Vol. 11, No. 11 March 2006
Monthly Meeting: Regular meetings are the third Thursday of the month 7:00pm at St. Mary's Catholic Church Parish Hall, 2108 Ridgewood, Longview (just off Hollybrook Drive). No meeting in December. Also please check our chapter website at:
Important Upcoming Meeting Information
Due to our annual plant sale, the April 2Oth meeting will be devoted for preparing the big event. Please come with fresh ideas, organizational skills, and a love for dirty hands. At the March 16THmeeting (after a short presentation), we will vote on the following nominated officers who will take over at the next April meeting. The nominated officers are as follows:
President: Nell Freedman Treasurer: Michael Liverman
Vice President: Lanett Moser Secretary: Frances Beavers
It’s Plant Sale time! April 29th is the big day! Now’s the time to ready the “natives,” the “pass-a-longs,” and the “heirlooms” so we can share the joy of gardening, especially the natives. Ellen and I have about 1000 plants sprouting (some good and some…...,well, we have hope) that we plan to divide among the members to finish off. It looks like the weather is going to be good for growing plants for the sale. We are about to complete our Wal-Mart agreement, so we are off to a good start. It is amazing what good people with a great cause can do for our fellow travelers.
We had a very pleasant trip to Nacogdoches County on March 4. The weather was warm and it did not rain as predicted earlier. Michael Eason, Manager of Conservation from the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, mostly wanted to locate land that would be accessible for plant/seed collecting. We tromped all over the woods, including down to the springs that are the beginning of Tiger Branch. Rosanna said there appeared to be orchids growing in that area. There were some unusual trees noted there, also. Some of the adventurers plan to return when more plants are beginning to sprout and bloom. Lorri Terkelsen and her husband, Rosanna and Ted, the Dickinson sisters (Ramona, Barbara, and Geraldine), Ellen and Frances, as well as myself, were the brave souls who were there from our chapter. Of course, there were other Foshee kin, including Ellen’s sister, Jane, and Jane’s son (Geoffrey) and his wife (Cheri), France’s brother and his wife (Jack and Beth Foshee) who live on the property.
The Texas Tree Farmer of the Year, 86-year-old Cornie Fletcher, was at the Foshee’s, too. The next day, some of us went with Michael Eason and Lacey Stokes (graduate student at SFASU) to Cornie’s property to look around, also. She has just planted 81,000 little pine seedlings, but she lives in an area called Cedar Bluff. And, Cedar Bluff is actually located on her property. Cedar Bluff was her most interesting area for finding native plants. There were many Mayapples and Partridge Pea growing wild.
See you next Thursday.
Floyd Anderson
For information call or email:
President: / Floyd Anderson / 903-938-7077 /Secretary/Treasurer: / Betty Lee / 903-984-5636 /
Program Chairman: / Ellen Anderson / 903-938-7077 /
Publicity Chairman: / Margie McCoy / 903-645-3735 /
Newsletter: / Rosanna Salmon / 903-935-0660 /
THERE’S LOTS GOING ON, SO READ CAREFULLY!
Tyler Chapter NPSOT: Monthly meetings are the first Monday of the month at 7:00pm, Walter Fair Memorial Methodist Church, 1712 Old Omen Rd, Tyler, TX Contact Jim Showen, president for more information:
Northeast Texas Field Ornithologists: General membership meeting first Tuesday of the month at 6:30pm, St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish Hall, Longview, TX. For more information on programs and field trips visit their website at:
Gregg County Master Gardener: Monthly meetings on the second Wednesday at 12:00pm in the Gregg County Extension Office, 405 E. Marshall St, Longview, TX.
For more information call 903-236-8429 or visit
Harrison County Master Gardener: Monthly meetings on the second Wednesday at 12:00pm in the Harrison County Extension Office, 102 W Houston St, Marshall, TX. For more information call 903-935-8413
First Annual Marshall News Messenger Lawn & Garden Show: Come to the first Lawn & Garden Show in Marshall, TX. Neil Sperry will be there, and the show will also have a children’s activity area where kids can be introduced to the fun of gardening. It will be held at the East Texas Conference Center, US Hwy 59, on April 20th from 11:00am-7:00pm (tentatively.) For more information contact the Marshall News Messenger 903-935-7914
Les Reeves Lecture Series: Hear great horticulturists from all over the US. The lectures are free and open to the public. No reservations required. A rare plants raffle is held afterwards. These lectures are held the third Thursday of the month from 7:00-8:30pm, Wilson Drive, Agriculture Bldg, room 110, Nacogdoches, TX. For more information call 936-468-1832 for more info or visit the website at
Garden Gala Day: Hosted by the SFA Mast Arboretum on April 22nd from 9:00am-2:00pm. The plant sale is on the Stephen F. Austin State UniversityIntramural Fields inNacogdoches, TX. Check arboretum website one week before the sale for plant list.
Spring into Action! Plant a Butterfly Garden! Monday, March 13th at 7:00pm. Stephen Brueggerhoff, a native plant specialist from the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center,will present a butterfly seminar sponsored by Keep Texas Beautiful and the Guaranty Bank. The seminar will be at the Gregg County Extension Service Office and admission is free.
2006 Garden and Landscape Seminar Sponsored by the Gregg County Master Gardeners on Saturday, April 1st from 8:00am –1:00pm at First United Methodist Church Faith Center, 400 N. Fredonia St, Longview.
The programs will be:
Dr. James McAfee, Texas A&M University, Dallas
"Best Management for Home Lawns in East Texas"
Dr. Neil Odenwald, Landscape Architecture - LA State University
"The Vertical Garden"and"The Bountiful Flower Garden"
Advance tickets $10 -- Tickets at the door $12
For more info, call Gregg County Extension Office903-236-8429
TEXAS TRILLIUM VISIT: Saturday, March 25th, at 2:00pm. The Loper’s are scheduling another walk down to the bog to see the rare Texas Trilliums. According to Ruth, “The rare plants are not even up yet, but since they always have been up by the middle of March, I feel that this will be a good time. It's possible that they will have turned pink by then. Other things to see will be Southern Twayblade Orchids, Violets and pink May Apples. You may have to wade in shallow water to get to them.”
To get to the Loper’s, you take Hwy 110S (Troup Hwy) from Tyler through Whitehouse. About 4 miles south of Whitehouse, take CR2235 to the left, (opposite Hwy 344 going to the right). Take the left hand fork to the end of the road and come through the gate by their mailbox. When the pavement ends - that’s the Loper’s! Ruth Loper
Native Plant Society Northeast Chapter Plant Sale: Saturday, April 29th, from 8:00am until ?? at the Wal-mart parking lot on Gilmer Rd, in Longview.
3rd Lone Star Regional Native Plant Conference: May 24th-28th in Nacogdoches, TX. This will be hosted by the SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center in association with the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference of North Carolina. Join a unique blend of plant enthusiasts, nursery professionals, landscapers, botanists, and horticulturalists to hear nationally known speakers address region specific topics on East Texas ecosystems, landscape use, invasive and exotic plants, and conservation efforts. For more information and to register for this event visit You will be prompted to open a PDF file with the info and a registration form. There will be information on this event and extra registration forms available at our March 16th meeting.
Field Trip Wildflower Notes by Rosanna Salmon
Mayapple or Podophyllum pelatum L
One of the interesting native wildflowers we saw on the Foshee property is known as the “Mayapple.” This plant was just emerging and I am sure it will be in flower soon. The interesting thing about this plant that I didn’t know was that it belongs to the Barberry family known as Berberidaceae. Other genera of this family include Mahonia and Nandina. This particular wildflower was also a very prolific native of Tennessee. In Jack Carmen’s Wildflowers of Tennessee he states that the seeds, leaves and roots are poisonous. He also informs us that it was once used by the American Indians and early settlers for medicinal purposes and is now used a source for the medicinal compounds it contains. Some time ago I had heard that it was used in the treatment of certain types of cancer, and read in Geyata Ajilvsgi’s Wildflowers of Texas that it is used to treat leukemia. The ripe fruit pulp is considered by many to be edible and has been used to make preserves. It grows 12 to 20” tall and has a large umbrella type leaf that is located on a divided stem, one leaf per stem. The flower is solitary and found at the junction of the leaf stalks as seen in the photo. Immature plants will have only one leaf.
Cranefly Orchid or Tipularia discolor
The other interesting native of note we saw is known as the “Cranefly Orchid.” We were hoping to identify some orchids in the area and Michael Eason felt that we might get lucky and find a colony. The area was well suited for orchids in that it was a rich, damp, upland woodlands with acid soil. There were many beech trees (Fagus grandifolia) growing everywhere, which favor the growth of orchids. Beeches and orchids have a symbiotic relationship with the mycorrhizae in the soil. We had hiked about as far as we had time for and decided to turn around and head back when I spotted a solitary leaf that was green on the topside and purple on the bottom side. While I was looking at this particular leaf, the others on our hike were finding more in the same area. This perennial emerges from an oval tuber and produces a solitary leaf that decays as summer approaches. The inflorescence develops in mid to late summer with 20 to 40 yellow-rust-bronze-greenish flowers on a scapose stem. The individual flower is said to resemble a crane fly, hence the name. It is very difficult to spot while in flower because its colors blend in with the environment.