While most plants are autotrophic (capturing energy directly from sunlight through photosynthesis), a few obtain energy by parasitizing fungi or other plants. Some are both autotrophic and parasitic and these are called hemiparasites. The following species are holoparasites that are completely dependent on their hosts. Those that parasitize fungi are called mycoheterotrophs.
The traditional circumscription of the family Orobanchaceae included only holoparasites. It now includes hemiparasites formerly treated as part of the Scrophulariaceae. The following three species are the former.
Squawroot (Conophilis americana) is a parasite of oaks.
Beechdrops (Epifagus virginiana) is a parasite of American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
One-flowered Broomrape (Orobanche uniflora) is an annual that can parasitize a number of different herbaceous plant species
One genus in the family Orchidaceae is parasitic in Central NY. There are three species of Corallorhiza found here and the most common is Early Coralroot (Corallorhiza trifida)
The genus Monotropa in the family Ericaceae includes two mycoheterotrophic species that occur in CNY. Pinesap (M. hypopithys) is found in acid woodlands under pines.
Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) is more common and occurs in a variety of forested habitats. It differs from Pinesap in producing one flower per flowering stalk.
One species in the family Santalaceae is found in CNY. Eastern Dwarf Mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum) differs from the other species covered here in that the seeds germinate directly on the host. It is found almost exclusively on Black Spruce (Picea marina) in acid swamps and bogs.
The last group of plants are vines in the Morning Glory Family (Convolvulaceae). Dodders are annual vines that begin life underground but soon lose contact with the soil. The thin twining stems wrap around the stems of other plants, appearing like tangles of orange threads. There are a few species, the most common being Cuscuta gronovii
Flowers are produced beginning in July
In researching the flora of New York State I came across some interesting information regarding the early establishment of Chestnut Blight (Cryphonectria parasitica). In the report of the state botanist of 1908, it was reported that the blight had not yet become established in the Catskill Mountain region. The northernmost extent of its range in NY at that time was thought to be Dutchess County, although it was not clearly established there.
The thing that really caught my eye was the thinking at the time regarding the threat this fungal disease posed to our native Chestnut. According to Peck, “It is more likely that the pessimistic views concerning its rapid spread and destructive consequences, entertained by some writers, will scarcely be realized. Unusually destructive outbreaks of parasitic fungi are apt to be dependent on unusual climatic conditions and therefore to be of short duration”. Clearly this was not the case, and it is hard to find a chestnut tree today of any appreciable size if one can find one at all. The species is essentially now ecologically extinct.
Cardinal flowers are now blooming along the Tioughnioga River. I normally find this plant growing among other plants and as a result the inflorescence tends to bend toward the light. Today I got lucky and found a large colony growing by itself and they had racemes that were straight upright.
Lesser purple fringed orchids (Platanthera psychodes) are just beginning to bloom here in central NY. These were found today in a swamp under some poison sumac. Green fringed orchid (Platanthera lacera) was also blooming in the same area. There were many little club-spur orchids (Platanthera clavellata) in bud that should be opening in a few weeks.
It was overcast so a flash was needed to get a closeup of the flowers, which is why the background is so dark.
Rhodobryum roseum is an attractive moss that grows primarily on thin soils over rocks in woodlands. The upper leaves form a crowded rossette that becomes erect and rather contorted when dry. Sporophytes are rarely produced.
Plants are emerging a bit later than they have in recent years but there are many spring flowers to be seen now in central NY. Here are a few that I photographed today
Stinking Benjamin (Trillium erectum)
Wood Horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum)
Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)
American Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
Rose Twisted-stalk (Streptopus lanceolatus)
American Golden Saxifrage (Chrysosplenium americanum) is a small member of the Saxifrage family with creeping stems that root at the nodes. It grows in muddy or springy soil in shaded areas. The leaves are rounded and entire or obscurely toothed, typically opposite lower on the stem and becoming alternate higher up.
The flowers lack petals and have four ovate sepals that range from greenish-yellow to greenish brown-purple. The disk of the flower can be green, reddish, or brown-purple. The most colorful aspect of the flowers are the 8 red stamens.
Branching stems each ending in a single flower
Closeup of flower
Spring begins in only a few days, and while the showier spring ephemerals won’t be up for at least a month there should be some buds breaking in the coming weeks. Skunk cabbage is already blooming in some places, and soon some of the following should be emerging.
Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) sends up its dandelion-like flowers before its leaves. It is a native of Europe and Asia and has naturalized throughout North America. It has been used medicinally as a cough-suppressant but there now evidence that a chemical constituent of the plant is a powerful mutagen. It is typically found in disturbed areas.
In wetlands one may find Sweetgale (Myrica gale) blooming in early April. This plant associates with nitrogen-fixing bacteria and the crushed leaves smell much like bay leaves. It is in the same family as Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica), which has fragrant berries that have been used to make candles.
In moist woods of Central New York one can find Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), a shrub with fragrant leaves and orange or red berries that ripen in the fall. The floral effect of Spicebush is reminiscent of Forsythia but not quite as showy. It is the larval food plant of the spicebush swallowtail.
Eastern North America has a few endemic sundews (Drosera spp.), all of which occur in acid habitats like bogs. The most common in New York State is the round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia). It has round leaves (obviously!) that are covered with stiff glandular hairs each tipped with a sticky drop of “dew”. The leaves are often a bright red which serves to attract insects, and the sticky glands trap the insects. After capturing an insect the leaf usually folds inward to increase surface contact and digestion occurs with the aid of enzymes secreted by the leaf.
A species with more elongate leaves that also occurs in our area in the narrow-leaved sundew (Drosera intermedia). I found this specimen growing along one of the rivers that runs through the New Jersey Pine Barrens. The thread-leaved sundew (Drosera filiformis) also occurs in the Pine Barrens and it has much longer and narrower leaves. I have not yet found this latter species growing in the wild and it is quite rare in NY.
A popular subtropical sundew for terrarium culture is Drosera tokaiensis from Japan, which is a natural hybrid of D. rotundifolia and D. spatulata. It is easy to grow from seed and does not require a period of dormancy like our temperate sundews.
Sundews can be grown under the same conditions as the Venus Flytrap. A mixture of peat and sand works well for the substrate. Ambient conditions should be kept humid and only distilled water should be used. Bright light will bring out the best color. Plants grown in moderate light will tend to be more green, and plants grown in low light may decline over time. When growing temperate sundews the plants may form a tight rosette late in the growing season and this is an indication that they are going dormant. Such plants can be placed in a refrigerator for several months to break dormancy.
With Christmas just a few days away I figured it would be a good time to discuss some of the plants often associated with the holiday. Besides trees, probably the one that most often comes to mind is the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). The poinsettia is native to Mexico and South America. It is a member of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), many members of which produce milky latex sap and showy bracts (modified leaves) that surround one or more floral structures called cyanthia. A cyanthium is composed of a single female flower partially surrounded by a cup-like involucre topped by five simplified male flowers. In the poinsettia the cyanthia are yellow-green and the floral bracts resemble the leaves but are large and scarlet red.
A long-standing myth is that the poinsettia is poisonous due to the death of a 2 year old child in 1919 that was falsely attributed to ingestion of this plant. While the plant is not considered edible, the toxicity of the plant is quite low and at worst it may cause upset stomach or vomiting if eaten.
Another popular plant this time of year is the Christmas Cactus, which is actually represented by a few species mostly in the genus Schlumbergera. In the wild they are epiphytic cacti, growing on trees in forests of South America. What appear to be leaves are actually flattened stems. Sections of the stem root easily in a loose potting mix that includes a good proportion of sand. Flowering is triggered by short days and long nights, as is the case with poinsettia. While I don’t have any pictures of the latter, I did manage to find a few pictures of a Christmas Cactus in bloom.
Christmas Cactus
I will end this with a perhaps less commonly known plant associated with the holiday, and one that is native to Eastern North America. The Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is so named because it was once popular for use in Christmas decorations due to its tough, evergreen leaves that can be found throughout the year, even under snow. It grows on well-drained soils in rich, shady woodlands.
Christmas Fern