Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 15:21:14 +0000 From: sfarrington@ridgway.mobot.org To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2917$foo@default> Subject: Trip to Pine Barrens
Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions as to where to go in the
Pine Barrens... it was wonderful to see cp's in the wild! I saw
Sarracenia purpurea, of course, and three Droseras: rotundifolia,
intermedia and filiformis. (Possibly others, but I couldn't
identify). Some sort of Utricularia blooming in the water: yellow
flowers. U. cornuta? U. vulgaris? Couldn't see any part of the plant
itself; just the flower. I'm afraid I'm still new to this, and not
very familiar with Utricularias (and there are ONLY about 250 species
after all!) Anyway, I mostly wanted to see how the plants grow in
their native habitat, to see how wet they actually grow (quite wet,
but the tail of Hurricane Danny had just passed through, and some of
the Droseras were actually IN the pond water, perhaps temporarily). I
also wanted to see for myself what kind of media they grew in...
though the Pine Barrens appear to be very sandy, the areas where the
cp's grew, along the edges of ponds, was very peaty, not really sandy
at all. Lots of very healthy sphagnum moss growing there, of course.
Also got to see the "pygmy forest"... no, they are NOT carnivorous
trees, but they are interesting nonetheless. Pitch pines and black
oaks that are fully mature and old and no taller than about 5 1/2
feet! I could see over the canopy of the forest for a long ways...
really impressive. Last I heard, there was no definitive explanation
for the dwarfed trees: presumably it has something to do with soil or
perhaps they are growing in very shallow soil atop bedrock. Fire may
be a factor, but it can't be the sole factor since ALL of the Pine
Barrens burn with incredible ferocity (hottest fires in the U.S.),
and the other areas aren't dwarfed at all. Really interesting. Anyone
out there know more about the reasons?
Thanks again for all the info... it made my trip most memorable!
Susan Farrington
Missouri Botanical Garden
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