Goldthread

© Dave Spier

Threeleaf Goldthread (Coptis trifolia, synonym Coptis groenlandica) is a small woodland wildflower of cool bogs, swamps, and mixed coniferous-hardwood forests in the north. Its distribution includes Alaska, most of Canada, Greenland and the Northeast U.S. The descriptor "threeleaf" is somewhat misleading because each evergreen blade is deeply three-lobed, or compound in effect. The common name "goldthread" refers to the long, underground rhizome that is bright golden yellow. Another common name for this species is "yellow root."

Each flower has five to seven white sepals that can be mistaken for petals. The actual petals are yellow-tipped, club-like and smaller than the numerous male stamens. Three long, green, bulb-tipped, female pistils alternate with the petals. Goldthread is a member of the Ranunculaceae or Buttercup (Crowfoot) family which is characterized by numerous stamens forming a button or bushy cluster in the center of the regular [radially symetrical] flower.
   

Goldthread is an evergreen herb, an adaptation allowing it to take advantage of additional sunlight in early spring and late fall whenever temperatures are above freezing an when any deciduous trees are leafless. That's not much help where it grows under coniferous canopies, though.

Additional information can be found on pages 108-109 in the book Adirondack Upland Flora by Michael Kudish. The median flowering date in the Adirondacks is/was May 20 (subject to change in response to global warming). The plant can be found at a wide range of elevations and often near bogs or other cool, moist habitats with acidic soil.

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Cinnamon Ferns

Cinnamon Ferns -- © Dave Spier

The Cinnamon Fern is a large, coarse and attractive plant usually found in shaded to partly-shaded bog edges, swampy areas, streambanks and similar moist woodlands often in association with sphagnum moss. The green, vegetative leaves (fronds) grow in circular, vase-like clusters reaching a height of three feet or more. Around the end of May or early June, the separate, fertile fronds rising in the center ripen into bright, rusty-red (cinnamon-colored) stalks in preparation for releasing their spores.

The generally accepted scientific name, Osmunda cinnamomea, refers to the Saxon god, Osmunder, who supposedly hid his family from danger in a large colony of these ferns. In addition to creating new plants from spores, Cinnamon Ferns can form these widespread, monotypical stands by extending the heavy, hairy rootstocks. New plants are added at the front while the oldest bases eventually wither and decay. Theoretically, a single plant can continue to grow "forever" in this fashion.

Cinnamon Fern belongs to the Royal Fern Family (Osmundaceae), sometimes called the "Flowering Ferns" which is totally misleading since ferns are primitive predecessors to true flowering plants and to seed plants in general (Spermatophyta). In fact, the Osmunda's are among the most primitive of ferns based on the fossil record. The Cinnamon's relationship to other members of the genus is now a subject of debate. Recent genetic studies suggest it should be moved to its own (new) genus, Osmundastrum, (partly borne out by its apparent inability to hybridize), but that would have no effect on our enjoyment of the fern's symmetrical beauty and color. It makes an attractive ornamental if you have a shady, moist spot with acidic soil - and it's deer-proof!

Cinnamon Fern leaves taper to a point at the tip, but only semi-taper toward the base, meaning the narrowing ends abruptly. [For those needing additional identification details, the fronds are "twice-cut," i.e. the leaves are divided into pointed leaflets (called pinnae) which are then deeply lobed but not quite divided into blunt-pointed subleaflets (normally called pinnules). Look for small woolly tufts where the leaflets attach to the main leaf stalk (called the axis or rachis). Technically the stem or stalk (a.k.a. stipe) is the portion between the lowest leaflets and the ground.]

Cinnamon Ferns can be found throughout the eastern portion of the northern hemisphere and its range continues south as far as Paraguay. Surprisingly, it also occurs in eastern Asia from Siberia to Vietnam, but this is considered a separate subspecies.

The local variety is noted on several plant lists from the Adirondacks, such as the Moose River Plains, but I'd be interested in hearing about other locations where you've found it. I have some photos of the fronds turning yellow and then bronze in the fall, and if I remember to locate one of these (from Cranberry Lake? or another location), I'll post it at the end of summer.

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Painted Trilliums

 

© Dave Spier

My first encounter with a Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum) was Memorial Day weekend, 1971, on a canoe trip up the Oswegatchie River from Inlet to High Falls. I have since found this species in Finger Lakes bogs which harbor a number of Adirondack-like plants. Its natural range is Canada south to Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and it continues south in the Appalachians as far as Georgia.

Crimson veining marks the base of each wavy, white petal in contrast to the surrounding three green sepals and three leaves making the Painted Trillium a spectacular woodland wildflower. It tolerates shade and is generally found on well-drained, but moist, acidic soils. Cool, deep humus is ideal. Memorial Day is actually getting late to find it still blooming; the peak is earlier in the month, but higher elevations will delay its blooming. The one in the photo was growing in Zurich Bog, along with Yellow Lady's-slippers, on May 15. The Painted tends to bloom after the Red Trillium found in late April and the Large-flowered (White) Trillium that blooms earlier in May, but these impressions span many years and I'm sure weather influences the relative timing.

I think of the word "trillium" as a contraction of tri-lilium, meaning a member of the Lily Family with all parts in three's or multiples of three. Three leaves, three sepals, three petals, three-parted (female) stigma and six (male) stamens...

Corrections, questions and suggestions are always welcome at northeastnaturalist@yahoo.com or connect through my Facebook page and photo page. There is a separate community-type page for The Northeast Naturalist. Other nature and geology topics can be found on the parallel blogs Northeast Naturalist and Heading Out.
 

Eastern Hemlocks

Eastern Hemlocks -- © Dave Spier

Of all the trees in New York, the Eastern or Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is probably my favorite. In old growth forests it is capable of living more than half a millennium. It’s a chief component of the climax forests found in the Adirondacks (generally at lower elevations below 2500'), the Catskills, the Lake Ontario shoreline, bog edges, the glens of the Finger Lakes Region and down across the Allegheny Plateau and Appalachian Mountains. In Pennsylvania, it is the state tree.

Eastern Hemlocks occur naturally from Wisconsin and Michigan eastward to the Canadian Maritimes and south through New England and the Mid-Atlantic states to the Appalachians of Tennessee and North Carolina where it is under attack by the wooly adelgid bug. When we re-visited Shenandoah National Park, it was sad to see the mighty groves of old-growth hemlocks reduced to skeletons and dead logs.

Laricobius nigrinus beetles, which are native to the Pacific Northwest, prey on the hemlock wooly adelgid, but I have not kept up on efforts to use them in the fight against the infestation. Cornell was involved with a test in the Finger Lakes region, where the problem is still minor. Cold winters work against the adelgid, but global warming could change that.

At their northern limit, hemlocks can grow at sea level, but the farther south one travels, the higher its preferred elevation. It is essentially a cool-climate evergreen that does better in areas with extra moisture or humidity. Annual precipitation ranges from 30 inches in the north to 60 inches in the south.

Like the Sugar Maple and American Beech, the hemlock grows well in the shade of other trees and, like its associates, it can reach heights of 100 feet. Under the right conditions, it has reached a record height of 173 feet in the South. The trunk of old trees can reach a diameter of five feet at chest height, and the record is six feet. The bark is dark brown and rough, often fissured with age, and was once a source of tannin used in tanning leather. The lumber was used for railroad ties.

For a tree that can grow to such large size, its cones are remarkably tiny and may barely reach an inch in length. Its needles also are small. Unlike pines and spruces, hemlock "needles" are flat, rounded at the tips and they line both sides of the flexible twigs. This is an advantage in shedding snow before the twigs and branchlets break. The undersides of the needles are whitened with two stomatal bands that allow the exchange of gases with the air. The half-inch long needles are attached to twigs by slender stalks, unlike Balsam Fir needles which are flat but attach directly with circular bases. The needles of all conifers can be used to make a tea rich in vitamin C.

The undersides of hemlock needles -- © Dave Spier

Incidentally, hemlocks make poor Christmas trees because the needles fall as soon as they dry. It’s best to leave them growing because the seeds and needles provide food for Ruffed Grouse and twigs are eaten by deer, Red Squirrels and even cottontail rabbits.

In early spring, before the deciduous trees leaf out, the hemlocks add a welcome touch of green along with mosses, a few evergreen ferns and Skunk-cabbage leaves. On a clear morning, enjoy the sunlight streaming through the evergreens.

Questions, additions and corrections may be sent to The Northeast Naturalist.  There is a discussion of hemlocks in Michael Kudish's book, Adirondack Upland Flora.