Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Parking Lot Potbelly

The potbelly airplant, Tillandsia paucifolia, occurs only occasionally in southern and central Florida, so imagine my surprise to discover a small cluster in the Winn Dixie (supermarket) parking lot on Marco Island! It was hanging by a splinter, upside down on a broken branch, just waiting for the next mow-and-go crew to whack it away. It must have been kismet, because I never park in that section of the lot.

Had its chances of survival been better I would have left it. As it was, it stood no chance at all, so I took it home with me, and after dunking it in a pot of rainwater, I put it under the Fiddlewood in a somewhat shaded, but basically bright spot. I hope it will flourish for me. Legally rescued Tillandsia fasciculata, Tillandsia balbisiana and Tillandsia flexuosa, all Florida natives, reproduce in the yard, so I am hopeful for the potbelly.



Tillandsia paucifolia - Potbelly Airplant




Tillandsias are epiphytes. Their roots serve mainly to anchor them to trees or sometimes rocks, and they absorb nutrients and water through their leaves. They often have a felty, scurfy, or downy appearance due to a covering of specially-adapted cells. Depending on exposure the species listed above appear in various shades of green in some shade, to gray-pink in harsh scrub.

The potbelly airplane is short and stocky, as its common name implies. It doesn't have as many leaves as most other Tillandsias, hence the species epithet paucifolia. Newer leaves may have subtle rose tints. The plant in the photo below looks like it is getting ready to send up a bloom spike. The bracts of the potbelly are pink, and the flowers a bluish lavender.



Potbelly in Naples Preserve 


The potbelly is quite tough, and will grow in oak scrub, as in the picture above, taken in the Naples Preserve in Naples, Florida.  The potbelly also occurs in the West Indies, Mexico, and Central and South America. (Richard Wunderlin. Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida. University Press of Florida. 1998; Flora of North America).


Text, photos and artwork by Jeanette Lee Atkinson

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Blackroot

Blackroot, Pterocaulon pycnostachym (Michz.) Elliott is a Florida native that doesn't usually attract much attention, but develops into a beautiful garden plant given a little TLC. In scrub, especially, it can look pretty sorry, but the fact that it survives at all in that habitat is evidence of its incredible tenacity. It also grows in pine flatwoods. It occurs throughout Florida except in a few of the northern and western counties, and mainland Monroe County, which is mostly swamp.  Since these areas are sparsely settled, even now, it may be that the plant grows there but has not been vouchered officially.

It's a perennial, and it does have a big black root. Its main charm is its foliage, not its flowers. "Not showy" is sort of an understatement, though the bloom spikes themselves are quite interesting. It is a member of the Aster family. Flower heads grow in a spiral around a long, rather spongy and felty stalk at the ends of branches. There are only disc florets, not petal-like ray flowers. The flowers themselves are pale white turning brown with age. Aster flowers  don't have a traditional green calyx. Instead, they have a ring of persistent chaff-like hairs (pappus) at the bottom. The pappus often aids in seed dispersal. Milkweed seeds are attached to a similar structure, though it is not related to the calyx. As the achenes (dry fruit consisting of a hard outer coating surrounding a single seed) mature, the pappi can become very noticeable. Blackroot's interesting texture and form, beautiful leaves and strange stems more than compensate for the bland flowers.




Numerous disc florets and pappi


One of the most interesting thing about the plant is its decurrent leaf bases. The leaves are not stalked, but attached directly to the stem, and the base of each leaf extends like a wing down the stem until it is interrupted by a different leaf, which starts the process anew. This gives the plant an even more 3-dimensional look, and certainly adds interest. The stems are soft and pithy, turning more woody with age. Pruning old, dry stems keeps the plants looking their best.


StemStudies



The veins, pronounced on the back of the leaves, show up as a delicate  white ornamental tracery on the top side. A dense layer of hairs that appear like a network of cobwebs under magnification make the green leaves look gray, silvery, or just blindingly colorless in sunshine. The undersides of the leaves are more cream-colored than green. The leaves are alternate, and their edges are slightly notched.






Detail of Veins, Pressed Leaf, Leaf Rubbing, Color Trials





Beautiful rose-pink new growth is also one of the plant's charms. The coloration appears on new leaves, flower spikes, and even stems.








Pterocaulon pyncnostachium is very tough, and can grow in extreme drought and sun, or in more moist and shady conditions. It also can be grown in a pot. In my yard it goes dormant or semi-dormant in winter, probably due more to lack of water than cold temperatures. It is not troubled by insects or diseases. Its stems grow both upright and in gentle arcs. It really is a very desirable plant for a naturalistic garden, but does not seem to be readily available. I got my plant from a friend, sadly no longer living, who had a small native plant nursery.



Pterocaulon pyncnostachium - "Blackroot"


An herbal concoction called "Blackroot" is available commercially . This is not made from the same plant, but instead, is a preparation of Veronicastrum virginicum, also called "Culver's Root." Just one more example of why scientific names are a good idea.


Text, illustrations, photos by Jeanette Lee Atkinson