Monthly Meeting & Program
Wetland Plants

Linda Curtis, Botanist & Author
Monday March 2, 2009

As we long for the drought to break, Linda Curtis will remind us of what we've been missing. This program will feature slides and information about wetland plants that grow in swamps, marshes, and open water of Florida's lakes and channels. Species presented will include include the flowering flags, floaters, shoreline plants, sedges and rushes, and even the carnivorous bladderwort.

Linda Curtis has served as a botany instructor for 29 years at various colleges, has written 2 books to date, with 2 now in the works. Of particular interest to Florida native plant enthusiasts is "Carex of Central Florida," which will describe the sedges of our region. Still in the research stage, Dr. Curtis is busy collecting permits with the state and regional agencies. "It's exciting stuff," says Curtis,"there's still unnamed species out there."

Join us for an expertly guided tour through Florida's wetland flora, and the conditions that support these species in our unique state

Monthly meetings and programs of the Hernando Chapter are held on the first Monday of the month, and are open to the public, free of charge. Meetings are held at the Hernando County Cooperative Extension Office – 19490 Oliver Street (next to the County Fairgrounds) in Brooksville. We gather for delicious food and fellowship at 6:30pm, meeting and program starts at 7:00pm. For more information about this program or the Florida Native Plant Society, contact the Hernando Chapter Board at hcfnps@gmail.com.

Chapter News & Resources

With other concerned citizens, Hernando Chapter FNPS and Hernando Audubon will work to create hiking trails on the county property.

Hernando Environmentally Sensitive Lands Workday – Ficklest's Hammock
On Saturday, March 21, join us for the Fickett Hammock Preserve Hiking Trail Creation. Meet at 8:00 AM at the parking lot at 15482 Centralia Road (just west of Citrus Way). Work will be completed by noon. Volunteers should bring gloves, insect repellent, sun screen, drinking water, and hand tools, such as shovels, mattocks, hoes, long-handled pruning shears, and rakes. Click here for a map to Fickett Hammock Preserve. For more information, contact Jim King at the Hernando County Planning Department 352-754-4057.

FNPS Seeks Nominations for Annual Palmetto Awards

Nomination Deadline: March 30. The Society is seeking nominations for awards that will be bestowed at the annual FNPS conference. Nominees are individuals or chapters that should be recognized for significant contributions to the FNPS mission. Nominations for Green Palmetto Awards and the Public Service Award, Chapter Achievement Award and Mentor Award can be submitted by any FNPS member. The following information describes the awards and the nomination process:

Green Palmetto Awards - Any FNPS member is eligible to receive this award except for those currently serving on the Board of Directors. This award typically is for recognition of regional or statewide contributions. The categories are: Science, Education & Outreach, Information, Service and Administration.

FNPS Public Service Award – Individuals working in the public sector who contribute significantly to advancing the FNPS mission are eligible. This award is not limited to FNPS members.
FNPS Chapter Achievement Award – Chapters that have excelled in promoting the FNPS mission are eligible.
FNPS Mentor Award – This award recognizes individuals in FNPS who have made outstanding contributions to the science and/or practice of native plant preservation, conservation and restoration. The Mentor Award is the highest honor that FNPS can bestow and is not necessarily awarded every year.

To submit a nomination, please: (1) identify the award from the list above for which you are submitting a nomination; (2) provide the name of the individual or chapter that you wish to nominate; (3) provide an explanation at least 150 words in length that summarizes what the individual or chapter has done to merit this important recognition; and 4) send the nomination to Executive Director Karina Veaudry.

After the nomination cycle closes on March 30, the Board of Directors will review all the nominations that have been submitted and make a final decision about award recipients by conducting a vote. In a typical year, FNPS will bestow 3-5 Green Palmetto Awards and one Chapter Achievement Award. The others are not necessarily awarded every year. To see a list of award recipients from previous years, please go to the Awards and Grants page on the FNPS website.

Woodland Wonderland in Spring: Our Native Redbuds and Dogwoods

Eastern Redbud – Cercis canadensis

You know it by its large heart shaped leaves and heart-stopping magenta flowers that appear before the leaves come in spring. These flowers are small and irregular, much like a pea, and but burst forth in profusion from old wood. It is a diminutive tree, with smooth thin gray bark; its spreading-to-rounded crown reaching only to about 20 feet. Its fruit is a persistent 4-inch pod, shaped like a knife blade, and in fall its leaves turn a pleasing yellow. Redbud is native to mesic hammocks from as far north as Connecticut and Michigan, ending its southern travels in Central Florida. It is particular to well-drained acid soils; it requires no irrigation once established. Consider planting several in a small group in a natural setting, or use to give height to a shrub border.

Flowering Dogwood – Cornus florida

Our flowering dogwoods bring us year-long beauty. You certainly notice them in bloom season—before leaves develop, small, yellowish, tightly packed flowers appear, surrounded by four large white bracts that appear to be petals. In fall, they bear egg-shaped red berries in clusters that attract birds. A medium sized deciduous tree, dogwood grows to 25 feet or more, with spreading horizontal branches low on the trunk. When the blooms are past, you’ll know it by those large opposite leaves with silvery green undersides, and its gray blocky bark in attractive plate-like squares. It occurs naturally in well-drained acidic soils along woodland margins in partial shade, from the Northeastern US to where it stops here in central Florida.

A bit more delicate than redbud, it can still do well in your landscape if you understand its needs and can provide the right conditions. Its root system is shallow, and subject to stress during droughts, so it does best with a heavy layer of mulch; and appreciates watering during dry spells in the summer. Dogwoods are intolerant of pollution, over-fertilization, and poorly drained heavy soils. They are also somewhat susceptible to borers, root rot, petal and leaf spots and leaf blight. Fortunately, Dogwood anthracnose seems unable to tolerate Florida’s hot summers.

Nelson, G. (1994). The trees of Florida: A reference and field guide. Sarasota FL: Pineapple Press

Nelson, G. (2003). Florida’s best native landscape plants: 200 readily available species for homeowners and professionals. Gainesville FL: University Press of Florida University Press of Florida.

Osario, R. (2001). A gardener’s guide to Florida’s native plants. Gainesville FL: University Press of Florida