, these plants exhibited more of a cream color with perhaps the slightest tinge of pink on newly-opened corollas.  Not to be confused with Ohio's other native species of clover, the Running Buffalo Clover (T. stoloniferum); this species lacks the running stolons.  The length of the calyx teeth can also be used to distinguish the buffalo clover from other non-native and introduced Trifoliums but once you see these remarkable plants in person it's hard to mistake them for anything else.  The flower heads are significantly larger than the European white clover (T. repens) as are the running buffalo clover's as well.

Buffalo Clover (Trifolium reflexum)

Buffalo clover has the interesting trait of being an incredibly variable species from population to population.  In fact, Dan has seen a number of populations throughout the Midwest and no two have ever been the 'same' in appearance.  Sometimes the leaves will exhibit chevrons, or watermarks, on the leaves while others (such as these in Hamilton Co.) will lack them completely.  The color of the inflorescence can greatly differ as well, from scarlet red to creamy white to pink and light yellow.

The two photographs above are both buffalo clover from a recently re-discovered population in Mammoth Cave National Park Dan and I saw last early June down in Kentucky.  Notice how the blooms are deep red and the smaller leaves show off the chevrons that the Hamilton county population lacks.  Some suggest there are a great number of varieties within the species but that has yet to be confirmed or denied through genetic work.

Buffalo Clover (Trifolium reflexum)

I was fortunate to catch the plants in peak bloom a couple weeks ago as I made the journey from Athens to Cincinnati to photograph and document this remarkable find of Dan's.  I've seen many rare and incredible species of plants in my countless wanderings and botanical forays with Dan but few could ever match the emotion and excitement of seeing this historic species on Ohio soil.  Some may shrug their shoulders and say "so what, I see 'white' clover in my yard every day", but how wrong they are to even suggest this plant is in the same category as the exotic species of Europe and Northern Africa.  This truly is one of Ohio's most rare and imperiled of plants.

Trifolium reflexum distribution map (courtesy of BONAP)

Originally found and documented in about a dozen scattered Ohio counties, it's numbers and populations have dwindled in the last century.  East of the Mississippi River the buffalo clover becomes increasingly rarer with scattered and isolated populations throughout the Midwest and southeastern states.  As you can see from the distribution map above, the only area of the country where it is rather common is in Missouri and Arkansas, where it is a frequent species of the Ozarks.

For the past few decades the only population still extant in the state lied in Pike county where the plants bloomed scarlet red and exhibited faint chevrons on the leaves; much like the previously pictured buffalo clover from Mammoth Cave.  Thanks to Dan's constant vigilance and efforts Ohio can now proudly claim back another population to its records.  The fight is far from over though, as this species is an annual and relies heavily on seed production and disturbance to fight back encroaching vegetation and over-shading.  I'm curious what effects an under story burn would produce at the new Hamilton county site as this species has historically responded very well to burns.  In fact, the plants at Mammoth Cave had sat dormant for nearly two decades in the seed bank of a rocky, dry mixed oak forest before a prescribed burn a couple spring ago sprang them forth.

Buffalo Clover (Trifolium reflexum)

Upon closer inspection it becomes evident just how attractive and gorgeous a flower head this species can produce.  The individual inflorescences bloom for a short time before reflexing and all hang down below the long pedicle that supports the head.  This picture also shows the long calyx teeth (the thin, green 'threads' at the base of each individual flower) which helps distinguish this species.

Buffalo Clover (Trifolium reflexum)

This particular population was growing in a relatively open area in the under story of a mixed oak woodland with white, red and chinkapin oaks and a scattering of sugar maple along with an herbacious association of yellow pimpernel (Taenidia integerrima), great yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis grandis), and Bosc's Panicgrass (Dichanthelium boscii).  Further up the slope the under story becomes much more thick with vegetation but luckily the immediate area seems to be relatively free of the intensely invasive Asian Amur bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii).  Buffalo clover occurs in rocky, open woods and prairies with a strong preference for acidic soils.  Perhaps the acidity of the soil is a distinguishing factor in the color of the resulting flowers?

Buffalo Clover (Trifolium reflexum)

After photographing and admiring the remarkable buffalo clover for quite some time we decided to do something that I dare say very, very few have ever (and I do mean ever) had the chance of becoming a part of.  Hamilton county, Ohio has the very rare honor of being one of the only counties in the world where one can see both the native buffalo clover (T. reflexum) and the federally endangered running buffalo clover (T. stoloniferum). I can't say without any real assurance but it just may be the only county currently known to have both species with extant populations.  These are Ohio's only two indigenous clovers and both are listed as endangered in our state.

Running Buffalo Clover (Trifolium stoloniferum)

Not long after leaving the buffalo clover my eyes rested upon our other native taxa and equally gorgeous running buffalo clover (T. stoloniferum).  I felt a sense of honor and accomplishment to have been in the presence of two of Ohio's most rare species.  I really would like to find out just how many other counties in the country can lay claim to both these native clovers within their borders.  Perhaps Hamilton is unique in that fact but time will tell and while I am proud of that fact I do hope others can and will eventually share in the joy; the more of these beautiful plants there are, the better off our natural diversity is!

Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum)

Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum)

If the plant kingdom had the ability to hold their own beauty contests I think it would be safe to say that the Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum) would be a perennial powerhouse pick to take home the crown each and every year.  It's hard enough to compete with the other azaleas and rhododendrons within the Ericaceae family but the brilliant and unique flame orange blooms of this species really sets it apart from the rest.

Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum)

Ohio is home to four indigenous species of Rhododendron : Rosebay (R. maximum); Rose Azalea (R. prinophyllum); Pinxter-flower (R. periclymenoides) and the featured Flame Azalea (R. calendulaceum).  All four are state-listed and quite rare in Ohio with the flame azalea being the rarest and currently listed as endangered.  Fathom that our most gorgeous and unsurpassed rhododendron species would also be our most uncommon.  Even in pre-settlement times these plants were infrequent and scattered in local populations throughout south-central Ohio, only to be dug up and transplanted by early pioneers and settlers for their homesteads and gardens; a practice still used today.  I can't say that I blame them for wanting to bring the beauty and 'fire' home with them to enjoy and cherish.

Rhododendron calendulaceum distribution map courtesy BONAP

Observing the range of the flame azalea reveals its southern Appalachian distribution from Alabama and Georgia, up through the Cumberland plateau and onto the Allegheny plateau in Ohio and West Virginia before suddenly ceasing before reaching into New England.  Ohio's outlier part of the range is a direct result of the antiquated and pre-glacial Teay's River flowing northwest from Virginia, though West Virginia and on into our state.  This long extinct river was a super highway for southern and coastal plain flora to migrate up into current day southern and southeastern Ohio; such as the flame azalea.

Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum)

The scientific epithet calendulaceum translates to 'like a calendula', which is a genus of vascular plants with similarly colored flowers native to Macaronesia and the Mediterranean region.  The common name of flame azalea actually recognizes the resemblance of the shrubs swollen, unopened flower buds to the flame of a candle.  It's just as easy to assume it also refers to the scintillating orange color of the flowers.

Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum)

Unlike the evergreen and leathery leaves of the later-blooming rosebay rhododendron, the flame azalea as well as the other two pink taxa have deciduous leaves.  Without such obvious and conspicuous leaves it can be pretty difficult to notice and locate these deciduous azaleas when not in their blatantly obvious flower-mode.  I can only imagine what was going through famed French botanist Andre Michaux's mind when he first came across this striking shrub back in the late 1700's in the southeastern United States.  Seeing large patches and colonies of these in full, glorious bloom must be something an individual is not likely to forget in their lifetime.

Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum)

It's not too uncommon to see these remarkable shrubs planted and used in cultivation throughout the acidic soiled regions of Ohio.  It has become an increasingly difficult thing to determine the validity and origin of newly discovered populations of this species considering their ornamental value and popularity.  I'd find it hard to believe that there would be any natural populations left undiscovered in Ohio.  Being so pronounced and meretricious during a few weeks in late spring is an easy way to get noticed by even the most casual observer.

I'm very thankful to have come across the opportunity to see and photograph this flawless and superlative plant and mark it off my life species list.  The only thing better than the thrill of the hunt is the ecstasy of discovery!  I hope you enjoyed this post but now it's time to pack up and head down to Shawnee state forest for Flora-Quest 2012!  I can't wait for what adventures and experiences this year holds and will be sure to share it all upon my return.

The Rare and Intriguing Heart-leaved Plantain

Scattered amongst the rocks and vegetation along this gravel bar lies one of Ohio's great vascular rarities: the Heart-leaved Plantain (Plantago cordata).  It's certainly not the type to jump out and catch your attention with it's inconspicuous flowers or basal rosette of leaves but it does have a beauty all its own.  This obligate wetland species is mostly restricted to small, clear, forested streams in areas with underlying dolomite limestone on gravel bars, rock crevices and banks.  The heart-leaved plantain relies on streams that are regularly eroded to aid in dispersal and cannot withstand additional sediment loads or siltation caused by agriculture and development; a major reason and cause for its subsequent population declines.  It has also been known to occur and grow in swampy, wet woods as well as forested floodplains.

Plantago cordata distribution map courtesy BONAP

Plantago cordata has a wide-spread distribution across the eastern half of the country; primarily in the Great Lakes region and Missouri with disjunct populations in New York state and to the Southeast.  Despite its broad range it has only been known from scattered and localized occurrences; even dating back to pre-settlement times, suggesting it has always been relatively rare.  Of the 18 states with known occurrences it's considered rare (threatened/endangered) in 13 of them, Ohio included, and extirpated/historic in 4 others.  It was once under consideration for federal listing and perhaps still is as I don't see this unusual plant's situation ever improving.

It's no easy task being a traditionally rare species with a strong association for pristine habitat and unaltered watersheds in today's world.  Stream degradation from logging and agricultural practices, development, and water pollution/sedimentation have all had immediate and drastic effects on the health and numbers within any population and are all major players in the continued decline of this fickle plantain.  Watershed protection and habitat management are crucial tasks necessary to preventing extirpation of this species.  Unfortunately our streams and waterways are continuously being ruined and polluted by human activities, leaving this fascinating plant in very real danger of extirpation from previous localities and eventually extinction.

This and other members of the Plantago genus are all very similar and seem to run together when trying to identify down to the species level.  There are ways to distinguish P. cordata from the other native/naturalized plantains in our state and it starts with the leaves.  Heart-leaved plantain dwindles down to a small rosette of basal leaves in the fall and over-winters as such before bouncing back with new growth in the spring.  The large, cordate (heart-shaped) leaves synonymous with this species aren't fully grown until the summer months after the flowering period but are still mature enough to use to distinguish in the spring.  Other plantains such as  P. rugelii and P. major have smaller leaves and have parallel venation with veins that branch off at the very base of the leaf where the petiole attaches.  On P. cordata the veins branch off further up the main vein instead of purely at the base (as seen above).

The flowers are similar to all other plantains; both native and introduced such as the English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) you see in your yard. The 1-2' tall spikes consist of dozens of tiny, individual flowers with long protruding stamens and the pistils tucked further inside.  Once pollinated the ovary matures into a capsule containing a couple seeds that are water-dispersed.   Due to its semi-aquatic habit each seed has evolved to contain fleshy parts that are both buoyant and sticky so the seed will be able to float on the water during dispersal and stick to the substrate once it finds a suitable place to land and germinate.  It is said this has the lowest reproductive rate of any other Plantago species, adding to its population problems.

Upon closer inspection the flower spikes of the heart-leaved plantain are uniquely elegant and delicate and worth the camera's attention.  Unfortunately, Ohio's populations have severely declined in the last century with only two counties (Adams and Hardin) having extant populations with the other county records since destroyed or lost to the ages.  These images of the few dozen plants still clinging to existence along the waters of Plum Run are just one of a handful of populations left in Ohio for this endangered species.  I fear by the time I'm old in the knees and leading around a young and aspiring botanist through my old stomping grounds in the future I will be forced to merely share this plant's story rather than share the plant itself.  With the continued degradation of our natural world it's only a matter of time before this species and others in similar situations lose out to the times and slip into oblivion, only to survive on the tongues of those who saw them before they were gone...