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Newsletter of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society
NovemberNovemberNovember
200920092009
The Florida Native Plant Society promotes the preservation of our native flora through education and conservation. To attract wildlife, promote water conservation and prevent the further introduction of non-native pest plants, the society encourages the cultivation of nurs-ery-propagated Florida native plants and promotes their use as ornamentals in public and private landscapes.
November Chapter Meeting Tuesday, November 17, 2009
7:30 – 9:00 pm (doors open at 7)
Mounts Botanical Garden (UF/IFAS Extension)
531 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL 33415
Native Plants for Your Yard: Selection, Placement and Care
Jeff Nurge, Florida Native Gardening
How many times have you purchased, been offered as a gift, or won in a raffle a native plant only to get it home and have it struggle or die once you planted it in your yard? If you are like Jeff Nurge was, you may have read native plant books about the “right plant for the right place” and discovered that native plant cultivation is sometimes harder than it appears. Through trail and error (and sometimes bla‐tant experimentation), Jeff managed to hasten the demise of a num‐ber of native plants, learning a lot along the way. Come join us as we discuss the best practices using hints borrowed from nature as to placement and care of Jeff’s favorite native plant species that are readily available in the commercial trade. As a bonus we will bring along some unusual native plants, which will be included in the raffle.
Tuesday, December 15
See Page 3 for details
NEW DATE AND TIME!
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009 9:00—11:00 am
Clayton Hutcheson Building
Come help us tidy up our na‐tive display garden. Bring your hat, gloves, hand tools, and water. NOTE: Brunch will
be provided!
FNPS Holiday Potluck Party!
Free Admission • Refreshments • Native Plant Raffle Public Welcome • No Reservations Needed
Garden Maintenance Party
Pioneer Day 2009 November 14, 10:00 — 4:00
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park, North Palm Beach Go back 100‐150 years to the era of the “Barefoot Mailman”, The “Florida Cracker
Cow hunter” and Henry Flagler. Call 561‐624‐6970 for more info.
Florida Native Plant Society
Palm Beach County
Chapter
Page 2
Florida’s Native Acacias Rufino Osorio
Acacia is represented in Florida by six native species as described below. It is one of the largest genera in the bean family with perhaps as many as 1,000 species distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics, with large con‐centrations of species in Africa and Australia. The genus consists mostly of shrubs or trees, but a few acacias are woody vines or are even herbaceous. The tiny flowers are densely packed in spikes or heads. Sepals and petals are both present but they are inconspicu‐ous and the stamens form the showy part of the flower. Acacias may be propagated from seed that germinate in a week or two if scarified. Growth can be quite rapid and acacias may begin to bloom in a year or two from seed.
All of our native species have bipinnate leaves that are divided into small leaf‐lets. A perniciously invasive and ecol‐ogically disruptive Australian introduc‐tion, Acacia auriculiformis, is distin‐guished by its undivided, sickle‐shaped leaves. In addition to A. auriculiformis, three other species of Acacia have been introduced into Florida: A. cornigera, A. retinodes, and A. sphaerocephala. Since they are not native, they are not discussed further.
Acacia angustissima (Miller) Kuntze var. hirta (Nuttall) B.L. Robinson is an unarmed perennial that arises from a woody base and dies back to the ground in winter. It spreads by subter‐ranean rhizomes and has white or yel‐lowish‐white flower heads. These traits are in marked contrast to other native acacias, which are usually spiny shrubs or trees with yellow flower heads. The small seeds are said to be eaten by quail and other birds. It is a rare plant
of northern Florida and the eastern Panhandle that may be grown from seed in a sunny, open site with well‐drained soil. Prairie Acacia; Fern Aca‐cia; Whiteball Acacia; Timbre.
Acacia choriophylla Bentham is an ele‐gant, small tree up to 6.1 meters (20 feet) tall with a wide spreading crown and rather large, shiny, dark green leaflets that provide an attractive back‐ground for the abundant, fragrant, yel‐low flower heads borne in the spring. It is often recommended as a landscape plant for communities in southern Flor‐ida in urban or coastal situations for its drought and salt tolerance and be‐cause it does not bear any spines that could harm passersby. The mature seeds pods are black with the seeds embedded in an edible, white pulp. Native to the the Bahamas, Cuba, and the Monroe County keys, it also occurs in Miami‐Dade County, where it is per‐haps an escape from cultivation. Cinne‐cord; Tamarindillo; Frijollo.
Acacia farnesiana (Linnaeus) Willde‐now is essentially a larger version of A. pinetorum, differing not only in its seed pods, but also in its more sweetly and intensely fragrant, bright yellow flower heads. The fragrance is so strong that the flowers are of eco‐nomic importance as an article of com‐mercial trade in the perfume industry. A well‐grown specimen in full bloom is most attractive and is equally pleasing to the eye and nose. Although some‐times wickedly spiny, this acacia war‐rants cultivation so long as it is care‐fully placed so as not to injure the un‐wary passerby. Due to its widespread cultivation and introduction into many parts of both the Old and New World, there is much confusion regarding the
Current Attractions
Marlberry (Ardisia escalloni‐
oides) is now blooming in
hammocks and pinelands
throughout South Florida.
Photo: Kim Pilla, Firefly Pro‐
ductions ©
You nurture nature,
And thankful that you noticed,
Nature nurtures you.
Yvonne Haskins
Page 3
Acacia tortuosa (Linnaeus) Willdenow is a rounded spiny shrub or small tree of coastal situa‐tions in the West Indies and occurring in Florida only in Collier County. Like A. farnesiana, its leaf‐lets have evident secondary veins but it differs from that species by the leaf stalks (petioles) bear‐ing an elliptic, rather than circular, gland. The spe‐cies epithet “tortuosa” does not mean "tortured" as some may think. Rather, it means “much‐twisted,” a reference to the plant's seed pods.
© 2009 Rufino Osorio. All rights reserved.
nativity of this species. According to legend, its flowers were used to produce perfume for Cleo‐patra. If true, this would support the belief that it is of African origin. Sweet Acacia; Opopanax; Popinac; Cassie; Huisache.
Acacia macracantha Humboldt & Bonpland ex Willdenow is a stately and elegant small tree. Other native acacias have leaves with up to 8 prin‐cipal divisions (pinnae) but Acacia macracantha bears 10–15 paris of pinnae, each of which is pro‐vided with numerous, tiny leaflets. The much di‐vided leaves result in a very delicate and lacey ef‐fect. Adding interest, are the round, yellow flower heads and prominent seed pods. Care must be taken with its placement in the garden since it is an extremely spiny plant. It is native to mangroves and coastal hammocks in Miami‐Dade County and the Monroe County keys. Long‐Spine Acacia; Pork‐nut.
Acacia pinetorum (Small) F.J. Hermann is endemic to southern Florida and is an attractive little shrub for the native garden. Although often seen in the wild as a small shrub about 1 meter (3.3 feet) tall, such heights are generally maintained by fires and, in cultivation, it quickly grows to about 4 meters (13 feet) tall. The fragrant, bright yellow flower heads are about the size and shape of a large mar‐ble and are beautifully framed by the delicate, feathery leaves that develop an attractive grayish cast in strong light. It is distinguished from the similar A. farnesiana by its leaflets, which lack ob‐vious secondary veins. Pineland Acacia.
Acacia choriophylla is often recommended for coastal
landscaping due to its drought and salt tolerance.
Photograph by Shirley Denton
December Chapter Meeting - Holiday Potluck Party! Tuesday, December 15
6:30 – 8pm Mounts Botanical Garden
531 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach
Our annual FNPS Holiday Party is a great time to socialize and meet current members and guests. This is a potluck dinner so feel free to bring whatever you wish. Drinks, cups, plates and napkins provided.
Please RSVP by sending an email to [email protected] or by phoning (561) 585-0114.
And yes...it does start at 6:30 pm!
Page 4
Walter’s viburnum can grow up
to 20ft tall in poor nutrient soils
but will thrive with some organic
matter. It likes moist soils in full
sun but is tolerant of periods of
moderate drought once estab‐
lished. My specimen does not
have the luxury of a sprinkler
system so the only time I give it
a little extra water is right be‐
fore it blooms. Otherwise it is
on its own, and thriving. Trim
the plant at the desired height
or let it go wild. Walter’s vibur‐
num has a habit of suckering
What can be said about this ver‐
satile plant. Walter’s viburnum
is very rare in the undeveloped
Southeast Florida wilds due to
destruction of its native habitat
in floodplain forests and ham‐
mocks. Thankfully Walter’s
viburnum is available in the na‐
tive plant nursery trade. At first
glance this woody plant, with its
dense branching structure and
small leaves, looks as if it is
straight out of the northeast.
But Walter's viburnum is a plant
of the South. For a couple of
weeks in the late winter and
early spring Walter’s viburnum is
a sight to behold! Producing
abundant clusters of white flow‐
ers, the plant looks as if a blan‐
ket of snow was deposited upon
it overnight. The flowers give
way to berries that change nu‐
merous colors through to early
autumn. Walter’s viburnum is a
safe haven for small birds look‐
ing for cover and a prodigious
source of food for all wildlife.
Gardening with the Natives Jeff Nurge
Walter’s viburnum produces a showy
spray of tiny white flowers during the
spring and fall. Photo by Jeff Nurge
WALTER’S VIBURNUM (Viburnum obovatum)
and forming thickets. If you want
a more formal look just clip off the
suckers at the ground as they
come up. Spreading by seed is
rare.
This plant is available at many na‐
tive nurseries. To find nurseries
that carry it, visit the association
of Florida Native Nurseries at
www.afnn.org, but don’t stop
there. The site provides only a
snapshot of the offerings at local
nurseries, so call around.
‐Jeff Nurge
www.FloridaNativeGardening.com
Did You Know?
Walter’s viburnum is named
for the 18th Century American
botanist Thomas Walter who
first described V. obovatum in
Flora Caroliniana (1788)
Membership News Our chapter has 150 members as of October 31. Fourteen memberships renewed or rejoined in October.
Michael & Stacey Deloye and Sue Dingwell renewed as contributing members. Our renewing family or
household members are Susan & Sergio Casamento, Lee & Scott Massey, and The Philpott Family. Renew‐
ing individual members are Dan Boyar, Ginny Powell, Kathleen Brennan, Mair Buddug, John Koch, Michele
Lundeen, John McMahan, Edythe Pekin, and Michelle Seifert.
Page 5
Gift Membership Form (or enroll online at www.palmbeach.fnpschapters.org)
Special! Individual or Family Gift Membership
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Enclose personal check (payable to “FNPS”) Remit this form and check to : FNPS Palm Beach County Chapter 13443 Windover Way Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33418
If you prefer to pay by credit card, go to:
www.palmbeach.fnpschapters.org and select “Become a Member”
Florida Native Plant Society
Palm Beach County
Chapter
Visit us on the web palmbeach.fnpschapters.org
The Dahoon is published monthly except December by the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Soci-ety. Newsletter subscrip-tion is included in mem-bership fees paid to the FNPS.
Florida Native Plant Society Palm Beach County Chapter 534 29th Street West Palm Beach, FL 33407
President‐Sue Dingwell 818‐9654, [email protected]
Vice‐President‐Brenda Mills 315‐1842, [email protected]
Treasurer‐Matthew King 585‐0114, [email protected]
Secretary‐Cathy Beals 799‐4007, [email protected]
Chapter Representative‐Lynn Sweetay 798‐6208, [email protected]
Conservation Chair‐Michael Manna
Director at Large‐Alyssa Dodd
Director at Large‐Mary Jo Aagerstoun
Director at Large‐Carl Terwilliger
Education Chair‐Lindy Cerar 312‐0660, [email protected]
Field Trip Coordinator‐open
Landscape Chair‐Robert Hopper
Membership Chair‐Dennis de Zeeuw 954‐560‐4771, dennis@sustain‐scape.com
Officers & Chairpersons
Promoting the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the native
plants and native plant communities of Florida
«FirstLastName»
«OrgNameOtherName» «StreetAddress»
«City», «State» «Zip»
Newsletter of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society
Newsletter Publishers‐Myrna Sossner & Nancy Sloane 832‐2547, [email protected]
Newsletter Editors‐LeRoy & Shari Rodgers 741‐3395, [email protected]
Publicity Chair‐Jeff Nurge 278‐3299, [email protected]
PALM BEACH COUNTY CHAPTER FLORIDA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
MEETS
3rd Tuesday of the month 7:30 P.M.
(doors open at 7:00)
Mounts Botanical Garden Auditorium 531 North Military Trail
(1/4 mi north of Southern Blvd.) West Palm Beach, Florida
Meetings are free and open
to the public.
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
Membership Re-newal
«Renewal»
To make it easy, we’ve provided a gift membership registration form (see page 5) and a gift certificate (below). Easier still, you can surf to www.palmbeach.fnpschapters.org and register online (see Become a Member)
