My Bit of Heaven - by Kristl Walek

[Kristl Walek]

Almost next door to Blomidon is Cape Split; described as being:

"Situated in a dramatic coastal setting near Scots Bay, Kings County, the 428 hectare Cape Split provincial park reserve is the most ecologically-intact portion of the North Mountain and one of the most important undisturbed areas on the Bay of Fundy. The property includes several rare or threatened plant species, old forest, prehistoric sites, rare and semi-precious minerals and one of the most prominent coastal hiking trails in Nova Scotia."

Unfortunately, I left this hike until too late in the day---as the 16km round-trip hike to get to the open headlands at the tip of the peninsula (where there are supposed to be "rare alpine/arctic species") would have meant my hiking out near dark, so with promises to myself to return for a full day of walking here, I decided to give myself 2 hours to walk, to see what I could see.

In the spring the sides of the trail are supposed to be covered with Trillium erectum, Claytonia caroliniana and Dicentra cucullaria.

The road to Cape Split is right along the ocean, then suddenly stops at the entrance to the reserve. If signs had not been posted, I would not have had a clue I was at the beginning of the trail. This meanders through mostly coniferous woods, with plenty of natural obtacles and wetness underfoot until it eventually comes out on the headlands. I of course, never got that far.

[Kristl Walek]

I did not see any evidence of Trilliums in the time I wandered, but large, beautiful patches of Oxalis montana grew here in more typical fashion than previously seen and good sized colonies of Moneses uniflora flanked the path. Osmunda was beginning to send up its cinnamon. And, never tiring of the sight of a lush patch of Cornus canadenis, here is yet another.

Food and botanizing are always close companions for me --- so, having left Cape Split in good time, I still managed to squeeze in a quick stop in Port Williams to visit a Fromagerie for feta, quark, brie and yogurt. 

[Kristl Walek]

Kristl,

 Your above Uvularia looks like sessilifolium,  but I cannot see fruit anywhere, nor branches to confirm it.

Unfortunately, Aaron, I am still searching high and low for sessilifolia here---the pods were definately U. grandiflora. Nice that the two are so distinct, making it an easy id at this stage.

Aaron, I saw this at Cape Split---did a quick "Mitella nuda"---only to realize now, looking at it, that it isn't. My mind has gone blank. What is it?

[Afloden]

 My problem with the Uvularia is that it has sessile leaves, not perfoliate like U. grandiflora. Do you have a picture of the seed pods?

 My best guess for the unknown would be Mitella nuda with stronger lobed leaves. It definitely looks Saxifragaceous. I thought Sullivantia at first, but the habitat is incorrect and it would be a disjunct occurence also.

 Aaron
 

[Kristl Walek]

Aaron,
How interesting....that *was* a huge mental blip, wasn't it???
I think one of those moments when one sees, but does not see.
And I still didn't see after you told me to look 

So, I *have* finally found the Uvularia sessilifolia.

Here is the picture again, with a closer view of the sessile leaves.
As well as a picture of sessilifolia seed pods.
And a picture of U. grandiflora, perfoliate leaves and seed pod (which I also saw, but did not post)

[cohan]

Aaron, I saw this at Cape Split---did a quick "Mitella nuda"---only to realize now, looking at it, that it isn't. My mind has gone blank. What is it?

what about a non-flowering Chrysosplenium? i find the leaves very similar to Mitella at times.. i have pics, but wont post here..
edit: looking more closely at my Chrysos, it seems the leaves are rather straight out from the leafstalk rather than deeply lobed at the attachment  point like the leaves in your photo..

[Graham Catlow]

And a picture of U. grandiflora, perfoliate leaves and seed pod (which I also saw, but did not post)

Hi Kristl,
As always a very interesting set of photos.
I am just wondering about the Uvularia grandiflora seed pod. It is somewhat different to the ones on my plant at the moment. See the photos below of the plant and seed head.
Is it that the one in your post is more mature than mine and as mine matures it will fill out and lose the obvious tri-corners. Or do I have something else that looks just like U. grandiflora.

Graham

[Kristl Walek]

Graham,
Your plant is U. grandiflora in habit, leaves, twisted flowers and seed pod. Unfortunately the picture I posted of the U. grandiflora pod was the early stage of the pod here in Nova Scotia---it does become distinctly 3 sided at the bottom. I found pictures of more developed pods.

grandiflora= fruit is 3 sided (at one end only)

sessilifolia= fruit is triangular (ridged, pointed at both ends)

[Afloden]

Graham, Kristl, and other,
 
 I am curious if you know what the flower color of your plants is Kristl? My experience is that the paler eastern North American (largely Appalachian) U. grandiflora has smaller flowers and strongly lobed capsules, while the stuff from the Ozarks and the Mississippi River Drainage are larger plants, flowers, with bright yellow tepals, and rounded capsules. I have not gotten down to any genetic level yet to see if their is something more to this, but I hope to in the future. I'll try to make it out and photograph some of my dozen or more clones in seed.

 Aaron

[Kristl Walek]

Aaron,
Sadly have not seen the plants in flower here yet---only found them in the wild at the seed stage fairly recently. I do recall the seed pods being somewhat more orbicular in Ontario, but still with a distinctive 3-sided end. I recall from previous discussions on the genus, and posting of pictures that your examples of larger plants/flowers with stronger colour were not typical of those in Ontario. I look forward to seeing what the Nova Scotia plants are like next spring.

[Kristl Walek]

This morning I woke with the realization that it has been 10 days since I last visited the Cypripedium reginae in bud---so without even taking time to inhale my coffee; but instead putting it into a travel mug, I spontaneously hit the road. In just under 2 hours, I was back at Smileys Provincial Park.

I was again astounded at the size of these plants--most up to my thighs or taller. Around every bend in the moist woodland, one is confronted by colonies of them and their exquisiteness takes ones breath away.

[Kristl Walek]

and more....

[Kristl Walek]

Being close to Halifax also gave me the chance to check on the seed ripeness of the Houstonia caerulea. Being over 2 hours away from a collection site is always nerve-wracking the first season one is collecting the seed without knowing its ripening habits. I guessed that I still had plenty of time; and that turned out to be the case.

Along the road I was surprised to see clumps of Thalictrum pubescens already in bloom.

On my return trip I also needed to check on the seed of another first-time species in the sand barrens; the Corema conradii---which was *very* close, but not quite ready either. Although it was probably well over 35C in this very hot, open, sandy site today, I hiked for some time looking for the very rare Helianthemum canadense, which I thought should be blooming now.

This species is much in demand in the alternative medicine market---particularly in Germany. I did supply some seed of this to growers for that market when I was still in Ontario and I am hoping that, once in production, the stresses on the numbers in the wild will decrease; particularly since it is such a tiny, delicate plant.
There are only a few thousand plants extant in this province. Like in Ontario, it grows in hot, open, acidic sandy soils and cannot tolerate much competition. Unfortunately here habitat loss and human encroachment on its space in the wild is the largest problem.  The few plants that I found were growing smack in the middle of an ATV trail, right next to the highway.

[Graham Catlow]

Kristl,
     Absolutely unbelievable Cypripediums and the setting is just beautiful. Oh how I wish I could be there.
I think we are all pleased you remembered to return in time.

Graham

[TheOnionMan]

Amazing Cyp pics Kristl, wonderful to see such colonies.  I was most interested to learn about Helianthemum canadense, and how it is in such demand medicinally... what is it used for?  When I was growing up, this was a common "weed" in my area, about 25 miles from my current location.