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RHODORA, Vol. 104. No. 917. 86-91, 2002 pp. NOTE NORTH CAROLINA SCHIZAEA PUSILLA IN LhBlOND RlCHAF^D J. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Division o[ Parks and Recreation, NC PO. Box 28574 787, Richlands, [email protected] e-mail: Alan Weaki.hy S. NaturCvServe, Boolhc Road, 31 Hill 1 NC Chapel 27514 Hill alan-wcakley@naturcserve.(^rg e-mail: been found Schizciea pusilla Pursh, ihc curly-grass fern, has growing white cedar Green a single location in a forest in at A Swamp southeastern North Carolina. survey of nearby in suitable habitat has failed to establish the presence of another population, and an analysis of the extant site suggests that the population introduced rather than native, raising problematic con- is servation issues. Schizciea pusilla has long been one of the most among eagerly sought plants professional and amateur botanists NcMth America. in Its allure is certainly related to its rarity, its curious disjunct range, and inconspicuous and unfcrnlike ap- its The pearance. distribution of pusilla centered the pine- in S. is New Long nearby lands southern but includes Island, Jei^sey, i^f New York, and Sussex County, Delaware, disjunct populations in Nova and Newfoundland, and remarkably Scotia a disjunct oc- (Montgomery currence Peru and Fairbrothers 992; Stolze in 1 Wagner 1987; 1993). The Program North Carolina Natural Heritage (Division of among Parks and Recreation) has considered Schizaea pusilla a known of species currently occur North Carolina, ''not to in list but which are considered to have some possibility of being found known North Carolina, based on their currently range and hab- in (Amoroso was preferences" 1997). Schizaea pusilla consid- itat and ered as potentially occurring in the Coastal Plain fall line sandhills in ''boggy sphagnous sites associated with white cedar'' (Amoroso The 1997). suggested possibility of finding pusilla S, 86 Note 87 2002] North Ccirolina based on the presence of potentially suitable in is habitat, and the close biogeographic and floristic relationship be- New tween the Coastal Plain Pine Barrens of southern Jersey and Coastal Plain pinelands of southeastern North Carolina. This re- many lationship demonstrated by the plant species exhibiting is between two and a disjunct distribution the areas, often also in- volving other areas, such as the East Gulf Coastal Plain (Florida panhandle, southern Alabama, southwestern Georgia, southern M and New^ Brunswick, and southeastern Louisiana), ssissinni, M Gawh, Gentiana a urea Ker and Curtis, autuiuiuilis L., Lopliiola t ifi Current similarities arc based on underlying habitat floristic similarities, both areas having strongly acidic sandy soils, abundant saturated wetlands, and as a frequent and vegetation- lire shaping natural force. Moreover, these areas have had past con- now nections, and during recent glacial periods, plant species New more typical of Jersey, including Schizciea pusilla, occurred North Carolina: in ''At full-glacial time, a continuous coastal plain from Florida Cape Cod was exposed. At the latitude of the Outer to Banks, was an estimated 90 miles width; this plain in its vegetation can be reconstructed from palynological partially Swamp, of Dismal Virginia, and southeastern studies the The were North Carolina. forests of Virginia apparently . — . . more was dominant boreal aspect spruce possibly the in uncommon. and was probably southern North not In tree fir were Carolina time, red or jack pine (perhaps both) this at much dominant was apparently the species; spruce less A uncommon. number abundant and was very of northern fir species including Lycopodiuin hiciduliini, L. annotinuniy and Scinguisorba canadensis occurred'' Schizciea piisiUa, (Burk 1968). Such recent vegetational similarities and the prehistoric occurrence of North Carolina suggest the plausibility of piisilla in S. presence of populations. the relict On June 1997, the author discovered Schizaea pusilla 18, first in a moist, peaty opening in a forest community dominated by & Chamaecyparis Poggenb. Green thyoides (L.) Britton, Sterns at Rhodora 88 |Vol. 104 Swamp in Brunswick County, North Carolina (portion of one On individual collected, 18 Jun 1997, LcBloncl 4757, n(u). June 22, 1997, the two authors returned to the site and conducted a and careful investigation, also investigated four other Cluuucic- The cypavis stands the vicinity. Chaniaecyparis stands them- in selves were searched, as well as nearby open habitats, such as boggy areas and moist savanna edges. This strategy was sug- New gested by the habitat of the species Jersey: "Schizaea in occurs the open bogs, not within dense white cedar in forests. Plants are found bases of young or isolated cedar or at trees, hummocks stumps or logs, or on edges oY peat including edges (Montgomery of old sand roads'' and Fairbrothers 1992). At grew the discovery site, six individuals of Scliizxieci piisilla m hummock dm on peat about by m, and about a 0.5 3 high. 1 hummock The was many in one of small openings in an other- wise dense Chcimaecyparis which Cha- stand, classified as a is - rnaecypans thyoidcslPersea palusln's/Lyonia lucidci Ilex cori- (Weakley White aceci Forest et 1998) or as Peatland Atlantic al. Cedar Forest (Schafale and Weakley Immediately 1990). associated with pusilUi were Drosera ifitcnneclia ffayne, D. rotun- 5. difolia L., D. JUifonnis Raf., seedlings of C. lliyoides, seedlings More of (Lam.) Koch, and hicida K. Sp/uii^nuni spp. generally /_.. community associated in the surrounding were C. ihyoides, Cy- ril la rcicenu'Jlora L., Vacciniuin fonuosiiiu Andr., Gaylussacia & frondosa Torn A. Gray sensu racemosa (L.) Eithotrys stricto, Persea Smilax (L.) Nutt., pcdiistris (Raf.) Sargent, hiiirifolia L., Ilex niyrtifolia Walter, coriacea (Pursh) Chapm., and Myrica /. Some heteropJiylla Raf. of these species are frequenUy associated New with pusUla occurrences southern Jersey (D. S. in its in New comm., Snyder, pers. Jersey Natural Heritage Prt^gram), and Montgomery is notable that and Fairbrothers (1992) state that it sundew ''the best indicator associates arc thread-leaf {Drosera fdifonuis) and Carolina clubmoss {Lycopodiiuu caroluuanuni).'' Four additional white cedar stands and associated open habitats were searched carefully, and although microhabitats similar to those at the first site were seen, no plants of Schizaea pusilla were found. This raised the question of whether the discovered population of pusilla native, or the result of planting (or S. is is the intentional or unintentional scattering of spores by a human). We considered the following lines of evidence; Note 89 2002] The habitat, location, and associated species are very plau- 1. sible for a native occurrence of Schizaea piisiUa in southeastern North Carolina, showing similarities to natural its New habitats southern Jersey. in The with pusilla one of the most accessible Schiz.ciea 2. site is and well-known white cedar stands southeastern North in Carolina, and has a small into from a nearby road. trail it The additional four stands investigated (and lacking pus- S. have ready access. less illa) The Schizaea had been small into the pusilla site 3. trail wooden flagged relatively recently, and a flagged stake of hummock unknown purpose was opening on sup- the the in porting Schizaea, The second author had searched the for Schizaea pusilla 4. site Of in late 1980s and did not find any. course, S. pusilla is an inconspicuous plant, and the opening which has created apparently excellent conditions for pusilla recent. S. is Growing few were within a centimeters of Schizaea pusilla 5. a few individuals of both Drosera rotundifolia and D. fili- known formis. Drosera rotundifolia not to occur in south- is moun- eastern North Carolina (though does occur in the it few tains of North Carolina, with a disjunct populations in Drosera (seusu the fall line sandhills). filifonnis stricto) is known from a rare plant in southeastern North Carolina, North eight extant populations. Notably, habitat in Car- its open seasonally-flooded depressional wetlands, olina in is known and has not been occur or in proximity to in, to, it Chcmuiecyparis stands North Carolina. This suggests that in both Drosera species were introduced as seeds or small pkmts along with pusilla: also possible that D. S, it is fili- was fonnis rather than Schizaea the intentional introduction. An would be notably disjunct alternative interpretation that populations often indicate unusual habitats or relictual con- and populations of other species often ditions, that disjunct co-occur such at sites. The were examined plants of Schizaea pusilla carefully to 6. They whether had been appeared they transplanted. assess No to be well established. apparent discontinuity of soil immediate base of could be seen; the peaty material at the the plants appeared no different than that in the vicinity. If were they have been the plants transplanted, likely that is it 90 Rhodora 104 [Veil. enough at the site for at least several years, with time having passed for the incorporation and intcrmeshing of ma- soil terial. The have document which 7. authors seen a privately printed reports that four occurrences of Scliizaea have been knowMi Swamp from Green 1990s (Murray since the early 1995). The document author of this privately printed a naturalist is New familiar with habitats both the Jersey Pine Barrens in we and southeastern North Carohna, but are not convinced that these reported populations are naturally occurring. Tn our opinion they are likely based on deliberate introduc- tions. Schizxica pusiUci has previously been the subject of a delib- 8. new erate introduction to a state, into an artificial cranberry bog Massachusetts (B.A. comm., formerly in Sorrie, pers. of Massachusetts Natural Heritage Program). The authors conclude that the preponderance of evidence suggests that the single of Schizoea pusilki discovered North site in Carolina the result of transplantation, but also plausible that is is it (though Based less likely) that this represents a native population. on current evidence, pusillci best considered a nonindigcnous S. is and marginally naturalized component of the North Carolina flo- Even ra. if this population is the result of introduction, remains it possible occurs North Carolina undiscovered that pusillci in S. at native populations; botanists should continue to seek pusilla S, in likely habitats North Carolina and adjacent eastern South Car- in and olina southeastern Virginia. unfortunate that the native/introduced status of Schizciea It is North Carolina cannot be determined more pusillci in definitively. newly would native, the discovered population warrant consid- If erable conservation and resources by conserva- effort, attention, tion organizations and governmental agencies responsible for the conservation o( biodiversity North Carolina; introduced, in if it would not. Uncertainty about the native status of populations of plants causes difficnlties for scientists, conservation organiza- and government tions, aiicncies deterniining the native ^ in ^.^v^. ^ distri- ^._. ... butions of taxa, and the appropriate conservation priorities and actions needed. Plants with high profiles the amateur botanical in world, such as orchids, ferns, and insectivorous species, are par- ticularly likely to be introduced to areas outside their native dis- Note 91 2002] and then be found and reported range extensions. tributions, as Examples Dionaea muscipula Alabama, include Ellis in Flor- J, New western North Carolina, Virginia, and southern Jersey ida, Drosera and D. intermedia West introduced); filifonnis in (all Virginia (considered introduced); Sarracenia leiicophylla Raf. in North Carolina (probably introduced); and various Sar- eastern New racenia spp. eastern Virginia and Jersey (introduced). in The authors urge that the introduction of species to natural areas, such as nature preserves or multiple-use public conserva- documented been abundantly tion lands, be avoided. has that Tt management such introduced species can cause unforeseen prob- lems (though case difhcult imagine curly-grass fern to in this is it Even as a pest species outcompcting another species!). if the de- become introduction does not a problem, other species liberate may are often introduced unintentionally as well, and these become every aggressive colonizers. species are introduced, effort If made document pub- should be to their introduced status in the lished literature to avoid future confusion regarding native distri- management butions, and conservation and priorities. LITERATURE CITBD Amoroso, L. 1997. Natural Heritage Program List of the Rare Plant Species J. of North Carolina. N.C. Natural Heritage Program, Div. Parks and Rec- NC. reation, Raleigh, A BuKK, C. 1968. Iloristic comparison of lower Cape Cod, Massachusetts J. Rhodora 215-227. and the North Carolina Outer Banks. 70: New MoNTGO.MHRY, D. AMD D. E. Fairbrothers. 1992, Jersey Ferns and J. New Fern-allies. Rutgers Univ. Press, Brunswick, NJ. Murray. Green Swamp, Brunswick County, North R. 1995. Tales of the Carolina. Privately printed, copy at N.C. Natural Heritage Program, Ra- NC. leigh, ScnAFALE, M. R AND A. Weakley. i990. Classification of the Natural S. Communities of North Carolina: Third Approximation. N.C. Natural NC. Heritage Program. Raleigh, Amer. Fern Stoi.ze, R. G. 1987. Schizaea pusilla discovered in Peru. J. 77: 64-65. Wacjner, W. Schi/aeaceae, 112-113. Flora of North H., Jr. 1993. pp. ///: America Committee, Flora of North America North of Editorial eds,. Mexico, Vol. Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms. Oxford Univ. Press, 2. New Oxford and York. Wea Communities: 1998. International Classification of Ecological Terrestrial Working March Vegetation the Southeastern United States. draf\ of o{' 1998. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Southern Community NC. Conservation Sci. Dept., Ecol. Group, Chapel Hill,