Tara Littlefield, OKNP Botanist, KNPS board member

The sweet, sweet pinesap (Monotropsis odorata), a globally rare little herbaceous plant related to the heath family (now placed in the family Monotropaceae, formerly in the Ericaceae),  gets its name from the sweet, clove like scent it emits in the early spring.  It is one of those plants that you can find just by using your nose.  In fact, you would have better luck finding this plant by its smell rather than sight as it’s a master of disguise, camouflaging its tiny self (just a couple inches tall) among the oak and pine leaf litter in the acidic uplands of the Appalachians. 

In addition to its diminutive size, camouflaged adaptations, and strong sweet odor, it is even more of an oddity in the plant world.  This little hidden plant gets its energy NOT from the sun, a characteristic plant trait, but from partnering up with mycorrhizal fungi in the soil!   No need to photosynthesize and be green if you have friendly fungus among us to help you out.  There are not that many plants that have chosen this path of forgoing the sun and going all in with fungal co evolution. These same mycorrhizal fungi are also attached to the roots of the oaks and pines of the acidic Appalachian ridgetop forests and serve an important role of creating an underground network of plants and fungi communicating and sharing nutrients for survival.  They call this type of plant a mycoheterotroph-a plant that gets its energy from mycorrhizal fungi. 

One of my favorite springtime rituals in Kentucky is to visit the Red River Gorge at the end of March to early April and use my nose to locate patches of sweet pinesap while hiking along the trails of the upland ridges.   During the KNPS wildflower weekend this year, a group of excited plant enthusiasts did just that.  Walking the pine oak ridge tops, our group took in the scenes of chestnut oaks, scraggly pitch and Virginia pines, and among the little violets, bluets and tufts of pin cushion and broom moss, a faint sweet smell became stronger, until it was so strong our group stopped and knew we were upon a sweet pinesap population.  Looking around the leaf litter, we finally located the sweet pine sap, and we all dropped to the ground to view this little beauty in all is glory, enamored by its wonderful smell and amazing adaptations for survival. 

Lonicera sempervirens f. sulphurea, a yellow-flowered form of the red native honeysuckle

By Alicia Bosela, owner of Ironweed Native Plant Nursery

The native species of trumpet honeysuckle is a deciduous woody vine that typically grows to about 15 feet. It produces red tubular flowers with a yellow throat and is pollinated by hummingbirds and a variety of insects. Ornamental uses include trellises, fences and as a ground cover. Trumpet honeysuckle differs from native yellow honeysuckle (Lonicera flava) in that L. flava is not known to occur in Kentucky and has distinctly different shaped flowers. 

While much of our wild flora is at risk from various human activity, the beautiful, red-flowered trumpet honeysuckle can still be found if one is doggedly persistent in searching. One such pursuer of native plants, Neville Crawford, located what was clearly a trumpet honeysuckle that was completely yellow and appeared to be growing in natural habitat within Mahr Park in Madisonville, Kentucky. John Swintosky, Senior Landscape Architect at Louisville Metro Public Works, discovered a yellow trumpet honeysuckle growing in Iroquois Park at least 15 years ago and confirmed its presence again in September 2021. This yellow form was reported in Iroquois Park in 1945 by P.A. Davies. Botanist Julian Campbell also encountered the yellow form in Boyle County, Kentucky.

Were these plants naturally occurring color variants of the red trumpet honeysuckle or an escape from cultivation? Britton and Brown’s Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States mentions the yellow form as early as 1913. The yellow form has been noted for sale in catalogues as early as 1938 and is likely “within the range of phenotypic plasticity for the species,” according to the New York Botanical Garden (personal communication). Therefore, this is almost certainly a natural yellow form of the typically red trumpet honeysuckle. How interesting!

Editor’s Note: You can see the yellow variety at Salato Native Wildlife Education in Frankfort, Kentucky at the headquarters of Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources in the backyard exhibit.

Alicia Bosela owns Ironweed Native Plant Nursery in Columbia Kentucky, a certified woman-owned business. Before opening her own nursery, she was the Assistant Director of Clay Hill Memorial Forest Environmental Education Center. You can contact her at www.ironweednursery.com.

The Lady Slipper newsletter of the Kentucky Native Plant Society has been published since the Society’s founding in 1986. We occasionally feature an article from a past issue. This one, about one of Kentucky’s rarest genera, Hydrolea, first appeared in the fall of 2006, Vol. 21, No. 3. If you would like to see other past issues, visit the Lady Slipper Archives, where all issues from Vol. 1, No. 1, February 1986 to Vol. 34, No. 1, Winter/Spring 2019 (after which we moved to this blog format) can be found.

As a current update to this article, Hydrolea uniflora, the one-flower false fiddleleaf, was observed in full flower at Ballard Wildlife Management Area during the field trip there on July 31, 2021. Read about the field trip and see an image of H. uniflora at the article about the trip; Field Trip to Ballard WMA.

Hydroleas (the genus False Fiddleleaf) in Kentucky – Lost and Found

by Deb White

The two species of Hydrolea in the state have both been lost and found within the last few years! Both the ovate false fiddleleaf (Hydrolea ovata) and the one-flower false fiddleleaf (H. uniflora) were reported in the 1960’s to 80’s from several western counties. We had checked all the sites where these wetland plants were reported, and the sites appeared to be extirpated – for instance one had turned into a church. As soon as their ranks¹ were changed to “Historic,” meaning they had not been reported for 20 years, they were both found in new places in western Kentucky. Robert Dunlap, a budding botanist and all-around naturalist, found a nice population of H. uniflora in Winford Wildlife Management Area. Julian Campbell reported that H. ovata is found at a wetland site within the Paducah city limits.

These are both wetland herbs with blue flowers. H.uniflora forms a rooted mat of creeping decumbent (laying close to the ground rather than erect) stems in shallow open pools in wetlands. The plants are usually less than a foot tall if that and generally bloom in the late summer. H.ovata is much taller,up to 3-4 feet, when it blooms and hard to miss if in flower. It has little spines at the leaf axils and has many branches.

Both of these species occur along the edges of bottomland hardwood swamps and marshy openings in western Kentucky. They are distributed in the southeast United States and into Texas and Missouri. Kentucky is at the northern limit of their ranges, not surprising since this is generally a genus of warm climates.

The number of species that become historic and ultimately extinct in the state give us some insight into the rate of loss of our native flora. To date, Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission lists 61 historic plants for the state. It is thrilling to find a plant that has not been seen for 20 years and re-assuring to know that the species continues to find its way in our changing world. In fact I am sure there is more Hydrolea out there to be found. If you are interested in knowing what rare plants, including those that are historic, occur in your area please visit our web site, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, and visit the Rare Plant Database for the listing for your county or to our rare plant website.

¹ Each plant in the Kentucky flora receives a rank expressing its status in the state, from rare to common, historic or even extinct.

Update to the article:
As was mentioned in the introduction above, H. uniflora was observed during the KNPS field trip to Ballard WMA on July 31, 2021. Here are a few images of H. uniflora from that trip.

The Lady Slipper newsletter of the Kentucky Native Plant Society has been published since the Society’s founding in 1986. We occasionally feature an article from a past issue. This one, about one of Kentucky’s loveliest natives, the Wild Bergamot, first appeared in the summer of 2001, Vol. 16, No. 2. If you would like to see other past issues, visit the Lady Slipper Archives, where all issues from Vol. 1, No. 1, February 1986 to Vol. 34, No. 1, Winter/Spring 2019 (after which we moved to this blog format) can be found.

The author, Mary Carol Cooper, left a huge legacy to the native plant community when she passed in 2016. In almost every native plant gathering, her name is mentioned and a moment is given over to appreciate her knowledge, which she freely shared. Her passion led many of us to our love of natives; she was a mentor and friend to many of us.

Wild Bergamot – 2001 Wildflower of the Year

by Mary Carol Cooper, Native Plant Program Coordinator, Salato Wildlife Education Center

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) has been selected as the Salato Wildlife Education Center’s Wildflower of the year 2001 by wildflower enthusiasts from all across the state. The Wildflower of the Year is chosen based on the number of nominations it receives and how well it fits the established criteria (must be native, common and widespread across the state, seeds must be readily available, must be easy to grow, and must have wildlife value).

Wild Bergamot is common in old fields, thickets, prairies, and borders thoughout the state. It is a member of the mint family and has spicy-aromatic leaves that are opposite and ovate-lanceolate on a square stem. It has slender two-lipped corollas about one inch long densely aggregated in terminal clusters subtended by conspicuous bracts. The corolla is a pale lavender. Wild Bergamot ranges in height from three to five feet tall depending on the habitat. It is a short-lived perennial that rapidly forms colonies in both moist and dry soil. It is very versatile, as it will tolerate clay soils and drought and will grow in full or partial sun.

Wild Bergamot is a premiere nectar source for butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. Indigo buntings are known to build their nests in the stems of this plant. It blooms from June through August, providing food and shelter all summer long.

Historically, physicians used leaf tea to expel worms and gas. The Native Americans used the leaf tea for colic, flatulence, colds, fevers, stomachaches, nosebleeds, insomnia, heart trouble; in measles to induce sweating, and poulticed leaves were used for headaches. The pioneers made a lotion of boiled leaves for treating pimples and skin eruptions. Today, Wild Bergamot is still used for headaches and fever and it makes a great tea. Its flavor is similar to true bergamot, the oil of a Mediterranean citrus fruit that flavors Earl Gray Tea. It is also excellent cut for fresh bouquets.

Wild Bergamot seeds and plants are available from many native plant nurseries and are fairly inexpensive. It is also very easy to propagate either by seeds, cuttings, or division. Seeds sown in January should be kept moist and cold (40° F) for 90 days to cause germination. Since the seedlings are tiny and slow growing, they should remain in the flat for 6–7 weeks after germination before being transplanted. To propagate by cutting, take stem tip cuttings, 3–4 inches long, any time from May to August. Remove the lower leaves and all flower or seed heads, dip cutting in rooting powder and insert at least one node into a sand and perlite rooting medium. Place cuttings in an enclosed chamber and mist them several times a day. In 4–5 weeks, cuttings are well rooted and can be transferred to the garden in the early fall. To propagate by division, divide mature clumps in March before they send up stems. Dig up the plant and using a pair of pruning shears or a sharp shovel, cut the clump into sections. Replant and water the division immediately.

By Susan Harkins

As the world begins to green up and spring ephemerals in the woods begin to fade, golden Alexander, Zizia aurea, lights up my yard. This rugged and easy-to-care for flower isn’t the first native to bloom, but it is the first to truly fulfill the promise of spring. Its delicate yellow sprays chase away the last of my winter doldrums because I know winter truly is over.

In your garden

Golden Alexander resembles Queen Anne ’s lace (Daucus carota) a bit, with their three- to four-inch-wide flat umbels of yellow blooms. However, they’re shorter at about 20 inches. As fall approaches, the capsule-shaped green seeds turn purple along with the foliage.

In nature, this perennial grows in meadows, woodlands, moist prairies, and along riverbanks throughout eastern Canada to the southern United States. They like a moist sunny spot, but they’ll tolerate some shade and dry summer soil. Because of their love for moist soil, they work well in a rain garden. They adapt easily and require little care. They’re a versatile little plant.

This bright flower lights up things so much that you’ll want to plant it in areas where you can easily see it from your windows, porches, and decks. If you have paths, put some around bends so they catch your eye as you wind through the spring green-up. You’ll enjoy an individual planting as well as clumps, and they make a eye-catching border in front of later-blooming natives. Their foliage and seed heads remain attractive throughout most of the summer. In fact, they will easily reseed if you don’t cut them back; once you see the seed heads, you won’t want to.

Consider pairing golden Alexander with wild geraniums (Geranium spp), smooth beard tongue (Penstemon laevigatus) , Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) or wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). The colors, growth structure, and general size complement one another well. When planting in full sun, consider pairing it with short native grasses. If happy and left undisturbed, they will colonize after a few years.

Wildlife

Golden Alexander is a larval food plant for the black swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes). It’s also an important source of nectar and pollen for insects emerging from pupation and the early spring Azure butterfly (Celastrina). If you’re lucky enough to have lady bugs (Cycloneda) hibernate in your yard, you might find their eggs and larvae on the leaves—the latter is an interesting find! Native bees and wasps will appreciate both the flowers nectar and pollen. Birds love the seeds, so they’re a good choice for attracting birds into your yard.

Botany and pollination

Golden Alexander is a member of the Apiaceae, or carrot, family. If you let carrots go to seed in your vegetable garden, you might notice the family resemblance. Each flower has 5 sepals, 5 petals and 5 stamens. Flower clusters form a flat flower-head; the middle flower of each umbel is stalkless. Their sharply serrated compound leaves have three leaflets, in groups of three.

Pollination is best served by early spring pollinators with short mouthparts, such as bees, wasps, flies, and beetles. In addition, golden Alexander is self-pollinating.

Propagation

Seed capsules ripen over the season in the flat umbels. For most of the year they’re green, but slowly turn purple in the fall. Once they turn brown, they are ready to collect. They fall quickly once they’re ripe; they’ve usually fallen or been eaten by birds before I get to them. They are inexpensive to purchase if you fail to collect seeds, but you can always use the paper bag method to catch them. When sowing outside, do so in November after the first hard frost.

Seeds require 90 days cold moist stratification at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. That can be a problem in Kentucky; the only month you can truly depend on is January. For that reason, I recommend the refrigerator stratification method. Seeds germinate best in cool soil, so put the stratified seeds outside early; they’ll be fine. Transplant seedings to pots in midsummer and then transfer to the yard in the fall. First year plants aren’t likely to produce blooms. As with most any plant, keep well watered after transplanting.

This native propagates from seed outside or inside easily enough although the germination rate may be low—plant a lot of seeds. Division works well, but the plants droop and look weary for a bit. Division can be successful if you have an established colony. Don’t divide plants for the first few years.

This carefree plant is flexible enough to grow in most yards. Their delightful delicate flowers shout “Spring!” Plant them all over your yard; you won’t regret it.

By Susan Harkins

Thank you to Connie May, Jonathan Kubesch, and Nick Koenig for sharing their technical expertise on milkweed.

The monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus is now a candidate species for the Endangered Species Act. Habitat loss and pesticide use along their migratory routes are responsible for the decline of the monarch, but you can help by providing habitat in your own yard. You’ll need two things: nectar for the adults and milkweed (Asclepias) foliage for their caterpillars. By planting both milkweed and other native wildflowers, my yard turns into a five-star resort for not only monarchs, but other butterflies and moths, beneficial insects, and birds.

Plant a patch of native wildflowers to attract adult butterflies and milkweed for their offspring. The monarch caterpillars eat only Asclepias. Kentucky Asclepias species that easily make the move to home gardens are:

By planting both milkweed and other native wildflowers, my yard turns into a five-star resort for not only monarchs, but other butterflies and moths, beneficial insects, and birds.Despite its common name, swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) will grow in most yards, though it will only reproduce reliably in wet spots. Be prepared to reseed or replant every few years to keep it going. Its deep-rose blooms are more spray-like than clusters and makes a stunning border for a larger area. It won’t spread to other areas, but it will fill in an area nicely.

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberoses) has the most spectacular color—bright orange. It’s a bit bushy, grows 2 to 3 feet, and likes a sunny spot. It looks lovely planted with rue. Butterfly weed is the most dependable for returning in the same spot each year, but it doesn’t spread quickly. The leaves are thin, and I find few eggs or caterpillars on them, but the adult butterflies and other beneficial insects feed on the blooms. Butterfly weed blooms persist longer into the late summer than other milkweeds. Plant a few for a bright pop of color or create a spectacular border. Once they’re established, they’re very dependable.

Plant whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) for fragrant blooms and interesting green foliage. It’s easy to establish from seedlings and like butterfly weed, whorled milkweed grows 2 to 3.

Of the five species reviewed, green milkweed (Asclepias. viridis) has proven the hardest for me to establish in a garden setting. It grows wild in every direction at my friend’s farm, so I keep trying. I encourage you to do so too because it’s so worth it! Its showy blooms are similar to common, but green, and the plants are shorter.

This article is about species that will work well in your home gardens. I don’t recommend that you plant common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) in your yard. I include it to be comprehensive, but it’s beautiful in a big field far enough away that it doesn’t breech your landscaped yard.

In bloom, common milkweed is gorgeous and fragrant. Plant enough to cut some of those showy dusty-rose clustering blooms to bring inside because the scent is seductive. It prefers a sunny, well-drained spot and can reach seven feet. It spreads aggressively and dislikes intensive management. To be happy, plant it and plan to leave it be, keeping in mind that the caterpillars will completely defoliate it—another reason not to put it in your yard.

There are other species native to Kentucky, but these listed have proven most successful for me. I encourage you to explore the other species and experiment! The more you know about milkweed, the more successful your efforts will be. Common, swamp, and butterfly are readily found in nurseries in the spring. Seeds for all can be purchased online and at nurseries.