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Rare
Plants of New England
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Isotria medeoloides
(small whorled pogonia) — Growing in acidic soils
on the wooded slopes of mixed hardwood forests,
small whorled pogonia is found in relatively few
locations, despite acres of apparently suitable
habitat. Of these limited populations, the greatest
concentrations of this species in the world occur
in New Hampshire and Maine. The reasons for the
decline of this orchid are unknown, but reforestation
— and increasing shade — in New England’s maturing
forests appear to be a significant factor.
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Sabatia kennedyana
(Plymouth gentian) — Although this plant is considered
globally rare, New England, especially Massachusetts,
has the lion’s share of populations on its coastal
plain pondshores. In late summer, when water levels
drop, pondshores may be lined with thousands of
Plymouth gentians, whose seed lies dormant in the
soil until exposed by the receding waters.
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Diapensia lapponica
(Lapland diapensia) — A common species in an uncommon
habitat in New England, Diapensia often colonizes
newly disturbed areas in the alpine zone. It can
form extensive mats but, as with most alpine species,
is easily damaged by foot traffic. The single occurrence
in Vermont, widely separated from other populations
of this species, is considered worthy of protection
under the guidelines of Flora Conservanda.
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Trollius laxus (spreading
globeflower) — This species reaches its eastern
limit in Connecticut, which has all five of the
occurrences in New England. The plant is a calcareous
swamp denizen and, though it can survive in deep
shade with intense competition, it needs light to
flower and produce seed. Blooming in April and May
when about six inches high, its stem ultimately
reaches about one and one-half feet. The early bloom
period and the ability to withstand competition
have helped the New England occurrences survive,
but, as their habitats become more forested, some
thinning of the tree cover will probably be needed
to help these plants thrive.
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Dryopteris felix-mas
(male fern) — Common in Europe, this fern of the
world’s northern regions is very rare in New England,
occurring in only a few locations in Vermont and
Maine. The male fern prefers the rich limestone
soils of glades and ravines. Targeted by plant collectors
because of its beauty and rarity, this species is
now declining in much of its North American range.
The greatest cause for the rarity of the male fern
in New England is a lack of suitable habitat.
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Tripsacum dactyloides
(northern gama-grass) — Ranging from the tropics to southern
New England, this grass may have been a factor in the ancient
origin of maize. Although it grows in much of the midwest
and south in a variety of habitats (usually moist, open
areas), in New England it seems to prefer coastal regions,
just inland from salt marshes. It can reach a height of
eight feet and form large clumps with very sharp leaf edges.
There are only about ten occurrences of this species in
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
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Hydrastis canadensis
(goldenseal) — For centuries goldenseal has been used as
an herbal remedy to treat sore throats, nasal congestion
and stomach ulcers. Over-collection of this plant has been
largely responsible for its disappearance from many areas.
Ranging from western New England to Minnesota and south
to North Carolina, it is rare in many states, including
Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont. Goldenseal does
not thrive in the highly acidic soil conditions that predominate
in New England
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Mertensia maritima
(oysterleaf) — This northern species occurs in large numbers
along the Maine seacoast on cliffs and cobble beaches, but
populations are also found far to the south on the sandy
beaches of Cape Cod and Nantucket in Massachusetts. As disjuncts,
therefore, these Massachusetts populations are of
conservation concern and the Flora Conservanda lists
the species as Division 3 in that state. Like its close
relative, the familiar garden plant, Virginia bluebells
(Mertensia virginica), the flowers of this species
are blue, but pink in bud. The leaves, however, are bluish
and glaucous and reportedly taste like oysters.
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| Text and images from New
England Wild Flower: Conservation Notes of the New England
Wild Flower Society — "Flora Conservanda"...Vol. 1,
No. 3, 1997. Copyright 1997 The New England Wild Flower
Society |
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